Chulmin Jung, Antonio Bobet, and Nayyar Zia Siddiki
1
A SIMPLE METHOD TO IDENTIFY MARL SOILS
Chulmin Jung, Ph.D., P.E., Geotechnical Specialist, Civil & Architectural Department 1,
Samsung Engineering, 467-14, Samsung SEI Tower, Dogok-2dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135856,
Korea.
Tel:
+82-2-2148-2315,
Fax:
+82-2-3458-4015,
e-mail:
chulmin.jung@samsung.com (Corresponding Author)
Antonio Bobet, Ph.D., Professor, School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, West
Lafayette, IN 47907-1284, U.S.A. Tel: (765) 494-5033, Fax: (765) 496-1364, e-mail:
bobet@purdue.edu
Nayyar Zia Siddiki, M.S., P.E., Geotechnical Field Operation Supervisor, Office of
Geotechnical Engineering, Indiana Department of Transportation, 120 S. Shortridge Rd.,
Indianapolis, IN 46219-0389, U.S.A. Tel: (317)610-7251, Fax: (317) 356-9351, e-mail:
nsiddiki@indot.in.gov.
Submission date: Nov. 1, 2010
Word Count: 7111 words (Text only: 3861 words, and 8 Figures and 5 Tables: 3250 words)
TRB 2011 Annual Meeting
Paper revised from original submittal.
Chulmin Jung, Antonio Bobet, and Nayyar Zia Siddiki
2
ABSTRACT
An experimental investigation was carried out to propose a simple, practical method, to identify
marl soils in the laboratory and to classify the soils. The percentage of calcium carbonate
(CaCO3) of the soil was determined with three different methods: (1) TGA (ThermoGravimetric Analysis); (2) “sequential” LOI (Loss on Ignition); and (3) chemical reaction
following ASTM C 25. The sequential LOI test has the advantage that both organic and calcium
carbonate content of the soil can be determined with a conventional furnace. X-Ray Diffraction
(XRD), pH, and Atterberg limits tests were also conducted. The percentage of CaCO3
determined from the sequential LOI tests agreed very well with those from the TGA tests and
from the chemical tests. No correlation was found between the percentage of CaCO3 and
organic content in the soil. As the organic content of the soil increases, the liquid limit (LL)
increases, and the plasticity of the soil increases. As the CaCO3 content of the soil increases, the
LL of the soil decreases and the soil becomes less plastic. The geotechnical engineering
properties of marl soils depend on organic content and CaCO3 content, and so the soils should
be classified in terms of both organic content and calcium carbonate content.
KEYWORDS: Classification, Calcium carbonate, Marl, Organic content, Sequential LOI, Soil
index properties.
TRB 2011 Annual Meeting
Paper revised from original submittal.
Chulmin Jung, Antonio Bobet, and Nayyar Zia Siddiki
3
INTRODUCTION
Marl soil deposits are encountered in the Midwest of the US, including the states of Indiana,
Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio (1-4). The term marl has been used in the regional area to designate
carbonate-rich, light gray to almost white silts and clays formed by precipitation of calcite at the
bottom of lakes or swamps (1-3). The marl soils sometimes contain noticeable amounts of fine
sand (3). The marl deposits are encountered often below highly organic soil or peat deposits (2)
and contain shell fragments (3). The marl soil is classified as an organic soil in accordance with
the Ohio DOT soil classification system (4). According to the Indiana DOT soil classification
system, a soil with a calcium carbonate content of 26 to 40 % is classified as Marly soil while a
soil with a calcium carbonate content larger than 40 % is classified as Marl (1); the Indiana DOT
uses chemical tests, following ASTM C 25, to determine the calcium carbonate content in the
soil. Both Marly soils and Marls fall into the ASSHTO soil class A-8 (1). Marl soils typically
have low dry density, very high moisture content and low shear strength. This makes them
“problem soils” that are unsuitable for pavement subgrade, may be prone to slope instability and
have low bearing capacity. Given all these issues, it is somewhat surprising that very limited
work has been done in the Midwest on these soils.
The term marl or marl soil is used with somewhat different meanings in different fields.
In agriculture, marl is defined as a limnic soil that, moist, has a color value of 5 or more and
reacts with dilute HCL to produce CO2 (5). It usually has an organic content of 4 to 20 %, and is
classified as an organic soil (5). In engineering geology and geotechnical engineering, terms such
as calcareous soil, carbonate soil and marl soil have been used to designate a mixture of finegrained soils and carbonate minerals (6-13).
The carbonate content of a soil changes its geotechnical engineering properties. It affects
the soil index properties such as the Plastic Limit (PL), the Liquid Limit (LL), the Plasticity
Index (PI), and the activity of the soil (9-10), the peak frictional angle (9), the residual frictional
angle (12), the effective cohesion (9), and permeability (9). With increasing carbonate content,
the LL, PL, PI, and activity of the soil decrease, the friction angle increases while cohesion and
permeability decrease. In other words, as the carbonate content increases, marl soils tend to show
less plastic behavior. The results however were obtained from soils with no organic content. In
other words, the origin of the soils investigated was different from that of marl soils encountered
in the Midwest of the US. Marl soils, at least in the Midwest, have organic matter typically in the
range of 3 to 25%.
The paper focuses on the identification and classification of marl soils with low to
moderate organic content, which are thought to be more representative of the soils in the
Midwest. It also provides recommendations for alternative methods to determine the content of
calcium carbonate and organic matter. The initiative for the work came from the need of the
Indiana DOT (INDOT) to have a workable classification and accurate and yet economical
laboratory tests to determine the composition of the soils, and thus the work has been conducted
on samples collected in the State of Indiana.
SOIL SAMPLING
Three INDOT road construction projects, for which marl soil samples had been preserved by
geotechnical engineering companies during the design phase, were chosen as the source of the
soil samples. The samples were not protected from loss of moisture, but the values reported here
are taken from the original geotechnical investigation. Table 1 contains: (1) site number; (2) road
construction project; (3) INDOT designation number of road project; (4) time when the
TRB 2011 Annual Meeting
Paper revised from original submittal.
Chulmin Jung, Antonio Bobet, and Nayyar Zia Siddiki
4
geotechnical investigation was completed. Sites (1) and (3) are located in Kokomo, Howard
County, about 50 miles north of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Site (2) is located in Randolph County,
about 60 miles east of Indianapolis. Ten soil samples were selected at each site, each from a
different borehole. Table 2 shows the location of each of the selected samples, the moisture
content obtained from the original investigation and the SPT (Standard Penetration Test) blow
count at the depth of the sample for sites (1), (2) and (3), respectively.
At site (1), the samples were taken at depths of 4.5 ft to 16.5 ft below the ground level
(Table 2). The natural moisture content ranged from 26% to 60%, with an average value of 40%.
The SPT values were very small, which indicates a very soft soil, typical of the marl deposits
encountered in Indiana. At site (2) the depth of the samples ranged from 6 to 20 ft below the
ground level, and the natural moisture content ranged from 29 % to 126 %, with an average
value of 70%. The in-situ SPT blow count ranged from 0 to 8 with an average value of 4. At site
(3), the depths of the samples were between 7 and 19 ft, and had a natural moisture content from
19 to 76 %, with an average of 51%. The in-situ SPT blow count ranged from 0 to 4, with an
average value of 2.
TEST METHODOLOGY
The calcium carbonate content of the soil samples was determined using three different methods:
(1) TGA (Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis); (2) “sequential” LOI (Loss on Ignition); and (3)
chemical reaction in accordance with ASTM C 25 (14). XRD, pH, and Atterberg limits tests were
also conducted on the soil samples collected. All tests were completed in December, 2008.
Thermo-Gravimetric analysis
TGA (Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis) tests were performed on all the thirty soil samples collected.
The tests were done to determine the content of calcium carbonate in the soil. A TGA-2050
(manufactured by TA Instruments), Thermo-Gravimetric analyzer, was used for the study. Ten
milligrams of soil were placed in the furnace of the analyzer and then heated in a nitrogen gas at
a rate of 10 °C/min from room temperature to 1000 °C. The weight loss curve of the soil with
temperature was obtained from the test. In the range of 650 to 800 °C, calcium carbonate
(CaCO3) decomposes into calcium oxide (CaO) and carbon dioxide (CO2). As a consequence, the
calcium carbonate content in a soil sample may be determined from the weight loss of the soil
between 650 and 800 °C.
“Sequential” Loss on Ignition (LOI) Method
Loss on Ignition (LOI) tests were conducted to determine the organic content and calcium
carbonate content in the soil. In geotechnical engineering LOI tests have been used to measure
organic content, heating the soil up to 455 °C, in accordance with AASHTO T 267-86 (15). In
this study, the LOI test was extended in an attempt to determine the calcium carbonate content in
the soil, and as a simpler alternative to the chemical tests (discussed later). The procedure for the
“sequential” LOI is as follows: First, the mass of the crucible is measured. Then, a soil sample
with a mass of 10 to 15 grams is placed inside the crucible. The soil is dried in an oven at 110°C
for 24 hours. After drying, the mass of the crucible and soil is measured and the crucible and the
dried soil are placed into a furnace for six hours at a temperature of 455°C (note that this is the
temperature used to burn the organics in a soil, according to AASHTO T 267-86). The crucible
with the soil is then removed from the furnace, placed into a desiccator, allowed to cool, and the
mass is measured. The crucible and the soil are again placed into the furnace for six additional
TRB 2011 Annual Meeting
Paper revised from original submittal.
Chulmin Jung, Antonio Bobet, and Nayyar Zia Siddiki
5
hours at a temperature of 800°C (this is the temperature of decomposition of calcium carbonate).
Finally the mass of the crucible and the soil is measured. The organic content (O.C.) of the soil
sample is:
O.C. (%) 
M110  M 455
100
M110  M crucible
(1)
where M110 is the mass of crucible and oven-dried soil before ignition at 455°C; M455 is the mass
of crucible and soil after ignition at 455°C; and Mcrucible is the mass of the crucible. The
percentage of calcium carbonate in the soil is:
% CaCO3 
100 M 455  M800

 100
44 M110  M crucible
(2)
where M800 is the mass of the crucible and soil after ignition at 800°C.
Chemical test
The chemical tests follow ASTM C25 (14) that specifies a procedure to determine the
neutralizing capacity of a calcareous material. About two grams of soil are placed into a 500-mL
Erlenmeyer flask. 25 mL of 1.0 N hydrochloric acid (HCl) solution is added into the flask. About
five minutes after the addition of the 1.0 N HCl solution the excess acid in the flask is titrated
with 0.5 N sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution using phenolphthalein as indicator. The volume
of NaOH solution required for the titration of the excess acid is measured. The calcium carbonate
content in the soil is:
% CaCO3 
5.0045(V1 N1  V2 N 2 )
100
W
(3)
where V1 is the volume of the HCl solution used; N1 is the normality of the HCl solution; V2 is
the volume of the NaOH solution required for titration of the excess acid in mL; N2 is the
normality of the NaOH solution; and W is the weight of the soil sample in grams. Note that the
value obtained with the above equation is not the percentage of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), but
the percentage of calcium carbonate equivalent (C.C.E.). This is so because other carbonate
species such as magnesite and dolomite as well as calcite (CaCO3) can react chemically with the
1N HCl solution. In other words, the chemical test describes the amount of all carbonate species
in terms of C.C.E.
XRD test
X-Ray diffraction (XRD) tests were performed to identify calcium carbonate as one of the
minerals present in the soil. The tests were conducted on the fraction of the soil that passed No.
200 sieve. A SIMENS D500, an X-Ray diffractometer, was used for the study. From the XRD
test results, the presence of calcium oxide, CaO, calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2, or calcium
carbonate, Ca(CO)3, can be identified. Note that with this test the minerals can be identified, but
the test cannot provide a quantitative estimate of the mineral in the soil.
TRB 2011 Annual Meeting
Paper revised from original submittal.
Chulmin Jung, Antonio Bobet, and Nayyar Zia Siddiki
6
pH test
The pH of the marl soil samples was measured in accordance with ASTM D 4972-01 (14) to
establish, if possible, a correlation between the calcium carbonate content of the soil and its pH.
Ten grams of air-dried soil that passed through a No. 10 sieve were mixed with 10 mL of water.
One hour after mixing, the pH of the soil was measured using a calibrated pH meter.
Atterberg limits test
Atterberg limits tests were performed according to ASTM D 4318 (14). The soil that passed
through a No. 40 sieve was used for the determination of the PL and LL.
TEST RESULTS
Tables 3 to 5 include a summary of the results of all the tests for sites (1), (2), and (3),
respectively. Each table includes, for each soil sample: (a) color of the dry soil; (b) plastic limit
(PL); (c) liquid limit (LL); (d) plasticity index (PI); (e) USCS classification; (f) moisture content;
(g) percentage of organic matter; (h) pH; (i) CaCO3 from XRD test results; (j) percentage of
CaCO3 determined from TGA tests; (k) percentage of CaCO3 from sequential LOI tests; and (l)
percentage of CaCO3 from chemical tests in accordance with ASTM C 25. In the tables, a value
in parentheses means that the value was obtained from the original geotechnical investigation.
The PL of the soil samples ranged from 14 to 58, the LL from 25 to 85, and the PI from 0
to 48. The LL and PI are plotted on the Casagrande plasticity chart in FIGURE 1. From the chart,
the soils are classified as CL, CH, or MH, depending on their LL and PI (Tables 3 to 5).
FIGURE 2 plots the result of the TGA test on soil sample No. 1-1. The weight of the soil
decreases sharply in the range of 650 and 800 °C. This is within the range where CaCO3
decomposes into CaO and CO2, and so the weight loss represents the CaCO3 content. The figure
also includes the derivative of the weight loss with respect to time, which shows a clear peak at
about 750 °C. The sharp decrease of the weight of the soil between 650 and 800 °C is also
observed on all other soil samples. The percentage of CaCO3 ranged between 12 and 76 % with
an average value of 35 % (Tables 3 to 5). The percentage of CaCO3 in the soil that was
determined from sequential LOI tests ranged from 11 % to 78 %, with an average value of 35 %.
Results from the three different methods are compared in FIGURES 3 and 4. FIGURE 3
provides a comparison between CaCO3 determined from the sequential LOI test and from TGA.
The figure shows a very good agreement between the two methods. FIGURE 4 plots results from
chemical tests and TGA. The CaCO3 content from the chemical tests is slightly smaller than
from the TGA. This is expected because other matter, in addition to CaCO3 may be burnt during
the tests. The differences however are small and so the CaCO3 content determined from the two
methods is comparable. FIGURES 3 and 4 thus show that the results from the three methods are
comparable.
XRD tests were performed to identify the presence of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). The
XRD tests detected CaCO3 in all soil samples except No. 1-5 and No. 3-4 (Tables 3 to 5). No
other carbonate species were found. The false negatives (No. 1-5 and No. 3-4) may be due to
sensitivity of the equipment, considering that the CaCO3 content in the two soil samples was
12 %, the lowest value measured in this study. From the results, it seems that at least a 10%
CaCO3 or more in the soil is needed for the XRD test to detect the mineral. The sequential LOI
test was also used to provide the organic content (O.C.) of the soils, which ranged from 1.2 % to
17.3 % with an average value of 6 % (Tables 3 to 5). No correlation has been found between
CaCO3 and organic content.
TRB 2011 Annual Meeting
Paper revised from original submittal.
Chulmin Jung, Antonio Bobet, and Nayyar Zia Siddiki
7
Tables 3 to 5 also provide the natural moisture content of the soil samples that was
obtained from the original geotechnical investigation. The natural moisture content ranged from
19 % to 126 %, with an average value of 54%. FIGURE 5 compares the organic content of the
soil with the natural moisture content. As one can see, the natural moisture content increases with
the organic content. This result is consistent with findings from others (16-17). pH tests were
performed on all soil samples. The pH ranged between 6.96 and 7.60 with an average value of
7.34 (Tables 3 to 5). The pH is compared with the percentage of CaCO3 in FIGURE 6. The
results suggest a general trend of increasing pH as the calcium carbonate in the soil increases.
There is however significant scatter, which is thought is due to soil variability.
The LL is plotted with organic content in FIGURE 7. From the figure, it is clear that the
LL of the soil increases with organic content. The result is expected (e.g. 16, 18-19). FIGURE 8
plots the PI of the soil with the CaCO3 content. From the figure, it seems that the PI tends to
decrease with CaCO3. There is however no clear correlation, which suggests that other soil
characteristics play an important role. Lamas et al. (9) reported that soil plasticity decreased with
increasing CaCO3 and a strong correlation was found between soil indices and CaCO3 content. It
should be noted that Lamas et al. (9) used soil samples that did not contain organic matter. Based
on all experiments, it can be concluded that the soil indices depend, to a large extent, on the
CaCO3 content when the soil does not contain any organic matter, but this trend becomes much
weaker when the soil contains organic matter because the organic matter significantly affects the
soil indices. As a result, the geotechnical characteristics of marl soils depend on their organic
content, to the largest extent, and on their CaCO3 content.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
An experimental investigation was carried out to propose a practical method to identify and
classify in the laboratory marl soils in the state of Indiana and to investigate the geotechnical
engineering properties of the marl soils. Soil samples were taken from three INDOT road
construction projects. Ten soil samples were collected from ten different boreholes at each
project, and so a total of thirty soil samples were collected and tested. The percentage of calcium
carbonate (CaCO3) in the soil was determined using three different methods: (1) TGA (ThermoGravimetric Analysis); (2) “sequential” LOI (Loss on Ignition); and (3) chemical reaction in
accordance with ASTM C 25. In addition, XRD, pH, and Atterberg limits tests were performed.
The percentage of CaCO3 determined from the sequential LOI tests agreed very well with
those from the TGA tests and from the chemical tests (ASTM C 25). pH tests showed that as
CaCO3 increases, the pH of the soil increases; the tests however showed large scatter and so pH
tests alone cannot be used to accurately determine the calcium carbonate content in a soil. No
correlation was found between CaCO3 and organic content. A strong correlation however was
observed between natural moisture content and organic content and between LL and organic
content. As the organic content of the soil increases, the LL increases, or the plasticity of the soil
increases. It was also found that as the CaCO3 content of the soil increases, the LL of the soil
decreases, or the soil becomes less plastic.
From all test results, the following can be concluded: (1) any of the three methods:
chemical, TGA or LOI, can be used to determine the CaCO3 content of the soil; (2) the sequential
LOI test can be used, as a simple method, to determine the CaCO3 content of the soil; and (3) the
geotechnical characteristics of the marl soils depend on organic content and on CaCO3 content,
and so the soil description should provide both the organic and the calcium carbonate contents. A
soil classification such as that of the Indiana DOT that provides a denomination for the soil as a
TRB 2011 Annual Meeting
Paper revised from original submittal.
Chulmin Jung, Antonio Bobet, and Nayyar Zia Siddiki
8
function of the calcium carbonate content, with the addition of the organic content, seems
appropriate.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The work presented (SPR 3227) was supported by the Joint Transportation Research Program
administered by the Indiana Department of Transportation and Purdue University. The contents
of this paper reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy
of the data presented herein, and do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the
Federal Highway Administration and the Indiana Department of Transportation, nor do the
contents constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. The authors are grateful to the Federal
Highway Administration/ Indiana Department of Transportation/ Joint Transportation Research
Project for supporting this research. In addition the authors would like to thank H.C Nutting
(Cincinnati, OH) Company and Patriot Engineering and Environmental Inc. for their contribution
and collection of the soil samples used for laboratory tests, and to Ms. Janet Lovell, the
Laboratory Manager of the School of Civil Engineering at Purdue University, who performed the
chemical, TGA, and XRD tests for the project.
TRB 2011 Annual Meeting
Paper revised from original submittal.
Chulmin Jung, Antonio Bobet, and Nayyar Zia Siddiki
9
REFERENCES
1. Geotechnical Manual. Indiana Department of Transportation, Indianapolis, 2008.
2. Geotechnical Manual. Illinois Department of Transportation, Springfield, 1999.
3. Uniform Field Soil Classification System. Michigan Department of Transportation, Lansing,
2009.
4. Specifications for Geotechnical Explorations. Ohio Department Transportation, Columbus,
2010.
5. Soil Taxonomy. United States Department of Agriculture, Washington D.C., 1999.
6. Aiban, S. A. Strength and compressibility of Abqaiq marl, Saudi Arabia. Engineering
Geology, Vol. 39, 1995, pp. 203-215.
7. Bellair, M., and Pomerol, L. Tratado de Geología, Vol. 1. Limusa, Mexico, 1980.
8. Datta, M., Gulhati, S. K., and Rao, G. V. Engineering behavior of carbonate soils of India and
some observations on classification of such soils. In: K.D. Demars and R.C. Chaney (Editors),
Geotechnical Properties, Behavior, and Performance of Calcareous Soils. ASTM Special
Technical Publication 777, 1982, pp. 113-140.
9. Lamas, F., Irigaray, C., and Chacón, J. Geotechnical characterization of carbonate marls for
the construction of impermeable dam cores, Engineering Geology, Vol. 66, 2002, pp. 283–
294.
10. Pazza, N., Lamas, F., Irigaray, C., and Chacón, J. Engineering geological characterization of
neogene marls in the southeastern Granada Basin, Spain. Engineering Geology, Vol. 50, 1998,
pp. 165–175.
11. Pettijohn, F. Sedimentary Rocks. Harper and Row, New York, 1975.
12. Tsiambaos, G. Correlation of mineralogy and index properties with residual strength of
Iraklion marls. Engineering Geology, Vol. 30, 1991, pp. 357-369.
13. Shaqour, F.M., Jarrar, G., Hencher, S., and Kuisi. M. Geotechnical and mineralogical
characteristics of marl deposits in Jordan. Environmental Geology, Vol. 55, 2008, pp. 17771783.
14. ASTM International Annual Book of ASTM Standards. ASTM International, West
Conshohocken, PA, 2010.
15. Standard specifications for Transportation Materials and Methods of Sampling and Testing.
28th ed. AASHTO, Washington, D.C., 2008.
16. Huat, B.B., Asadi, A., Kazemian, S. Experimental investigation on geomechanical properties
of tropical organic soils and peat. American Journal of Engineering and Applied Science Vol.
2 No. 1, 2009, pp. 184-188.
17. Jarrett, P. M. Testing of Peats and Organic Soils: A Symposium Sponsored by ASTM
Committee D-18 on Soil and Rock, Toronto, Canada, 23 June 1982.
18. Malkawi, A.I., Alawneh, A.S. and Abu-Safaqah, O.T. Effects of Organic Matter on the
Physical and the Physicochemical Properties of an Illitic Soil. Applied Clay Science, Vol. 14,
1999, pp. 257-278.
19. Odell, R.T., Thornburn, T.H., Mckenzie, L.J., “Relationship of Atterberg limits to some other
properties of Illinois soils”, Proceedings of the Soil Science Society of America, Vol. 24, No.
4, 1960, pp. 297–300.
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FIGURE 1 Classification of marl soils according to Casagrande plasticity chart.
FIGURE 2 Weight loss and weight loss rate obtained from TGA on soil sample No. 1-1.
TRB 2011 Annual Meeting
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Chulmin Jung, Antonio Bobet, and Nayyar Zia Siddiki
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FIGURE 3 Comparison between % CaCO3 from LOI and TGA tests.
FIGURE 4 Comparison between % CaCO3 from ASTM C 25 and those from TGA tests.
TRB 2011 Annual Meeting
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Chulmin Jung, Antonio Bobet, and Nayyar Zia Siddiki
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FIGURE 5 Correlation between natural moisture content and organic content.
FIGURE 6 Correlation between pH and % CaCO3 determined from TGA tests.
TRB 2011 Annual Meeting
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Chulmin Jung, Antonio Bobet, and Nayyar Zia Siddiki
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FIGURE 7 Correlation between liquid limit and organic content (%).
FIGURE 8 Correlation between plasticity index and % CaCO3 determined from TGA tests.
TRB 2011 Annual Meeting
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Chulmin Jung, Antonio Bobet, and Nayyar Zia Siddiki
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TABLE 1 Source of Soil Samples
Site
1
2
3
TRB 2011 Annual Meeting
INDOT construction project
US Highway 31 Kokomo
Bypass Marl Delineation main lane project
State Road 1 Rehabilitation.
Beginning at US Highway 36
and extending north 8.6 miles
to State Road 32 in Randolph
County
US Highway 31 Kokomo
Bypass Marl Delineation contract 1c project
INDOT
Designation No.
Time of geotechnical
investigation
Des. 0700338
April, 2008
Des. 0013810
May, 2008
Des. 0600337
Nov., 2007
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Chulmin Jung, Antonio Bobet, and Nayyar Zia Siddiki
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TABLE 2 Location and properties of selected samples
W/C of soil
Site
Sample No.
Depth (ft)
SPT N
(%)
1-1
6.0-7.5
60
0
0
1-2
7.5-9.0
25
0
1-3
6.0-7.5
32
0
1-4
9.0-10.5
43
0
1-5
4.5-6.0
58
Site (1)
0
1-6
13.5-15.0
-
Site (2)
Site (3)
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1-7
1-8
1-9
1-10
2-1
2-2
2-3
2-4
2-5
2-6
2-7
2-8
2-9
2-10
3-1
3-2
3-3
3-4
3-5
3-6
3-7
3-8
3-9
3-10
15-16.5
7.5-9.0
9.0-10.5
12.0-13.5
18.5-20.0
8.5-10.0
8.5-10.0
6-7.5
8.5-10.0
6-7.5
13.5-15.0
18.5-20.0
8.5-10.0
13.5-15.0
9-11
7-9
7-9
17-19
11-13
9-11
9-11
7-9
7-9
9-11
26
35
36
42
126
94
67
58
29
49
34
95
76
59
47
38
76
75
75
19
51
43
26
2
0
0
0
2
1
3
4
3
3
8
0
7
6
3
2
3
2
2
2
4
2
0
2
Paper revised from original submittal.
Chulmin Jung, Antonio Bobet, and Nayyar Zia Siddiki
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TABLE 3 Test Results from site (1) soil samples
Sample
No.
No. 1-1
No. 1-2
No. 1-3
No. 1-4
Color
Light
gray
Light
gray
Light
gray
Light
gray
PL
LL
PI
Soil
type
Natural
M/C
O.C. (%)
(LOI)
pH
CL-ML
(60)
2.5
7.47
CaCO3
(XRD)
CaCO3 (%)
TGA
LOI
ASTM C25
Yes
46
47
(33)
(26)
(41)
(15)
-
-
-
(25)
1.6
7.44
Yes
35
34
31
-
-
-
(32)
2.5
7.26
Yes
39
36
(40)
-
-
-
(43)
4.8
7.43
Yes
28
27
22
No. 1-5
Brown
30
73
43
CH
(58)
9.2
6.96
No
12
14
6
No. 1-6
Brown
24
49
25
CL
-
8.5
7.28
Yes
18
20
10
-
-
-
(26)
1.3
7.16
Yes
35
32
28
24
43
19
CL
(35)
3.0
7.41
Yes
35
37
(32)
15
32
17
CL
(36)
1.5
7.17
Yes
35
33
(31)
-
-
-
(42)
3.0
7.37
Yes
30
28
(25)
No. 1-7
No. 1-8
No. 1-9
No.1- 10
Light
gray
Light
gray
Light
gray
Light
gray
TRB 2011 Annual Meeting
Paper revised from original submittal.
Chulmin Jung, Antonio Bobet, and Nayyar Zia Siddiki
17
TABLE 4 Test Results from site (2) soil samples
Sample No.
Color
PL
LL
PI
Soil type
Natural
M/C
O.C. (%)
(LOI)
pH
(126)
17.3
7.51
CaCO3
by XRD
CaCO3 (%)
TGA
LOI
ASTM C25
Yes
45
41
41
No. 2-1
Light
gray
50
73
23
No. 2-2
Light
gray
-
-
Nonplastic
(94)
7.0
7.58
Yes
76
78
73
No. 2-3
Light
gray
-
-
Nonplastic
(67)
7.3
7.56
Yes
76
74
64
No. 2-4
Light
gray
39
66
27
MH
(58)
5.0
7.47
Yes
44
40
(52)
No. 2-5
Light
gray
27
45
18
CL-ML
-
5.2
7.60
Yes
46
44
(42)
No. 2-6
Light
gray
-
-
-
(29)
16.5
7.58
Yes
53
51
15
No. 2-7
Light
gray
14
26
12
CL
(49)
2.2
7.41
Yes
39
45
(40)
No. 2-8
Light
gray
22
38
16
CL
(34)
2.4
7.43
Yes
32
34
(32)
No. 2-9
Light
gray
40
59
19
MH
(95)
9.7
7.52
Yes
46
46
(40)
No.2- 10
Brown
27
56
29
CH
(76)
8.2
7.20
Yes
18
17
12
TRB 2011 Annual Meeting
MH
Paper revised from original submittal.
Chulmin Jung, Antonio Bobet, and Nayyar Zia Siddiki
18
TABLE 5 Test Results from site (3) soil samples
Sample
No.
Natural
M/C
O.C. (%)
(LOI)
Color
pH
No. 3-1
Light
gray
27
50
23
CL-CH
(59)
4.4
7.54
No. 3-2
Brown
39
60
21
MH
(47)
6.2
No. 3-3
Brown
30
52
22
MH
(38)
No. 3-4
Brown
44
68
24
MH
No. 3-5
Brown
32
60
28
No. 3-6
Brown
58
85
27
No. 3-7
Light
gray
-
-
No. 3-8
Light
gray
38
20
No. 3-9
Light
gray
-
-
No.3-10
Light
gray
25
8
TRB 2011 Annual Meeting
PL
18
17
LL
PI
Soil type
CaCO3
by XRD
CaCO3 (%)
TGA
LOI
Yes
37
37
29
7.31
Yes
21
21
-
4.9
7.31
Yes
21
23
-
(76)
15.5
7.00
No
12
11
8
MH
(75)
9.0
7.19
Yes
18
18
-
MH
(75)
11.5
7.23
Yes
16
15
9
(19)
1.7
7.27
Yes
32
32
-
(51)
3.8
7.47
Yes
41
43
39
(43)
1.8
7.27
Yes
35
33
-
(26)
1.2
7.23
Yes
35
35
28
CL
CL
ASTM C25
Paper revised from original submittal.