Geotechnical Properties of Glacigenic Soils

and Slope Stability

David A. FranziCenter for Earth and Environmental Science

SUNY Plattsburgh

• Introduction• Provide background information and

references

• Formulate hypotheses and experimental design

• Articulate workload and final product expectations

• Content and Skills Exercises (data collection & analysis)

• Individual or small group assignments

• Compilation of cohort database

• Interim reports are due upon completion of each exercise

• Capstone Exercise (synthesis)

• Students are encouraged to discuss interpretations but writing is an individual effort

• Emphasize connections between effective writing

General Laboratory Format

Skills and content exercises are organized around a central research question.

Skills & Content Exercises• Morphometry (topographic mapping & cross

sections)

• Sediment Composition (mineral, chemical, and etc.)

• Gravimetric Analyses

• Particle Size Analyses

• Atterberg Limits

• Soil Classification

• Hammer-Seismic Profiling

• Shear Tests

Capstone Exercises• Soils as Engineering Materials

• Glacial Sedimentology and Stratigraphy

• Sediment Provenance

• Slope Stability Analysis

Laboratory Exercises for

Geotechnical Properties of Soils and Mass Wasting

1) Topographic and Geologic Survey (Weeks 1-2)*• Measure stratigraphic section

• Collect and prepare samples for gravimetric and particle-size analyses

• Produce a topographic map and geological cross-section

2) Gravimetric Analysis (Week 2)• Lab analysis runs concurrently with topographic and geological survey exercise,

data are reported with the particle-size analysis

• Determine volumetric water content, porosity and density of soil samples

3) Particle-size Analyses (Weeks 3 and 4)• Sieve and hydrometer (or Coulter Counter) methods• Compile hourly and daily databases

4) Atterberg Limits (Week 5)• Determine liquid and plastic limits on clay soils

5) Soil Classification (Week 6)• Classify soil types using the Unified Soil Classification

6) Slope Stability Assessment (Week 7)

Contentand

Skills

– Synthesis

Landslide Susceptibility Project Structure

*Interim reports are submitted at the end of each exercise. These are edited and included as appendices in the final report

Materials and Supplies• SoilTest Ely Volumeter

• Soil Test Torvane and pocket penetrometer

• Liquid-Limit cups

• Aluminum moisture cans

• Drying oven

• Balance (± 0.001 g)

• Standard surveying equipment

• Shear strength sampling materials and testing apparatus

Laboratory Exercises for

Geotechnical Properties of Soils and Mass Wasting

Nort

h 02 2 4 6 8 10

kilometers

NY

meters

0100 100 200

Example:

Landslide Susceptibility at the Plattsburgh Air Force Base Marina

PAFBmarina

landslide

Saranac River

LakeChamplain

PAFB marina landslide

0 105

meters

North

Contour interval = 1 meter

What factors control slope

processes at the PAFB Marina?

Ele

vatio

n (m

eter

s)

42

40

36

28

34

32

30

38

laminated to thinly bedded marine sand and silt

fossiliferous marine clay

lacustrine varved clay

Massive to ripple cross-laminated

medium to fine sand

diamicton

limestone

water table

colluvium

Approximate extent of

colluvium in 1996

springs

Lake Iroquois breakout deposit

Plattsburgh Air Force Base Marina Section

Lake Champlain

Lake Vermont

ChamplainSea

0 5 10

Horizontal Scale (meters)

Vertical Exaggeration = 2X

West East

Sample No.

Depth Below Top of Section

(m)

Sample Elevation

(m)

Mass Moist

(Mass of Can + Soil +

Water) (g)

Mass Dry

(mass of can + soil)

(g)

Mass of

Can(g)

Sample Volume(cm3)

C1 12.0 30.0 95.15 81.92 37.80 29.15

C2 11.7 30.3 95.16 81.89 38.05 29.15

C3 11.1 30.9 96.00 82.60 38.13 29.15

C4 10.6 31.4 95.75 83.70 36.57 29.15

C5 10.3 31.7 88.11 71.24 37.17 29.15

C6 9.7 32.3 85.59 69.47 38.21 29.15

C7 9.3 32.7 91.97 75.16 38.44 29.15

C8 8.3 33.7 92.12 77.43 38.14 29.15

C9 7.3 34.7 94.95 83.24 36.03 29.15

S1 6.4 35.6 98.91 88.12 38.25 29.50

S2 5.9 36.1 94.61 83.03 36.53 29.50

S3 5.3 36.7 97.36 85.88 38.16 29.50

S4 4.7 37.3 93.15 81.63 37.66 29.50

S5 4.1 37.9 93.66 81.75 36.32 29.50

S6 3.5 38.5 94.57 82.68 37.87 29.50

S7 2.9 39.1 83.90 75.19 30.00 29.50

S8 1.6 40.4 73.41 71.45 30.13 29.50

S9 0.7 41.3 71.80 70.92 30.19 29.50

Elevation at top of section = 42 meters a.s.l.

Gravimetric and Volumetric Data for Glacial Lacustrine and Marine Deposits at the Plattsburgh Air Force Base Marina

16

f

b

sat

1.0 2.21.4 1.8

Soil Density

(g/cm3)(%)

0 6020 40

Porosity (), Vol. Moist. Cont. ()

0 8

Mean(1 error bar)

Particle Size

()

Plattsburgh Air Force Base Marina Section

thinly laminated to

thinly bedded, unfossiliferous, marine fine sand and silt

generally unfossiliferous,

laminated to

thinly bedded, marine

fine sand and silt

calcareous till

thinly laminated

varved lacustrine

clay

fossiliferous, thinly

laminated marine clay

32

38

34

36

42

40

Ele

vatio

n (m

eter

s a.

s.l.)

medium sand

water table

0 168

Mean(1 error bar)

Plattsburgh Air Force Base Marina Section

6040200

LL

n

PL

(Kg/m2)(%)()

630

Torvane Shear Strength

Particle Size Atterberg LimitsWater Content (%)

thinly laminated to

thinly bedded, unfossiliferous, marine fine sand and silt

calcareous till

thinly laminated

varved lacustrine

clay

fossiliferous, thinly

laminated marine clay

32

38

34

36

42

40

Ele

vatio

n (m

eter

s a.

s.l.)

medium sand

water table

generally unfossiliferous,

laminated to

thinly bedded, marine

fine sand and silt

Plattsburgh Air Force Base Marina Section

ChittickCarbonate

Loss on Ignition

840

(%)(%)

Microfauna

(specimens/gram)(3-pt avg., max = 10)

10500 15105

12,990 cal. y.b.p.

Candona Forams

Total

LOI550

LOI1000

Total

Calcite

Dolomite

thinly laminated to

thinly bedded, unfossiliferous, marine fine sand and silt

calcareous till

thinly laminated

varved lacustrine

clay

fossiliferous, thinly

laminated marine clay

32

38

34

36

42

40

Ele

vatio

n (m

eter

s a.

s.l.)

medium sand

generally unfossiliferous,

laminated to

thinly bedded, marine

fine sand and silt

water table

Ele

vatio

n (m

eter

s)

42

40

36

28

34

32

30

38

laminated to thinly bedded marine sand and silt

fossiliferous marine clay

lacustrine varved clay

Massive to ripple cross-laminated

medium to fine sand

diamicton

limestone

water table

colluvium

Lake Iroquois breakout deposit

0 5 10

Horizontal Scale (meters)

Vertical Exaggeration = 2X

West East

Removal of lateral support by beach erosion

Weak, saturated clays

Ground-water sapping at the base of the sand section

Railroad activity (ground vibrations?) and drainage diversions

Seasonal & long-term controls on Lake Champlain

water level

INSTRUCTOR JOINT STUDENT

• Define learning objectives and skills

• Set reasonable expectation levels

• Pose the question

• Provide background information and references

• Articulate workload and final product expectations

• Familiarize yourself with the question – READ LITERATURE!

• Formulate hypothesis(es)

• Design experiments • Define project focus• Plan field work• Assign working

groups and tasks

• Anticipate Contingencies

• Data Collection

• Mentor and Advise

• Data Analysis

• Data Synthesis

Iterative Process

• Assessment• Communicate

Results

PRE-PROJECT

ENDPROJECT

Advantages of Long-Term Projects

• Provides time for students to reflect and contemplate their results–students receive feedback at interim steps;

• Stimulates student interest and creativity;

• Integrates skills and content from discrete exercises;

• Links learning to real-world issues and problems;

• Real data always produce unexpected teaching points that enhance the planned learning activity;

• Engages students in all facets of a project (planning, execution and reporting);

• Reinforces learning from other courses and experiences (e.g. knowledge of regional geology, effective writing mathematics, spreadsheets, and etc.);

• Helps ease the transition from the mindset of student to professional geoscientist.

Summary

Exportability

• Site Availability

May be a problem for some campuses but most activities can be derived from local consultant or municipal case studies.

• Equipment Cost

Small-scale projects can be implemented for

several hundred to a few thousand dollars

• Time Constraints

Macomb Mtn. Landslide, Adirondack Mountains, NY

Additional Slides

• Fall semester residential program featuring 5 inter-related, upper-division undergraduate environmental science and geology classes

• Constructivist pedagogy; emphasis upon small-group, project-based learning

• Day-long course format provides pedagogical flexibility that;

• Creates an informal student-centered learning environment

• Allows seamless integration of lecture instruction and field or laboratory projects

• Facilitates inclusion of long-term projects

• Increases effective geographic range for field excursions

• Affords time for reflection and contemplation

AESP Model:

Rethinking Class Time

Applied Environmental Science Program

SUNY Plattsburgh and The William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute

Oblique Aerial Photograph

Toe of Slide – Bob Fuller for Scale

Slump at Whallonsburg, NYJuly, 1987

Slump at Whallonsburg, NYJuly, 1987

Jack Ridge Sampling Clay at Head Scarp

Fissures in Overconsolidated Clays at Head Scarp

Toe of Secondary Slump