dc.contributor.author	Thomas, Pamela J.	en
dc.contributor.committeechair	Baker, James C.	en
dc.contributor.committeemember	Persaud, Naraine	en
dc.contributor.committeemember	Martin, James R. II	en
dc.contributor.committeemember	Daniels, W. Lee	en
dc.contributor.committeemember	Zelazny, Lucian W.	en
dc.contributor.department	Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences	en
dc.date.accessioned	2014-03-14T20:21:44Z	en
dc.date.adate	1998-04-24	en
dc.date.available	2014-03-14T20:21:44Z	en
dc.date.issued	1998-04-15	en
dc.date.rdate	1999-04-24	en
dc.date.sdate	1998-04-15	en
dc.description.abstract	A study of 12 expansive soils in four major physiographic provinces in Virginia was initiated to examine and quantify the relationship between shrink-swell potential, shrink-swell indices, and soil properties. The mineralogy classes, soil series, and (physiographic provinces, parent materials) examined include smectitic -- Jackland and Waxpool (Triassic, diabase), Iredell (Piedmont, hornblende); vermiculitic -- Kelly (Triassic, thermal shale); kaolinitic -- Cecil (Piedmont, granite gneiss), Davidson (Triassic, diabase); and mixed -- Carbo and Frederick (Valley and Ridge, limestone), Craven and Peawick (Coastal Plain, fluvial and marine sediments), and Mayodan and Creedmoor (Triassic, sandstones). Three sites in each of the 12 map units were described and major horizons sampled for physical, chemical, and mineralogical laboratory analysis. An expansive soil rating system, termed the Expansive Soil Index (ESI), was developed using the soil properties best correlated with shrink-swell potential. The sum of swelling 2:1 minerals, swell index, liquid limit, and CEC gave expansive soil potential ratings (ESI) for each soil series. The higher the ESI, the greater the shrink-swell potential. Smectite distributions within the soil profiles were investigated. Smectite concentration in the clay fraction increases with depth in soils formed from diabase and thermally altered shale. Smectite weathers to kaolinite and hydroxy-interlayered vermiculite with increasing proximity to the soil surface thus accounting for the observed decrease in smectite toward the soil surface. The highest amount of smectite from the granite gneiss, limestone, sandstones and shales, and Coastal Plain sediments were in the Bt2 horizon where maximum expression of the argillic horizon occurs. Smectite contents decrease away (upwards and downwards) from the maximum in the Bt2 horizon. A satellite study focused on locating and quantifying the variability within five map units in the Culpeper (Triassic) Basin in northern Virginia. Variability of the shrink-swell indices and related properties are high in all map units. Dissimilar inclusions could adversely affect foundations if a home is sited on both moderate and high shrink-swell soils. Although there is extreme variability in the map units, the variability occurs within the delineations of each map unit. Each delineation within an individual map unit contains similar levels of variability.	en
dc.description.degree	Ph. D.	en
dc.identifier.other	etd-32398-73623	en
dc.identifier.sourceurl	http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-32398-73623/	en
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10919/30441	en
dc.publisher	Virginia Tech	en
dc.relation.haspart	thomas.pdf	en
dc.relation.haspart	appendixA.pdf	en
dc.relation.haspart	appendixB.pdf	en
dc.relation.haspart	vita.pdf	en
dc.rights	In Copyright	en
dc.rights.uri	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/	en
dc.subject	expansive soils	en
dc.subject	shrink-swell	en
dc.subject	soil variability	en
dc.subject	mineralogy	en
dc.subject	soil properties	en
dc.title	Quantifying Properties and Variability of Expansive Soils in Selected Map Units	en
dc.type	Dissertation	en
thesis.degree.discipline	Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences	en
thesis.degree.grantor	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	en
thesis.degree.level	doctoral	en
thesis.degree.name	Ph. D.	en

Quantifying Properties and Variability of Expansive Soils in Selected Map Units

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