Yellowish Red
Reddish Yellow
Dark Red
Red
Pink
Reddish Brown
Reddish Orange
Light Reddish Orange
Medium Bluish Gray
Light Bluish Gray
Dark Greenish Gray
Greenish Gray
Olive Gray
Light Olive Gray
JURUTERA PERUNDING GEA (M) SDN BHD
COMPILED FOR INTERNAL USE
Remove cobbles and boulders (>60mm)
IDENTIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF SOILS : PART 1
Yellowish Gray
Do they weigh more than rest of soil?
No
Brownish Gray
Yes
Does soil stick together when wet? Does soil display low plasticity, dilatancy, silky touch, disintegrate in water and dry quickly?
Is soil dark or black, and of low density?
Has soil been laid down by man?
Light Brownish Gray
Are most particles >200mm? Are most particles >2mm?
Yes
THESE ARE APPROXIMATE SOIL COMPARISON COLOURS, FOR MORE ACCURATE COLOURS COMPARISONS, CONSULT MUNSEL SOIL COLOUR CHARTS THE TWO TABLES ARE FROM CP BS5930 & DRAFT MALAYSIAN CP FOR SITE INVESTIGATION
No
COBBLES
Yes
Yes
Black
BOULDERS
Yes
GRAVEL
No
SAND
Yes
SILT
No
Made Ground CLAY Does soil comprise natural or man made materials?
Describe secondary and tertiary size fractions Describe secondary and tertiary size fractions Describe density (by inspection) describe bedding, describe colour, measure particle size, describe particle shape Describe secondary and tertiary size fractions ORGANIC
Dark Gray
Describe density, describe bedding, describe colour, measure particle size, shape and grading
Describe strength/compactness, describe discontinuities, describe bedding, describe colour
Describe according to [Link]
Natural Describe as for natural soils
Man made Describe proportion, type and condition of components
Medium Gray
Light Brown
Add other information, add geological origin Add other information (such as organic content, calcareous content) and minor constituents
Light Gray
Replace cobbles and boulders into description, add geological origin
Distinguish between fill (controlled placement) and made ground (uncontrolled placement)
Brown
White
Medium Blue
Blue
Light Blue
Dark Purple
Purple
Dark Green
Medium Green
Green
Light Green
Light Olive Brown
Yellow
Brownish Yellow
Light Brownish Yellow
Dark Brown
IDENTIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF SOILS : PART 2
Soil group
Coarse soils Very coarse (over about 65% sand and gravel sizes) soils
Density/compactness/strength
Discontinuities Bedding Colour
Term Loose Dense
Field test
Scale of spacing Scale of bedding thickness Term
Very thickly
Composite soil types (mixtures of basic soil types) For mixtures involving very coarse soils, see [Link].3
Particle shaps
Particle size
PRINCIPAL SOIL TYPE
Visual identification
Minor constituents
Stratum name
Example descriptions
By inspection of voids and particle packing
BOULDERS
of discontinuities Term Very widely Widely Medium Closely Very closely
Extremely closely
Only seen complete in pits or exposures Shell fragments, pockets of Often dificult to recover whole from boreholes peat, gypsum crystals, first gravel, fragments of brick, rootlets, plastic bags etc. using terms such as: RECENT DEPOSITS.
Mean spacing mm Over 2000 2000 to 600 600 to 200 200 to 60 60 to 20 Under 20 Breaks into block along unpolished discontinuities
Mean thickness mm Over 2000 2000 to 600 600 to 200
Red Orange Yellow Brown Green Blue White Cream Term
Approx. % secondary
c)
Angular Sub angular
200
COBBLES
Loose brown very sandy subangular fine to coarse flint GRAVEL with small pockets (up to 30mm) clay.
60
Borehole with SPT N-value Very loose Loose Medium dense Dense Very Dense 0- 4 4 - 10 10 - 30 30 - 50 > 50
bedded Thickly bedded Medium bedded Thinly bedded
Very thinly
Slightly (Sandy d) )
<5
Sub rounded
Coarse 20 Medium 5
GRAVEL
Rounded Grey Black etc. Flat (sandy )
d)
Easily visible to naked eye: particle shape can be described: grading can be described.
with rare with occasional with abundant/frequent/ numerous
ALLUVIUM.
Medium dense light brown gravelly clayey fine SAND Gravel is fine
200 to 60 60 to 20 20 to 6 Under 6
5 to 20
b)
Tabular Fine Elongated 2
bedded Thickly laminated Thinly laminated
WEATHERED BADAK SHALE
Slightly cemented
Fine soils (over about 35% silt and clay sizes)
Alternating layers of Interdifferent types Breaks into bedded requalified by Light Easily moulded or block along Uncrushed in the fingers Sheared unpolished thickness compacted SAND discontinuities term in equal Dark AND proportions. Mottled GRAVEL Can be moulded or Otherwise Compacted crushed by strong Spacing terms also thickness of pressure in the fingers used for distance and spacing between partings, InterTerm Finger easily laminated between isolated beds or Very soft pushed in up to subordinate laminse, dessication 0-20 25mm layers defined cracks, rootlets ets Soft 20-40 Firm 40-75 Stiff 75-150 Very stiff 150-300
Hard (or very weak mudstone) Cu > 300 kPa
Visual examination pick removes soil in lumps which can be abraded
Fissured
Very (sandyd))
> 20
b)
Minor constituent type
Coarse 0.6
SAND
Visible to naked eye: no cohesion when dry: grading can be described.
% defined on a site or material specific basis or subjective
MIOCENE CLAY.
about 50
b)
Medium Calcareous, Shelly, glauconitic, 0.2 micacaous Fine etc. using term 0.06 such as
SILT
EMBANKMENT FILL.
Stiff very closely sheared orange mottled brown slightly gravelly CLAY. Gravel is fine and medium of rounded quartzite
Approx. % c) Coarse Slightly secondary calcareous 0.02 calcareous Medium < 35 Very calcareous 0.006 Fine
Only coarse silt visible with hand lens: exhibits little plasticity and marked dilatancy: slightly granular or silky to the touch: disintegrates in water: lumps dry quickly: possesses cohesion but can be powdered easily between fingers Intermediate in behaviour between clay and silt. Slightly dilatant
TOP SOIL.
Finger pushed in up to 10mm Thumb makes impression easily Can be indented slightly by thumb Can be indented by thumb nail Can be scratched by thumbnail
Slightly (sandy a))
MADE GROUND OR COLLUVIAL DEPOSITS ? etc.
CLAY/ SILT
Firm thinly laminated gray CLAY with closely spaced thick laminate of sand. (ALLUVIUM)
0.002 % defined on a site or material specific basis or subjective.
CLAY
(sandy )
e)
35 to 65
a)
Very f) (sandy )
> 65
a)
Dry lumps can be broken but not powdered between the fingers: they also disintegrate under water but more slowly than silt: smooth to touch: exhibits plasticity but no dilatancy: stick to fingers and dries slowly: shrinks appreciably on drying usually showing cracks.
Plastic brown clayey amorphous PEAT (RECENT DEPOSITS)
Firm
Organic soils
Fibres already compressed together Very compressible and open structure
Plant remains Fibrous recognizable and retains some strength
Spongy
Plant remains pseudorecognizable, fibrous strength lost
Transported mixtures Slightly organic clay or silt Slightly organic sand Organic clay or silt Organic sand Very organic clay or silt Very organic sand Accumulated in situ
Colour Grey as mineral Dark grey Dark grey Black Black
Contains finely divided or discrete particles or organic matter, often with distinctive smell, may oxidize rapidly. Describe as for inorganic soils using terminology above.
NOTES: a) Or described as coarse soil depending on mass behaviour b) Or described as fine soil depending on mass behaviour c) % coarse or fine soil type assesssed excluding cobbles and boulders d) Gravelly or sandy and/ or silty or clayey e) Gravelly and/ or sandy f) Gravelly or sandy
Plastic
Can be moulded in hand Amor- Recognizable plant Peat and smears fingers phouse remains absent
Predominantly plant remains, usually dark brown or black in colour, distinctive smell, low bulk density, Can contain disseminated or discrete mineral soils.
