Anchorage Peat Study
Publication: Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 30, Issue 3
Abstract
The peat assessed in this study is Sphagnum moss that formed during the Holocene in wetland bogs around Anchorage, Alaska. Undisturbed peat in these bogs has a water content that ranges from 400 to 1,000% and averages 620%. An assessment of this peat’s compressibility was made by measuring the water content, specific gravity, and degree of saturation of 10 sample sets obtained from five bogs. At four bogs, this peat had been compressed by either fill or aeolian silt for 50 days to 7,500 years. At the fifth bog, this peat was compressed under its own weight after being drained with ditches. Statistics were performed to calculate the average and standard deviation of water contents for each sample-set. Based on these average water contents, two characteristic stages of peat compression under a 15 to 70 kPa overburden pressure are identified: noncompact compression (), followed by compact compression (). The transition from noncompact to compact compression occurs in 20 years or less, and around an average void ratio of 3.5. For undisturbed peat, the average settlement ratio () is 0.6. The peat’s compression can be interrupted by frost action.
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References
ASTM. (2014a). “Standard test methods for specific gravity of soil solids by water pycnometer.” ASTM D854–14, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2014b). “Standard test methods for moisture, ash, and organic matter of peat and other organic soils.” ASTM D2974–14, West Conshohocken, PA.
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© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 10, 2015
Accepted: Dec 8, 2015
Published online: Feb 25, 2016
Discussion open until: Jul 25, 2016
Published in print: Sep 1, 2016
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