Soil and Rock Properties in a Young Volcanic Deposit on the Island of Hawaii
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 6
Abstract
Deeply weathered lava flows of oceanic basalt reflect the mode and sequence of volcanic deposition, parent mineralogy, and postdepositional erosional and weathering processes. In turn, these are controlled by geology, geography, and climate. One particular site on the Island of Hawaii has been the focus of study to gain a better understanding of complex residual soil deposits, particularly in connection with a need to characterize seismic strong-motion propagation through decomposed surface soil and rock sequences. Materials at the site range from fully weathered volcanic soils, sometimes with unusual mineralogy and plasticity properties, to saprolite, weathered rock, vesicular basalt, and hard rock. Seismic surveys were conducted to investigate the distribution of these materials at the study site. Laboratory tests focused on saprolite and vesicular rock as two materials that are seldom reported on and that remain poorly characterized, at least with regard to conditions found in Hawaii.
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Acknowledgments
This study was made possible by a grant from the Hawaii Department of Transportation (Grant No. HIDOT48054) and the Federal Highway Administration. Their support is gratefully acknowledged. We also wish to thank Advanced Geoscience, Inc., for assistance with the geophysical surveying.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 137 • Issue 6 • June 2011
Pages: 597 - 610
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 16, 2009
Accepted: Sep 24, 2010
Published online: Sep 29, 2010
Published in print: Jun 1, 2011
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