Pedosphere 17(5): 666--672, 2007
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2007 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Cyclic variability in chemical composition and swelling-shrinkage properties of the Xiashu loess stratum near Nanjing, China |
XIA Jia , HUANG Guang-Long, LIU Zi-Tong and CHEN Xin-Min |
| Institute of Geotechnical Engineering, Nanjing University of Technology, Nanjing 210009 (China). E-mail: jiaxia45@yahoo.com |
| ABSTRACT |
| Xiashu loess strata are widely distributed along the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River in East China with the stratum near Nanjing, Jiangsu Province being typical. The cyclic variability of the stratum was investigated through comparison of geological features, chemical composition, and swelling-shrinkage properties between the loess and the paleosol layers. Based on the investigation of such a cyclic variability, soil behavior associated with the unsaturated state of the Xiashu loess stratum and its usefulness for geotechnical design and construction in the Nanjing area was analyzed. The stratum consisted of two types of cyclically alternating soil layers, namely the loess and the paleosol layers, which was the major cause for its cyclic variability. The loess and the paleosol layers were formed in different sedimentary environments. In order to avoid detrimental results from the differential engineering properties between them, this study suggested for the practitioners the importance of inspecting the variation of water content and controlling the downward net fluxes during geotechnical construction in the Nanjing area. |
| Key Words: chemical composition, cyclic variability, swelling-shrinkage properties, unsaturated state, Xiashu loess stratum |
| Citation: Xia, J., Huang, G. L., Liu, Z. T. and Chen, X. M. 2007. Cyclic variability in chemical composition and swelling-shrinkage properties of the Xiashu loess stratum near Nanjing, China. Pedosphere. 17(5): 666-672. |
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