Hostname: page-component-84b7d79bbc-7nlkj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-28T02:10:53.088Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mineralogy and microfabrics of claybearing sediments of NE Peloponnese (Greece): indices for physical behaviour in civil engineering works†

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2018

C. E. Rathossi ,
P. G. Lampropoulou ,
K. C. Skourlis  and
C. G. Katagas
C. E. Rathossi*
Affiliation:
Section of Earth Materials, Department of Geology, University of Patras, 265 04, Rio, Greece
P. G. Lampropoulou
Affiliation:
Section of Earth Materials, Department of Geology, University of Patras, 265 04, Rio, Greece
K. C. Skourlis
Affiliation:
Section of Earth Materials, Department of Geology, University of Patras, 265 04, Rio, Greece
C. G. Katagas
Affiliation:
Section of Earth Materials, Department of Geology, University of Patras, 265 04, Rio, Greece
*
*E-mail: C.Rathosi@upatras.gr
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The mineralogical composition, microfabrics and geochemistry of a set of eight samples derived from a narrow area of NE Peloponnese (Greece), where engineering works are presently in progress, were investigated in this study. No important mineralogical differences were observed between the samples other than a variation in the proportions of the participating phases. Analyses reveal that these sediments consist mainly of carbonates (calcite, dolomite), quartz and feldspars (albite, orthoclase). Carbonate minerals exhibit a micritic texture and a high degree of cementation bonding. Phyllosilicates and clay minerals are also common, with smectite and mixed-layer smectite-chlorite being the prevailing phases, followed by chlorite and white mica (muscovite, illite). According to the physical properties measured on bulk samples, the samples were found to exhibit a low to medium expansion, low to intermediate plasticity, normal activity and brittle behaviour. The porosity does not exceed 46% and the organic matter ranges between 3.80 and 5.00%. The high degree of cementation, the dispersed appearance of clays, the small pores (<10 μm) and the common occurrence of smectite in a mixed-layer with chlorite are all favourable characteristics, positively influencing the sediment's stability for engineering constructions.

Keywords

clay-bearing sedimentssmectiteexpansionphysical propertiesmicrofabricscementation bondingengineering worksNE PeloponneseGreece
Type
Research Papers
Information
Clay Minerals , Volume 47 , Issue 2 , June 2012 , pp. 259 - 274
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

†

Presented at the Euroclay 2011 Conference at Antalya, Turkey

References

Anagnostopoulos, A.G., Kalteziotis, N. & Tsiambaos, G. K. (1991) Geotechnical properties of the Corinth Canal Marls. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, 9, 1–26.Google Scholar
Baynes, F. J. & Dearman, W. R. (1978) Scanning electron microscope studies of weathered rocks : A review of nomeclature and methods. Pp. 199–204 in: Bulletin of the International Association for Engineering Geology, 18, Krefeld, Germany.Google Scholar
Bettison-Varga, L. & Mackinnon, I. D.R. (1997) The role of randomly mixed-layered chlorite/smectite in the transformation of smectite to chlorite. Clays and Clay Minerals, 45, 506–516.Google Scholar
Blott, S. J. & Pye, K. (2001) Gradistat. A grain size distribution and statistics package for the analysis of unconsolidated sediments. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 26, 1237–1248.Google Scholar
Brown, G. & Brindley, G. W. (1980) X-ray diffraction procedures for clay mineral identification. Pp. 305–359 in: Crystal Structures of Clay Minerals and their X-ray Identification (G.W. Brindley & G. Brown, editors). Mineralogical Society Monograph 5, London.Google Scholar
Bryant, L. (2003) Geotechnical Problems with Pyritic Rock and Soil. PhD. thesis, Faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.Google Scholar
Bullock, P., Federoff, N., Jongerius, A., Stoops, G. & Tursina, T. (1985) The Handbook of Soil Thin Section Description, 88–94. Wayne Research, Wolverhampton.Google Scholar
Carroll, D. & Starkey, H. C. (1971) Reactivity of clay minerals with acids and alkalies. Clays and Clay Minerals, 19, 321–333.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Christodoulopoulou, T. (2000) Microstructure of the fine grained Neogene – Pliopleistocene sediments of North Peloponnese, in relation to their physical and mechanical properties. PhD. thesis, University of Patras, Greece.Google Scholar
Datta, M., Gulhati, S. K. & Rao, G. V. (1982) Engineering behaviour of carbonate soils of India and some observations on classification of such soils. Pp. 113–140 in: Geotechnical Properties, Behaviour and Performance of Calcareous Soils. ASTM Special Technical Publication, 777, American Society for Testing and Materials.Google Scholar
Davis, A.G. (1967) The mineralogy and phase equilibrium of Keuper marl. Pp. 25–38 in: Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology, 1, London.Google Scholar
Deer, W.A., Howie, R. A. & Zussman, J., (1992) An Introduction to the Rock-forming Minerals, 332–343. 2nd edition, Longmans, U.K. Google Scholar
Doutsos, T., Kontopoulos, N. & Poulimenos, G. (1988) The Corinth–Patras rift as the initial stage of continental fragmentation behind an active island arc (Greece). Basin Research, 1, 177–190.Google Scholar
Egashira, K. & Gibo, S. (1988) Colloid-chemical and mineralogical differences of smectites taken from argillized layers, both from within and outside the slip surfaces in the Kamenose landslide. Applied Clay Science, 3, 253–262.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Folk, R.L. (1974) Petrology of Sedimentary Rocks. Hemphill Publishing, Austin, Texas.Google Scholar
Gibo, S., Egashira, K. & Ohtsubo, M. (1987) Residual strength of smectite-dominated soils from the Kamenose landslide in Japan. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 24, 456–462.Google Scholar
Gori, U. (1994) The pH influence on the index properties of clays. Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, 50, 37–42.Google Scholar
Hawkins, A., Lawrence, M. S. & Privetti, K. D. (1988) Implications of weathering on the engineering properties of the Fuller's Earth formation. Geotechnique, 38, 517–532.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hillel, D. (1980) Fundamentals of Soil Physics. 405pp. Academic Press Inc., New York.Google Scholar
Holtz, W. G. & Gibbs, H. J. (1956) Engineering properties of expansive clays. Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers 121, 641–663.Google Scholar
IGME (1989) Institute of Geological and Mineral Exploration. Geological Map of Greece 1:50000, Xylokastro Sheet.Google Scholar
Ilia, I., Rozos, D., Perraki Th. & Tsangaratos, P. (2009) Geotechnical and mineralogical properties of weak rocks from central Greece. Central European Journal of Geosciences, 1, 431–442.Google Scholar
Ingram, R.L. (1953) Fissility of mudrocks. Bulletin of the Geological Society of America, 64, 878–889.Google Scholar
Jackson, M.L. (1985) Soil Chemical Analysis – Advanced Course, 2nd edition, published by the author, Madison, WIS 53705 (revised from 1956 edition).Google Scholar
Kouki, A. (2006) Engineering geological-geotechnical parameters and mechanical behavior of hard soils and soft rocks in the design of underground works. PhD thesis, University of Patras, Greece.Google Scholar
Khamehchiyan, M., Iwao, Y. & Amirsoleymani, T. (1994) Effect of calcium carbonate content on engineering properties of many rocks. In: Proceedings of 7th International Association for Engineering Geology, Congress. Balkema Publishing, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Lindholm, R.C. (1987) A Practical Approach to Sedimentology. Allen & Unwin, London.Google Scholar
Mohan, D. (1977) Engineering of expansive soils. Inaugural Address, Proceedings of 1st National Symposium on Expansive Soils, H.B.T.I., Kanpur, India.Google Scholar
Moore, D. & Jr.Reynolds, R. C., (1997) X-ray Diffraction and the Identification and Analysis of Clay Minerals. Oxford University Press, New York.Google Scholar
Moretti, I., Sakellariou, D., Lykousisb, V. & Micarelli, L. (2003) The Gulf of Corinth: an active half graben? Journal of Geodynamics, 36, 323–340.Google Scholar
Net, L.I., Alonso, M.S., Carlos, O. & Limarino, C. O. (2002) Source rock and environmental control on clay mineral associations, Lower Section of Paganzo Group (Carboniferous), Northwest Argentina. Sedimentary Geology, 152, 183–199.Google Scholar
Newman, A.C.D. (1987) Pp. 64–75 in: Chemistry of Clays and Clay Minerals. Mineralogical Society Monograph, 6, Longmans, London, UK.Google Scholar
Poulimenos, G., Albers, G. & Doutsos, T. (1989) Neotectonic evolution of the Central Section of the Corinth Grabben. Zeitschrift der Deutschen Geologischen Gesellschaft, 140, 173–182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Přikryl, R. (2004) Overview of mineralogy of bentonites: genesis physicochemical properties, industrial uses, and world production. Pp. 37–54 in: Engineering Geology for Infrastructure Planning in Europe: a European Perspective (R. Hack, R. Azzam, & R. Charlie, editors). Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences, 104, Springer.Google Scholar
Rieder, M., Cavazzini, G., D’Yakonov, Y.S., Frank-Kamenetskii, V.A., Gottardi, G., Sassi, F.P., Takeda, H., Weiss, Z. & Wones, D. R. (1998) Nomeclature of the micas. The Canadian Mineralogy, 36, 905–912.Google Scholar
Roberts, G. P. & Koukouvelas, I. (1996) Structural and seismological segmentation of the Gulf of Corinth fault system: implication for models of fault growth. Annali di Geofisica, 39, 619–646.Google Scholar
Ruiz Cruz, M. D. & Nieto, J. M. (2006) Chemical and structural evolution of “metamorphic vermiculite” in metaclastic rocks of the Betic Cordillera, Málaga, Spain: a synthesis. The Canadian Mineralogist, 44, 249–265.Google Scholar
Seed, M.D., Woodward, R. J. & Lundgren, R. (1962) Prediction of swelling potential of compacted soils. Journal of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering Division, ASCE, 88, 107–131.Google Scholar
Skempton, A.W. (1953) The colloidal “activity”of clays. Proceedings of the 35rd International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, 57–60.Google Scholar
Skempton, A. W. & Hutchinson, J. N. (1969) Stability of Natural Slopes and Embankment Foundations. State of the Art Report, 7th ICS MFE.Google Scholar
Sokolov, V.N. (1990) Engineering-geological classification of clay microstructures. Pp. 753–760 in: Proceedings of 6th International Association for Engineering Geology, IAEG Congress. Balkema, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Taylor, R. K. & Smith, T. J. (1986) The engineering geology of clay minerals : Swelling, shrinking and mudrock breakdown. Clay Minerals, 21, 235–260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thorez, J. (1975) Phyllosilicates and Clay minerals: a Laboratory Handbook for their X-ray Diffraction Analysis. G. Lelotte, Dison, Belgium.Google Scholar
Tsiambaos, G. (1991) Correlation of mineralogy and index properties with residual strength of iraklion marls. Engineering Geology, 30, 357–369.Google Scholar
Tsifoutidis, G. (1993) Intrinsic Properties of Hellenic “Marls”. PhD. thesis, University of Durham, United Kingdom.Google Scholar
Veniale, F. (1985) The role of microfabric in clay soil stability, Mineralogica et Petrographica Acta, 29-A, 101–119.Google Scholar
White, N. G. & Zelazny, L. W. (1988) Analysis and implications of the edge structure of dioctahedral phyllosilicates. Clays and Clay Minerals, 36, 141–146.Google Scholar
Williams, A.A. (1958) Discussion on Jennings and Knight's paper. In: Transactions of the South African Institution of Civil Engineers B, 6, 123–124.Google Scholar