Geotechnical Characterization of Residual Soils from Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks at Three Sites in South America

December 10, 2020

This paper summarizes the results of geotechnical investigation programs for characterization of residual soils from igneous and metamorphic rocks at jungle sites in Ecuador, Guyana and Brazil. An overview of the field and laboratory test results from these sites is presented, providing details on the field investigations (e.g., drilling; Standard Penetration Tests (SPT), Vane Shear Tests (VST) and in-situ permeability tests) including a comparison of their index, compressibility and shear strength properties. The results from the investigations are shown in a framework to review how intimately the residual soils properties are linked to the sites geology and show how these properties were used in practice. Sanchez-Marrou, J. 2017. “Geotechnical Characterization of Residual Soils from Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks at Three Sites in South America,” in GeoOttawa 2017 70 Years of Canadian Geotechnics and Geoscience, 70th Canadian Geotechnical Conference, Ottawa, Ontario, October 1 – 4, 2017. Toronto: Canadian Geotechnical Society.