UNDERSTANDING TO PREDICT SOIL BEHAVIOR

Abstract

Understanding is needed to relate variation of shear strength of soil in different environment.
The shear strength is determined by the parent material of the soil (mineral skeleton), pore fluid (distilled
water/ saline water) and environment which changes from land areas to deep Ocean. The shear strength
interpretation is extended to the environments of turbidity currents, carbonate compensation depth and
abyssal plains. The abyssal plains maintain moderate shear strength. The abyssal plain is a controlled
environment which controls any events of the restless earth around it. The Carbonate compensation depth
influences both turbidity currents and abyssal plains. Based on the analysis and interpretation of documented
cases this paper makes a new conceptual model in interpretation of the influence of Carbonate Compensation
depth on turbidity currents in Abyssal plain and the geotechnical behavior of the sediments in Abyssal plains.
Documented Cases are: 1) Liquid Limit of a soil calculated by using distilled water is not representative
sample in marine condition. The distilled water overestimates Geotechnical property. 2) The failure envelope
of reconstituted clay mixed with distilled water is different from the one mixed with Nacl solution. 3) The
Oedometer test on undisturbed specimens exposed to distilled water display higher strains than tested in
solution.