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At least 1,315 records · Page 73Linked to original sources
USGS1993

Hydrogeology and soil gas at J-Field, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

Disposal of chemical warfare agents, munitions, and industrial chemicals in J-Field, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, has contaminated soil, groundwater and surface water. Seven exploratory borings and 38 observation wells were drilled to define the hydrogeologic framework at J-Field and to determine the type, extent, and movement of contaminants. The geologic units beneath J-Field consist of Coastal Plain sediments of the Cretaceous Patapsco Formation and Pleistocene Talbot Formation. The Patapsco Formation contains several laterally discontinuous aquifers and confining units. The Pleistocene deposits were divided into 3 hydrogeologic units--a surficial aquifer, a confining unit, and a confined aquifer. Water in the surficial aquifer flows laterally from topographically high areas to discharge areas in marshes and streams, and vertically to the underlying confined aquifer. In offshore areas, water flows from the deeper confined aquifers upward toward discharge areas in the Gunpowder River and Chesapeake Bay. Analyses of soil-gas samples showed high relative-flux values of chlorinated solvents, phthalates, and hydrocarbons at the toxic-materials disposal area, white-phosphorus disposal area, and riot-control-agent disposal area. The highest flux values were located downgradient of the toxic materials and white phosphorus disposal areas, indicating that groundwater contaminants are moving from source areas beneath the disposal pits toward discharge points in the marshes and estuaries. Elevated relative-flux values were measured upgradient and downgradient of the riot-control agent disposal area, and possibly result from soil and (or) groundwater contamination.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1995

Background concentrations of metals in soils from selected regions in the State of Washington

Soil samples from 60 sites in the State of Washington were collected and analyzed to determine the magnitude and variability of background concen- trations of metals in soils of the State. Samples were collected in areas that were relatively undisturbed by human activity from the most pre- dominant soils in 12 different regions that are representative of large areas of Washington State. Concentrations of metals were determined by five different laboratory methods. Concentrations of mercury and nickel determined by both the total and total-recoverable methods displayed the greatest variability, followed by chromium and copper determined by the total-recoverable method. Concentrations of other metals, such as aluminum and barium determined by the total method, varied less. Most metals concentrations were found to be more nearly log-normally than normally distributed. Total metals concentrations were not significantly different among the different regions. However, total-recoverable metals concentrations were not as similar among different regions. Cluster analysis revealed that sampling sites in three regions encompassing the Puget Sound could be regrouped to form two new regions and sites in three regions in south-central and southeastern Washington State could also be regrouped into two new regions. Concentrations for 7 of 11 total-recoverable metals correlated with total metals concentrations. Concen- trations of six total metals also correlated positively with organic carbon. Total-recoverable metals concentrations did not correlate with either organic carbon or particle size. Concentrations of metals determined by the leaching methods did not correlate with total or total-recoverable metals concentrations, nor did they correlate with organic carbon or particle size.

Washington↗
USGS1996

Soil, water, and streambed quality at a demolished asphalt plant, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, 1992-94

A number of potentially hazardous chemicals were used at an asphalt plant on the Fort Bragg U.S. Army Reservation near Fayetteville, North Carolina. This plant was demolished in the late 1960's. Samples collected from soil, ground water, surface water, and streambed sediment were tested for the presence of contaminants. The sediment immediately underlying the demolished asphalt plant site consists mainly of sands, silts, and clayey sands with interbedded clay occurring at various depths. About 12 inches of rainfall per year infiltrate the unconfined surficial aquifer. The water table in this area is about 233 to 243 feet above sea level. Local ground water moves laterally, mainly towards the north- to-northwest at a rate of about 35 feet per year. where it discharges to Tank Creek, Little River, or one of their tributaries. A series of confining clays separate the surficial aquifer from the underlying upper Cape Fear aquifer. These clays help retard vertical migration of constituents dissolved in ground water. The saprolite-bedrock aquifer lies below the upper Cape Fear aquifer. In general ground water in the seven monitoring wells screened in the upper and lower part of the surficial aquifer did not contain detectable concentrations of chemicals related to past asphalt-plant activities. A small number of chemicals that were assumed to be unrelated to the asphalt plant were present in some of the study area monitoring wells. Ground water in four wells contained concentrations of organochlorine pesticides. Of these pesticides, concentrations of gamma-benzene hexachloride (lindane) (maximum of 0.76 micrograms per liter) exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant level of 0.2 micrograms per liter in two wells. In addition, one well contained a trichloroethane concentration (7.7 micrograms per liter) that is assumed to be unrelated to demolished asphalt-plant operations, but exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant level of 5.0 micrograms per liter. One well contained a fluoride concentration of 5.2 milligrams per liter that exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant level of 4.0 milligrams per liter. Total and dissolved metals concentrations were generally typical of background levels. Some of the wells contained elevated levels of chloride (maximum of 749 milligrams per liter), specific conductance (maximum of 2,780 microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius), and dissolved solids (maximum of 1,520 milligrams per liter). Twelve of twenty-two soil samples that were collected at various depths at monitoring-well locations did not contain volatile organic compounds or polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. The remaining ten soil samples contained very low concentrations of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and (or) analytical laboratory-related volatile organic compounds. The maximum concentrations were for fluoranthene and pyrene, at 780 and 750 micrograms per kilogram, respectively. In general, the polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations were in sediment near the land surface. Streambed sediment from an unnamed, eastern tributary to Tank Creek in the eastern part of the site contained a small number of organochlorine pesticide compounds (a maximum of 1,400 milligrams per kilogram of 4,4'-DDD) and total petroleum hydrocarbons (113 milligrams per kilogram). Concentrations of metals and other inorganic constituents were generally typical of background concentrations. Surface water in this tributary did not contain elevated concentrations of anthropogenic chemicals.

North Carolina↗
USGS1997

Field screening of water, soil, bottom sediment, and biota associated with irrigation drainage in the Dolores Project and the Mancos River Basin, southwestern Colorado, 1994

A reconnaissance investigation for the National Irrigation Water Quality Program in 1990 indicated elevated selenium concentrations in some water and biota samples collected in the Dolores Project in southwestern Colorado. High selenium concentrations also were indicated in bird samples collected in the Mancos Project in 1989. In 1994, field screenings were done in parts of the Dolores Project and Mancos River Basin to collect additional selenium data associated with irrigation inthose areas. Selenium is mobilized from soils in newly irrigated areas of the Dolores Project called the Dove Creek area, which includes newly (since 1987) irrigated land north of Cortez and south of Dove Creek.Selenium was detected in 18 of 20stream samples, and the maximum concentration was 12micrograms per liter. The Dove Creek area is unique compared to other study areas of the National Irrigation Water Quality Program becauseselenium concentrations probably are indicative of initial leaching conditions in a newly irrigated area.Selenium concentrations in nine shallow soil samples from the Dove Creek area ranged from 0.13 to 0.20 micrograms per gram. Selenium concentrations in bottom sediment from six ponds were less than the level of concern for fish and wildlife of 4 micrograms per gram. Many biota samples collected in the Dove Creek area had elevated selenium concentrations when compared to various guidelines and effect levels,although selenium concentrations in water, soil, and bottom sediment were relatively low. Selenium concentrations in 12 of 14 aquatic-invertebratesamples from ponds exceeded 3 micrograms per gram dry weight, a dietary guideline for protection of fish and wildlife. The mean seleniumconcentration of 10.3 micrograms per gram dry weight in aquatic bird eggs exceeded the guideline for reduced hatchability of 8 micrograms per gramdry weight. Two ponds in the Dove Creek area had a high selenium hazard rating based on a new protocol for assessing selenium hazard in theenvironment; however, waterfowl were reproducing at the two ponds. Three tributary streams of Mc Elmo Creek that drain irrigated areas of the Montezuma Valley south of the creek were sampled in 1994. Mud Creek probably is the largest source of selenium to Mc Elmo Creek. Most biota samples from Mud Creek had elevated selenium concentrations when compared to guidelines for dietary items and freshwater fish. Selenium concentrations in water samples collected in the Mancos River Basin upstream from Navajo Wash, which includes the Mancos Project, ranged from less than 1 to 10 micrograms per liter. Mud Creek contributed about 74 percent of the selenium load to the upper Mancos River in March 1994.Selenium concentrations were much higher in Navajo Wash; a sample collected in March had 97 micrograms per liter of selenium. Bottom-sediment samples from two ponds in the Mancos Projectexceeded the concentration of concern of 4 micrograms per gram. The highest selenium concentrations in biota samples from streams in the Mancos River Basin were for samples from Navajo Wash. Mostconcentrations in biota in the upper Mancos River Basin were less than guidelines. Mean selenium concentrations in eggs from aquatic birds collected at three ponds in the Mancos Project slightly exceed the guideline associated with reduced hatchability.Five bird livers had a mean selenium concentration of 32.6 micrograms per gram dry weight, whichslightly exceeded the mean concentration of 30 micrograms per gram dry weight that is associated with reproductive impairment. Two of the pondshad a high selenium hazard rating; however, mallard reproduction was observed in 1994 at one of the ponds that had a high selenium-hazard rating.

Colorado↗
USGS1980

Relationships between basic soils-engineering equations and basic ground-water flow equations

The many varied though related terms developed by ground-water hydrologists and by soils engineers are useful to each discipline, but their differences in terminology hinder the use of related information in interdisciplinary studies. Equations for the Terzaghi theory of consolidation and equations for ground-water flow are identical under specific conditions. A combination of the two sets of equations relates porosity to void ratio and relates the modulus of elasticity to the coefficient of compressibility, coefficient of volume compressibility, compression index, coefficient of consolidation, specific storage, and ultimate compaction. Also, transient ground-water flow is related to coefficient of consolidation, rate of soil compaction, and hydraulic conductivity. Examples show that soils-engineering data and concepts are useful to solution of problems in ground-water hydrology.

Water Supply Paper↗
USGS1994

Membrane-micelle model for humus in soils and sediments and its relation to humification

Humification, the process whereby biomass consisting of dead plant and animal remains is converted into soil organic matter (humus), is one of the basic processes of the carbon cycle. The organic compounds that make up plant and animal tissue are thermodynamically unstable in the oxidizing atmosphere at the surface of the Earth. After the organisms in which they are incorporated die, the compounds are converted back to carbon dioxide and water by degradation reactions catalyzed by enzymes secreted by micro-organisms. However, not all the organic compounds in the dead biomass are immediately converted; some of the material is only partially oxidized. The residue left after partial oxidative degradation of the dead biomass is the source of the organic compounds that accumulate in soils and sediments as humus. Previously, humification was thought to involve a conversion of degradation products by a series of polymerization reactions into new types of polymeric species that are different from the precursor molecular species in the original biomass. However, it is proposed here that the depolymerization and oxidation reactions that take place during the enzymatic degradation of biopolymers produce amphiphiles--molecules that have a polar (hydrophilic) part and a nonpolar (hydrophobic) part. These amphiphiles that result from the partial oxidative degradation of dead biomass assemble spontaneously into ordered aggregates in which the hydrophobic parts of the molecules form the interiors and the hydrophilic parts of the molecules make up the exterior surfaces of the aggregates. These ordered aggregates constitute the humus in soils and sediments. Humus ordered aggregates most likely exist as bilayer membranes coating mineral grains and as micelles in solution.

Water Supply Paper↗
USGS2025

Decomposing the Tea Bag Index and finding slower organic matter loss rates at higher elevations and deeper soil horizons in a minerogenic salt marsh

Environmental gradients can affect organic matter decay within and across wetlands and contribute to spatial heterogeneity in soil carbon stocks. We tested the sensitivity of decay rates to tidal flooding and soil depth in a minerogenic salt marsh using the Tea Bag Index (TBI). Tea bags were buried at 10 and 50 cm depths across an elevation gradient in a subtropical Spartina alterniflora marsh in Georgia (USA). Plant and animal communities and soil properties were characterized once, while replicate tea bags and porewaters were collected several times over 1 year. TBI decay rates were faster than prior litterbag studies in the same marsh, largely due to rapid green tea loss. Rooibos tea decay rates were more comparable to natural marsh litter, potentially suggesting that is more useful as a standardized organic matter proxy than green tea. Decay was slowest at higher marsh elevations and not consistently related to other biotic (e.g., plants, crab burrows) or abiotic factors (e.g., porewater chemistry), indicating that local hydrology strongly affected organic matter loss rates. TBI rates were 32 %–118 % faster in the 10 cm horizon than at 50 cm. Rates were fastest in the first 3 months and slowed 54 %–60 % at both depths between 3 and 6 months. Rates slowed further between 6 and 12 months, but this was more muted at 10 cm (17 %) compared to 50 cm (50 %). Slower rates at depth and with time were unlikely due to the TBI stabilization factor, which was similar across depths and decreased from 6 to 12 months. Slower decay at 50 cm demonstrates that rates were constrained by environmental conditions in the deeper horizon rather than the composition of this highly standardized litter. Overall, these patterns suggest that hydrological setting, which affects oxidant introduction and reactant removal and is often overlooked in marsh decomposition studies, may be a particularly important control on organic matter loss in the short term (3–12 months).

Georgia↗
USGS2011

Aeolian nutrient fluxes following wildfire in sagebrush steppe: Implications for soil carbon storage

Pulses of aeolian transport following fire can profoundly affect the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients in semi-arid and arid ecosystems. Our objective was to determine horizontal nutrient fluxes occurring in the saltation zone during an episodic pulse of aeolian transport that occurred following a wildfire in a semi-arid sagebrush steppe ecosystem in southern Idaho, USA. We also examined how temporal trends in nutrient fluxes were affected by changes in particle sizes of eroded mass as well as nutrient concentrations associated with different particle size classes. In the burned area, total carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) fluxes were as high as 235 g C m????'1 d????'1 and 19 g N m????'1 d????'1 during the first few months following fire, whereas C and N fluxes were negligible in an adjacent unburned area throughout the study. Temporal variation in C and N fluxes following fire was largely attributable to the redistribution of saltation-sized particles. Total N and organic C concentrations in the soil surface were significantly lower in the burned relative to the unburned area one year after fire. Our results show how an episodic pulse of aeolian transport following fire can affect the spatial distribution of soil C and N, which, in turn, can have important implications for soil C storage. These findings demonstrate how an ecological disturbance can exacerbate a geomorphic process and highlight the need for further research to better understand the role aeolian transport plays in the biogeochemical cycling of C and N in recently burned landscapes. ?? Author(s) 2011. CC Attribution 3.0 License.

Biogeosciences↗
USGS2011

Aeolian nutrient fluxes following wildfire in sagebrush steppe: Implications for soil carbon storage

. Pulses of aeolian transport following fire can profoundly affect the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients in semi-arid and arid ecosystems. Our objective was to determine horizontal nutrient fluxes occurring in the saltation zone during an episodic pulse of aeolian transport that occurred following a wildfire in a semi-arid sagebrush steppe ecosystem in southern Idaho, USA. We also examined how temporal trends in nutrient fluxes were affected by changes in particle sizes of eroded mass as well as nutrient concentrations associated with different particle size classes. In the burned area, total carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) fluxes were as high as 235 g Cm -1 d -1 and 19 g N m -1 d -1 during the first few months following fire, whereas C and N fluxes were negligible in an adjacent unburned area throughout the study. Temporal variation in C and N fluxes following fire was largely attributable to the redistribution of saltation-sized particles. Total N and organic C concentrations in the soil surface were significantly lower in the burned relative to the unburned area one year after fire. Our results show how an episodic pulse of aeolian transport following fire can affect the spatial distribution of soil C and N, which, in turn, can have important implications for soil C storage. These findings demonstrate how an ecological disturbance can exacerbate a geomorphic process and highlight the need for further research to better understand the role aeolian transport plays in the biogeochemical cycling of C and N in recently burned landscapes.

Idaho↗
USGS2012

Linking soil moisture balance and source-responsive models to estimate diffuse and preferential components of groundwater recharge

Results are presented of a detailed study into the vadose zone and shallow water table hydrodynamics of a field site in Shropshire, UK. A conceptual model is developed and tested using a range of numerical models, including a modified soil moisture balance model (SMBM) for estimating groundwater recharge in the presence of both diffuse and preferential flow components. Tensiometry reveals that the loamy sand topsoil wets up via macropore flow and subsequent redistribution of moisture into the soil matrix. Recharge does not occur until near-positive pressures are achieved at the top of the sandy glaciofluvial outwash material that underlies the topsoil, about 1 m above the water table. Once this occurs, very rapid water table rises follow. This threshold behaviour is attributed to the vertical discontinuity in the macropore system due to seasonal ploughing of the topsoil, and a lower permeability plough/iron pan restricting matrix flow between the topsoil and the lower outwash deposits. Although the wetting process in the topsoil is complex, a SMBM is shown to be effective in predicting the initiation of preferential flow from the base of the topsoil into the lower outwash horizon. The rapidity of the response at the water table and a water table rise during the summer period while flow gradients in the unsaturated profile were upward suggest that preferential flow is also occurring within the outwash deposits below the topsoil. A variation of the source-responsive model proposed by Nimmo (2010) is shown to reproduce the observed water table dynamics well in the lower outwash horizon when linked to a SMBM that quantifies the potential recharge from the topsoil. The results reveal new insights into preferential flow processes in cultivated soils and provide a useful and practical approach to accounting for preferential flow in studies of groundwater recharge estimation.

Shropshire County↗
USGS1951

Determination of molybenum in soils and rocks: A geochemical semimicro field method

Reconnaissance work in geochemical prospecting requires a simple, rapid, and moderately accurate method for the determination of small amounts of molybdenum in soils and rocks. The useful range of the suggested procedure is from 1 to 32 p.p.m. of molybdenum, but the upper limit can be extended. Duplicate determinations on eight soil samples containing less than 10 p.p.m. of molybdenum agree within 1 p.p.m., and a comparison of field results with those obtained by a conventional laboratory procedure shows that the method is sufficiently accurate for use in geochemical prospecting. The time required for analysis and the quantities of reagents needed have been decreased to provide essentially a "test tube" method for the determination of molybdenum in soils and rocks. With a minimum amount of skill, one analyst can make 30 molybdenum determinations in an 8-hour day.

Analytical Chemistry↗
USGS1991

Error in measuring radon in soil gas by means of passive detectors

Passive detection of radon isotopes depends on diffusion of radon atoms from the sites of their generation to the location of the detecting or collecting device. Because some radon decays en route to a passive detector in soil, the radon concentration measured by the detector must be less than the concentration in those soil pores where it is undiminished by diffusion to the detector cavity. The true radon concentration may be significantly underestimated in moist soils. -Author

Nuclear Geophysics↗
USGS1997

Soil development on a Pleistocene terrace sequence, Boise Valley, Idaho

Study of a sequence of terraces in the western Snake River Plain of Idaho reveals a record of at least seven terraces, the ages of which span the Pleistocene. In the Boise Valley, the youngest terraces are less than -14,500 yr and the oldest terraces are -1.7 Ma. Within this sequence, several relationships exist between soil morphology and terrace chronology. On terraces older than -14,500 yr, argillic horizon development generally increases with terrace age with maximum development occurring in soils of the oldest terraces. CaCO3- and SiO2-cemented duripans are found in soils on terraces that are late middle Pleistocene and older. By virtue of their physical and chemical properties, duripans are very resistant to erosion, and therefore provide stable records of CaCO3 and SiO2 accumulation throughout multiple cycles of loess deposition onto the terrace treads, pedogenesis, and partial erosion. Mean duripan thickness increases with age to a maximum of 0.66 m on the oldest terraces. Our results suggest that a geomorphic surface age of approximately 130,000 yr is required to form the initial plugged horizon that is characteristic of a duripan. CaCO3 and SiO2 accumulation is most rapid in duripans occupying geomorphic surfaces with ages ranging from 130,000 to 300,000 yr. After this, apparent accumulation rates decrease and little additional accumulation of these cementing agents occurs with time.

Northwest Science↗
USGS1999

Nitrate in groundwater of the midwestern United States: A regional investigation on relations to land use and soil properties

The intense application of nitrogen-fertilizer to cropland in the midwestern United States has created concern about nitrate contamination of the region's aquifers. Since 1991, the US Geological Survey has used a network of 303 wells to investigate the regional distribution of nitrate in near-surface aquifers of the midwestern United States. Detailed land use and soil data were compiled within a 2 km radius of 100 unconsolidated wells in the regional network to determine relations to nitrate concentrations in groundwater. For land use, the amount of irrigated land was directly related to nitrate concentrations in groundwater. For soils, the general water table depth and soil factors associated with rates of water movement were directly related to nitrate concentrations in groundwater.

IAHS-AISH Publication↗
USGS2009

Preliminary results of the North American Soil Geochemical Landscapes Project, northeast United States and Maritime Provinces of Canada

The results of a soil geochemical survey of the Canadian Maritime provinces and the northeast states of the United States are described. The data presented are for the <2-mm fraction of the surface layer (0-5 cm depth) and C horizons of the soil. Elemental determinations were made by ICP-MS following two digestions, aqua regia (partial dissolution) and a strong 4-acid mixture (near-total dissolution). The preliminary results show that Hg and Pb exhibit elevated abundances in the surface layer, while As and Ni exhibit abundances that can be attributed to the geological provenance of the soil parent materials.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2010

Distribution of Escherichia coli and Enterococci in water, sediments, and bank soils along North Shore Channel between Bridge Street and Wilson Avenue, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC) wished to know the distribution and potential sources of fecal indicator bacteria, E. coli and enterococci, in water, sediments, and upland soils along an upstream and downstream portion of the North Shore Channel (NSC) that is the receiving stream for the District’s North Side Water Reclamation Plant (NSWRP) outfall. Biweekly water and sediment samples were collected between August and October 2008 and included the following locations upstream of the outfall: Bridge Street (UPS-1), Oakton Street (UPS-2), the NSWRP outfall (OF), and downstream: Foster Avenue (DNS-1), and Wilson Avenue (DNS-2). E. coli and enterococci were consistently found in water and sediments at all sampling locations, with bacterial densities in water increasing below the NSWRP outfall; bacterial densities in sediment were more variable. On a relative measurement basis (i.e., 100 ml=100 g), both E. coli and enterococci densities were significantly higher in sediments than water. E. coli and enterococci were consistently recovered from bank soil along wooded, grassy, erosional, and depositional areas at two recreational parks, as well as other riparian areas along the river. Thus, soils along the river basin are likely sources of these bacteria to the NSC channel, introduced through runoff or other physical processes. Tributaries, such as the North Branch of the Chicago River (NBCR) that flow into NSC near Albany Ave, may provide a constant source of E. coli and enterococci to the NSC. Additionally, storm sewer outfalls may increase E. coli loadings to NSC during wet weather conditions. Our findings suggest that the abundance of nonpoint sources contributing to the overall fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) load in the NSC channel may complicate bacteria source determination and remediation efforts to protect the stream water quality.

Illinois↗
USGS1990

Landslide processes in saprolitic soils of a tropical rain forest, Puerto Rico

Shallow soil slips, earth and debris slides appear to be a primary mechanism of hillslope denudation in the rainforest of eastern Puerto Rico. Annual rainfall in excess of 4,000 mm, and thick sequences (up to 20 m) of residual soils (saprolite) combine to produce these landslides. Shear strength testing and observatons of tension cracks indicate that landslides may start as tensile failure of saprolitic material. The tension cracks provide avenues for rapid infiltration of rainwater and saturation of the underlying soil. During or shortly after intense or prolonged precipitation, shear failure then occurs as a result of pore-pressure buildup along zones of low permeability within the saprolite. Tensile stresses in the unsaturated, low-density upper saprolite zone range from 3 to 10 kPa, and mean seismic refraction velocities are 476 +/- 127 m/s. Denser, clay-rich, less permeable saprolitic zones having mean seismic velocities of 1420 +/- 157 m/s represent zones that are commonly associated with perched ground water and are zones where exess pore-water pressure is most likely to trigger movement. These zones of translocated clay show marked density increases. Slickensides are present in the saprolite along relict fractures and joints derived from the parent rock; they are common in quartz-diorite bedrock, and less so in marine-deposited volcaniclastic bedrock. The failure planes of many landslides have exposed these relict fractures and joints as slickensides, and landslides appear to move on these pre-existing planes of weakness in the saprolite. The larges landslides (areas greater than 20,000 m 2 , however, are those that fail along saprolite-bedrock boundaries, which are zones of contrasting density and permeability within or at the base of the weathered profile.

Conference Paper↗
USGS1981

On the use of nonlinear soil models

The basic definitions of, and the differences between, currently available soil models are reviewed. These models are applied to site response analyses where two depths and two levels of base input motion are considered. Computational results are presented and compared with regard to the effects of using different soil models on computed site response. Other implications resulting from the choice of soil model for seismic response analysis are also discussed.

Conference Paper↗