A common and relatively inexpensive method of obtaining disturbed soil samples is by auger borings. The depth to which auger borings may be taken is controlled by the depth to which the soil will not collapse and close an uncased hole or by the power limitations of the auger used (Knill, 1978; Peters, 1978). Auger holes are impossible to bore without casing in flowing sands or highly plastic soils below the water table.
Hand Augers
Hand augering is the simplest, most portable method of obtaining subsoil samples. Since the auger must be turned into and removed from the ground by hand, these borings are usually limited to 2 m or 3 m in depth, though on occasion, hand auger borings are made to depths of 5 m or more.
Power Augers
There are two general types, the two-person portable power auger, which is a simple extension of the hand auger and is limited to much the same depths as hand augering, and the truck- or trailer-mounted power auger. Truck- or trailer-mounted augers, while being...
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References
Compton, R. R., 1962, Manual of Field Geology. New York: Wiley, 378p.
Jumikis, A. R., 1962, Soil Mechanics. New York: Van Nostrand 791p.
Knill, J. L., 1978, Industrial Geology. London: Oxford University Press, 344p.
McKinstry, H. E., 1948, Mining Geology. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall 680p.
Peters, W. C., 1978, Exploration and Mining Geology. New York: Wiley, 696p.
Waterman, G. C., and S. Hazen, 1968, Development drilling and bulk sampling, in E. P. Pfeider, ed., Surface Mining. New York: American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers, 89.
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© 1988 Van Nostrand Reinhold Company Inc.
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Voorhis, W.M. (1988). Augers, augering (soil) . In: General Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30844-X_7
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