Definition
Soil field tests are visual-manual methods for field examination of soil. The field tests provide the means for a consistent description of soil including developing information for a preliminary identification of soil type under the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS) during field mapping and site investigation (Johnson and DeGraff 1988; USBR 1998).
Introduction
Societies depend on soil as a material for use in building structures and infrastructure and providing the foundation to support them (see Soil Properties). Consequently, studies of potential building sites and areas being considered for development should include mapping the soil present at and near the ground surface (Johnson and DeGraff 1988; USBR 1998). The exploratory mapping would include areal extent of soils at the ground surface and those present in shallow exposures made by test pits, trenches, and hand-dug auger holes (Keaton and DeGraff 1996; USBR 1998). Documenting the character of the soil being...
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References
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De Graff, J.V. (2018). Soil Field Tests. In: Bobrowsky, P., Marker, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_265-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_265-1
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