PRINCIPLES AND TECHNIQUES OF SOIL IDENTIFICATION

THE ACCURATE COMPLETE IDENTIFICATION OF SOILS IS THE FIRST AND MOST FUNDAMENTAL STEP IN ALL SOIL INVESTIGATIONS. IDENTIFICATION NOT ONLY REFERS TO THE PHYSICAL TECHNIQUES OF IDENTIFYING SOILS, BUT ALSO TO THE CAREFUL, SYSTEMATIC AND PRECISE WRITTEN AND SPOKEN IDENTIFICATIONS OF SOILS TO CONVEY DEFINITE AND SIGNIFICANT INFORMATION ON SOIL CHARACTER. AN APPRAISAL OF THE CLASSIFICATION AND IDENTIFICATION APPROACHES IS MADE TO SHOW THE FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE AND POSSIBILITES OF THE IDENTIFICATION APPROACH. IDENTICATION PLACES THE EMPHASIS ON RECOGNIZING AND ESTABLISHING THE IDENTITY AND INDIVIDUALITY OF SOILS, AND ON IDENTIFYING ACCURATELY AND COMPLETELY THE INHERENT CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH SOIL. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SOIL MATERIAL, WHICH DETERMINE BEHAVIOR, AND BY WHICH SOILS MAY BE IDENTIFIED, ARE COMPOSITION AND INHERENT CHARACTER REGARDING PROPORTIONS AND GRADATIONS OF THE GRANULAR GRAVEL, SAND AND SILT COMPONENTS, AND THE PROPORTION, PLASTICITY AND CLAY QUALITIES OF THE CLAY COMPONENT. THE IDENTIFICATION APPROACH RECOGNIZES THE INHERENTLY VARIABLE AND COMPLEX CHARACTER OF SOILS AND NATURAL SITUATIONS. SOIL BEHAVIOR MUST BE CONSIDERED IN RELATION TO THE SPECIFIC CONDITIONS THAT CONTROL IN A SITUATION. THE PRINCIPLES OF SOIL IDENTIFICATION AND A SIGNIFICANT NAMING AND IDENTIFICATION OF SOILS ARE DISCUSSED FOR GRANULAR SOILS AND CLAY-SOILS. INTERPRETATIVE RATINGS OF SOILS ARE GIVEN REGARDING FUNDAMENTAL BEHAVIOR CHARACTERISTICS IN ORDER TO GIVE POINT TO THE PRINCIPLES AND TECHNIQUES OF SOIL IDENTIFICATION. THE TECHNIQUES OF SOIL IDENTIFICATION BY VISUAL AND MANUAL METHODS ARE PRESENTED IN TABLES OF IDENTIFICATION TECHNIQUES FOR THREE BASIC SOIL TYPES: (1) COMPOSITE GRANULAR SOILS WITH LESS THAN FIVE PERCENT SILT; (2) COMPOSITE GRANULAR SOILS WITH MORE THAN FIVE PERCENT SILT; AND (3) COMPOSITE CLAY-SOILS. IDENTIFICATION TECH- NIQUES ARE ILLUSTRATED FOR EACH TYPE. /AUTHOR/