Lession A - Introduction

Question 1

What is soil mechanics?

Answer 1

is the study of the response of soils to loads. These loads comes from
human-made structures and nature (earth pressures, earthquakes, environmental conditions
and so on).

Question 2

Minerals

Answer 2

are chemical elements that constitute rocks.

Question 3

Rocks

Answer 3

are the aggregation of minerals into a hard mass.

Question 4

Soils

Answer 4

are materials that are derived from the weathering of rocks.

Question 5

What 3 groups are rocks classified under?

Answer 5

1. Igneous rocks
2. Sedimentary rocks
3. Metamorphic rock

Question 6

Igneous rocks

Answer 6

• magma (molten rock materials) emitted from

volcanoes that have cooled and solidified (e.g. granite)

Question 7

Sedimentary rocks

Answer 7

sediments, animals and plant materials
that have been deposited in water or on land on the earth’s
surface and then subjected to pressures (e.g. shale)

Question 8

Metamorphic rocks

Answer 8

are formed deep within the earth’s crust
from the transformation of igneous, sedimentary, and even
existing metamorphic rocks into denser rocks (e.g. phyllite)

Question 9

How are soils formed?

Answer 9

Physical and chemical weathering of rocks (eg. rain and snow, tectonic, volcano)

Question 10

Alluvial soils

Answer 10

s are fine sediments
that have been eroded from
rock, transported by water, and
have settled on river and stream
beds.

Question 11

Collovial soils (Collovium)

Answer 11

are
soils found at the base of
mountains that have been eroded
by the combination of water and
gravity.

Question 12

Expansive soils

Answer 12

are clays that
undergo large volume changes
from cycles of wetting and
drying.

Question 13

Glacial soils

Answer 13

are mixed soils
consisting of rock debris, sand,
silt, clays, and boulders.

Question 14

Glacial clays

Answer 14

are soils that were
deposited in ancient lakes and
subsequently frozen.The thawing
of these lakes revealed soil
profiles of neatly stratified silt
and clay, sometimes called
varved clay.

Question 15

Rock

Answer 15

Natural aggergate of minerals connected by strong and somewhat perminent cohesive bonds.

Question 16

Aggergate

Answer 16

Granular mineral particles of soil used for road, sub base, backfil and concrete (eg engineerd fill)

Question 17

Agriculture soils

Answer 17

Capable of supporting life, top 30 cm to 2 m of native soils

Question 18

Engineering Soils

Answer 18

Mineral soils with more narrow + predictable soil properties

Question 19

Residual or sedentary

Answer 19

developed in place (in situ) from the underlying rock. Typically it experienced long and intense weathering. Residual parent materials can be found overlying any rock type – provided that the landscape has been stable for a sufficient period of time for weathering to occur. This situation and type of parent material are uncommon in Canada.