Geotechnical and Mineralogical Characterization of Soils Derived from Schist along Shango-Chanchaga Highway, Minna, Central Nigeria

Abstract

Geotechnical studies were carried out on soils from Shango-Chanchaga highway in Minna, in relation to the petrographic characteristics of the parent rock. Samples were obtained from 5 trial pits at 1 km interval for geotechnical analysis. The moisture content varies from 35.0% to 58.5%, liquid limit ranges from 29.0% to 43.0%, plastic limit ranges between 9.0% and 26.5%, while plasticity index ranges from 12.0 to 33.5. The optimum moisture content (OMC) ranges from 12.0 to 14.0, and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) ranges from 2 to 21. The diffractograms showed that the dominant minerals were clinochore (Mg,Fe)6(Si,Al)4O10(OH)8, quartz (SiO2), cordierite (Mg2Al4Si5O18Ar0.625), and albite (Na0.98Ca0.02Al1.02Si2.98O18). The results showed that there exists a relationship between the mineral composition, the texture of the rock, and the geotechnical characteristics of the soil types.

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Waziri, S. , Idris-Nda, A. , Amoka, I. and Ishaq, Y. (2013) Geotechnical and Mineralogical Characterization of Soils Derived from Schist along Shango-Chanchaga Highway, Minna, Central Nigeria. Journal of Minerals and Materials Characterization and Engineering, 1, 363-366. doi: 10.4236/jmmce.2013.16056.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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