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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br />22 <br />usually accumulate down-wind of dunes and other arid <br />desert environments. Some engineering properties of <br />eolian soils are listed below: <br /> Prone to hydro-collapse <br /> Can be liquefiable <br /> Poor resistance to erosion <br /> Sand deposits can be a source for fine <br />aggregate <br /> Low expansive <br /> Easy to excavate <br />Glacial drift is a general term that describes material <br />deposited by glaciers. There are many terms used to <br />describe the particular deposits from glaciers, but the <br />two main modes of deposition are either directly from <br />the glacial ice (these deposits are called till), or from <br />streams of melt water (these deposits are called <br />outwash). <br />Generally, glacial till is deposited when the glacier <br />retreats and dumps sediment as ice melts. This <br />sediment, sometime called moraine, is defined by <br />where it was deposited. For example, terminal <br />moraine is deposited at the furthest downstream front <br />of the glacier as it begins to retreat; lateral moraine <br />describes the material deposited on the sides of the <br />glacier as it retreats. Glacial till is extremely <br />heterogeneous, non-stratified, poorly sorted, and <br />contains particles of all sizes that are angular to sub- <br />rounded. <br />Glacial outwash deposits are similar to alluvial deposits <br />and consist of stratified gravel and sand layers. Due to <br />transport by flowing water, these deposits have well- <br />sorted and rounded to sub-rounded particles. <br />Some engineering properties of glacial drift are listed <br />below. <br />Glacial Till <br /> Permeable to highly permeable <br /> Extremely heterogeneous mix <br /> Good source of aggregate <br /> Difficult to excavate <br /> Good bearing capacity <br />Glacial outwash <br /> Highly permeable <br /> Can be liquefiable <br /> Good source of fine aggregate <br /> Good bearing capacity <br /> Low shrink and swell potential <br />Dam Issues Related to Geology <br />Rock Foundations <br />In most cases, foundations composed of igneous or <br />metamorphic rocks are well-suited for construction of <br />embankment dams. Igneous and metamorphic rocks <br />are generally much stronger than the soil materials <br />used to construct embankment dams. The stability of <br />foundations and abutments for igneous or <br />metamorphic foundations are mostly a function of the <br />degree of jointing and weathering. Geologic <br />investigations for rock dam sites focus the potential <br />effects of those features on the structures. <br />Perhaps the most significant problem associated with <br />embankment dams with foundations composed of <br />igneous or metamorphic rocks is related to seepage. <br />Seepage could simply be a water loss problem and not <br />necessarily a dam safety issue when the reservoir basin <br />and abutments cannot hold water. Additionally, when <br />an earthen embankment is constructed on top of a <br />fractured bedrock foundation, care must be taken to <br />prevent internal erosion and piping. When fractures <br />and joints in the foundation are wide enough and <br />continuous, seepage passing through the embankment <br />becomes concentrated into these rock defects. This <br />concentrated seepage induces high seepage <br />velocities/forces that can lead to mobilization (internal <br />erosion) of the overlying embankment material into <br />the foundation. This condition was not well recognized <br />by early dam engineers and has become a prominent <br />failure mode during risk assessments of older dams. <br />Problematic types of sedimentary rock for dam <br />foundations include shales, mudstones, and other fine- <br />grained rocks. One of the reasons fine-grained <br />sedimentary rocks are problematic is the relatively low <br />strength material that composes them. Geologically <br />young, clay-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock found in <br />much of the west has the tendency to slake. Slaking <br />occurs in fine-grained sedimentary rocks when they <br />are exposed to air. Slaking essentially causes a rock to <br />deteriorate and breakdown. Some types of shale and <br />mudstones begin to slake immediately after they are <br />exposed to air. With shale, the process of slaking <br />usually results in cracking along thin shale layers