Engineering geological conditions of the Holocene sediments of Anzali area, South Caspian Coast, North Iran
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Engineering geological conditions of the Holocene sediments of Anzali area, South Caspian Coast, North Iran M. Hashemi & M. R. Nikoudel & N. Hafezi Moghaddas & M. Khamehchiyan
Received: 25 May 2012 / Accepted: 25 January 2013 # Saudi Society for Geosciences 2013
Abstract A broad assessment of the geological, sedimentological, and geotechnical characteristics of the coastal Holocene sediments of Anzali Area (North Iran) was made to provide a useful guide for development, planning, and construction. Based on the sedimentological and geotechnical properties of the sediments, three engineering geological units as Upper Sandy Zone (USZ), Middle Clayey Zone (MCZ), and Lower Sandy Zone (LSZ) were identified and introduced in the form of an engineering geological model. Then the engineering geological characteristics of the units of the model were analyzed and the main engineering geological problems associated with the deposits of each unit were identified. The results showed that USZ has high liquefaction potential, low bearing capacity, settlement susceptibility, and excavation problem; MCZ has low-bearing capacity as well as high settlement susceptibility and excavation problem; and LSZ has good geotechnical properties, then it poses few problems. Keywords Anzali area . Holocene sediments . Engineering geological model . Geotechnical properties . Engineering geological problems
Introduction Many problems in major urban centers are directly or indirectly related to the geological, geotechnical, and M. Hashemi : M. R. Nikoudel (*) : M. Khamehchiyan Department of Engineering Geology, Faculty of Basic Science, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box: 14115-175, Tehran, Iran e-mail: [email protected] M. Hashemi e-mail: [email protected] N. Hafezi Moghaddas Faculty of Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
hydrogeological conditions beneath and around the city (McCall et al. 1996; Arnous 2011; Youssef et al. 2011). When planning new surface or underground infrastructures, it is vital to anticipate what geological conditions are likely to be encountered, even before taking any specific survey or investigative work (Chilès and Blanchin 1995; El Gonnouni et al. 2005; ITIG 2006). In this regard, an improved assessment of geometry and mechanical properties of underground layers would minimize project risks from economical and technological points of view. It would also help to justify decisions regarding works or urban planning and would help in assessing their impact on the natural environment (Marache et al. 2009). Characterizing a site and defining land units with similar behavior allow the engineering geologists or the geotechnical engineers to develop a conceptual geological model (Fookes 1997), useful to the site-specific project or to other projects located in the same geological terrain. This model helps to understand site geological conditions, to identify the main geological problems, and to make realistic estimates of material properties. If the model is well done, further site
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