Geotechnical Characterization and Mineralogical Evaluation of Soils in Srinagar City, Jammu and Kashmir

Abstract

Srinagar city in the Kashmir valley of Jammu and Kashmir state has been studied to understand the types of soils present in the city. Disturbed and undisturbed samples were collected from 30 locations at a depth of 1 m in the main city. Index properties and engineering properties were evaluated from the geotechnical laboratory tests. X-ray diffraction technique was used to determine the mineralogical composition. Results indicate that soils at this depth in Srinagar city are predominantly fine grained. The proportion of clay size in the soils ranges from 7% to high values of about 42% in Batpora and Hawal. The soils have been classified as silty or clayey soils having intermediate to high plasticity according to the Indian Standard and Unified Soil Classification Systems. Low swelling potential and low activity were observed during laboratory tests. This behavior is supported by mineralogical analysis which revealed presence of Quartz and Illite minerals in the soils. Absence of high swelling minerals makes the soil less problematic. Shear strength parameters (c and φ) were found to be low to medium except in few areas like Hariparbat, Harwan, Cheshmashahi and a few areas in the central portion of the city. This suggests that bearing capacity of the soils is less and thus needs attention before starting any engineering work.