Abstract
The Saigon-Dong Nai (SG-DN) delta is adjoining the Mekong delta at the Southwest. Although it is smaller comparing to the latter, which is the third largest delta in the world, this delta is significant for the growth of Vietnam as it hosts Ho Chi Minh City, the biggest economic and industrial center of the country, where infrastructure has been developed extensively in the last few decades. A good understanding of the near-surface geosystem underlying the SG-DN delta is undoubtedly very needed. In this study, a correlation between the Quarternary formations and geotechnical soil layers was investigated for the first time. A computer-aided subsurface database was constructed based on data from geological and geotechnical boreholes to the depths of 350 and 140 m, respectively. Twelve geotechnical soil units were identified that could be correlated with five geological cycles of alternative trangression and regression, numbered I to V. In addition, an integrated geological-geotechnical characterization of the Middle-Upper Holocene formation, a very soft, soft to marine clay of high compressibility, was carried out for four selected inland and coastal sites. Notably, correlation relationships between geotechnical parameters, analyses of soil disturbance, and intrinsic compression behavior of soil samples were conducted. The results of this research are expected to be useful not only for geotechnical analyses but also for studies of land subsidence and its effects on infrastructure in the context of the global sea level rise.
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Data availability
The data for this study come from the following sources, namely Research and Application Center for Construction Technology, REACTEC, of HCM City University of Technology (http://reactec.vn/en/home/) with 130 geotechnical boreholes; Investment, Consulting and Construction Design Corporation, CDCO with 320 geotechnical boreholes; the Portcoast Consultant Corporation of Vietnam, PORTCOAST (https://www.portcoast.com.vn/) with 15 geotechnical boreholes; Division of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology for the South of Vietnam, DHEGSV (http://www.liendoan8.com.vn/index.php) with 31 geological boreholes up to 400-m deep; 3021 geotechnical borehole, including 580 of less than 40-m deep, 357 from 40- to 50-m deep, and 283 from 50- to 60-m deep, and 1801 deeper than 60 m.
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Acknowledgements
We acknowledge the kind support given by the Research and Application Center for Construction Technology (REACTEC) of HCM City University of Technology; The Investment, Consulting and Construction Design Corporation (CDCO), the Portcoast Consultant Corporation of Vietnam (PORTCOAST); Division of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology for the South of Vietnam (DHEGSV); Vietnam Petroleum Institute (VPI) and PetroVietnam University (PVU).
Last but not least, we dedicate this research article to the late Dr. Pham Van Long, whose unwavering dedication, profound geotechnical knowledge, and extensive practical experience with major infrastructure projects on the Mekong and Saigon-Dong Nai deltaic soils have made meaningful contributions in shaping the outcome of this research.
Funding
Part of this research is funded by the Vietnam National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED) under the grant no. 105.99-2019.324.
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Giao, P.H., Thoang, T.T., Hiep, H. et al. Geological-geotechnical correlation of a deltaic subsoil profile and characterization of its uppermost soft marine clay deposit with reference to infrastructure development in the Saigon-Dong Nai delta, Vietnam. Bull Eng Geol Environ 82, 441 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-023-03461-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-023-03461-4