Date of Award
12-2021
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science - Environmental Sciences
Department
Environmental Science
First Advisor
Dr. Kenneth Farrish
Second Advisor
Dr. Kevin Stafford
Third Advisor
Dr. I-Kuai Hung
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Julie Bloxson
Abstract
Soils serve as the underlying substrate on which foundations for most structures are built. The properties of a soil type are therefore an important consideration in building engineered structures. Gypsic soils are problematic for construction of such structures. One of the main problems with gypsic soils is dissolution. Gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O) in soils dissolves easily creating voids which can be detrimental to the integrity of engineering structures. To mitigate this, it is important to determine the amount of gypsum present in soils, before construction is initiated.
In this study, three methods were employed in the determination of gypsum content in soils along a proposed road route in the Gypsum Plain, Culberson County, Texas: the wet chemical method, the X-ray fluorescence method and the thermogravimetric method. Results showed no significant difference in gypsum concentrations using the varying methods on samples obtained at the same point in a location but showed a significant difference in the concentration of samples obtained at different depths in a location. Gypsum contents along the approximately ninety-kilometer road route was predominantly relatively low, with about 65% of sample locations having gypsum content of less than 10%. About 11% of sampling locations, together totaling about three miles of the route, had high gypsum contents of over 70%.
Repository Citation
Ohakawa, Chikaodili, "Soil Gypsum Content Analysis of the Proposed Road Route Extension of FM 2185 in the Gypsum Plain, Culberson County, Texas" (2021). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 428.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/428
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
