Excavation, handling, and the environmentally safe disposal of spent oil shale and overburden materials require a knowledge of their geotechnical engineering properties. To determine these properties a laboratory investigation of the physical and geotechnical engineering properties was made. The physical tests consisted of mechanical analyses, Atterberg Limits, and specific gravity determinations. Geotechnical properties were determined by moisture-density analyses, triaxial compression, permeability tests, slake-durability, one-dimensional compression tests, and Los Angeles abrasion. A one-dimensional compression test was devised to address the problem of placement, loading, and saturation of the spent shales and overburden materials. The compacted, unprocessed oil shales were more susceptible to inundation and compression than compacted specimens of retorted shales and chars. Comparisons of the geotechnical properties of the unprocessed oil shales and processed shales are made
