At the meeting of the Highway Research Board in Oklahoma City this year the Department of Soils Investigations devoted the major part of one session to a discussion of the pedological method of classifying soils. This was marked departure from past policies for heretofore pedology in soil classification was largely a matter for research, and incidentally, a controversial matter

Kentucky Highway Materials Research Laboratory

English

University of Kentucky

<1 Commonwealth of Kentucky Department of Highways Proposed Working Plan for A SURVEY AND PEDOLOGICAL CLASSIFICNriON OF KENTUCKY SOILS In Accordance with Highway Engineering Usage by The Highway Materials Research Laboratory ·Lexington, Kentucky March, 1946 INTRODUCTION At tho meeting of tho Highway Research Board in Oklahoma City this yoar tho Department of Soils Investigations devoted tho major part of ono session to a discussion of tho pedologic& method of classifying soils. This was a marked departure from past policies for heretofore podology in soil classification was largely a matter for research, and incidont~~ly 1 a contra-versiru matter. Basically, podology (9)~ is the science of classifying soils by di vi sian into typos in e.ccordD.nco with their origin. For ox~mplo, those do·· rived through tho disinto~,ation . of limestone in place are included in ono category, More detll.ilod differentiation is th~•n made e.ccording to character-i sties of tho limestone, its geologic"~ age and forl!k"'tion, topo~aphic posi·· tiona, depth of overburden above tho bed rock, ~.nd other features which arc considered to bo influential on soil properties, The development of this system for classification came originally through scientific curosity and was principally concerned with geologic a~ poets. Later - ncar tho close of tho last century- tho agriculturists adopted the methods for preparing maps showing soil distribution, and for cotrolating those maps with crops adapta.ble to certain situations and tho yield obtained therefrom, In tho field of ngriculturo this technique has boon oxtcndod and intensified by thC\ u. s. Department of Agriculture (19), tho sovoral state soil surveys, and somotimos both working togethor in tho preparation of re-ports (24)'. Tho state of Kentucky now has about fiftoon counties mapped end onalyzed in this way: however, m!'ny ofthouo are obsolete ond only oight aro now in print and considered up -to~dato.** ~Numbers in paronthosos rofor to bibliography at ond of this report. **Jessamine (1916), Sholby (1919), Logan (1922), Muhlenberg (1924), Garrard (1924) , Mercer ( 1930), Fn;y·otto (J~31), Callo;n:w (1937) cou.ntios havo boon mappOdv !{i.,_; ' -2-In addition• the Agricultural Experiment Station at the University is in the process of preparing a gen.eral soil map applicable to tho ontiro state. Only within tho past fow years havo pedological principles boon adopted in a general way by organizations interested in tho engineering pro-parties of soils. Tho work has boon dono mainly by highwcy dopnrtmonts, out-standing examples of which nre Missouri ( 18) 1 ,Michigan ( 8), Indiana ( 4) 1 and Tennessee (14), During the war the Civil Aeronautics Administration conducted one extensive project (3) devoted to tho ontiro country and designed to pro-vid.o information for "~rfiold location and construction. It is significan·~ that tho Highway Resoorch 'Bovrd has roached a point whore open consideration of tho merits of such a system is considor~d feasible; it is more significant that opinions relative to tho discussion wore sharply divided emong tho repro-sontatives from tho numerous states. POSSIBILITIES AND LIMITATIONS TO PEDoLOGICAL .CLASSIFICATION Probably the greatest detriment in the use of a pedologic system for an engineering soil analysis is tho factor of miaroprosontation or over ompha-sis by those who havo not thoroughly investigated tho limitations as woll as tho possibilities attendant to its usc. Among those ~~o tho following! It is a known fact that such a classification can only supplement rather than supplant tho normal cnginooring procedures now used, The greatest advantage of tho system is its potonti~l for saving time and labor in fiold end laboratory analyses. Cort~~n physicel chnractoristics can bo prodi ctod without going into tho fi old. Howovor, somo to st borings fll'l& •. required to chock those predictions. This ofton amounts to a situation whore ten bbrings plannod artd distributed in accordance with pedologic information will accomplish tho same purpose as one hundrod borings tekon at r~ndom. An established, basicnlly sound method for soil classification ie , available, although knowledge of geological aspects and soil mechanics is re-qui rod to make 1 t usable. The logic behind pedological analyses is sound and closr, for nothing could be more simple than a method of identifying naturv~ materials in accordance with the natural processes of their formation, . Thoro is ove1•y reason to believe that a rock form~?.tion of given character when. ex-posed to a certain set of conditions in nature will decompose nnd disintoo.. grato to form a soil having certain characteristics irrespective of googr~~hio locations. For that reason, tho limestones in tho Shenandoah Valley of Virginia which aro of tho same ago as those exposed in tho inner bluegrass regions of Kentucky end tho Nashville basin of Tennessee should be overlain with a mantel of residual soil whoso general characteristics vary only in acoordanco with minor influences, Such is the case according to the agriculturist's point of view (with certain raservations); for tho Hagorstown and Maury soils in Virginia aro tho semo as thoso similarly designated in Fa,yotto county Kentucky and Davidson county Tennessee. Furthermorol tho ago of the underlying bod rook is often limited in significance booa.uso Hagerstown soils are recognized in southern Indiana and southern Missouri whore tho rock formations are somewhat younger than those previously mentioned. ~he same principles apply to materials derived from other sources whether they. be of glacial or wind-blown origin or formed by water daposi tion. Tho loossi~~ or wind-blown matorinls that prevail on tho uplands oast.of tho Mississippi River aro alike from the Gulf of Mexico to tho Ohio. Further than that, moro extensive loossinl soils in Missouri, !crwa, e.nd as far west as Washington- although not so named- are not far different from these despite differences in present climatic influences. Engineering characteristics of tllo various pedological groups mu§~ bo < dotorminod by tost, Naturally., th"l mora fact that e.gricultural onde aro bost served by grouping wl.doly ecattorod soils into one category does not moan that tho onginooring proportios of those materials are so noarly uniform thro-.t tho sruao gonr.ral difforontiation is prnctic"l for engineering purposes. How~ over, ovidonco accumulated through soil eurvoya mado olsowhoro indicatod that tho engineering classification c&n be moro einrplo than that roached by tho agriculturist. In order. then, to verify or reject the thosis that simibr materials under similar conditions develop similar soils, a study is proposed whereby soils from tho different pedologic groups will be srurrplod in many places throughout tho state and subjected to a variety of laboratory tests. Tho ulti-mate objective will be to provide engineering significance for pedological de-signations, and in turn to record tho engineering data by maps or other moans eo that they will be in a form sui table for field application, . SCOI?E All soils of different origin and varied characteristics throughout tho state will be included in this survey, In addition, samples of materials ' thought to bo similar to thoso in Kentucky but locl".ted in other states nearby will bo obtained thro~h corrospondonce, In thRt way, a more thorough and con-clusi ve study c"n be made "nd the applicnti·'m will be broader, MATERIALS Soils of different classifications may bo generally grouped into prin-cipal categories as follows: B.e.si_4lll'!J - Tho so derived from: · (a) limestone (massi vo) (b) sandstone (massive) (c) interbedded limestone and shale (d) interbedded sandstone and shale (e) shale Soils of the coastalplrd.n- Those materials in the Jackson :Pur-chase which have not been covered to appreciable depths by wind-blown soil. Loess - Wind-blown soils confined mainly to tho Jackson :Purchase but also occurring in isolgted sections bordering the Ohio River below Louisville. Alluvial soils- Those material deposited by flOwing waters in streams and rivors: subdi vi dod into I-(a) terraces (b) recent alluvium Further subdivision for the purpose of classification will be in accordance with age differentials among tho bod rocks from which tho soils are derivedt topographic positions, chernctor of tho rock formation, end simili'-X features. All these, of courso, merely constitute a moans of classification and provide vary little infor!llD.tion concerning the Gnginooring charactori sties of tho materials involved, However, into those difforont classifications will bo insortod results of engineering tosts in tho laboratory and field ob~ sorvations rolativo to problems concerned with highwoy ·construction and main-tenance, Tho ond point, of course, is ~ thorough ~~alysis ~md correlation of data from many different locations to tho oxtont that a givan nama in pedologic literature will mol'n cortl'.in soil properties in accordance with onginooring nomenclature. -6-PROCEDURES With nn ultimate aim of producing one or more soil' maps of tho entire state, showing the general distribution of the various soil groups the follow-ing procedure was outlined: 1. Soil Sampling - Soils similar in origin but widely separated in location will be se~led from timo to time and logged through tho depth of their profiles for variations observed in tho field and in turn for dif-fereinces found by means of laboratory tests. As tho records are developed they will be examined for evidence of similarity in ,engineering character-istics so that interpretation of soils in tho different groups can bo firmly established as rapidly as possible, Bocaus,e of tho fact that only a very limited portion of tho state has boon mapped in detail, it will be necessary to project experience from one section to another whore tho soils are known to be nearly alike because they arc derived from a c~mmon source, 2. Aerial Photographs - Projection of data need not be based en-tirely on experience, however, since a considerable portion of tho state has boon photographed from tho air. Those aerial pictures can be usod for recog-nizing similar patterns and thus identifying the soils in regions which have not boon mapped, Tho principles of photographic interpretation have boon wall established (2), (3), howovor• their usc is not merely a matter of tho invosti .. gator becoming familr~ with certain patterns characteristic of certain form~ tions and conveying certain definite information, Reliable interpretation is dependent upon a thorough knowledge of the various factors of soil formation as well as soil properties tlk~t would dotermino tho air photo pattorn, For an example of tho method used in aerial photographs consider a cond.i tion vmero the upland near a largo stream drains at lower elevations onto a terrace (a formation of granular mntorial doposi ted by tho river in the dis-so -7-' tant past during priods of rapid flow), and at still lower elevations onto alluvium deposited by the sh•eam in relatively recent times• .A.s indicated by the sketch Figure 1, erosion patterns would result if surface flow from the upland to the terrace continued to the stream. Fig, Residual Soils Feoently Trensporte !a'ansported Soils -nne G-rained, Materials; Surface Run-o:f'f Granular: Predominate• ercolation Upland Residual Soils; Fine G-rained Surface Run-off ]'redominates However• the soil on the terrace being granular, infiltration predominates and there is little or no .surface flow; consequently, little or no erosion would bo evident in the air photo pattern, Ia the alluvium below the terrace the soil again is generally fine grained and not so per~eeble; therefore, surface run-off is evident. Furthermore, alluvial patterns aro unmistakable due to the outlines characteristic of major stream action. Similar factors are used in aerial photographs for dotorminif:lg pro-perties of soils in tho other general classes, Diff'erences in topography re-sulting from the disintejWe.tten of limestone versus sandstone or shale are ~oadily transmitted to tho interpreter through the features of aerial photo-graphs. Sometimes, stereoscopic observations are helpful in these dotormina.o. tions. It should bo kept in mind in dealing with this method of analysis that there are some limitations on depth and detail which make well planned field borings and laboratory tosts a necessary correlative. On tho other haad, the advantages accrui~g through almost unlimited areal coverage and permanency o:f' record cannot be denied. )A Ll).bor~tory Tests - The laboratory tests will include most of the standard physlrlal tests normally conducted in a soils laboratory: such as, (a) Gradation (b) Atterburg limits (c) rroctor compaction (d) Permeability (e) Specific gravity (f) Capillarity, and (g) Shrinkage and bearing values. It is possible that a few tests may be conducted to determine fundamental in"· formation on shearing resistance and quantitative measurements of cohesion, Also of interest may be the chemical and :c>hysical characteristics of the soil particles ( 23). After these tests have been conducted, the results will be corr<.llP.ta<', with the pedological data, and a basis derived for establishing highway pr~·;:,_. lams that are characteristic of a given soil type. l!l~UIPMENT Aside from aerial photographs and incidental soil and geologic mi'!P St practically all tho equipment necessary for this study is now available in the Highway Research Laboratory. The DiVision of Planning has a file of aerial photographs (limited coverage) which have been taken in the past and which may be drawn Upon for reference or for field correlations. In addition, the Agri-1 culture Adjustment Agency has photographs of all but eight counties (two coun-ties, Johnson and Lawrence, are being photographed at present). BIBLIOGRAPHY 1, Baver, L. D.- "Soil Physics" John Wiley·& Sons, Inc., 194o• 2. Belcher, D, J, - lfThe Engineering Significance of Soil Patterns" Pro c. Highway Res, Bd,, Vol. 23, P• 569-598, 1943. ). Belcher, D, J,, Gregg, L. E., and.Woods, K. B. - "Origin, Distribution and Airphoto Interpretation of Soils of the United States." ,Confi-dential Report to C.A.A. from Joint Highway Res, proj., Purdue University, June, 1945• 4. Belcher, D. J,, Gregg, L, lil. 1 and Woods, K. B. - "Formation, llistribution and Engineering Characteristics of Soils It, Purdue Uni varsity Engr, ExP• Sta, Bul. No. 87, 1943, -9-5• Burt, Frederick A. - "Soil Mineralogy" D. Van Nostrand, 1927. 6, Ekblaw, George E. - "Tho Profile of Soil Weathering and Its Import-ance in Highway Construction", Pro c. Purdue Conforonce on Soil Mochanies and Its Applications, p. 381-387, July, lg4o. 7, Fenneman, Nevin M. ~ "Physiography of Western United Statos", McG-raw-Hill Book Co,, Inc., Now York, 1931, 8, "Field Manual of Soil Engineering" - Michigan State Highway Dept., Lansing, Mich., Sept. 10, lg4o. g. Hobbs, William Herbert - "Earth Features and Their Moaning" Second Edition 1 The Macmillan Co., New York, 1935• 10, Joffe, J, S. - lfJ:>ed.ology" Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, Now Jersey, 1936. 11. Ladd, George Edgar - "Landslides, Subsidences, and Rock Fallsi',Bccl. American Railway Engineering Association, Vol, 37, No, 377, July, 1935· 12, %ron-Metallic Materials, Constructional" - The American Soc, for Test-ing Mat<;!rials, Standards, Part II, Philadelphia, Pa,, 1942, 13, PattetJon, G-, 1!". 1 and Beaumont, A. B, - 11 Soils Manual", Farm Credit Administration, Fourth District, Louisville, Ky,, June, 194o (mimeographed) 14, lfJ:>umping of Concrete Pavements in Tennessee", Joint Report by Tennessee Highway Department and Portland Cement Association, Proc. Highway Res, :Bd,, Vol, 24, p. 237, 1944, . 15, Schuchart, Charles - 11 Stratigraphy of the Eastern and Central United Statesw, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1943. 16, Shepard,· c. H,, and Marshall, H. E, - "The Relation of G-eology to Soil Mapping in Ohio" Proc,, Purdue Conference on Soil Mechanics and Its Applications, p. 388-4ol, July, lg4o, 17, 11Soils and Men1l- Yearbook of Agriculture, U.S,D,A. Washington, 1938, 18, "Soils Manual II - Missouri State Highway Dept., Bureau of Materials Division of G-6 ology, Jefferson City, Missouri June 1941 (mimeographed), 19, 11Soils of the United States" -Part III, Atlas of American Agriculture, U.S,D,A, Washington, 1935• 20. 11Standard Specifications for Highway Materials and Methods of Sampling and Testingtl - .American Association of State Highway Officials Washington, D. C., Parts I and II, 1942. 21. Twenhoffel, William H. - "Treaties on Sedimentation" Second Edition The Williams & Wilkins Co,, Baltimore, 1932 ,-,1 " 0:.:.,}·/;l_' -10-22. Watkins, W, r. - ftTheUtilization of Soil Survoy in Road Construction", Report of the Eleventh Annual Meeting of the American Soil Survey Association, Eul. 12, 1931. Wintotkorn, Hans F. - "Physico-Chemical Testing of Soils and Applications of the Results in Practice", Proc, Highway Res. Bd,, Vol, 20, · P• 798-806, 194o. 24, Soil Surveys of Jessamine and other counties by the u. S, Department of Agriculture and the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station" 54 

A Survey and Pedological Classification of Kentucky Soils

https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2319&amp;context=ktc_researchreports

A Survey and Pedological Classification of Kentucky Soils

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

University of Kentucky