Clay Layer Fabric and Oedometer Consolidation of a Soft Varved Clay

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Abstract
The oedometer consolidation properties of the clay layers of varved sediments from New Liskeard, Ontario have been presented and interpreted with reference to current ideas on soil fabric, bonding, and environment of deposition. The sensitive, brittle nature of the clays is expressed by Cc values as high as 1.35 and "S" shaped consolidation curves. Preconsolidation above any previous possible overburden pressure is explained by bonding of a net random, flocculated fabric as measured by X-ray diffraction methods. Rates of secondary consolidation up to 4.5%/log cycle at loads close to the preconsolidation pressure reflect structural breakdown of the soil fabric within a very critical range of stress and strain.The flocculated soil structure at New Liskeard is compared with the more parallel fabric of the compositionally similar stratified glacial clays at Welland, Ontario. It is suggested that both deposits developed flocculated soil structures during deposition but that the Welland clays were deposited and loaded more rapidly so that time dependent bonding could not develop to resist compression and retain the open structure as at New Liskeard and most other slowly deposited varved clays in eastern Canada. A literature review is presented in support of these ideas.

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