Author(s)

Salome Hephzibah Waziri, Abdullahi Idris-Nda, Irmiya Samson Amoka, Yusuf Ishaq

Department of Geology and Mining, Ibrahim Badamasi University, Lapai, Nigeria.
Department of Geology, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria.

Geotechnical studies were carried out on soils from Shango-Chanchaga highway in Minna, in relation to the petrographic characteristics of the parent rock. Samples were obtained from 5 trial pits at 1 km interval for geotechnical analysis. The moisture content varies from 35.0% to 58.5%, liquid limit ranges from 29.0% to 43.0%, plastic limit ranges between 9.0% and 26.5%, while plasticity index ranges from 12.0 to 33.5. The optimum moisture content (OMC) ranges from 12.0 to 14.0, and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) ranges from 2 to 21. The diffractograms showed that the dominant minerals were clinochore (Mg,Fe)₆(Si,Al)₄O₁₀(OH)8, quartz (SiO₂), cordierite (Mg₂Al₄Si₅O₁₈Ar_0.625), and albite (Na_0.98Ca_0.02Al_1.02Si_2.98O18). The results showed that there exists a relationship between the mineral composition, the texture of the rock, and the geotechnical characteristics of the soil types.

Minerals; Petrographic Characteristics; Rock; Soil

S. Waziri, A. Idris-Nda, I. Amoka and Y. Ishaq, "Geotechnical and Mineralogical Characterization of Soils Derived from Schist along Shango-Chanchaga Highway, Minna, Central Nigeria," Journal of Minerals and Materials Characterization and Engineering, Vol. 1 No. 6, 2013, pp. 363-366. doi: 10.4236/jmmce.2013.16056.