ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE | Nov. 24, 2021
Interaction of Chemical, Physicochemical, and Geotechnical Soil Properties of Anambra State Gully Erosion Sites
Okeke C. H, Ubaoji K. I, Uzodinma F. C
Page no 379-390 |
10.36348/sjce.2021.v05i10.001
Disturbed subgrade soil samples were collected from five (5) different erosion sites in Anambra State, Nigeria. In-situ and laboratory tests were conducted to ascertain the biochemical, physicochemical, and geotechnical properties of these samples. The topsoil characteristics were studied differently from the subsoil characteristics. All the samples considered were non plastic (from Atterberg limit tests). The result of relative size of soil particles in Anambra state reveals a higher mean values of sand when compared to silt and clay. The maximum dry density of the soil averaged (1858.19 ± 52.257) kg/m3 and (1866.986 ± 50.298) kg/m3 for the topsoil and subsoil respectively indicating high compaction values. The sodicity (Sodium Absorption Ratio and Exchangeable Sodium Percentage) of the soil was used to measure the dispersiveness of the soil, and the results show that Anambra state soils are highly dispersive, especially the topsoil. Hence, it is highly related to the erodibility of the soils in the zone considered. Furthermore, correlation analysis showed that there is a considerable correlation between geotechnical, physicochemical and biochemical properties of the soils in the state with the presence of sodium playing a major role in determining the influential properties.