Soil Gypsum Content Analysis of the Proposed Road Route Extension of FM 2185 in the Gypsum Plain, Culberson County, Texas

<p>Soils serve as the underlying substrate on which foundations for most structures are built. The properties of a soil type are therefore an important consideration in building engineered structures. Gypsic soils are problematic for construction of such structures. One of the main problems with gypsic soils is dissolution. Gypsum (CaSO₄·2H₂O) in soils dissolves easily creating voids which can be detrimental to the integrity of engineering structures. To mitigate this, it is important to determine the amount of gypsum present in soils, before construction is initiated.</p> <p>In this study, three methods were employed in the determination of gypsum content in soils along a proposed road route in the Gypsum Plain, Culberson County, Texas: the wet chemical method, the X-ray fluorescence method and the thermogravimetric method. Results showed no significant difference in gypsum concentrations using the varying methods on samples obtained at the same point in a location but showed a significant difference in the concentration of samples obtained at different depths in a location. Gypsum contents along the approximately ninety-kilometer road route was predominantly relatively low, with about 65% of sample locations having gypsum content of less than 10%. About 11% of sampling locations, together totaling about three miles of the route, had high gypsum contents of over 70%.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science - Environmental Sciences

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Environmental Science

Year dc:date.available

2021

Author dc:creator

• Ohakawa, Chikaodili

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Kenneth Farrish
• Dr. Kevin Stafford
• Dr. I-Kuai Hung

• Gypsum
• Soil
• Gypsids
• Thermogravimetry
• X-ray fluorescence
• Wet chemical
• Concentration
• Surface
• Subsurface
• Soil Science

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/428

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.sfasu.edu:etds-1460