Airphoto Interpretation and Engineering Evaluation of Northwest Indiana Sands

268 Pages·97.202 MB·English

by  Johnson, A. Morgan

PURDUE UNIVERSITY
THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT THE THESIS PREPARED UNDER MY SUPERVISION
BY Â. M o r g a n J o h n s o n
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COMPLIES WITH THE UNIVERSITY REGULATIONS ON GRADUATION THESES
AND IS APPROVED BY ME AS FULFILLING THIS PART OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE OF
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T . i/3 li-r
Professor in Charge of Thesis
Head of School or Department
19
TO THE LIBRARIAN:
THIS THESIS IS NOT TO BE REGARDED AS CONFIDENTIAL.
7. 3 3 IL
PROFB6SOH or OBABOS
OSAD. SCHOOTi FORM O—3-49—IM

AIRPHOTO INTERPRETATION AND ENOnŒRING- EVAIHATION
OF NORTHWEST INDIANA SANDS
A Thesis
Submitted to the Faculty
of
Purdue U niversity
by
A. Morgan Johnson
In P artial Fulfillm ent of the
Requirements for the Degree
of
Doctor of Philosophy
August 1949
ProQuest Number: 27712234
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VITA
A« Morgan Johnson was horn May 9, 1915 at Fort Dodge, Iowa.
He attended grade school and high school a t Bemidji, Minnesota and
graduated from the Bemidji High School in June 1952. He attended the
Bemidji State Teachers* College for three years and la te r received the
degree of Bachelor of Science in C ivil Engineering from Iowa State College
in June 1939. Interm ittent graduate study led to the degree of Master
of Science from the same in stitu tio n in July 1946 with a major In highway
engineering. Mr. Johnson * s thesis topic was **The Role of Calcium Chloride
in the S tabilization of Some Granular Soils**. Mr. Johnson taught c iv il
engineering at the U niversity of South Dakota and at The Rice In stitu te
and was an instructor in engineering mechanics at Iowa State College
before entering war service. Following his discharge from the United
States Navy he was A ssistant Professor of C ivil Engineering a t the
U niversity of Maryland for two years and carried on research for the
Highway Research Board and for the Chain Belt Company. In September 1947
he joined the sta ff of the Joint Highway Research Project at Purdue
university as Graduate Research A ssistant and continued graduate study
in that capacity for two years. During the summer of 1948, Mr. Johnson
was granted a three-month* s leave of absence from Purdue to serve as
Special Soils Consultant to the U S Air Forces in the Canadian A rctic.
From November 1948 u n til the completion of th is thesis he has been in
acting charge of the Joint Highway Research Soils laboratory.
Mr. Johnson is a member of Tau Beta P i, Sigma Ai, American Society
of C ivil Engineers (Junior), Highway Research Board (.‘associate), ^ e rican
A ssociation of U niversity Professors, and is a registered professional
engineer. He is m arried and has three children. His publications
include the follow ing:
**The Bole of Calcium Chloride in the S tab ilizatio n of Some Granular
Soils,** Proceedings, Highway Research Board, Vol. 26, 1946.
**Laboratory Experiments w ith Lime S oil Mixtures,** presented at
December 1948 meeting of Highway Research Board*
**Use of Lime in Improving Bases and Subgrades, ** presented at the
A pril 1949 meeting of the Purdue Hoad School.
ACKNOVraaXSERffiNTS
This study was conducted as a co-operative investigation between
the State Highway Commission of Indiana and the Joint Highway Research
P roject. The w riter wishes to eatress his sincere appreciation to
Professor K. B. Woods, Associate D irector of the Joint Highway Research
P roject, for his valuable guidance and review of the m anuscript, to
Professor H. E. Frost fo r his interested direction and assistance, and
to the Advisory Board of the Joint Highway Research Project for per­
m itting the study to be carried out.
To Pacifico Montano, research a ssistan t, is due special mention for
his devotion in aiding in bringing the investigation to a conclusion.
To Eugene Russu and Octavio Melendez and to Addison Dunn, student
assistan ts, the author is grateful for th eir long hours end many nights
of careful assistance. D rafting of the so ils maps was done under the
directing of C. R. McCullough and the author is indebted to him and to
his sta ff. î:, M. Davis, who mapped the so ils to the north of the area
covered here, was of p articu lar assistance in the early stages of the
work. Robert Peterson prepared the photographic illu stratio n s and Iloyd
Magnusson typed the m anuscript.
TÂBIE OF CONTENTS
Page
ABSTRACT
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................... 1
CHAPTER II SURVEY OF FORÎÆER DEVELOPî/ïENTS..................................... 6
Geological, Topographie, and Physiographic ............................. 6
General ................................................................................................... 6
Topography ................................................ 8
Physiographic D iv is io n s .......................................... 10
General Geological Developments ......................... 15
Hydrology of Northwest In d ia n a ............................................... 23
Peat, Muck, and Ivlarl ................................................... 52
Bedrock Geology . . . . . . ........................ . . . . . . 35
Soil S u rv e y s ................................................................................................... 37
Geological and P ed o lo gical......................................................... 37
Engineering Soils Mapping . . . . . ................................. 38
Review of Highway Problems Related to Soil Conditions , . 40
Performance and C orrelation S tu d ie s..................................... 41
Airphoto Interpretation of Engineering S o i l s ......................... 44
CHAPTER III PROCEDURES FOIXOWED.................................................................. 48
Procedures in Engineering Mapping of Soils with .H«.irphotos 48
Mapping Done on a County B a s is ............................................... 48
Total Area C overed....................................................... 51
C lassification of Soil Areas ................................. 52
D rafting of County Soil M aps.................................................... 53
Page
Methods of Conducting Performance and C orrelation Studies 54
Flexible Pavement Performance S urveys................................ 54
Rigid Pavement Performance Surveys . . . . . . . 56
C orrelation Studies ............................................................................ 57
CHAPTER IV RESULTS OBTaII'TED................................................................................. 60
County S oil Maps ................................ 60
Soil Areas, Id en tificatio n , and Highway Problem s.................. 63
P lastic D rift .................................. . . 63
Semi -Granular D rift ........................................................ 67
Granular D rift . . . . . . 70
Sands (3 to 5 feet deep) on D r if t........................................... 74
Shallow Sands on P lastic D rift. . . . . . . . . . . 78
Shallow Sands on Granular D r if t................................ 82
Scattered uiireas of Sand on P lastic D rift . . . . . . 86
Scattered Areas of Sand on Granular D rift • . . . . • 91
Large F lat ^xreas of Sand ........................... 94
Areas of Sand Dunes and Ridges ............................................ 99
Sands and Gravels ......................................114
Sandy Outwash 1^5
Recent Flood P la in s ................................................................ 128
Muck, Peat, and Mucky Soils ...............................................154
Lakebed (English Lake) ..............................................................1^5
Eskers and Kames ..................................... 150
Results of Performance and C orrelation Studies 153
Spot C o rre la tio n .........................................................................