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Some clay-related problems in engineering geology in North America

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2018

J. E. Gillott
J. E. Gillott*
Affiliation:
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Abstract

Clay minerals are almost ubiquitous in soil and rock and are among the most reactive silicates. They affect the engineering behaviour of soil and rock both as materials of construction and as foundation materials. In the petroleum industry, clay affects the permeability of reservoir formations, it is a common cap-rock, and it is also a constituent of the fluids used in drilling operations. Engineering behaviour almost always involves clay-water interaction and in turn this depends on the nature of water and solutions and on the composition and microstructure of the clay. The importance of clay to specific problems from each of these areas is discussed. In foundation engineering its role in soil-moisture interaction is illustrated by reference to problems resulting from the geological history of some North American soils and from engineering activities. In building materials, reference is made to its effect on concrete durability in aggregate-related problems. The importance of clay in petroleum engineering refers to authigenic clays in reservoir rocks, to clay behaviour in the Alberta oil sands and to the use of clay minerals as a geothermal thermometer.

Type
Research Article
Information
Clay Minerals , Volume 21 , Issue 3 , September 1986 , pp. 261 - 278
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 1986

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