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When you’re planning a building project in the Toledo area, the ground beneath your feet really matters. The region’s lacustrine soils — fine-grained sediments left by ancient Lake Maumee — can pose serious challenges.
Settlement, moisture related shrinkage and swelling, and subgrade stability during construction are issues if lacustrine soil is not understood and managed from the beginning of a project. Despite these potential hazards, many large projects in northwest Ohio are successfully built on this type of soil with the help of geotechnical experts at Bowser-Morner.
What are lacustrine soils?
Lacustrine soil forms on lake bottoms. The parent material is fine sand, silt, and clay, giving it a fine texture. The relatively still water in lakes permits small particles to settle out and form deposits, which are later exposed. The resulting lacustrine soil is weak, with very low permeability. It’s sometimes expansive, and very compressible.
The Kasmir Valley of India is an example of a lacustrine plain with its salt pans, beaches and terraces. The Green River Formation is also a lacustrine plain. It is known for its preserved fish fossils trapped in the large lake system that covered three states in the western United States.
Lacustrine soils can vary depending on factors like the lake’s water chemistry, the surrounding geology, and even the vegetation in the area.
Problems with lacustrine soils:
- Low bearing capacity and settlement: Lacustrine soils, particularly those rich in clay and silt, may not be able to adequately support the weight of a building structure, leading to settlement or differential settlement.
- Liquefaction: When saturated and subjected to seismic events (earthquakes), lacustrine soils are prone to liquefaction. This phenomenon causes the soil to behave more like a liquid, leading to severe damage and even the collapse of buildings.
- Landslides: In areas with lacustrine deposits on slopes, landslides can occur during earthquakes. The clayey composition of those lacustrine soils -- coupled with seismic shaking -- can lead to slope failures and damage to structures situated on these unstable areas.
- Subsidence: In certain areas with soft lacustrine soils, structures -- and even whole cities -- can experience gradual sinking, known as subsidence. This process causes structural damage to buildings, flooding, and drainage problems.
Disaster related to lacustrine soil:
- Earthquakes: Earthquakes, such as the 2017 Puebla-Mexico City earthquake, have caused significant damage and collapse of buildings in Mexico City due to strong ground motions transmitted through the soft lacustrine soils.A 2015 earthquake in Nepal was also the cause of building fails and loss of life, especially in the areas where thick lacustrine soil deposits are found.
- Landslides: Between 1965 and 1990, building a motorway network in Switzerland required fillings along lakeshores in some areas. Land reclamations on very soft lacustrine soils, such as lacustrine chalk, led to massive landslides causing casualties and severe damage.
- Floods:Lake sediments have demonstrated significant advantages in reconstructing past events such as ancient floods, serving as archives of past anomalous events.The southeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau is one of the most active flood areas of the world.Over time, the lacustrine soil contributed to frequent disasters like flooding, damaging infrastructure, lives and property.
Geotechnical solutions for building on lacustrine soil:
Understanding the properties of lacustrine soils is crucial for hazard assessment in the northwest region of Ohio.
Our geotechnical engineers employ various ground improvement techniques to mitigate the risks associated with building on lacustrine soils. These can include:
- Compaction: Densifying the soil to increase its strength and reduce settlement.
- Soil stabilization: Using additives like cement, lime, or fly ash to improve soil properties.
- Grouting: Injecting materials into the soil to increase its strength and stability.
- Geosynthetic materials: Using geotextiles and geogrids to reinforce and stabilize the soil.
- Microbially induced desaturation: Injecting nitrogen-rich compounds to induce microbial production of nitrogen gas, making the soil less susceptible to liquefaction during earthquakes.
Bowser-Morner has the expertise to know when special considerations are warranted in lacustrine soil, and when they are not. We can potentially help you avoid costly subgrade improvements through our experience and knowledge of the way the soils behave in practice, not just in theory.
With extensive knowledge of Toledo’s unique subsurface conditions and an average of 30 years’ of hands-on regional experience, our qualified geotechnical professionals will identify risks early, design practical solutions, and help avoid costly surprises. From smarter foundation design for a manufacturing facility, to better understanding of the regional soils, to facilitating smoother permitting, a local Bowser-Morner geotechnical expert keeps your project safe, stable, and on track.
Your investment deserves a solid start and firm foundation — capitalize on Bowser-Morner’s local geotechnical expertise to help you design and build with confidence.