Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/11681/20960
Title: Geologic control of sand boils along Mississippi River levees
Authors: Kolb, Charles R.
Keywords: Alluvium
Alluvial rivers
Mississippi River
Levees
Geological sedimentation
Geology
Sand boils
Levees
Underseepage
Seepage
Piping
Publisher: Soils and Pavements Laboratory (U.S.)
Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.)
Description: Miscellaneous Paper
Abstract: A common problem during floods along the lower Mississippi River is the formation of sand boils on the landward sides of levees. If the hydrostatic pressure in the pervious substratum landward of a levee becomes greater than the submerged weight of the topstratum, the uplift pressure may cause heaving and rupture at weak spots with a resulting concentration of seepage flow in the form of sand boils. This, in turn, can lead to piping and instability of the levees during critical high-water periods. The disposition of pervious versus impervious floodplain deposits beneath the levee and the angle at which such bodies are crossed by the overlying levees are controlling factors in the localization of sand boils. Thus recoginition of alluvial landforms forming the riverbanks, the types of soils associated with them, and their detailed mapping in plan and profile are important factors in levee design. Corrective design involves (A.) detailed delineation of the surface and subsurface geology, (B.) careful selection of borrow pits to avoid stripping critically thin top-stratum deposits, and (C.) the use of riverside or landside berms or blankets, and/or the installation of relief wells.
Rights: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/11681/20960
Appears in Collections:Miscellaneous Paper

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