Earth Manual Part 1: Geotechnical Engineering Guide

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326161169
EARTH MANUAL PART 1 THIRD EDITION U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
Book · July 2018
CITATIONS
0
READS
1,655
3 authors, including:
Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:
Ground Improvement Deep Soil Mixing View project
Standard Penetration Testing View project
Jeffrey A. Farrar
United States Bureau of Reclamation- Retired
15 PUBLICATIONS37 CITATIONS
SEE PROFILE
All content following this page was uploaded by Jeffrey A. Farrar on 21 December 2019.
The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

EARTH
MANUAL
PART 1
THIRD EDITION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF RECLAMATION

EARTH MANUAL
PART 1
Third Edition
Earth Sciences and Research Laboratory
Geotechnical Research
Technical Service Center
Denver, Colorado
1998
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF RECLAMATION

ii
MISSION STATEMENTS
The mission of the Department of the Interior is to protect
and provide access to our Nation’s natural and cultural
heritage and honor our trust responsibilities to tribes.
The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to manage,
develop, and protect water and related resources in an
environmentally and economically sound manner in the
interest of the American public.
Any use of trade names and trademarks in this publication is for descriptive
purposes only and does not constitute endorsement by the Bureau of
Reclamation.
The information contained in this report regarding commercial products or firms
may not be used for advertising or promotional purposes and is not to be
construed as an endorsement of any product or firm by the Bureau of
Reclamation.
United States Government Printing Office
Denver: 1998
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents,
U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, DC 20402

iii
PREFACE
Paul Knodel, Chief, Geotechnical Services Branch, Division of Research and Laboratory Services, directed the
writing of the Earth Manual, Third Edition, Part 1. Richard Young, Technical Specialist, Geomechanics and
Research Section, authored chapter 1. Amster Howard, Technical Specialist, Field Operations Team, wrote
chapter 3. I drafted chapter 2, along with sections on drilling, excerpted from the Small Dams Manual
originally written by Robert Hatcher, Division of Geology, and on remote sensing, excerpted from the
Engineering Geology Manual. H. Kit Fuller of the U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia updated the
information on geologic products available from their agency. The Geology Division (Sam Bartlett, Mark
McKeown, and Sandy Kunzer), Construction Division (Pete Aberle), and Embankment Dams Branch (Tom
McDaniels) performed Reclamation technical reviews. These technical reviews were essential in improving the
quality of the product. Robert T. Sirokman was instrumental in obtaining new photographs of construction from
Reclamation Field Offices. Technical editors for this manual were Richard Walters and Lelon A. Lewis.
Monica A. Rodriguez and Sharon S. Leffel formatted it.
Part 2 contains standard procedures for investigating and testing soil materials for engineering design,
construction, and operation and maintenance of water resources structures. Research and development continue
to produce improvements in the knowledge of geotechnical materials and methods in which those materials are
evaluated. Therefore, readers benefit from the latest technologies.
After the publication of Part 2 in 1990, efforts began immediately to update Part 1 of the manual. We realized
that, with such a broad topic area, we could not afford to go into detail as greatly as we would wish on any one
topic. To help alleviate this, a major change to the previous edition is the addition of referenced documents. We
have strived to provide the reader the best citations to find further information. We have also referenced other
Reclamation documents for more information in the subject areas.
The Bureau of Reclamation has a proud history in the construction of major water resources projects. We have
recently broadened our mission to become a water resources management agency. This new direction signals a
change from the era of project development. During restructuring in the mid-1990s, the agency witnessed the
retirement of hundreds of engineers, technicians, and inspectors. We hope that this manual will stand to
document the knowledge gained through the efforts of many of these individuals. The third edition is dedicated
to all of those in Reclamation who have participated in these great earthwork endeavors. I know that I, for one,
am eternally grateful to my companions in the Bureau of Reclamation, for I have learned so much about
geotechnical engineering.
Jeffrey A. Farrar
Earth Sciences Laboratory
Bureau of Reclamation