Cyclic variability in microstructure and physio-mechanical properties of the Xiashu Loess-palaeosol sequence in Nanjing, China

摘要

For the Xiashu loess-palaeosol sequence in Nanjing, China, further to our work on the cyclic variability in its chemical composition and swelling-shrinkage properties [Xia, J., Huang, G.L, Liu, Z. T., Chen, X.M., 2007. Cyclic variability in chemical composition and swelling-shrinkage properties of the Xiashu loess stratum near Nanjing, China. Pedosphere 17 (5), 666-672.], this paper studies the cyclic variability in its microstructure and physico-mechanical properties and the corresponding influence on its engineering behaviour for geotechnical and geological practices. In addition, the cyclic variability in the soil's grain-size distribution and geochemical characteristics is compared with that of the loess-palaeosol sequences at two other sites in China, indicating a geographical pattern of cyclic variation of the sequences.