Geotechnical And Mineralogical Assessment Of Gerinya Clays Within The Patti Formation, Southern Bida Basin, Nigeria

Clay is predominant in most subgrade soils of Nigeria and it has found wide application in engineering construction due to its relative abundance coupled with the ease of acquisition. Therefore, there is the need to ascertain the geotechnical behaviour of these clays especially the Gerinya clays within the Patti Formation, Southern Bida Basin, Nigeria for their construction and industrial suitability. The Gerinya clays samples were examined for their geotechnical properties such as; specific gravity, Atterberg’s limit, grain size analysis, shear strength and mineralogical analysis (X-ray diffraction (XRD)). The Gerinya clays liquid limit ranges from 46% to 56%, the plastic limit ranges from 16.95% to 29.10% and the plasticity index ranges from 20.20% to 35.40%. The specific gravity ranges from 2.55 to 2.70, while the angle of internal friction and cohesion ranges from 130 to 200 and 31 KPa to 48 KPa respectively. Kaolinite was identified as the clay mineral in the Gerinya clays ranging from 22.34 to 67.61 wt% and quartz is the dominant non-clay mineral in the Gerinya clays. The other non-clay minerals are muscovite, anatase and rutile. The Gerinya clays samples exhibit intermediate to high compressibility and medium to high plasticity. The shear strength reveals that the Gerinya clays has a low bearing capacity. The Gerinya clays are not suitable for construction since they will cause problems when employed as sub-base or sub-grade materials. However, the clays can be employed as raw materials for bricks manufacturing and landfill liners in a waste disposal facility.