Soil Mechanics - Exam 1 Questions and Answers Fully Solved Latest Update 2025-2026
Soil Mechanics - Answers Application of static, mechanics of materials, and fluid mechanics to describe
the behavior of soils
Soil - Answers Weathering rocks and minerals
What are the differences between sand and clay? (size, shape, strength comes from __?) - Answers
Sand: larger/coarse grained, rounder, strength from frictional forces between particles
Clay: small/fine grained, flat, strength from water interaction
Effective stress - Answers stress felt by soil skeleton
Consolidation - Answers water forced out of pore spaces
settlement - Answers volume is changing
differential settlement - Answers one side settles, not the other
Geosynthetics - Answers man made plastic sheets (hydraulic barriers)
Retaining Structures - Answers Hold soil at steeper slope than the soil can stand
How old is the Earth? - Answers 4.6 billion years
Lithosphere - Answers rocky upper mantle and crust, moves as solid plate
Asthenosphere - Answers low mantle, hot, weak, ductile
Rock - Answers naturally formed aggregate(collection) of minerals
Igneous Rock - Answers solidified from molten rock
Diff between magma and lava? - Answers magma is underground (intrusive), lava is above (extrusive)
Mineral - Answers naturally formed, solid, forged inorganically, specified chemical composition
Which are minerals? ice, water, coal - Answers ice=mineral
water=not mineral
coal=not mineral
Regolith - Answers loose layer of debris from weathering
What are the three main rock groups? - Answers igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic
What rocks make up the crust, what rocks make up the surface? - Answers crust = 95% igneous and
metamorphic
, surface = 75% sedimentary
Cycle for rocks - Answers rocks formed --> uplift --> weathering
Residual soil - Answers rate of soil formation is faster than transportation/erosion
Eolian soil - Answers transported by wind
saltation - Answers large sand picked up and moved a short distance
loess - Answers wind blown salt (homogeneous size)
Fluvial Soil - Answers deposited by streams and fresh water
esker - Answers uniform
What are the 4 phases of field investigation - Answers 1. collect info
2. familiarize with site
3. detailed site investigation
4. write report
Boring and Drilling - Answers destructive method of sub surface exploration
visual ID of soil type with sample collection
Continuous flight boring - Answers destructive method of sub surface exploration
-solid stem (have to keep removing it from hole, time consuming)
-hollow stem (auger acts as casing to equalize pressure)
-hand auger (cheap, limited depth)
-water borings (pressurized water down drill shaft)
What are three methods of retrieving a soil sample - Answers shelby tube
split spoon
block
Sizes for coarse and fine grain? - Answers coarse >.075mm
fine <.075mm
size for coarse and fine gravel - Answers coarse = 19-75mm
Soil Mechanics - Answers Application of static, mechanics of materials, and fluid mechanics to describe
the behavior of soils
Soil - Answers Weathering rocks and minerals
What are the differences between sand and clay? (size, shape, strength comes from __?) - Answers
Sand: larger/coarse grained, rounder, strength from frictional forces between particles
Clay: small/fine grained, flat, strength from water interaction
Effective stress - Answers stress felt by soil skeleton
Consolidation - Answers water forced out of pore spaces
settlement - Answers volume is changing
differential settlement - Answers one side settles, not the other
Geosynthetics - Answers man made plastic sheets (hydraulic barriers)
Retaining Structures - Answers Hold soil at steeper slope than the soil can stand
How old is the Earth? - Answers 4.6 billion years
Lithosphere - Answers rocky upper mantle and crust, moves as solid plate
Asthenosphere - Answers low mantle, hot, weak, ductile
Rock - Answers naturally formed aggregate(collection) of minerals
Igneous Rock - Answers solidified from molten rock
Diff between magma and lava? - Answers magma is underground (intrusive), lava is above (extrusive)
Mineral - Answers naturally formed, solid, forged inorganically, specified chemical composition
Which are minerals? ice, water, coal - Answers ice=mineral
water=not mineral
coal=not mineral
Regolith - Answers loose layer of debris from weathering
What are the three main rock groups? - Answers igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic
What rocks make up the crust, what rocks make up the surface? - Answers crust = 95% igneous and
metamorphic
, surface = 75% sedimentary
Cycle for rocks - Answers rocks formed --> uplift --> weathering
Residual soil - Answers rate of soil formation is faster than transportation/erosion
Eolian soil - Answers transported by wind
saltation - Answers large sand picked up and moved a short distance
loess - Answers wind blown salt (homogeneous size)
Fluvial Soil - Answers deposited by streams and fresh water
esker - Answers uniform
What are the 4 phases of field investigation - Answers 1. collect info
2. familiarize with site
3. detailed site investigation
4. write report
Boring and Drilling - Answers destructive method of sub surface exploration
visual ID of soil type with sample collection
Continuous flight boring - Answers destructive method of sub surface exploration
-solid stem (have to keep removing it from hole, time consuming)
-hollow stem (auger acts as casing to equalize pressure)
-hand auger (cheap, limited depth)
-water borings (pressurized water down drill shaft)
What are three methods of retrieving a soil sample - Answers shelby tube
split spoon
block
Sizes for coarse and fine grain? - Answers coarse >.075mm
fine <.075mm
size for coarse and fine gravel - Answers coarse = 19-75mm
