Shear resistance of fissured Neogene clays

Two types of fissured Neogene clays (SM and WB) were tested in the laboratory using undisturbed and reconstituted specimens. Although of similar age, the clays differ in their geological history: SM clays were deposited in a marine environment, WB are lacustrine clays with a complex tectonic history. dex properties of both clays are similar and, accordingly, their strength parameters are mutually close. Test results of the more compact and less wet clay (WB) are affected by the sampling and trimming procedures, especially for 38 mm diameter specimens. gh the behaviour is similar, the origin of fissures is different. For the SM clays, weathering is the main cause and fissuring reaches a depth of about 20 m. WB clays are dissected by macro- and microfissures originating as the result of tectonic processes and volumetric changes (effect of the coal formation underneath the investigated massif). ation of some samples was found and the transition from clays through cemented clays to claystones (soft rocks) is speculated.