SOIL SURVEY AND SUPPORT ACTIVITIES OPERATION DISTANT PLAIN EVENT 6

The soil survey and related activities described in this report were conducted to provide information concerning in situ soil characteristics and groundwater conditions and to provide undisturbed samples for determination of static and dynamic properties of the soil in the zone of influence of Distant Plain Event 6, a 100-ton, high-explosive (HE) test. Additional borings were made to obtain preliminary subsurface information in the area of other HE tests, Distant Plain Event 1A and Prairie Flat. The soil survey was conducted in the glacio-lacustrine deposits at the Watching Hills site located on the Defence Research Establishment, Suffield (DRES), reservation. Twelve undisturbed and 15 general sample borings were made to a maximum depth of 101.4 ft. All soil samples were transported to the U. S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station (WES) for testing and analysis. Nine piezometers were installed in the previous substrata, and water level observations were made during the conduct of the field exploration by WES. During the period of observation, the water table remained constant at elevation 2142, 20 to 25 ft below the ground surface. Test results presented herein consist of visual laboratory classification and natural water content of the soils. (Author)