Engineering Performance of Bringelly Shale
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CHAPTER 3 SAMPLING AND MINERALOGY OF BRINGELLY SHALE §3.1. INTRODUCTION The objectives of this chapter are to present details of the Bringelly shale from the four sites used in this study. This includes the location of the sites, their lithology and the techniques of sampling from these sites. An examination of the mineralogy and micro-structure of Bringelly shale is also included. These were investigated using a variety of techniques including x-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Laboratory characterisation studies of this shale have been limited to the claystone-siltstone materials which are the predominant lithology in Bringelly shale. Outcomes of the study in this chapter will be linked to the engineering and physical properties of Bringelly shale in the following chapters. §3.2 LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY Within the south west of the Sydney Metropolitan area, four separate sites were selected for sampling and field study. A location map including the general geology of the area is shown in Fig.3.1. The sites are active clay shale quarries and major current sources of brick clay and fill material in the Sydney region. A network of 79 Figure 3.1 Geological map showing the location of the study area well-paved roads traverses all localities as shown by the topographic map of the Sydney area shown in Figure 3A.1 in Appendix 3A. Access to the sites is further facilitated by numerous property tracks. All sites required entry permission from the owners, and compliance with site safety precautions. The location of each site can be determined from its grid reference on the Penrith 1:100,000 sheet. Details of locations including grid references and lithology are summarized in Appendix 3A §3.3 AN OVERVIEW ON THE GEOLOGY OF THE SITES The geology of the Bringelly shale within the Wianamatta group, and the engineering geology of the Sydney basin were discussed by Herbert (1979). Rocks of sedimentary origin are the dominant rocks in the Sydney region. They have been deposited within Cha p t er 3 – Samp ling and Minera l o g y of Bring e lly Sha l e 80 a broad zone of depression known as the Sydney basin. In the Sydney basin the Hawkesbury sandstone is overlain by a series of fine grained rocks known as the Wianamatta group. This group occupies the central portion of the Sydney basin (Fig.3.2) extending about 50 km to the west of Sydney, from Port Jackson to Penrith, and about 80 km north-south from Windsor to the Picton area. The Wianamatta group has a maximum recorded thickness of 304 m (Herbert, 1980). The Wianamatta group consists of three members Ashfield shale, Minchinbury sandstone, and Bringelly shale. A thickness of 257 m is the maximum recorded for Bringelly shale near Cobbity in the Sydney metropolitan area (Lovering, 1954; Herbert, 1979). Bringelly shale is interpreted as a coastal alluvial plain sequence which grades up from a lagoonal-coastal marsh sequence at the base to increasingly more terrestial, alluvial plain sediments towards the top of the formation. It is also classified as a formation of a Mid-Triassic age with lithologies that comprise claystone, siltstone, laminite, sandstone, and tuff (Helby, 1973). The main engineering geological features of the Sydney basin have been discussed by Herbert (1979). In this section, an overview of the geology, stratigraphy, structural geology, and engineering geology of the Sydney basin are reproduced and salient details are reported. Details of the lithologies at the four sampling locations are presented in Appendix 3A. §3.4 SITE AND SAMPLE SELECTION In order to select appropriate sites for this study, a comprehensive survey within the Sydney basin was undertaken in an effort to locate sites that covered an extensive area of the Bringelly shale. The Penrith 1:100,000 geological map and 1:25000 topographic maps were used to locate sites that comprised layers of shale that best represented the Bringelly formation and that were easily accessible. Site investigations and sampling were based on the geology and stratigraphy of the Bringelly shale that has been described and reported by Herbert (1979). Although the lithological types such as laminite (interbedded sandstone and siltstone), sandstone, and carbonaceous claystone are apparently randomly distributed Cha p t er 3 – Samp ling and Minera l o g y of Bring e lly Sha l e 81 throughout the stratigraphic section of Bringelly shale, in any one place however, there is a degree of order both in succession, thickness, and volumetric significance. This had to be considered prior to sampling. For instance, it was important to consider the general distribution pattern of the main components of the lithology where claystone and siltstone represent 70%, sandstone and laminite 25%, coal and highly carbonaceous claystone 3%, and tuff 2% (Herbert, 1979). In this study, the intention was to collect specimens limited to the claystone-siltstone materials that comprise the majority of the Wianamatta group shales. For more consistency, the study has only considered the intact rock properties. Due to the lack of natural outcrops, it was advantageous to carry out all sampling from active quarries where visual investigation and sampling were cost effective. Four major working quarries in the greater west of Sydney were selected for the purpose of this study. The four sites are located within an area of about 22 km in diameter in the western and south-western parts of Sydney. They are located within the Bringelly formation (Fig. 3.2) in an area of gently to moderately undulating countryside within the interbedded claystone and siltstone of the Bringelly shales. As explained in chapter 2 the Bringelly shale is underlain by the Minchinbury sandstone, a relatively thin layer typically 6m thick, and this is underlain by the Ashfield shale (Herbert, 1980). Prior to sampling, frequent visits to the sites allowed review of existing data relevant to each site. These available data were studied with emphasis being given to geological and geotechnical features of the Bringelly shale. Field investigation based on visual examination was carried out on vertical profiles composed of units of the Bringelly formation at each site. In most sites, the exposure of these units was developed after the rocks were ripped with an excavator PC1800 (Fig. 3.3a). The typical exposed profile of all sites composed of grey siltstone at the bottom, overlain by fresh claystone which is about 0.4 to 0.5m below the soil and weathered rock interface. Thin laminite horizons occur occasionally throughout (Fig.3.3b). An attempt was made to collect samples as fresh as possible while the mining operation was in progress. The collected samples were required to be sufficiently large in size and quantity to enable a range of different laboratory tests to be performed. Cha p t er 3 – Samp ling and Minera l o g y of Bring e lly Sha l e 82 Figure 3.2 Detailed distribution of sampling sites within claystone and siltstone of the upper Bringelly shale. M: Mulgoa B: Badgerys creek H: Horsley park K: Kemps creek Cha p t er 3 – Samp ling and Minera l o g y of Bring e lly Sha l e 83 Figure 3.3a Removal of weathered shale to obtain fresh samples using Komatsu PC 1800 at Badgerys Creek site Figure 3.3b Typical exposure of Bringelly shale units at Kemps Creek site Cha p t er 3 – Samp ling and Minera l o g y of Bring e lly Sha l e 84 Sampling was carried out in accordance with the field guide on the engineering grade classification scheme for weathered rock (Brown, 1981). Blocky samples of shale ranging from fresh to extremely weathered were obtained from the four sites. At the Kemps creek site additional samples were obtained by drilling one borehole. This was carried out using a conventional 51mm core diameter diamond drill with water flush. The borehole was drilled at 90 degree to the horizontal i.e. vertically and was carried out by a large truck mounted drilling rig hired from Jeffery & Katauskas Pty Ltd. as illustrated in Figures 3.4a,b. ( a ) ( b ) Figure 3.4a,b preparation prior to coring ( a ) and a large truck mounted rig ( b ) after set up at Kemps Creek site Cha p t er 3 – Samp ling and Minera l o g y of Bring e lly Sha l e 85 Block samples from each site were placed in special thick plastic bags, labelled, and firmly, tied while the 51mm diameter core samples were coated with a moisture sealant called “valvoline tectyle” before being wrapped with polythene film “glad wrap” and placed in plastic bags. All samples were stored at room temperature to maintain their natural moisture content prior to laboratory testing. Only a few samples were obtained from the borehole coring at Kemps Creek. During coring, significant amounts of core were lost, and very few lengths of core greater than 100mm were recovered. This appears to be typical of coring operations in Bringelly shale where low values of RQD are commonly reported (Corkery et al., 1980; MacRae et al., 1990). However, visual examination and logging of the core run indicated that the material was fresh and dominated by an alternating sequence of clayey and silty bands. Some of these bands were slightly carbonaceous with occasional spotted siderite nodules. Coloured photographs of core samples from different sites showing the recovery condition of Bringelly shale are shown in Figures 3.5a,b. ( a ) ecovered core samples from ( b ) at Kemps Creek Figure 3.5a,b Recovered core samples from borehole at Badgerys Ccreek ( a) and Kemps Creek site (b) Cha p t er 3 – Samp ling and Minera l o g y of Bring e lly Sha l e 86 §3.5 MINERALOGY AND STRUCTURE Clay is a term that is used to refer to a type of sediment (based on particle size) and to a type of mineral.