Engineering Properties of Some Sea-Floor Deposits

Measurement of mass physical properties such as wet density, shear strength, water content, and grain size have been made on a large number of sediment cores collected from the North Atlantic and North Pacific Ocean basins. Some degree of correlation is found between these properties and sediment type, currents, and local topography. Areas of the deep-sea floor consisting of red clay commonly display lower shear strengths and bulk densities than those areas blanketed by calcareous oozes. In the vicinity of the continental margins, the mass physical properties vary considerably as the sediment supply and depositional environment change. Sediments from carbonate environments or areas of relatively high relief normally have higher shear strengths. This investigation has lead to a delineation or various portions of the sea floor on a basis of the mass physical properties and gives an indication of the range of these parameters for submarine sediments.