Date of Defense
Spring 4-29-2011
Department
Geosciences
First Advisor
Ronald B. Chase, Geosciences
Second Advisor
Duane R. Hampton, Geosciences
Third Advisor
Alan E. Kehew, Geosciences
Abstract
The Miami Park area in Van Buren County, Michigan is an excellent example of the type of composition and structure of a large percentage of the Great Lakes coastal region. The Miami Park bluffs are composed mostly of diamicton (glacial till) and sand, containing variable layers of impermeable lacustrine clay: this compositional mixture allows the Great Lakes coastal bluffs to be less table. Higher slope displacements along the Miami Park bluffs tend to occur during the freeze/thaw season, when temperatures drop below 0°C for inconsistent amounts of time. Minor freeze/thaw cycles within a season allow moisture in the shallow soil to freeze, barricading groundwater within the slope and increasing pore pressure. When the minor freeze/thaw episode is over the melt water and previously-trapped groundwater is released. These episodes have been documented to last from a few hours to a few weeks. Data was collected and analyzed for four wells: 2 located in the dewatering zone, where a slope was set up to lower the groundwater level of the bluffs; 2 located in the control zone.
Recommended Citation
Bouali, Hachemi Y., "The Correlation Between the Freeze/Thaw Cycles and the Stability of the Lake Michigan Bluffs at Miami Park, Van Buren County, Michigan" (2011). Honors Theses. 521.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/521
Access Setting
Honors Thesis-Campus Only