NZ GEOTECHNICAL SOCIETY INC

ROCK

> field guide sheet

FIELD DESCRIPTION OF ROCK

SEQUENCE OF TERMS weathering colour fabric rock name strength discontinuities additional
SCALE OF ROCK MASS WEATHERING
Term

Grade

Abbreviation

Description

Unweathered
(fresh rock)

UW

Rock mass shows no loss of strength, discolouration or other effects due to weathering. There may be slight
discolouration on major rock mass defect surfaces or on clasts.

Slightly
Weathered

II

SW

The rock mass is not significantly weaker than when fresh. Rock may be discoloured along defects, some of which
may have been opened slightly.

Moderately
Weathered

III

MW

The rock mass is significantly weaker than the fresh rock and part of the rock mass may have been changed to a
soil. Rock material may be discoloured and defect and clast surfaces will have a greater discolouration, which also
penetrates slightly into the rock material. Increase in density of defects due to physical disintegration.

Highly
Weathered

IV

HW

Most of the original rock mass strength is lost. Material is discoloured and more than half the mass is changed
to a soil by chemical decomposition or disintegration (increase in density of defects/fractures). Decomposition
adjacent to defects and at the surface of clasts penetrates deeply into the rock material. Lithorelicts or corestones
of unweathered or slightly weathered rock may be present.

Completely
Weathered

CW

Original rock strength is lost and the rock mass changed to a soil either by decomposition (with some rock fabric
preserved) or by physical disintegration.

Residual Soil

VI

RS

Rock is completely changed to a soil with the original fabric destroyed (pedological soil).

ROCK STRENGTH TERMS

Term

Field Identification of Specimen

Unconfined uniaxial
compressive strength qu (MPa)

Point load strength

Is(50) (MPa)

Extremely strong

Can only be chipped with geological hammer

> 250

>10

Very strong

Requires many blows of geological hammer to break it

100 250

5 10

Strong

Requires more than one blow of geological hammer to fracture it

50 100

25

Moderately strong

Cannot be scraped or peeled with a pocket knife. Can be fractured with single
firm blow of geological hammer

20 50

12

Weak

Can be peeled by a pocket knife with difficulty. Shallow indentations made

by firm blow with point of geological hammer

5 20

Very weak

Crumbles under firm blows with point of geological hammer. Can be

peeled by a pocket knife

15

Extremely weak

Indented by thumb nail or other lesser strength terms used for soils

<1

<1

(soil description required)

Note: No correlation is implied between qu and Is(50)

Term

BEDDING THICKNESS TERMS

Spacing

Term

Very widely spaced

>2 m

Thinly laminated

< 2 mm

Widely spaced

600 mm 2 m

Laminated

2 mm - 6 mm

Moderately widely spaced

200 mm 600 mm

Very thin

6 mm - 20 mm

Closely spaced

60 mm 200 mm

Thin

20 mm - 60 mm

Very closely spaced

20 mm 60 mm

Moderately thin

60 mm - 200 mm

Extremely closely spaced

<20 mm

Moderately thick

0.2 m - 0.6 m

Thick

0.6 m - 2 m

Very thick

>2m

APERTURE OF DISCONTINUITY SURFACES

Bed Thickness

Term

Aperture (mm)

Description

Tight

Nil

Closed

Very Narrow

>02

Narrow

26

Gently inclined

6 15

Moderately Narrow

6 20

Gapped

Moderately inclined

16 30

Moderately Wide

20 60

Open

Steeply inclined

31 60

Wide

60 200

Very steeply inclined

61 80

Very Wide

> 200

Sub-vertical

81 90

NZ GEOTECHNICAL
SOCIETY INC

ROUGHNESS AND APERTURE

BEDDING INCLINATION TERMS

Term

Inclination (from horizontal)

Sub-horizontal

0 5

This field sheet has been taken from and should be used and read with reference to the document FIELD
DESCRIPTION OF SOIL AND ROCK. Guideline For the Field Classification and Description of Soil and Rock
for Engineering Purposes. NZ Geotechnical Society Inc, December 2005. www.nzgeotechsoc.org.nz

compiled by KATE WILLIAMS design KARRYN MUSCHAMP

SPACING OF DEFECTS/ DISCONTINUITIES

NZ GEOTECHNICAL SOCIETY INC

SOIL

> field guide sheet

FIELD DESCRIPTION OF SOIL

SEQUENCE OF TERMS fraction colour structure strength moisture bedding plasticity sensitivity additional

MATERIAL

Graphic
Symbol
PROPORTIONAL TERMS DEFINITION (COARSE SOILS)

Subordinate
Minor

Term

% of Soil Mass

Example

(.)
[UPPER CASE]

50
[major constituent]

GRAVEL

(.) y
[lower case]

20 50

Sandy

with some
with minor

12 20
5 12

with some sand

with minor sand

with trace of (or slightly)

<5

with trace of sand

(slightly sandy)

DENSITY INDEX (RELATIVE DENSITY) TERMS

Density Index
(RD)

(blows / 300 mm)

Dynamic Cone
(blows / 100 mm)

Very dense

> 85

> 50

> 17

Dense

65 85

30 50

7 17

Medium dense

35 65

10 30

37

Loose

15 35

4 10

13

< 15

<4

02

Very loose

SPT N value

COBBLES

CONSISTENCY TERMS FOR COHESIVE SOILS

Descriptive
Term

Descriptive
Term

Undrained Shear
Strength (kPa)

Very soft

Note: No correlation is implied between Standard Penetration Test (SPT) and Dynamic Cone Test values.
SPT N values are uncorrected.
Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (Scala)

ORGANIC SOILS/ DESCRIPTORS

< 12

Diagnostic Features

Easily exudes between fingers when

squeezed

Soft

12 25

Easily indented by fingers

Firm

25 50

Indented by strong finger pressure and

can be indented by thumb pressure

Stiff

50 100

Cannot be indented by thumb pressure

Very stiff

100 200

Can be indented by thumb nail

Hard

200 500

Difficult to indent by thumb nail

Term

Description

Topsoil

Surficial organic soil layer that may contain living

matter. However topsoil may occur at greater depth,
having been buried by geological processes or manmade fill, and should then be termed a buried topsoil.

Condition

Description

Granular Soils

Cohesive Soils

Dry

Looks and feels dry

Run freely
through hands

Hard, powdery or friable

Contains finely divided organic matter; may have

distinctive smell; may stain; may oxidise rapidly.
Describe as for inorganic soils.

Moist

Feels cool, darkened

in colour

Tend to cohere

Weakened by moisture,
but no free water on hands
when remoulding

Consists predominantly of plant remains.

Wet

Organic clay,
silt or sand
Peat

MOISTURE CONDITION

Weakened by moisture, free

water forms on hands when
handling

Firm: Fibres already compressed together Spongy:

Very compressible and open stucture Plastic: Can be

moulded in hand and smears in fingers

Fibrous: Plant remains recognisable and retain some
strength Amorphous: No recognisable plant remains
Roolets

Fine, partly decomposed roots, normally found in the

upper part of a soil profile or in a redeposited soil
(e.g. colluvium or fill)

Carbonaceous

Discrete particles of hardened (carbonised) plant material.

PLASTICITY (CLAYS & SILTS)

Term

Description

High
plasticity

Can be moulded or deformed over a wide range of

moisture contents without cracking or showing any
tendency to volume change

Low plasticity

When moulded can be crumbled in the fingers; may

show quick or dilatant behaviour

Saturated

Feels cool, darkened in colour and free water is present on the sample

GRADING (GRAVELS & SANDS)

Term

Description

Well graded

Good representation of all particle sizes from largest to smallest

Poorly graded

Limited representation of grain sizes - further divided into:

Uniformly graded

Most particles about the same size

Gap graded

Absence of one or more intermediate sizes

NZ GEOTECHNICAL SOCIETY INC

This field sheet has been taken from and should be used and read with reference
to the document FIELD DESCRIPTION OF SOIL AND ROCK. Guideline For the
Field Classification and Description of Soil and Rock for Engineering Purposes.
NZ Geotechnical Society Inc, December 2005. www.nzgeotechsoc.org.nz

compiled by KATE WILLIAMS design KARRYN MUSCHAMP

Major

>35%

Fraction

GRAVEL

0.002

SAND

0.06

SILT

0.2

Particle size
composition

0.6

Quick/dilatant
behaviour

fine

medium

coarse

Plastic
behaviour

20

Organic Soil
COARSE SOIL

60

Clay

FINE SOIL

200

Silt

<35%

Size Range
(mm)

Cobbles

fine

Boulders

coarse

TYPE

SOIL
CLASSIFICATION

Sand

medium

Gravel

ORGANIC

CLAY

FINE

Fraction finer
than 0.06mm

COARSE

BOULDERS

GRAIN SIZE CRITERIA