Step-by-Step Soil Logging for Contaminated Site Investigations

Who is this webinar for? New CLM practitioners with limited experience in intrusive investigations, who want to improve their soil logging skills by learning how to follow the AS 1726:2017 standard. 

This 40 minute presentation will walk the practitioner through the essential aspects of describing soil for borehole logging, test pit logging and even stockpiled soil descriptions, in the context of contaminated site investigations.  

After summarising the importance of accurate soil logging in CLM, Nik will guide you, through picture-based and practical demonstration, on the process of determining soil type identification, description and classification using the methodology described in AS 1726:2017 Australian Standard for Geotechnical Site Investigations.  

The presentation will cover:  
• Purpose & benefits of accurate soil logging 
• Using pre-field appreciation of site geology 
• Soil description order 
• Distinguishing between FILL and Natural soil 
• Distinguishing between coarse-grained and fine-grained soil types 
• Behavioural basis for fine-grained soil classification and particle          
  characteristics of coarse-grained soils 
• Soil texturing to estimate sand, silt and clay content 
• Estimating grain size, grading, abundance 
• Soil classification groups and symbols
• Describing soil colour, soil moisture, consistency and structure 
• Soil structure – layering, lensing, defects and cementation 
• Techniques for identifying material causing drill bit refusal 
• Some common mistakes to avoid in CLM logging

Participants are encouraged to have their own soil samples on the day.

We will conclude the session with audience driven questions and answers.

Please email events@landandgroundwater.com with any detailed aspects of the subject you would like addressed.

About the Presenter

After graduating as an Applied Geologist in 1983, Nik Kontos has worked mostly in groundwater management and CLM in south-east Asia, the Middle East and Australia.  Nik’s experience in intrusive investigations and ‘soil logging’ spans all of his 36 years in the industry having worked in the private and public sectors. In addition to his involvement in CLM, he has worked on state and national groundwater inventory programs, developed town groundwater supply schemes, promoted and instigated driller training in developing countries in appropriate and conventional drilling techniques, and even became a NSW Licenced Water Bore Driller himself during the 1990s.  On top of his work in CLM, Nik has run the ACLCA (NSW) half-day soil logging workshop for the last 4 years and loves training new practitioners in the art of soil description for bore/pit logging. Nik is currently Principal Environmental Hydrogeologist at EI Australia.