The description and characterization of glacial deposits is often complicated by the difficulty in determining the distribution, continuity, and geometries of geologic units. Upland glacial settings in the Midwestern United States and Canada are typically underlain by a sequence of fine-grained glacial sediments deposited by successive glacial advances. Stratified sand and gravels may occur at various stratigraphic positions within this fine-grained succession, depending on the history of glacial advances and on the resultant changes in depositional environments. Laterally extensive sand-and-gravel units, which constitute rational groundwater monitoring zones, are most likely to occur between the deposits of different glacial advances because this is the setting where widespread outwash deposition can take place; other sand-and-gravel units within the sequence tend to be discontinuous. The key to determining a suitable groundwater monitoring zone thus depends on the ability to determine the boundary between different glacial advances in these successions of primarily fine-grained deposits. Likewise, the key to determining the engineering properties of geologic units depends on the ability to map and predict the distribution of stratigraphic units.

Numerous factors to date have contributed to less than successful site characterization: inadequate training in glacial depositional environments and glacial stratigraphy, the sole reliance on the Unified Soil Classification for characterizing glacial deposits, and the usual method of analyzing data after the field work has been completed have resulted in site characterizations that rarely answer all of the questions about subsurface site conditions

Adequate training remains a problem. Meaningful understanding of modern glacial environments did not occur until the 1970's, and subsequently there has been a time lag not only in applying these concepts to understanding past glacial sequences here in the Midwest, but to teaching these concepts at the University level as well. Further, although most state geological surveys have made important advances in defining and characterizing glacial stratigraphic units and their distribution, few geology students receive any field training in glacial geology or any significant training in field recognition and differentiation of local or Midwestern glacial stratigraphic units.

There has been limited success in evaluating site geologic conditions using the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS) to characterize subsurface sediments. The USCS was developed primarily for foundation investigations, not hydrogeologic characterization, and it is based on particle-size and plasticity-related properties of the sediments. While these two properties are important for hydrogeologic and geotechnical evaluation, the USCS alone does not include evaluation of important properties necessary to identify and differentiate different glacial depositional environments or glacial stratigraphic units. To be useful for most site characterizations, the USCS needs to be supplemented with description of the properties necessary to identify site stratigraphic units and depositional environments, including primary sedimentary structure, contact relationships (and any associated sedimentary structures), weathering zones (oxidation state and carbonate status), and secondary fracturing.

Traditional site investigations involve office determination of a field scope, assignment of field staff and drilling contractor, a field investigation to carry out the project scope (usually completed in minimal time to minimize drilling subcontractor's costs), and evaluation of the field data after the field investigation has been completed. The problem with such a traditional approach is that most sites are more complex or at least different than that assumed when the project scope was determined in the office, and more often than not, once final office evaluation is begun, it becomes apparent that the original program was not adequate for characterizing the site hydrogeologic or geotechnical conditions.



The focus of the short course is to demonstrate practical applications that help answer common questions faced during site characterization:

• What implications do depositional environments and secondary weathering processes have on hydrogeologic and geotechnical site investigations? How can the effects be recognized and analyzed in the field?
• What does the glacial stratigraphic framework look like and what are the implications for characterization? How does a stacked sequence of multiple till units effect a project?
• What are the necessary descriptive elements for communicating our observations of depositional environments and the resulting stratigraphy?
• In a sequence of fine-grained glacial deposits with interbedded sand-and-gravel units, are sand-and-gravel bodies in the sequence discontinuous or laterally extensive? How do we ensure that monitoring wells are set in the same unit?
• What are the best methods for sampling glacial sequences?

"This course is a MUST for anyone working in glacial deposits. The instructors were knowledgeable, effective and friendly. I liked working with other participants, collaboratively. Field activities were practical, technical and integral to the course."
-Claire Milloy, WB Betty & Associates, Inc.

• Learn to recognize and characterize glacial depositional environments: subglacial, ice-marginal, ice-contact, and proglacial environments – and why it’s important
• Learn how to differentiate deposits from a succession of multiple glacial advances, and why its critical for a meaningful site conceptual model
• Quaternary stratigraphy: unraveling the complexity, scale and context of site-specific sequences
• Recognize and understand the implications of weathering zones and secondary joint features
• Learn what conditions are necessary for ground water to move laterally (not vertically) through fine-grained glacial deposits
• Characterize hydrogeology of glacial deposits, characterize the geotechnical properties of glacial deposits
• Improve sediment descriptions on boring logs to characterize the geologic framework

• Learn the basics and advances for recognizing secondary weathering and related effects weathering zones and alteration of primary depositional properties
• Fractures in glacigenic fine-grained sediments: subglacial shear, ice-contact faulting, vertical jointing, and natural and man-induced fracturing (river and lake bluff lines, excavations, etc.)
• Preliminary observations on vertical jointing in Quaternary deposits: geometry, origin, significance
• Discover the regional glacial framework and how the on-site boring relates to the regional setting
• Recent trends and advances in 3D geologic modeling while dealing with certainties and uncertainties
• Learn how to classify sediments in the field using the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS) and the modified USCS (in Canada) among contrasting other classification systems
• Learn to make your company’s boring logs: accurate, complete, credible and provide critical context for project success

• Learn the field-proven process to “think on your feet” and the benefits of analyzing data in the field to reduce mistakes and create appreciable efficiences
• Examine the on-site deposits and learn to recognize sequences from multiple glacial advances
• Learn field recognition of a weathering zone
• Practice classifying and describing sediments to improve boring log descriptions
• Observe recent Rotasonic and Direct Push updates
• Improve field characterization skills for accurate well placement and geotechnical testing

• Provide rationale for geotechnical sampling and testing that is related to site stratigraphy instead of a random and whimsical sampling approach
• Learn the importance of characterizing ground water movement through fine-grained units
• Apply new understanding of hydrogeology of glacial deposits
• Key elements of boring log information
• Mechanics of field analysis and recognition of unexpected subsurface conditions
• Assess field data for proper well placement and geotechnical testing
• Learn to manage project budgets wisely by making informed field judgments