Glaciomarine clay deposits across Belleville carry fines that standard field logging cannot resolve. A full grain size analysis combining mechanical sieving and hydrometer sedimentation reveals the silt-to-clay ratio that governs consolidation rate, frost susceptibility, and drainage behaviour in local subdivisions. The Champlain Sea sediments underlying much of the city can appear uniform yet contain sensitive clay pockets where gradation shifts abruptly with depth. We run ASTM D422 and D6913 protocols on samples extracted from test pits or SPT spoon recoveries, producing a continuous particle-size distribution curve that engineers use to forecast settlement under embankment loads. For projects near the Moira River floodplain, where alluvial lenses mix organic silt with clean sand, this laboratory profile often becomes the deciding factor in foundation type selection.
A complete particle-size distribution curve tells you more about drainage and frost heave potential than a dozen blow counts alone.
