[2] Geological information

Knowledge of the general geology of the area informed the choices made for the soil characteristics. In this respect, this is not an ideal project for instruction, since the students will not get an opportunity to ponder on soil parameter selection. On the other hand, though, students will get a flavor of moderate-scale projects, for which a general knowledge of the soil material is adequate.

Below a shallow erosion layer, the parent rock material is classified as siltstone. The geological formation of the area is the Flysch of the Ionian Zone. In the Metsovo area, the Flysch consists of red or gray siltstone, with layers of sandstone. The elevation of the water table was below the area of interest for this project. The top erosion layer is the soil phase of the siltstone and consists mainly of clayey gravel. This top layer (demarcated with a dashed line in Figure 1) was removed and together with the excavated portion of the siltstone slope were used as a backfill material for the MSE wall. Information is provided for three boreholes (KG11, KG12, KG28) from the general vicinity of the project; their locations are shown on the topographic map of the area.