Geological Engineering Commons^™

Characterization Of The Engineering Properties And Economic Potential Of The Transitional Clay Unit Of The Ripley Formation, Northeast Mississippi, Richard Christopher Wheeler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Expansive soils, throughout Mississippi and the U.S., have long been a source of problems within the engineering and construction industries, leading to billions of dollars in damage annually. Along with being a source of problems, the clays throughout Mississippi are also of economic importance, being mined for a variety of uses. In this study, the engineering properties of the transitional clay facies of the Ripley Formation are studied, to characterize the swell potential of the transitional clay, and to assist with the evaluation of the possible commercial uses of the soil. The transitional clay is an Upper Cretaceous unit characterized …

Petrology Of North Mississippi Bauxite : A Case For Depositional Bauxite And Kaolin, Charles Nelson Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the past 55 years, there has been considerable debate over the stratigraphic position, genesis, and economic value of North Mississippi bauxite. The aluminum rich deposits are unlike most deposits found around the world. The deposits are associated with 200-300 foot thick marine to nonmarine clays overlain by feldspar poor, fluvial-deltaic sediments. The possible source areas are composed of limestone, marls, sand, and muds ranging in age from Late Cretaceous to Late Paleocene. These factors prohibit the direct application of previous theories derived from studies outside Mississippi. The deposits, therefore, cannot be considered a textbook example of bauxite formation.

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