2014 GSA Annual Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia (19–22 October 2014)

Paper No. 55-2
Presentation Time: 9:15 AM

THE HOMOGENIZATION AND OPTIMIZED APPLICATION OF HETEROGENOUS SOIL SAMPLES TO THE LASER-SCATTER PARTICLE SIZE ANALYZER (HORIBA LA-950V2)


WAGGONER, Tanner, Washington and Lee University Geology Department, Washington and Lee University, 204 West Washington Street, Lexington, VA 24450 and SNYDER, Michelle, U.S. Department of Energy/Battelle, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Blvd, Richland, WA 99354

To better understand hydrologic properties, particle size analysis offers a reliable solution to infer pore space distribution within geologic facies. Common procedures, including sieving and hydrometer methods, are inefficient due to a variety of inhibiting factors: expensive overhead costs, aggregation of sediments, and questionable assumptions needed to calculate sediment fractions. Functioning as an alternative, the Laser-Scatter Particle Size Analyzer (LA-950V2) generates data by measuring angles and intensities of light diffracted off the surface of soil particles suspended in dispersive medium. Subject to varying grades of sediment, LA-950V2 typically functions best when measuring samples weighing less than 1 gram. Assuring representative samples of bulk medium becomes inherently difficult under such conditions; to remedy these barriers and ensure accurate characterization, internally developed methodology for the LA-950V2 has substantially enhanced the homogenization and application of heterogenous soil samples, concluding with complete substitution for sieving and hydrometer procedures and tremendous reduction in time and overhead costs previously needed to conduct particle size analysis.

Session No. 55

T47. Soil Development: Its Role in Geological Processes (Posters)
Sunday, 19 October 2014: 9:00 AM-5:00 PM
Exhibition Hall C (Vancouver Convention Centre-West)
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 46, No. 6, p.149
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