TAMUK FRACTURE IDENTIFICATION PROJECT

As an undergraduate student, I have spent a lot of time walking around campus being able to enjoy the beautiful scenery. However, after some time I started to realize our beautiful university campus had its imperfections as it was riddled with fractures in the ground. These fractures can be seen along every sidewalk and road, sometimes even buildings, which led me to work on the TAMUK Fracture Identification project. In this project my goal was to identify all the fractures on campus and if possible, identify a source for these fractures. I approached the project first by gathering data on the orientation, size, and location of every fracture on campus using a Brunton compass, GPS, measuring tape, and a ruler. The next part of the project was finding a pattern and source for these fractures. I entered all the orientations into a software called Stereonet which allowed me to overlay fracture orientations to see if there was a pattern. I also uploaded data points into ArcMap 10.8. This allows the fractures to be documented for future reference and recommendations for renovation. Preliminary results show a general range between N65W – N40E orientations. The fractures may be caused by secondary faulting associated with subsurface listric normal faulting due to sediment being drawn towards the Gulf Coast of Texas. The project also has a goal of creating a map of the campus that highlights major fracture areas for possible campus renovation. Further assessment of soil layers and compaction characteristics is needed to fully characterize fracture types.