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Enhancing the visualization and analysis of geotechnical properties: examples from the 3D volume change potential of UK clay soils.

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Title: Enhancing the visualization and analysis of geotechnical properties: examples from the 3D volume change potential of UK clay soils.
Authors: Jones, L. D.1 (AUTHOR) ldjon@bgs.ac.uk, Terrington, R.1 (AUTHOR) rte@bgs.ac.uk, Hulbert, A.1 (AUTHOR) agh@bgs.ac.uk
Source: Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology & Hydrogeology. Nov2025, Vol. 58 Issue 4, p1-17. 17p.
Subjects: Clay soils, Swelling soils, Geotechnical engineering, Three-dimensional imaging, Hazards, Data analysis, Geological modeling
Geographic Terms: London (England), United Kingdom, Thames Valley (England)
Abstract: Ground shrinkage due to shrink–swell clay soils is the most damaging geohazard in the UK, costing the economy an estimated £3.4 billion over the past 10 years. The towns, cities and infrastructure most susceptible to this shrink–swell behaviour are found mainly in the SE of the country. Ten of these clay-rich soils have been used in this study. The volume change potential (VCP) of a soil is the relative change in volume to be expected with changes in the soil moisture content, and is reflected by the shrinking and swelling of the ground. Variations in plasticity with area and with depth can be depicted using purely statistical methods. To construct a more representative model of spatial VCP variations in clay-rich formations a more sophisticated 3D interpolation is required such as lithofacies modelling, which can be used to produce multiple realizations of the variation of parameters (e.g. lithology) across a domain where there is an abundance of XYZ data from boreholes or point samples. Virtalis GeoVisionary software provides a means of viewing the lithofacies-type generated data in a fully immersive 3D environment. Similar visualization can be carried out against many environmental parameters and geoscience datasets such as, for example, borehole, geophysical data, point clouds and CAD models. Voxel models are easily imported and are able to be visualized in their 'true' spatial position, overlying geology or standard maps. The Geosure Shrink–Swell 3D dataset, created using Esri ArcGIS, provides a regional susceptibility model of the potential shrink–swell hazard in the London and Thames Valley area. 2D representations based on statistical analyses show general trends; but with large amounts of data unevenly spread over a wide area, the detail is lost. 3D models, such as those created using voxelated facies techniques, provide a seamless interpolation and deliver a visualization of VCP that can be interpreted across a variety of depths. This paper builds on work presented previously by the first two authors of this paper, in Volume 44 of QJEGH, in two ways: first, it expands on the scope of the work, adding nine more clay soils to that of the previously reported London Clay; and, secondly, it builds and improves on the use and type of visualization and analysis undertaken to model them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Engineering Source
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Abstract:Ground shrinkage due to shrink–swell clay soils is the most damaging geohazard in the UK, costing the economy an estimated £3.4 billion over the past 10 years. The towns, cities and infrastructure most susceptible to this shrink–swell behaviour are found mainly in the SE of the country. Ten of these clay-rich soils have been used in this study. The volume change potential (VCP) of a soil is the relative change in volume to be expected with changes in the soil moisture content, and is reflected by the shrinking and swelling of the ground. Variations in plasticity with area and with depth can be depicted using purely statistical methods. To construct a more representative model of spatial VCP variations in clay-rich formations a more sophisticated 3D interpolation is required such as lithofacies modelling, which can be used to produce multiple realizations of the variation of parameters (e.g. lithology) across a domain where there is an abundance of XYZ data from boreholes or point samples. Virtalis GeoVisionary software provides a means of viewing the lithofacies-type generated data in a fully immersive 3D environment. Similar visualization can be carried out against many environmental parameters and geoscience datasets such as, for example, borehole, geophysical data, point clouds and CAD models. Voxel models are easily imported and are able to be visualized in their 'true' spatial position, overlying geology or standard maps. The Geosure Shrink–Swell 3D dataset, created using Esri ArcGIS, provides a regional susceptibility model of the potential shrink–swell hazard in the London and Thames Valley area. 2D representations based on statistical analyses show general trends; but with large amounts of data unevenly spread over a wide area, the detail is lost. 3D models, such as those created using voxelated facies techniques, provide a seamless interpolation and deliver a visualization of VCP that can be interpreted across a variety of depths. This paper builds on work presented previously by the first two authors of this paper, in Volume 44 of QJEGH, in two ways: first, it expands on the scope of the work, adding nine more clay soils to that of the previously reported London Clay; and, secondly, it builds and improves on the use and type of visualization and analysis undertaken to model them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:14709236
DOI:10.1144/qjegh2023-160