Geotechnical investigation of soil properties in Hatsalatladi village, Botswana; Insights from aeromagnetic, laboratory soil tests and Rayleigh wave dispersion datasets
Olorato Mosweu,
Moikwathai Moidaki,
Rubeni T. Ranganai,
Lucky C. Moffat,
Rapelang E. Simon,
Kebabonye Laletsang,
James G. King,
Nata T. Tafesse,
Reneilwe Lasarwe,
Motsamai Kwadiba,
Mpho Ramaselaga,
Mooketsi Vike
Affiliations
Olorato Mosweu
Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Botswana, Private Bag UB00704, Gaborone, Botswana
Moikwathai Moidaki
Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Botswana, Private Bag UB00704, Gaborone, Botswana; Corresponding author.
Rubeni T. Ranganai
Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Botswana, Private Bag UB00704, Gaborone, Botswana
Lucky C. Moffat
Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Botswana, Private Bag UB00704, Gaborone, Botswana
Rapelang E. Simon
Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Botswana, Private Bag UB00704, Gaborone, Botswana
Kebabonye Laletsang
Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, University of Botswana, Private Bag UB00704, Gaborone, Botswana
James G. King
Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Botswana, Private Bag UB00704, Gaborone, Botswana
Nata T. Tafesse
Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, University of Botswana, Private Bag UB00704, Gaborone, Botswana
Reneilwe Lasarwe
Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, University of Botswana, Private Bag UB00704, Gaborone, Botswana
Motsamai Kwadiba
Botswana Geoscience Institute, Private Bag 0014, Lobatse.3, Botswana
Mpho Ramaselaga
Botswana Geoscience Institute, Private Bag 0014, Lobatse.3, Botswana
Mooketsi Vike
Botswana Geoscience Institute, Private Bag 0014, Lobatse.3, Botswana
Soil tests and Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) data were conducted in Hatsalatladi village, Botswana, to investigate the occurrence of ground fissures within the village and to identify the likely causes of the fissures and their depth extent. The MASW data were collected to gain insights into the variation of shear wave velocity with depth. The dataset shows that the shear wave velocity ranged from 150 m/s – 500 m/s, with Poisson's ratios ranging from 0.02 to 0.25. A low-velocity zone (LVZ) was observed in the upper 5 m of the subsurface with velocities ranging from 200 m/s to 350 m/s.The soil plasticity was measured through the plastic and liquid Atterberg tests. Atterberg limits measurements obtained from the three survey sites show that the plastic index of the soil samples collected from depths of 1 m fall within the 10–20% range. Specifically, the Filled Crack survey site had a plastic index of 16%, while the Abandoned House and Bridge sites had 18.7% and 13.5%, respectively. Soil samples from Filled Crack and Abandoned House site revealed a linear shrinkage of 6.4%, while the Bridge site soil sample had a linear shrinkage of 2.9%. The sieve analysis test results are also presented.
