In situ creep of frozen soil, Fenghuo Shan, Tibet Plateau, China

Field measurements of frozen soil creep in the upper 3.0 m of permafrost indicate that creep occurs in both winter and summer. Between 1992 and 1993, the mean rate of creep ranged from 0.44 cm at 1.6 m depth to 0.16 cm at 2.8 m depth but there was extreme variability. Creep parameters n and A, as de...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Geotechnical Journal
Main Authors: Wang, B., French, Hugh M.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1995
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/t95-056
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/t95-056
Description
Summary:Field measurements of frozen soil creep in the upper 3.0 m of permafrost indicate that creep occurs in both winter and summer. Between 1992 and 1993, the mean rate of creep ranged from 0.44 cm at 1.6 m depth to 0.16 cm at 2.8 m depth but there was extreme variability. Creep parameters n and A, as defined by the power flow law, were calculated from field data. Parameter n ranged between 1.96 and 2.29 and increased with depth, while A decreased with depth. Comparisons of creep rates for different permafrost environments suggest that ground temperature largely controls the magnitude of permafrost creep. Key words : permafrost, creep parameters, Tibet Plateau.