Engineering site investigations in permafrost areas

• Main Author: Johnston, G. H.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 1966
• Subjects: permafrost; pergélisol; soils; sol; soil investigation; reconnaissance du sol; aerial photography; photographie aérienne; site work (activity); tâche de chantier; Arctic; Arctique*; Subarctic; subarctique*
• Online Access: https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/ft/?id=813de3e9-eef3-471c-937d-e1c9be89a98d; https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/object/?id=813de3e9-eef3-471c-937d-e1c9be89a98d; https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/fra/voir/objet/?id=813de3e9-eef3-471c-937d-e1c9be89a98d

Main factors hindering construction in arctic and subarctic regions are access problems, limited transportation facilities, a severe climate with long periods of cold and darkness, and the dominating feature of the terrain, permafrost. Emphasis must be placed on careful planning and the compilation of pertinent information prior to conducting field investigations. Air photos provide a valuable aid for preliminary planning and site evaluation. Field investigations involve an exploratory survey over a wider region to assess general site conditions; investigations that follow are to gather detailed information about permafrost which will directly affect the design and construction techniques to be used. Some thought should be given to continuing and expanding observations begun during the field investigations. Observations such as ground temperatures, depth of thaw in undisturbed and disturbed locations and effects of changing drainage patterns will provide valuable information for other projects in the area. Studies should continue using instrumentation and observations of the performance of the structure and its effect on the underlying permafrost. Les principaux facteurs qui nuisent aux travaux de construction dans les régions arctiques et subarctiques sont les problèmes d'accessibilité, les moyens de transport limité s, la rigueur du climat combinée à de longues périodes de froid et d'obscurité ainsi que l'élément dominant du milieu : le pergélisol. Il faut mettre l'accent sur une planification soignée et la compilation des données utiles avant de procéder à des recherches sur le terrain. Peer reviewed: No NRC publication: Yes