Cyclic variability in microstructure and physio-mechanical properties of the Xiashu Loess–palaeosol sequence in Nanjing, China

Abstract: For the Xiashu loess–palaeosol sequence in Nanjing, China, further to our work on the cyclic variability in its chemical composition and swelling-shrinkage properties [Xia, J., Huang, G.L., Liu, Z. T., Chen, X.M., 2007. Cyclic variability in chemical composition and swelling–shrinkage properties of the Xiashu loess stratum near Nanjing, China. Pedosphere 17 (5), 666–672.], this paper studies the cyclic variability in its microstructure and physico-mechanical properties and the corresponding influence on its engineering behaviour for geotechnical and geological practices. In addition, the cyclic variability in the soil''s grain-size distribution and geochemical characteristics is compared with that of the loess–palaeosol sequences at two other sites in China, indicating a geographical pattern of cyclic variation of the sequences. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]