I

i BULLETIN
of the Internatlortal Association of
de I' Association Internatqonale de
ENGINEERING GEOLOGY J N9, 33 - - 42 KREFELD 1974
GEOLOGIE DE L ' I N G E N I E U R I

WEATHERING CLASSIFICATION IN THE CHARACTERISATION OF ROCK FOR ENGINEERING

PURPOSES IN BRITISH PRACTICE
CLASSIFICATION DE L'ALTERATION DES ROCHES APPLIQUEE A LA PRATIQUE DE
L'INGENIEUR DANS LE ROYAUME UNI

DEARMAN W.R., Professor, The University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, Great Britain

Summary:

Weathering concepts in pedology are discussed and found inadequate for engineering geology. Weathering classifications, in
engineering geological terms, that have influenced the development of ideas on the characterisation of weathered rock in the
United Kingdom are reviewed. A preferred system, involving characterisation of both weathering stages and weathering
grades, is presented, and an example of its application in engineering geological research is given.

R~sum~:

Apr6s discussion les concepts d'alt6ration en pedologie ont ~tg trouves inad~quats en ce qui concerne la geologie de
I'ingenieur. Les classifications de I'alt~ration, en termes de geologie de I'ing~nieur, qui on influence le developpement d'id~es
sur la caract~risation des roches alt~r~es dans le Royaume Uni sont r~vis~es. On y pr~f~re un syst~me, impliquant les
caracteristiques des stades et des grades d'alt~ration, qui est pr~sent~; un example de son application h la recherche en
g~ologie de I'ing~nieur est donn&

Introduction
orders of magnitude once the rock has been brought by t h e
Considered as an e n g i n e e r z n g material, rock dis - natural processes of denudatlon into the environment of
plays extreme variation in three important engineerzng engineering structures. It is durlng the preparatory
propertzes, namely strength, permeability and d e f o r m - stage for denudation, the weatherlng'phase, that the
ability. Some p a r t of this variation is attributable to most sxgnificant mechanlcal and physlcal changes occur
the different modes o f o r i g i n of the three main genetic in both intact rock, the rock materlal, and i n dis -
groups of rocks, the igneous, the sedimentary and the continuous rock, the rock mass.
metamorphic. But for any g r o u p of rocks, or for an i n - Weathering is that process of alteration o r o c k
dividual rock type wzthin a group, the range of varzat-
occurrzng under the direct infIuence of the hydrosphere
ion o a p h y s i c a l property such as strength or porosity and the atmosphere at or near to the earth s surface.
(Fig.i) may s u b s e q u e n t l y be i n c r e a s e d by u p t o two
There is little o r no t r a n s p o r t of the loosened or aiter-
UNIAXIAL COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH MN/m 2 ed m a t e r i a l whzch remains in'situ as a weathering mantle.
A rook may w e a t h e r by p h y s i c a l breakdown without marked
-5 1.6 5 16 50 160 5 0 0
changes in the nature of the mineral constituents. This"
60- i - disintegration process leads to the formation o a r e -
sidual soil comprising mineral and rock fragments virtuai-

20- l-\i: ly unchanged

chemical alteratlon
from the original
may i n d u c e
rock,
thorough
On t h e othe~
flecomposition
hand,

o most or all o t h e original minerals in a rock,result-

"N. ing ultimately in the formation of a soil" composed
I I,, IV \ entirely o f new m i n e r a l species. Biological weathering,
\

8 0 \ a combination o d i s i n t e g r a t i o n and d e c o m p o s i t i o n in -
duced by b i o ~ p h y s z c a l and b i o - c h e m i c a l agencies, is

o j \
",, III

oo
\
",,
generally
weathering,
of less
except
importance
perhaps in
than
the
physical
upper few
or chemical
terms of
millimetres o t h e earth's crust.
'6- II "\%
The end p r o d u c t o w e a t h e r i n g as well as the sequen-
-,~:> II ce of weathering changes vary with the type o r o c k (and
2- l engineering soil} and w i t h the specific environmental

-03 -1 .3 1 3 10 30 conditions. A verticai columnar section from the ground

surface down t o r e l a t i v e l y unaltered rock reveals a
POINT LOAD STRENGTH MNIm 2 characteristic pattern in which layers of. d i f f e r e n t
Dolerite,New England Quarry, S. Devon colours can be s e e n . In pedological terminology each
layer is a particular horzzon, and the sequence of, h o r i -
o Contact metamorphosed dolerite, zons is referred to as the soil profile. As an e x a m p l e ,
Meldon Quarry, S. Devon, England a podzol soil profzie will show s e v e r a l sharply contrast-
ing horizons, whereas in a krasnozem,profile the horizon
V Weathering grade boundaries are gradational and there is a passage down-
Fig.1 Relationship between strength and wards from the humic surface layers by s u b t l e but dis -

porosity in weathered dolerites tinct changes into chemically completely weathered, and
 34
finally by d e g r e e s into unweathered bedrock, An i m p o r t - structures and alternations of rock types, discrete
ant distinction between these two c o n t r a s t i n g soil altered zones may be present b e l o w fresh rock at the
profiles is that a podzol is usually thin, typically normal base of a soil preflle (Flg. 2). It is well to
about one metre thick, while in gradatlonal krasno'zem- point out that, just as a soil profile may change lateral-
type profiles, weathering may p e n e t r a t e many t e n s or ly into a soil profile of another type, weathered rock
even hundreds of metres below the superficial humzc may pass laterally into unweathered rock wlthin the same
horizons (Fig. 2). geologlcal horizon.

Depth Profile Horizon Colour Depth Profile Horizon Colour Depth Profile Zones
symbols iymbols ........... ::A&B:
220mm~F~ : Lt::~ ~ :5~ow~= 5 0 m m ~ :-rri.... "._Oar_k_r_ed_ lm . . . . ~ : " Vl
- r-.~--.w:::: Hf:;Black::: -:: ::-:
.~n~--=-,---~- Ks Red
2~"~_~
350-- ~ j ~ l ~
J_M.o..... D_qr_kg_rey.....
-Z-q...... _G_t ey,: . . . . . . . . 2m ....
I~ KsFb);1
..............
25 .... ..... v

j Mottled,
i~:~,~I~|Hs Very dark
Fb tred and ,ooZi
brown
flight .....
(J
4"5 .... ~ (FbAKw)! reddish
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
..... ~ . . 1yellow
7.5-6. . . ~ . _ A _ ~ w _ _ . j ...........
!-2 .m_ ......................... 2_25.. V----"l
Podzol soil profile Krasnozem soil profile Weathering profile
Fig.2 Two standard soil profiles, after FitzPatrick1971, and a typical weathering profile
Soil horizons forming the soil profile are de - The t e r m w e a t h e r i n g emphasizes past changes result~
signated by l e t t e r symbols after DOKUCHAEV ( F I T Z P A T R I C K ing from the interplay of the six factors, structure and
1971) who u s e d the letters A, B, C to designate the type o parent material, groundwater, climate, time, topo-
upper, middle had lower positions respectively in the graphy and organisms, and it emphasizes the changed
chernozem profile. These pedological symbols have since nature of the engineering material. With recognition of
been elaborated, but generally the A and B horizons time as a major factor in weathering processes it is
are humusbearing and include soils which are suitable clear that weathering may n o t be complete at the present
for Blant growth (ANON 1 9 5 7 , " F i g . 1). The h horizon time, and that a change in environment resulting from
is the leached or eluviated top layer; the B horizon engineering activities may r e s u l t zn changes in the rate
is the accumulation or llluvial layer; the C horizon and character of the weathering process. These are short
is the weathered top of the parent rock, physically term effects concerned with the durability of rocks which
disintegrated and chemically decomposed but not convert- may c o n t i n u e to weather when used as construction mater -
ed to a soil suitable for plant growth. Topsoil horizons ials, when left exposed in a slope, o r when e x p o s e d as
A and B are usually stripped from englneering a foundation material. This aspect is of considerable
construction sites, and the engineering characteristics importance in engineering and maybe referred to as
of the C horizon, and the unweathered parent material "weatherability", defined as the susceptibility of rock
below, have to be determined by site investlgations and to additional short term weathering (Fb0KES e t al. 1971),
taken into account at the design stage. An exception to
this generality is in the deslgn of cut slopes where, Weathering classifications
depending on the depth of cut, the properties of a part
or the whole of the soil profile will have to be taken Some o f the systems of we~therlng classification
into account (DEERE & PATTON 1971). recommended for use, but not mandatory, in the United
Kingdom are broadly based on t h e classification develop-
Pedology is the study of sorls which has as a prime e d by MOYE ( 1 9 5 5 ) for the Snowy Mountains Authority. That
objective soil utilization in agrlaultural practice. The scheme was developed so that during site investigation
englneer is less concerned with this aspect than with the terms used to describe various degrees of weathering
the utilization and engineering performance of the vari- o granitic rocks exposed in outcrops, excavations and
ous materials within the complete soil proflle, includ- recovered in drill cores would be closely defined and
ing the unaltered rock; with utilization as a construct- would be both consistent w h e n u s e d by d i f f e r e n t people
ion material; and as the physical environment on and in and serve to indicate the engineering properties of the
which engineering works are undertaken. It is for this materials. In this case weathering was mainly chemical
reason, apart from the different usage of the term "soil" weathering, recognized by t h e softening and decomposit-
in pedology and in engineering, that the term "weathered ion of the feldspars to clays, decay of biotite mica,
profile" rather than "soil profile" should be used in frequent brown discoloration throughout the fabric of the
engineering geology as a descriptive term for the rock due to limonite, and a tendency for the rock to
sequence of distinct horizons extending upwards to the break into individual mineral grains, all leading to a
surface from the unaltered rook below. reduction in strength compared with fresh rock. Details
of the classification are set out in Tab.l.
There is need for a note of caution. Direct trans-
lation of the pedological conGept of a soil proflle to It is evident that the various degrees oD w e a t h e r -
the concept of a weathering profile for use in engineer- ing established refer mainly to characteristics of the
ing-geology is too simple. Because of complexities in weathered rock as a material. Logging of cores would be
the geological situation resulting from geological done on t h e basis o recognition of the weathering types
 35

Vl. G R A N I T I C SOIL : Surface soil derived from granitic rocks, which does not possess any
recognizable granitic fabric : the surface layer often contains
humus and roots of plants..
V. COMPLETELY WEATHERED GRANITE : Granite completely decomposed by weathering in places, but still
possessing a recognizable granitic fabric; the original feldspars
are completely decomposed to clay minerals which remain as grains
o c l a y ; biotite m i c a may b e d e c o m p o s e d t o v a r y i n g degrees; it
will disintegrate i n t o a m a s s o s a n d y c l a y when i m m e r s e d i n w a t e r
and cannot often be recovered a s c o r e s by o r d i n a r y diamond drilling
methods; often stained brown by limonite.
IV. HIGHLY WEATHERED GRANITE : Intensely weathered granite, weakened to the extent that pieces the
s i z e o f NX d r i l l core can he broken and crumbled in the hands: does
not disintegrate when soaked in water and can often by recovered as
c o r e s by c a r e f u l d i a m o n d d r i l l i n g but is o f t e n lost; o f t e n s t a i n e d
b r o w n due to limonite.
IIl. MODERATELY WEATHERED GRANITE : G r a n i t e c o n s i d e r a b l y w e a t h e r e d throughout, but p o s s e s s i n g s t r e n g t h
such that p i e c e s the size o NX drill core cannot be b r o k e n by the
u n a i d e d hands; o f t e n s t a i n e d r e d d i s h b r o w n w i t h limonite.
II. SLIGHTLY WEATHERED GRANITE : G r a n i t e d i s t i n c t l y w e a t h e r e d t h r o u g h o u t the fabric of the rock' as
s h o w n by s l i g h t l i m o n i t e staining, and some d e c o m p o s i t i o n of the
f e l d s p a r s ; but its s t r e n g t h a p p r o a c h e s that of fresh g r a n i t e .
I. FRESH GRANITE : F r e s h g r a n i t e l y i n g i m m e d i a t e l y b e l o w v a r i o u s types o w e a t h e r e d
g r a n i t e f r e q u e n t l y s h o w s l i m o n i t e stai~s a l o n g joints; this is
d e s c r i b e d as "fresh g r a n i t e w i t h l i m o n i t e stained joints"; such
s t a i n i n g i n d i c a t e s the rock is permeable, and may be loose and
r e q u i r e support, for e x a m p l e in tunnels and shafts.

T a b l e I. The c l a s s i f i c a t i o n of w e a t h e r e d g r a n i t e adopted for the Snowy M o u n t a i n s scheme

(MOYE 1955). The g r a d e s I - Vl a r e f r o m
irrespective of order from the surface dowhwards and
without any attempt at fittlng the results o the logging
into .an idealized or general weathering profile. Zones
subsequently established, as r e c o r d e d on t h e s e c t i o n
a l o n g P i p e r ' s C r e e k Tunnel and t h e g u t h e g a Dam ( i d e m .
f i g s . 2 & 31 a r e i n t e r m s o f g r a n i t i c soil, ~'eathered
g r a n i t e and f r e s h g r a n i t e , w i t h p o s s i b l e s u b d i v i s i o n o
t h e w e a t h e r e d and f r e s h z o n e s . There i s , of c o u r s e , in
t h e s e e x a m p l e s a g e n e r a l g r a d a t i o n downwards to f r e s h
r o c k and t h e t r a n s i t i o n often is quite abrupt.
In weathered gneiss, however, the transition down- p r o d u c e d by c h e m i c a l a l t e r a t i o n accom~anied"by resultant
wards through a l l the w e a t h e r i n g g r a d e s i n t o f r e s h rock
i s more g r a d u a l t h a n i n g r a n i t e . I t i s recorded t h a t in
one b o r e h o l e t h e g n e i s s was h i g h l y to m o d e r a t e l y
w e a t h e r e d to 4 6 - m e t r e s , and t h a t down to the b o t t o m o f
t h e d r i l l h o l e a t 88 m e t r e s t h e r e were b a n d s o f m o d e r a t -
e l y to s l i g h t l y w e a t h e r e d r o c k , p r e s u m a b l y i n f r e s h
gneiss. Such a l t e r n a t i o n of weathering grades illustrat-
es t h e i m p o r t a n t i n f l u e n c e o l i t h o l o g y and s t r u c t u r e
in d e t e r m i n i n g the d e t a l l ~ of the w e a t h e r i n g p r o f i l e .
LITTLE 1967.
MOYE a l s o p o i n t e d o u t t h a t w e a t h e r i n g , i s u s u a l l y more
i n t e n s e and p e n e t r a t e s more d e e p l y b e l o w t h e s u r f a c e i n
z o n e s w h e r e t h e r o c k i s c r u s h e d by f a u l t i n g o r i s more
closely jointed than normaI.
In 1957, RUXTON and BERRY d i s c u s s e d t h e weathering
o granite in Hong Kong. A thin pedologioal soil (A and
B horlzons) is underlain by 60 metres or more o C
horizon above the solid rock; only the C horizon was
considered as the weathering profile. Four zones, wlth
two s u b z o n e s , c o m p r i s e a m a t u r e w e a t h e r i n g p r o f i l e
physical disintegration. Zones are roughly parallel to.
t h e s u r f a c e , and z o n i n g was b a s e d on c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f
b o t h t h e p e r c e n t a g e o f s o l i d r o c k and t h e c h a r a c t e r o f
t h e r e s i d u a l d e b r i s , a s i n Tab. I I .
This classification was based on the examination
of many natural and artificial exposures of weathered
granite in the mass. In a typical vertlcal section there
'is a complete g~adation from unweathere~ massive rock

Zone Field description Thickness in metres Percentage of solid rock Characteristics

Pedologicai Soil up to 1 Dark coloured; u p p e r l a y e r

A&B sandy, lower layer clayey.

I R e s i d u a l debris i - 25 U s u a l l y none S t r u c t u r e l e s s sand, c l a y or

clayey sand; eluviated; up to
30 per c~nt clay-size; m a i n l y
quartz-kaolin.
lla Residual debris up to 60 Less than I0 Variable; s e l d o m more than
5 per cent c l a y - s i z e ; s e r i e i t e -
lib i0 - 50 kaolin-quartz; core-stones
s u b o r d i n a t e rounded, free.
Zone lla may be h i g h l y k a o l -
initic. F o r m a t i o n of gruss.
III Core stones with 7 - 17 50 - 90 Core s t o n e s dominant, r e c t -
residual debris a n g u l a r and locked. P a r t i a l
d e c o m p o s i t i o n of f e l d s p a r s
and biotite; gruss.
iV Partially weathered Minor resldual debris along
massive jointed 3 - 30 more than 90 major structural planes;
rock part%al decomposition of
biotite with formation of
iron-stained brown margins
to joint blocks.

Table II. Weathering zone classification for granite. TUXTON & BERRY. 1957.
 3~

Zone Profile Weathering stages present Texture preserved Texture destroyed .

- - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"~:":.~:: ::& C I S A (d) I

II ;'. ~:: '.0:;.:: "i-:
b , x w I z
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

k: iu { . . . . .

,,, , i
X I W y (z) I

IV A1 borab Fig.3 Zones of a mature profile of weathering on

' ~ X granite, left, and the radially concentric profile about
! a core stone, right.
1 ..... T ...... After Ruxton & Berry 195Z Symbols for weathering
/ INormally_present stages are explained in Table III.
[Characteristic
at the base to t h e residual d e b r i s at the top (Fig. 3). altered granite at Batang Padang, Malaysia, where the
The a u t h o r s also described changes in granite as rock spheroidal core stones typical o f Hong" Kong and the
material, and i l l u s t r a t e d the radially concentric profile Snowy M o u n t a i n s are absent. This absence o c o r e stones
of weathering about a core stone (Fig. 3) i n which t h e he a t t r i b u t e d to m i c r . o f r a c t u r i n g throughout the granite
original granite has undergone successive and d i s t i n c t i v e which facilitated the penetration of groundwater, the
" c h e m i c a l and m e c h a n i c a l changes (Tab. III). Thus a s m a l l agent largely responsible for chemical weathering. The

CHEMI C A L EFFECTS MECHANICAL EFFECTS

Symbol Change Result Symbol Change Result

i Partial decomposition Formation of brown W Penetration of weathering Core stones

of biotite m a r g i n to j o i n t a g e n t s i n w a r d s n o r m a l to
blocks and core the o p e n s t r u c t u r a l s u r f a c e s
stones
B Partial decomposition Formation of g r u s s X Spheroidal scaling Gruss
o f feldspars and
biotite
C Complete decomposition F o r m a t i o n of l i g h t Y Disintegration and. Residual debris
of f e l d s p a r s a n d coloured kaolinitic dlsaggregation
biotite debris
D R e d d e n i n g and F o r m a t i o n of r e d d i s h - Z Further disaggregation, Differentiated
argillization brown silt and clay illuviation and debris
eluviation

Table III. Stages in the weathering of granite

sample of weathered granite may De descrlbed in terms breakdown of biotite and f e l d s p a r , however, is still the
of the same weathering stages that may be used to main weathering process, but has g o n e on t h r o u g h o u t the
characterise a weathering profile in a granite mass. rock material.
This method of approach is very useful as, by using
A weathering c/assificatinn proposed for use in 1
these descriptive terms, drlll core can be logged in
logging rock cores "(KNILL e t a l . 1970) is b r o a d l y based
terms appropriate to the stages of weathering in granite
on MOYE's c l a s s i f i c a t i o n , but has been adapted for the
material, while the same t e r m s c a n be u s e d to i n t e r p r e t
general range of rock types. LITTLE (1967) has already
the core logs in terms of weathering zones. As a n o t h e r
assigned g r a d e n u m b e r s ~ - VI t o the different oategorzes
example of the possible use of the descriptive terms an
o 4 weatherlng in the MOYE c l a s s i f i c a t i o n (-Tab.I), and
exposure could be mapped in as much detail as may be
these were adopted wlth additional subdivlsion of Grade
thought necessary, i.e. the distribution of ro~k types
I into Grades IA and IB. Grade IB takes account of
representative of each weathering stage could be indicat-
the influence of major dlScontinulties, such as faults,
ed, and from this the distribution of weatherlng zones
on the depths to which weathering can penetrate locally
could be determined.
in otherwise fresh rock, a point already made by MOYE
Characterisation of chemical and mechanical effects and mentioned above. The classification as applied to
of weathering in this kind of detall would appear to rock cores is glven in Tab. IV.
offer the promise of a flexible, more general weathering
VI. RESIDUAL SOIL : A soll material with the
classificatien applicable to both rock material and the original texture, structure
related rock mass. This would satisfy both the scientific and mineralogy of the rock
completely destroyed.
approach to weathering and the need for a practlcal class-
V. COMPLETELY WEATHERED : Rock is wholly decomposed and
ification tallor-made for engineering application. A in a friable condltlon but
major difficulty is likely to be the varying response to the rock texture arid structure
are preserved.
weathering of different rock types and even different
IV. HIGHLY WEATHERED.: Weathering extends throughout
occurrences of the same rock type. NEWBERY (1970), for t h e r o c k m a s s and t h e r o c k
example, has illustrated this in his classlflcation of material is partly friable.
 37

Ill. MODERATELY WEATHERED : Weathermng extends throughout Local conditions and p a r t i c u l a r rock types have a
the rock mass but the rock marked influence on t h e development of the weathering
material is not friable.
profile and on t h e criteria used to select the weathering
II. SLIGHTLY WEATHERED : Penetrative weatherlng develop-
ed on open discontinuity sur- zones. In F1j1 a variety of volcanic turfs and a s s o c z a t - .
faces but only slight ed s e d i m e n t s have weathered to a deep fine-grained
weathering o f r o c k material.
residual soil {LOVEGROVE - FOOKES 1972) in which litho-
IH. FAINTLY WEATHERED : W e a t h e r i n g limited to t h e
surface of major discontinuit- relics are of gravel size. Six zones were distinguished
ies. and the significant zone boundaries were placed first at
IA. FRESH : No v i s i b l e sign of weathering. the top o f Zone I I where there is a change from rock to
silt, and then between the equivalents o f Z o n e s IV and V
Table IV. Weathering classification adopted by the Work-
in Tab. V where there is a change from silt to clay.
ing P a r t y on t h e Logging o f Rock C o r e s for
LOVEGROVE and FOOKES labelled their zones I, If. III,.
Engineering Purposes
IVa, IVb, and V, e q u i v a l e n t to Zones I - Vl in Tab. V,
The s y s t e m of classification is intended to be because the boundary between Zone IV and V was very
applied to rock cores, and so the different grades 0
indistinct and frequently the engineering characteristics
weathering are obvloasly related to variations in the of the two zones were similar.
rock material, even though in the criterla for two of
the grades set out above reference is made to the rock This particular case-hlstory illustrates the import-
mass, ance of, rock type ~n determining the details of the
weathering profile, thus providing a useful counter to
Other classifications of weathered material are
the prevailing influence of studies on granite in t h e
simmlar (FOOKES - HORSWILL 1970, FOOKES et ai 1971,
general evolution of xdeas on t h e formation of weather-
DEARMAN et al 1972); they have been applled to both hard
ing profiles.
and soft rocks ~rocks and soils in the engineering
sense) in a weathering profile and, although reference
The w e a t h e r i n g elassxficatlons so f a r reviewed use
is made to properties o b o t h the rock material and the
the terms weathering and a l t e r a t i o n without clear definit-
rock mass, the classification is intended to apply
ion, but it may be i n f e r r e d that both solution and
particularly to the eharacterlsation o w e a t h e r i n g zones conversion of silicate minerals to clay mineral aggregat-
in the rock mass.
es are implied; in other words the terms are used as
The c l a s s i f i c a t i o n as applied to hard rocks is set synonyms for chemical weathering. In setting up t h e
out in Table V. The d e g r e e of weathering will generally classifications it was a s s u m e d , as in the chemical
be v i s i b l e only in natural exposures or in recently weathering of granite, that alteration in rock due to
formed cuts, pits, trenches, tunnels and c o r e d bore - weathering "usually follows a regular pattern of develop-
holes. ment, and the degree of weathering c a n be c o n s i s t e n t l y
judged". (MOYE 1 9 5 5 , p.289).
Yl. RESIDUAL SOIL (RS): Rock is discoloured and complet-
ely changed to a soli in which
the original rock fabric ms A weathering classlflcatlon for engineering geological
completely destroyed. There i s purposes
a large change in volume.
( G e n e s i s s h o u l d be d e t e r m i n e d
where possible).
Recognising the fact that weathering is a sequent-
V. COMPLETELY Rock is 'd~scoloured and changed
WEATHERED (CW) to a soil but original fabric ial process leading to progressive changes in a parent
is mainly preserved. There may material w h i c h may be c a l l e d fresh rock, and t h a t in
be o c c a s i o n a l corestones. The
properties of the soil depend grading systems "Grade I" is usually used for material
i n p a r t on t h e n a t u r e o f t h e of the highest quality, it is considered preferable to
parent rock.
depart from the convention adopted in pedology o l e t t e r -
IV. HIGHLY Rock is discoloured; discont -
ing horizons in order from the surface down.. The a l t e r -
WEATHERED (HW) : inuties may be open and have
discoloured surfaces, and the native is to e&ll "fresh unaltered rock" Grade I on a
original fabric of the rock
near to the discontinuities weathering scale and to continue the numbering system
may be altered; alteration through the sequence of weathering grades, as has been
penetrates deeply inwards, but
corestones are still present done fgr example in T a b l e V. A classification should
(the ratio of original rock to take account of. t h e geological characterx=ties of ideal
w e a t h e r e d r o c k s h o u l d be
estimated where possible). complete ~eathering profiles, significant changes in
III. MODERATELY Rock is discoloured; dis - engineering properties fro,, horizon to horizon in the
WEATHERED (MW) : continuities may be open and weathering profile, and the need for a small number of
wil] have discoloured surfaces
with alteration starting to zones.
penetrate inwards; intact rook
Three is the smallest passible n u m b e r o z o n e s ;
IS noticeable weaker, as determ-
ined in the field, than the in the ehernozem-type weathering profile, rock is over-
fresh rock. (The ratio of
lain by a z o n e o r o c k and soil, which in turn nasses
original rock to weathered rock
should be estimated where up i n t o a soil horizon. It must be a d m i t t e d that, in
possible).
general, the boundardes between zones, will almost
II. SLIGHTLY Rock may be slightly dlscoloured,
particularly adjacent to dis - certainly be g r a d a t i o n a l and irregular, and that it may
WEATHERED (SW) :
continuitles, which may be open be possible and d e s i r a b l e to subdivide each zone If
and will have slightly discelour-
ed surfaces; the intact rock is it is accepted that the course o r o c k weathering results
not noticeably weaker than the in the transforaati.on of rock into englnedring soil (the
fresh rock
distinction between rock and s o i l has been clearly stated
I. FRESH (F) : Parent r o c k showing no dis -
eolouration, loss of strength by TERZAGHI - PECK ( 1 9 6 7 , p.4) "Soil is an a g g r e g a t e of
or any other weathering effec'ts. mineral grains that c a n be s e p a r a t e d by s u c h gentle means
as agitation in water. Rock on t h e other hand, xs a
Table V. Weathering classification adopted by the
natural aggregate o m i n e r a l s conn.ected by s t r o n g and
Working Party on the Preparation of Mpas and
permanent cohesive forces. Since the terms "strong" and
Plans in Terms of Engineerlng Geology.
"~ermanent" are subject to d i f f e r e n t interpretations,
 38

the boundary oetween soil and rock is necessarily an a practical subdlvision o the rock-and-soil weathering
arbitrary one."). Then it is possible, to erect an ideal zone.
weathering proflle, dlsregardlng rock type, and to in -
Six dlvisions of the w e a t h e r l n g profile, as for
dicate the-gencral engineerlng properties of each horizon.
example in Tab. V, seem to be justlfiable on both geo-
This has been done in Figure 4 where it wlll be seen
logical and engineering grounds and these may be label-
that further subdivision of the three basic zones of rock,
led I - VI from the least to the most hlghly weathered
rock-and-soil, and sell is easy to justify. The rock
(Figs. 2 & 4).
zone may be divided on the basis of the presence or
absence of discoloration of discontinuity surfaces or Generally speaking these divislons will lie as z o n e s
the rook fabric. Staining implies a degree of openness one above another in a w e a t h e r i n g profile developed from
of discontinuities leading to higher mass permeabillty a uniform rock mass composed of a single Pock type. In-
and the likely presence of groundwater. In contrast to troduce a lack of uniformity in structure, fabric, rock
the unstained rock dlscolorei rock may be loose and type and geological history, and the geological sltuation
required support. becomes complex. KNILL and J O N E S (Ig@5, p. 106) describ-
ing the complex foundation conditions at the Roseires dam
In the same way, a ~ingle soil zone falls natural-
on the Blue Nile comment that "The pattern of ...weather-
ly into one soil type wlth texture inherited from the
ing was largely controlled by the properties of the vari-
parent rock (mineralogical changes may of course have ous rock types so that the d e p t h of the altered layer
taken place) and anoiher highly contrasted sell type in
may vary oanslderably from that place to place. For this
which there is no trace of the structure o fabric of reason, it is a characteristic feature for solid,comparat-
the original rock mass. ively unweathered rock to be u n d e r l a i n by extremely alter-
ed material. Such a situation IS clearly of great import-
Thus the rock and sell hOrlzons may each be divided
ance in the assessment of f o u n d a t l o n conditions and in
Into two highly characterlstic and easily recognizable
the prediction of maximum depths of excavation". In a
zones. Can similar subdivision of the sail-and-rock be
situation of this type the concept of a simple, six -
justified to give a six-fold classification scheme ?
zoned weathering profile is no longer applicable. It IS
This depends on whether different rock : soil rations are
then necessary to adopt a different approach involving
likely to have significantly different engineering -
recognition of distlnct grades of weathered rock each
geologlcal and engineerlng properties. RUXTON and BERRY
representing a dlfferent stage, or combination of stages,
(1@57) selected fLfty per cent core stones as the bound-
of the weathering of both the rock material and the rook
ary between their zones II and III (Tab. II) and emphaslz-
mass.
ed that with more than fifty per cent of solid rock core
stones are dominantly rectangular and locked. Englneer- By this change of approach, the six ,ideal horizons
ing significance of "locked" core stones will be largely or zones of the pedological-type weathering profile (Fig.
deoendent an scale, but, as an example, one factor that 2) would become six dlstinct grades of rock condition
has to be taken into account in assessing rippability is resulting from the alteration of fresh reck by weathering.
the freedom of blocks to rotate. With a soil skin sur - One immediate result is that the stratigraphical sequenbe
rounding a rock core stone, the maximum volume of a of weathering zones, with Zone I at depth passing up into
cubical core stone that will Oust rotate within its own Zone VI at the surface, is replaced by the concept of six
soil envelope and that of its nelghbours is approximately grades of weathered materlal(Flg.4). Distribution of the
fifty five per cent of the original volume of unaltered, six weathering grades within a rock mass would be deter -
discontinuity-bounded, rock mass. As relative volumes mined by geological factors, and not bY topographical
are very difficult to estlmate, it is apparent that a factors alone, and would have to be dfftermined by mapping
50 : 50 rock : soil ration provides a reasonable ap - or by the logging of boreholes. Before mapping can be
proximation to the boundary between the lock : unlocked undertaken, crlteria have to be established by which the

core stone structure. It can be accepted as provi~ing various significant stages in the weathering of rock
material and rock in the mass can be recognised.

Grade Boundary criteria Strength Permeability Deformability

S VI ~-
0 absent
I -- Original texture . . . . . . . . . . .
present
L V
absent
--Core stones . . . . . . . . . . . . .
present
,v __

-- Rock :Soil . . . . . . . . . . . 50:50"

& K I!1
-- Soil . . . . . . . . . . . . . present.
........... ~iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii absent
R II i!ii!i~ii!iiiiiil
o i~i -- Discoloration . . . . . . . . p_r _e~__n.t
iiiiii!i!iiiHiii absent
C I iiiii!!iiHiiilHi
::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::

100 0 05 "5 5 5 0 5 0 0 1 0 ~ 10-s 10.21 Low High

Reck'Soil MNIm 2 K in mls units
Fig.4 An idealized weathering profile and the general engineering properties of each horizon
 3q

TEXTURE PRESERVED J TEXTURE DESTROYED

/

SoJut'on ~

Rock material Residuum of

with grain clay
b
boundaries minerals
indicated

Residuum of

-N
Original minerals original
[i] Voids minerals
[] Decomposition of one mineral species
Decomposition of a second mineral species
I-1 Opening of grain boundaries
EB Fracturing of grains
Residuum

Fig.5 Idealized diagram of the stages of weathering of rock material

The c h a r a c t e r l s a t i e n 0 w e a t h e r i n g stages single, discontinuity bounded, mass are also shown. The
rock, rock-and-soil and soil eoundaries can easily be
Rock material. Figure 5 presents a diagrammatlc flow - traced over the diagram.
chart of the changes in rock material brought about by
Each weathering stage of the rock materlal can be
solution and decomposltion of mineral grains, by opening
descrlbed and dellmited wlthln the weathered mass. Ad -
up of grain boundarles and fracturlng of mineral grains,
ditlonal mass characteristics that would have to be taken
and by varlous combinations of these processes. A dis-
into account are particularly the detalls of the dls -
tinctlon is made between weathering stageswhich leave
the orlglnal texture of the rock materlal virtually un- continuity pattern and the seml-quantitative spacing of
the different elements constltuting the pattern.
changed, and those stages in which a new soil materlal is
The characterisatlon of weathering grades
formed by destruction of the orlginal texture.

Each of the theoretical stages should be recognls- Neither in Fig. 5 nor in Fig. 6 is there any indicat-
able in natural situations, and hence each stage ion of scale. A skin of 50 per cent disintegratlon or
represents a mappable rock or soil type. Each mapped decompositlon on a cube of 20 millimetre edge length will
unit would need to be'described. Hence the characterls- have a thickness of 2 mlllimetres; on a 2 metre cube the
ation of weathering stages of rook material involves skin will be 200 millimetres thlck. Quantitatively the
simply the detailed'description o the rock or soil as a skin will have the same propertles in both instances, but
material. Descrlption ,nay involve semiqu~ntitative in the former the resultant material will have the proper-
terms for physlcal and mechanical properties adopted for ties of a soil, whereas the latter would be a locked core
field use, or slmllar quantitatlve terms applied after stone or lithorelic mass.
laboratory study (DEARMAN et al 1972 p..313).
In the same examples, the 50 per cent decomposed or
Rock mass. Figure 6 shows the stages in the ~veatherlng dislnegrated skin will comprzse a dlst~nctive weatherlng
of a rock mass by disintegratlon an/ solution; the stages stage around a core stone; a collectlon o such core
of discoloration, dislntegration and decompositlon of a stones set in decomposed rock would comprise a dlstlnot-
 40

STRUCTURE PRESERVED STRUCTURE DESTROYED

-- Solution

Dev~opment of discontinuities and granular disintegration

Rock mass iI 1 ~I I I I ~ | l I I I New rock or
with joints, soil moss
bedding, etc. with new
t I % structures,
!
I %
% textures, etc.
! I

Discoloration

10% 507. 907. 997.

Disintegration

Spheroidal scaling and granular disintegration

Decomposition

Fig.6 Idealized diagram of the stages of weathering of a rock mass

lye rock-and-soil ~eathering grade w h i c h could comprise Physical dlsintegrations
a mappable zone. What c a n be mapped d e p e n d s on t h e di -
mensions of the various distinctive weathering stages
Term Grade Diagnostic features
and the scale o t h e map, what should be mapped d e p e n d s symbol
on t h e purpose of the investigation. But all the
weathering stages undergone by b o t h the rock material
Fresh WI iO0 per cent rock; discontinuities
and the rock mass should be a p p r e c i a t e d before generalls- closed
atlon into broader weathering grades is undertaken. Slightly
disintegrated M II i00 per cent rock; discontinulties
It seems appropriate to use those descriptive terms open and spaced at more than 60 mm
Moderately
and g r a d e symbols for the weathered state of a rock mass
disintegrated MIII Up t o 50 p e r c e n t o f t h e r o c k is
set out in Tab. VI. For chemical weathering the dia - dzsintegrated by o p e n d i s c o n t i n u i t i e s ,
o r by s p h e r o i d a l scaling spaced at
gnostic features are easy to define. In mechanlcal
60 mm o r l e s s , a n d / o r by g r a n u l a r
weatherlng (Fig. 6) disintegration involves opening of disintegration. The s t r u c t u r e of
the rock is preserved
discontinuities which may be, as shown, a progressive
process, a~Qmpanied by the formation of new discontinult- Highly
dlsintegrated M IV More t h a n 50 p e r c e n t a n d l e s s t h a n
ies, spheroidal scaling and granular disintegration. The 100 p e r c e n t o f the r o c k i s d i s -
spacing of discontinuities can be descrlbed as follows : integratedby open discontinuities,
or spheroidal scaling spaced at
Spacing Grain Equivalent 60 mm o r l e s s , a n d / o r by g r a n u l a r
in ~ Slze soil names disintegration. The s t r u c t u r e oT
Term in mm the rock is preserved
Completely
disintegrated M V The r o c k i s c h a n g e d t o a s o i l by
Very widely spaced greater than granular disintegration and/or
2000 grain fracture. The s t r u c t u r e of
the rock is (mainly) preserved
Widely spaced 600 - 200 greater Boulders
t h a n 200 Residual soil M VI The r o c k i s c h a n g e d t o a s o i l by
Moderately widely granular disintegration and/or
spaced 200 - 600 60 - 200 Cobbles grain fracture. The s t r u c t u r e of
the rock is destroyed and t h e
Closely spaced 60 - 2 0 0 20 - 60 soil is a residuum of minerals
Very closely unaltered from the original rock
spaced 20 - 60 6 - 20 Gravel
Extremely closely Discontinuity spacing should be recorded in semi -
spaced less than 20 2 - 6 quantitatfve terms
.6 - 2
.2 - .6 Sand
Chemical decomposition
.06 - .2

I the dxscontinuities are open, orthogonal sets o t h r e e Grade

will give rise to corresponding "soil" types. Term symbol Diagnostic features
Fresh W I lOO p e r c e n t r o c k ; no d l s c o l o u r a t i o n , laboratory determination of porosity.
decomposition, or other change
The diagnostic features are a p p h c a b l e to other
Slightly
decomposed C II i00 per cent rock; discontinuity types of soluble rocks.
~urfaces dlscoloured; the rock
materlal may be dlscOloured
Moderately
decomposed C III Soil resulting from decomposition of An example of th~ application of the weathering clas-
the rock forms up t o 50 p e r c e n t of
the mass. sification
..........................
Highly
decomposed C IV Soil resulting from decomposition of
the rock forms between 50 and I00 In 1 9 7 1 F O O K E S et al. described the weathering
per cent of the mass condltions in a number of quarry faces in the south-west
Completely of England. One of these is illustrated in a modified
decomposed C V The rock is changed to a soil in
~hlch the original rock texture is version in Fig. 7. The geological situation is simple;
(mainly) preserved a series of gently dipping, thermally metamorphosed lime-
Residual stones, cherts, mudstones and turfs, exposed in a strike
soil C VI The r o c k i s c o m p l e t e l y changed to a
soil in which the original rock section, is crossed by a zone of wrench-faultlng.
texture has been completely Weathering effects are confused with the mechanical
destroyed
effects of wrench-faulting, but apart from this chemical
decomposition can be distinguished from physical dls -
Core stones and lithorelics should be referred to as
integration.
boulders, cobbles, or gravel, or their slze stated
Distribution of zones of chemical decomposition are
Solution strongly influenced by both ~ithology and topography.
For instance, the turfs and mudstones are only stained
along discontinuity surfaces. But the limestones (coarse-
Term Grade Diagnostic features
symbol grained calc silicate hornfelses) have been diseoloured
and decomposed inwards from discontinuities and bedding
planes so that corestones are present and u p to ninety
Fresh W I IOO per cent rock; discontinuities
closed per cent of the rock has been converted to a weak soil
Slightly (Fig. 6); an intermediate stage may be present in which
dissolved S II I00 per cent rock; discontinuity only the mQre susceptible wollastonite in the hornfels
surfaces open. Very slight
solution etching of discontinuity has been decomposed to a soil leaving a strong continuous,
surfaces may b e p r e s e n t . though pocketed framework (Fig. 5). Thus three stages
Moderately of weathering Qan be reeognised in the highly decomposed
dissolved SIII Up .to 50 per cent o the rock has
been removed by solution. A small (C IV) rock mass. In underlying cherts (fine-grained
residuum may be present in the voids. tale sllicate hornfels) penetration by discolouration
The structure of the rock is
preserved and decomposition is less, core stones ate not developed,
Highly and in the decomposltion-rim chert has been altered to a
dl~solved S IV More than 50 per cent of the rock hard to very hard light orange-brown soil which can only
has been removed by solution, h small
residuum may be present in the velds just be abraided by the hand.

SV and SVI cannot occur. The grades can be applied Within the limestone and chert mass, the recorded
to xnterbedded soluble and insoluble rocks. Void strength (Fig.7) refers to that of core stones in the
size should be recorded. limestones and the unaltered inner parts of the cherts.
Strengths were determined by the point load test on ir-
Table VIo Weathering classification base4 on separate regular lumps; strengths lower than those recorded on
assessment of the effects ef physical dis - Fig. 7 are only found where a discontinuity in the test
integration, chemical decomposition and specimen has influenced the tenslle failure plane.
solution.
Dlstrlhution of chemical decomposition is related
in part to the quarry top coinciding wlth the IOO0 ft
Tertiary erosion platform.
For carbonate rocks the section on diagnostic
features in Tab. VI needs clarification and expansion. Determinatlon of the distribution of grades of
Two different conditions occur naturally. When solut- chemical decomposition, physical disintegration and
ion of a limestone produces a large residuum, as for strength can be used to assess likely excavation condit-
example in the weathering of an argillaceous limestone ions in the exposed rock face (Fig. 7). This amounts to
or a siderite rich rock, the criteria set out in Tab.YI a rook quallty classification or assessment, one of the
under "chemical decomposition" will apply. On the other practical aims of this kind of analysis.
hand, when the limestone contains no or very little in-
soluble materi~l, solution weathering produces voids
only. The voids may result from the removal of in -
Conclusions
dividual oineral grains or groups of grains throughout
the rock material (Fig. 5), or complete solution of rock
material may take place inwards from discontinuity sur- Weathering classification for engineering purposes
faces (Fig. 6). Diagnostic features listed in Tab. YI can be based on r e c o g n i t i o n o the chemical decomposition,
under "solution" may be applied both to the solution of physical disintegration, and solution stages of weathering
rock material and the rock mass. But whereas solution of rock material and their distribution in the rock mass.
of the rock mass may be determined by field observatlon rogether with strength, they provide a means o rock
and measurement, solution of rock material requires quality classification.
 42

CHEMICAL DECOMPOSITION PHYSICAL DISINTEGRATION

~ ~- - ~ 1 ~

~ i ] c iv 17~TIc,I r---lc, ~ MIV ~ Mill ~

M{I Moderately widely
MIICIose

STRENGTH LIKELY EXCAVATION CONDITIONS

Very strong ['--'-]Extremely strong ~ Scrope D R i p

Blast to fracture
~_.~Blost to loosen

GEOLOGY

- Fault
~ Limestone & Chert~-"~-'~
Mudstone
Tuff

Fig. 7 Weathering stages and engineering

geological appraisal of a quarry face (based
on Fookes et ai.1971, figs 9 & 181. Strength
values based on Dearman et al. 1972.

References

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of P r a c t l c e C P 2001 I19~7). L o n d o n {The C o u n c i l for engineering purposes. - Q. d l E n g n g . G e o l . , 3,1-24.
Codes of Practice. British Standards Institution).
LITTLE A. L. { 1 9 6 7 ) : L a t e r i t e s , - Proc. Asian Conf. Soil
DEARMAN W. R. e t a l ( 1 9 7 2 ) : The p r e p a r a t i o n aT maps a n d Mecho F o u n d n E n g n g . 3 r d H a i f a , 2, 6 1 - 7 1 .
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r e s i d u a l soils. - Proe. 4 t h Pan A m e r i c a n Conf. Soil 5, 43-68.
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MOYE D. G. (1955) : Engineering geology f o r the Snowy
F I T Z P A T R I C E. A. (1971) : Pedology. Edinburg (Ollver & Mountains scheme. - Journal Institute of Engineers,
Boyd). Australia, 27, 281-99.
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i n g g r a d e z o n e s p. 5 3 - 5 7 , I n P r o c . C o n f . I n s x t u i o n and c o n s t r u c t i o n of the Batang Padang hydro -
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Engrs). 151-71.
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Some e n g i n e e r i n g aspects of reck weathering with and associated erosional features i n Hang K o n g . -
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