methods is now routine (see, for example, Kuranz, 1960; Meigh and Skipp, 1960); 

 recently density determinations have been made on in-place marine sediments 

 (Caldwell, 1960, p. 27-28). An extension of the method would be to estimate 

 shear strength directly on suitable in-place or laboratory samples with a neutron 

 probe calibrated for the water content -strength relationship of the particular sedi- 

 ments under investigation. 



Sensitivity — Defined by Terzaghi (1944, p. 613) as 



<. _ undisturbed strength /_>.« 



remolded strength 



sensitivity, Sj., is a measure of the loss of strength when the structural strength of 

 sediment is destroyed by remolding; the higher the sensitivity the greater the loss of 

 strength in the remolded condition. A classification of sensitivity proposed by 

 Skempton and Northey (1952, p. 31), modified by Rosenqvist (1953, p. 195), and 

 with a percentage loss of strength added by me, is given in Table 5. Samples range 

 from slightly insensitive to very sensitive with a few values of medium quick sensi- 

 tivity In Area H cores not shown in Figure 14. Porosity possibly may be directly re- 

 lated to sensitivity, as shown by the dashed line between two limiting lines (Fig. 14)> 

 although the scatter of values is very large. 



TABLE 5. CLASSIFICATION OF FINE-GRAINED SEDIMENT SENSITIVITY 



Percentage of "Undisturbed" 

 Sensitivity Description Strength Lost in Remolded State 







to 50 



50 to 75 



75 to 87.5 



87.5 to 93.8 



93.8 to 96.9 



96.9 to 98.4 

 > 98.4 



ca 



1 



Insensitive 



1 



- 2 



Slightly insensitive 



2 



- 4 



Medium sensitive 



4 



- 8 



Very sensitive 



8 



- 16 



Slightly quick 



16 



- 32 



Medium quick 



32 



- 64 



Very quick 





> 64 



Extra quick 



41 



