!, INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



In a recent book on marine sediments, Shepard (Shepard and others, 1960, p. 3-4) 

 states that there are two principal methods to obtain characteristics of sediments samplec 

 in the field: (1) microscopic and laboratory investigation of the constituents, and (2) 

 physical and geochemical investigation of the constituents, for example, x-ray study, 

 polargraphy, and electron microscopy. I would add an important third method, one 

 that has been largely neglected by marine geologists: (3) physical and chemical 

 properties of the sediment in mass . This paper considers only the mass physical prop- 

 erties of 35 sediment cores collected by the U.S. Navy Hydrographic Office during 

 1958 and 1959; it is the second in a series of three principal reports on these cores. 



The first paper (Richards, 1961, — hereafter called part one) described and dis- 

 cussed sampling procedure, laboratory preparation of samples for the tests, shear 

 strength related to depth in the cores, and the practical application of shear strength 

 and data derived from laboratory consolidation tests in the computation of bearing 

 capacity and consolidation of sea-floor sediments when overstressed by an applied 

 load. A third paper, in preparation, considers results of measured (laboratory) and 

 computed (sedimentation compression — Terzaghi, 1941, p. 215) pressure -void ratio 

 relationships, and the influence of overburden pressure on the shear strength. 



Soil mechanics terms and symbols in general conform to those published in 1958 

 by the joint Committee on Glossary of Terms and Definitions in Soil Mechanics of the 

 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the American Society for Testing 

 Materials (ASTM). Notation has been presented. All logarithms are to the base ten 

 unless otherwise noted. 



Most of the tests reported were performed in the Soil Mechanics Laboratory of the 

 Bureau of Yards and Docks (BUDOCKS) by personnel under the direction of Mr. CM. 

 Yeomans. Practically all of the size analyses and a few other tests were performed In 

 the oceanographic laboratory of the Hydrographic Office under the direction of Mr. 

 J . H . Recknagel . Clay mineralogy and certain other mineralogical analyses were 

 made in the Physical Research Division of the Bureau of Public Roads under the direc- 

 tion of Mr . E . B . Kinter . 



In addition to those persons and organizations previously acknowledged in part 

 one, I wish to thank Messrs. E . B. Kinter and S . Diamond, Bureau of Public Roads, 

 for performing mineralogical analyses. Dr . J . C . Hathaway, U.S. Geological 

 Survey in Denver, reviewed the mineralogy and activity section of this report, made 

 helpful suggestions in light of recent advances in this field, and kindly made avail- 

 able an unpublished report. I am particularly grateful to Mr. G. H. Keller of the 



