A geotechnical investigation of two Hampshire Tertiary Sand Beds: are they locked sands?

The term ‘locked sand’ has been introduced by Dusseault & Morgenstern to distinguish the characteristics of certain, geologically old, natural sands from recently deposited and compacted sands. They examined three North American Sands in detail and described their main characteristics. The work described here is a similar investigation of two English Tertiary Sands to discover whether or not they have similar characteristics. It is shown that the Bagshot and Barton Sands correspond in respect of lack of a cement, an in situ relative density greater than 100% and the ability to be sampled as intact, undisturbed blocks. They are, however, slightly less dense and notably less strong than the North American Sands described by Dusseault & Morgenstern. It is concluded that the two English Tertiary Sands are most appropriately classified as partially or weakly locked sands