Mass property variability of some estuarine sediments

Bottom sediments from two areas of the York River Estuary of southeastern Virginia were systematically sampled to depths of 40 cm and analyzed for their mass properties, i.e., water content, unit weight, and shearing strength. The samples fell into: (1) a coarse-grained group of clayey sands, silty sands, and sand—silt—clays; and (2) a fine-grained group of silty clays and clayey silts. Analysis of variance between both groups revealed distinct differences in the mass properties. Means, variances, and coefficients of variation for each parameter were determined and made possible a statistical characterization of each sediment type.The data presented may be used to predict expectable values of mass properties for similar sediments, having experienced similar depositional histories, e.g., from neighboring estuaries and Chesapeake Bay.