INNOVATION September-October 2018

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...C ontinued from page 19 geological characterization and description been carried out, a determination could have been made that the rock in question was not ‘just another dark grey limestone’ but rather, a low-quality calcareous mudstone that contained easily degradable framboidal pyrite. Based on such geoscience information, the quarry operator might have changed tack and developed a quarry elsewhere. Another ‘big deal’ piece of the story is the recognition that sometimes a problem posed by a client, an owner, or a contractor can require more than the usual investigation and due diligence sufficient to develop and test the current concepts and perhaps propose a new outside-the-box solution. A positive outcome of these cases was that where previous Irish standards had been weak with respect to the engineering geological quality of fill aggregates, as a direct result of the litigations that were based on the use of these aggregates, the National Standards Authority of Ireland has now developed standards that specifically address the pyrite issues of rock fill materials. This new Standard serves to protect the public by providing guidelines for the assessment of pyrite heave potential. At the time these investigations began, Ireland had no experience with pyritic heave. However, in Canada and in the eastern US, geoscientists and engineers had amassed significant experience with pyritic heave. Familiarity with these cases and experience in such assessments enabled Golder’s geoscientists to provide assistance to a region with no previous experience in this issue. The narrative above should serve as a reminder to think holistically about problems, and to carefully consider possible solutions. j Fred Shrimer, P.Geo., is Senior Geologist and Associate in Golder Associates, Vancouver. He is a Fellow of the Geological Association of Canada, a member on the Canadian Standards Association Technical Committee on Concrete, the American Society for Testing and Materials Committees Concrete and Aggregates and Soil and Rock, and the National Stone, Sand, and Gravel Association Technical Committee on Aggregates.

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