Relation of Several Pedological Characteristics to Engineering Qualities of Soil

Summary An attempt to predict engineering qualities which are needed in soil evaluation and to enhance nonagricultural use of soil survey data was made. Data from a variety of soils were subjected to simple correlation and multiple regression analyses to relate three pedologic characteristics: clay content, cation‐exchange capacity (CEC), and organic matter content to two engineering qualitites: plasticity index, and optimum moisture. Simple correlation coefficients showed that clay content and CEC correlated significantly with the engineering determinations. The relationship between organic matter content and these engineering determinations was weaker. Multiple regression analyses showed that the three pedologic characteristics accounted for most of the variation in each of the engineering qualities, and that prediction was feasible.