Excavated slope of glacio-fluvial deposits, N. Italy
Glacio-fluvial deposits exposed at a quarry beside the railway line between Locarno, Switzerland and Domodossala, Italy. At the scale of the whole slope the majority of boulders are not geotechnically significant; at excavation equipment scale they are troublesome. At lab-scale the material will be very awkward to work with as is typical of bimsoils.
Alluvium between Domodossala and Locarno (E MEdley, 2019)
Alluvium beside railway line between Locarno (Switzerland) and Domodossola (Italy). The bim material is troublesome at the scale of an hydraulic excavator bucket. Blocks here are large enough to require jack-hammering to render them manageable for handling. Photo: E Medley, 2019.
Alluvium near Carmel, California 1990 E Medley
Alluvium at this scale is a bimsoil - troublesome at lab-scale, awkward at the scale of a hand shovel, but not a problem for a hydraulic excavator or bulldozer. At the scale of a 30 m high slope (100 feet) this material is not a bimsoil. Photo: E Medley, 1990