Geochemical signature and prediction of mechanical characteristics of bituminous sand

Abstract The worldwide interest in bituminous materials can be linked to being a strategic minerals of significant economic value and numerous engineering, industrial and infrastructural applications. Hence, detailed characterization in terms of geochemical, geological and geotechnical properties is very crucial. In this work, bituminous sands were characterized using geochemical signatures and attempts were made to determine the usefulness of chemical, physical and mineralogical indices for predicting the mechanical parameters needed by engineering practitioners using bituminous sand. This is very important particularly at the beginning of the project where data availability may pose a problem. This was achieved by conducting several laboratory tests and statistical analyses on bituminous sands obtained from different locations and depths. The bituminous sand is heterogeneous and the STI, Lc, SA, Kr and WIP are the geochemical signatures that could be used for characterization of the samples. The chemical indices (STI, Lc, SOC, SA, S/SAF, Kr and WIP) are the best for predicting the yield stress and compressibility. The fines content (Fc) can successfully predict the compressibility, yield stress and uniaxial compressive strength. Depending on the parameter needed, the relationships could be used by practicing engineers working on these materials.