Geotechnical and geophysical characteristics of muskeg samples from Alberta, Canada

• Muskeg has a high water-holding capacity and is highly compressible and permeable.
• Effective stress and porosity control stress-dependent geophysical properties of the muskeg.
• The values of peak drained friction angle are in the ranges of 26° to 51°.

A series of laboratory tests have been performed to explore the geotechnical and geophysical characteristics of fibrous muskeg (i.e., grassy bog), using undisturbed block samples obtained from Alberta, Canada. The basic index properties of muskeg show similar values to the reference data for other organic soils, and they significantly differ from those of typical inorganic soils. Due to high organic content, muskeg has high water content, high compressibility, and high initial permeability. The effective stress and porosity play a major role in controlling the stress-dependent geophysical properties of shear wave velocity, real permittivity, and electrical conductivity. The values of peak drained friction angle obtained in the direct shear tests are in the range of 26° to 51°.