Cyclic variability in microstructure and physio-mechanical properties of the Xiashu Loess–palaeosol sequence in Nanjing, China

For the Xiashu loess–palaeosol sequence in Nanjing, China, further to our work on the cyclic variability in its chemical composition and swelling-shrinkage properties [Xia, J., Huang, G.L., Liu, Z. T., Chen, X.M., 2007. Cyclic variability in chemical composition and swelling–shrinkage properties of the Xiashu loess stratum near Nanjing, China. Pedosphere 17 (5), 666–672.], this paper studies the cyclic variability in its microstructure and physico-mechanical properties and the corresponding influence on its engineering behaviour for geotechnical and geological practices. In addition, the cyclic variability in the soil's grain-size distribution and geochemical characteristics is compared with that of the loess–palaeosol sequences at two other sites in China, indicating a geographical pattern of cyclic variation of the sequences.