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A comment on New Orleans levees passed their first major test. Parent comment

Re:New Orleans levees passed their first major test by dylan604 on Sunday September 05, 2021 @06:06PM (#28428253)
>or more typically until they hit the first layer of sand, which is stable.

I think this is the first time I have ever seen someone claim that a layer of sand is stable. But hey, NOLA is one of the craziest places, so sure, sand is stable there.

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Re:New Orleans levees passed their first major test by beerandt on Sunday September 05, 2021 @08:58PM (#28429240)
We're not talking about a beach here.

Sand underground with overburden pressure is quite stable, to the point that piles driven to it are treated as bearing piles (supported primarily on the end/tip), not friction piles (supported on sides by friction).

It's non-cohesive, so doesn't shrink or swell, and once it's compacted/consolidated, it's fixed volume and quite stable.

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