Subsoil zoning in southern Tamaulipas

Abstract

Studying the subsoil is essential in the design and construction of infrastructure. The objective of this work was to zone the subsoil using geographic information systems towards a geotechnical map of southern Tamaulipas. The spatial data were integrated from 347 standard penetration test (SPT) boreholes, derived from 119 geotechnical studies conducted from 2011 to 2018. The generated information enabled the construction of 20 referenced analysis units for the metropolitan area of Altamira, Tampico and Ciudad Madero, developing a zoning map of the subsurface into geotechnical groups: zone A: clays, silts and sands; zone B: sandy clays; zone B': highly plastic clays and zone C: clayey sand. The information generated through the analysis units and zoning map is projected to be useful for subsequent geotechnical exploration studies.