The Effect of Soft Rock Lithology upon Its Anti-erodibility
砒砂岩岩性特征对抗侵蚀性影响分析

The soft rock area is a major sediments-producing area resulting from bedrock erosion in the middle valley of the Yellow River. Intense rock-soil erosion in this area is closely related to lithology of the soft rock. Mineral composition and microstructures of undisturbed soft rock samples were tested in laboratory to study the effect of soft rock lithology on anti-erodibility. The soft rock is dominated in mineral composition by clay minerals, which are unstable, liable to weathering, and highly hydrophilic. In addition, the microstructure characteristics of the soft rock, such as different grain sizes, unoriented arrangement, high porosity, and clay mineral cements, promote the weathering process. These characteristics have weakened the anti-erodibility of the soft rock.