Geotechnical and Petrographic Assessment of Supare Rocks as Dimension Stone, Ondo State, Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

A study of the geology and the geotechnical properties in supare, part of Owo sheet 265 NW, Ondo state South Western Nigeria was carried out to identify rocks as dimension stone. The suitability of different rocks types assessed was based on the physical and mechanical properties of the outcrops. A total of ten rocks samples were analysed for physical and mechanical properties. The samples examined showed good compressive and tensile strength properties suitable for block production in accordance with standard specification. The compressive strength ranges between 149.71 N/M^2 and 130.51 N/M^2. The high values of water absorption (1.27%) and porosity (0.88%) for L3 reduces its quality and suitability for use as dimension stone production. The examination carried out to determine the mineralogical composition of the rock samples which also provided information on weathering condition shows that all sampled rocks are free off laws and deleterious minerals. The major minerals in the rocks are quartz, feldspar and mica.