Study on Depositional Environment of Soil Based on Multi-Fractal Theory

Abstract

Fluvial action is the most universal erosion process in geological history. Rivers in the surface of the Earth had molded different kinds of geomorphic features and varied landforms; also they had great effect on the human beings. Evaluating the fluvial landforms correctly and objectively will help people to exploit the living space adequately and utilize natural environment reasonably. Moreover studying on the spatial distribution of the rivers in a local area will help people to understand the situation of the river at present and forecast the development of the river in the future. Fractal and multi- fractal theory is a new and developing subject in modern science; it is widely used in many fields of earth science. Static Cone Penetrate Test is an exploration technology which can obtain the physical indices of soil. A study had found that specific penetration resistances varied with the buried depth of the strata and the curves of test values have characteristics of fractal. In this paper, with the assistance of fractal and multi-fractal theory, we analyzed the simple dimension and multi-fractal properties of these curves. Results suggested that simple dimension as well as the multi-fractal spectrum can tell the difference between the soils deposited in distinct sedimentary environments.