Particle size distribution and statistic analysis of the grain size messinian bentonite from the kert bassin (northern Morocco)

Abstract This work focus about the granulometric characterization the Messinian bentonites of Kert Neogene basin located in the Moroccan Northeast region in the rif chain. It was carried out by analyzing the evolution of the granulometric behavior of the bentonites along the profiles of the deposit. To do this, a sampling campaign was carried out in the form of a tight mesh. The particle size analysis of the Messinian samples was sandy loams, and loamy sands however the clay fraction ranged from 1.665 to 9.094% while the silt fraction from 20.817 to 92.794% and the sand fraction from 1.272 to 77.518%. The results for grain size indices and their distributions as a function of morphological units have shown that they are generally very fine Sands and very coarse silt, moderately misclassified, very poorly ranked and almost symmetrical.