Trial Pit

A trial pit (or test pit) is an excavation of ground in order to study or sample the composition and

structure A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...

of the subsurface, usually dug during a

site investigation Geotechnical investigations are performed by geotechnical engineers or engineering geologists to obtain information on the physical properties of soil earthworks and foundations for proposed structures and for repair of distress to earthworks an ...

, a

soil survey Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former ter ...

or a

geological survey A geological survey is the systematic investigation of the geology beneath a given piece of ground for the purpose of creating a geological map or model. Geological surveying employs techniques from the traditional walk-over survey, studying out ...

. Trial pits are dug before the construction. They are dug to determine the geology and the water table of that site. Trial pits are usually between 1 and 4 metres deep, and are dug either by hand or using a mechanical digger. Building and construction regulations clearly state that any trial pits that concede deeper than 1.2 metres should be secured against structural collapse, if they are to be entered by people. {{DEFAULTSORT:Trial Pit In situ geotechnical investigations Excavations