Estimation of Rockmass Properties of Ryukyu Limestone Available to Purchase

Ryukyu limestone formation exists in almost all Ryukyu Islands. The islands are situated on Ryukyu arc bounded by Okinawa trough and Ryukyu trench. The Ryukyu limestone is porous and it is generally classified as sandy limestone and coral limestone. Engineering projects have been recently increasing in Ryukyu Islands and the authors have been involved with some of rock-engineering issues of these projects. The authors have been carrying out rock mass characterizations in several engineering projects as well as natural outcrops in cliffs and karstic caves in Ryukyu Islands using rock mass classifications such as RMR and Q-system. The authors estimate rock mass properties of Ryukyu limestone, which are quite important for the design of engineering structures as well as assessing the stability of natural rock structures such as caves and cliffs. The unified formula proposed by Aydan and Kawamoto (2000) is used for estimating the rock mass properties of Ryukyu limestone and compared with the in-situ tests results carried out on Ryukyu limestone and elsewhere and the outcomes of these studies are presented and discussed in this article.