Alternate sites for a connecting passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans

Abstract

This thesis is a geotechnical engineering report which includes a topographical profile at three propitious locations across the American continent for the construction of an interoceanic passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Surficial soils as well as the general topography of the centerline of the alignments were investigated to the extent possible and an attempt was made to investigate underlying strata. Some information is illustrated graphically to allow an appreciation of the physical irregularities and a rough approximation for the type and extent of excavation required. Although other alternatives exist, this thesis considers only to 3 locations: Mexico, across the Tehuantepec Isthmus, and following the course of the Coatzacoalcos River as closely as possible; Nicaragua, along its border with Costa Rica and using lake Nicaragua and the San Juan River as the main bodies of water; and Colombia, in the vicinity of the Colombia-Panama border using the Atrato River as the main body of water. The majority of the information was gathered from available geological reports and topographic maps. Some of the data for the Nicaraguan and Colombian routes was compared with information published in a study by the Atlantic-Pacific Interoceanic Canal Study Commission (1970). Engineering geology; Site selection; Canals/waterways; Theses.