Identification of cathedral-type termite mound materials in the locality of Abidjan

Termite mounds are built of raw earth by termites without the use of stabilizers or application of known stabilization methods. However, they appear to be more resistant compared to raw earth materials made by man. This study therefore aims to identify the materials of cathedral-type termite mounds in the locality of Abidjan. For this, three parts of 5 termites mounds were sampled: the nest, the wall and the surrounding soil taken as a control. 500g of samples taken from the same part of the termite mound (wall, nest, control) were mixed to form a single sample. Thus, the composite samples obtained are first subjected to granulometric analysis. The nest has a sandy clay texture identical to that of the wall. The soil surrounding the termite mounds has a clayey sand texture with a significant proportion of gravel. Then the clayiness of these structures was characterized. The nest is medium plastic, moderately clayey. The wall is moderately clayey, low plastic. The soil surrounding the termite mounds is low clayey, low plastic. Finally, their mineralogical nature revealed that the nest, the wall and the surrounding soil are composed of kaolinite, goethite and quartz.