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Text 1
In southern and central Georgia, many buildings and other structures rest on soil that is expansive, meaning that it swells or shrinks as its moisture level changes. Civil engineer Jay X. Wang has noted that the effects of expansive soil appear slowly in the form of gradually growing cracks in foundations, walls, and pavements. Because these effects are incremental and can generally be repaired (though at some cost), structures in southern and central Georgia are typically not built to resist them.
Text 2
In a 2021 study, Rubayet Bin Mostafiz and colleagues calculated that in the state of Louisiana alone, the annual cost of damage caused by expansive soils reaches nearly $90 million. But they note that this damage can be mitigated: building vapor barriers between structural foundations and the soil can significantly reduce the effects of soil swelling and shrinking.
In southern and central Georgia, many buildings and other structures rest on soil that is expansive, meaning that it swells or shrinks as its moisture level changes. Civil engineer Jay X. Wang has noted that the effects of expansive soil appear slowly in the form of gradually growing cracks in foundations, walls, and pavements. Because these effects are incremental and can generally be repaired (though at some cost), structures in southern and central Georgia are typically not built to resist them.
Text 2
In a 2021 study, Rubayet Bin Mostafiz and colleagues calculated that in the state of Louisiana alone, the annual cost of damage caused by expansive soils reaches nearly $90 million. But they note that this damage can be mitigated: building vapor barriers between structural foundations and the soil can significantly reduce the effects of soil swelling and shrinking.