The paper deals with the engineering properties of a marine clay collected from Visakhapatnam, India. First of all, the physical, chemical and mineralogical properties were determined. Thereafter, the strength and stiffness of the soil-water matrix were established. The properties under cyclic stress reversal were also studied. The detailed test results and observations are discussed sequentially in the paper. Key words: Atterberg limit, cyclic degradation, marine clay, rate of loading, undrained cohesion.