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Geology 229
Engineering Geology

Lecture 1

The Syllabus and Introduction

(West, Chs. 1, 20)

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Engineering Geology close to life:

Some recent nightmare memories

Great Hurricanes in New Orleans, 2005

Gigantic boulder falls in January 2005
Great Tsunami on Christmas Day 2004

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Satellite image of Banda

Aceh Shore, Indonesia,
before the tsunami
(June 23, 2004)

Satellite image of
Banda Aceh Shore,
Indonesia, after the
tsunami (December
28, 2004)

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January 10, 2005: A 25-foot boulder blocks Topanga Canyon Blvd. near Malibu,
southern California, after a massive mudslide killed 3 and had up to 21 missing (AP).
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What is Engineering Geology?

Engineering geology is the application of

geological data, techniques and principles to
the study of rock and soil surficial materials,
and ground water. This is essential for the
proper location, planning, design, construction,
operation and maintenance of engineering
structures. Engineering geology complements
environmental geology, or hydrogeology.

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What does Engineering Geology study?

Rock, soil, water, the interaction

among these three constituents,
as well as with engineering
materials and structures.

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Why Engineering Geology matter?

• Serve civil engineering to provide
information in 3 most important areas:
– Resources for construction;
• Aggregates, fills and borrows.
– Finding stable foundations;
• Present is the key to the past –geology
• Past is the key to the future -engineering
– Mitigation of geological hazards
• Identify problems, evaluate the costs, provide
information to mitigate the problem
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The Engineering Geology was
established in US after the St.
Francis Dam near Los Angeles, CA
failed on March 12, 1928.
Engineering community realized
the importance of Geology factor
in civil engineering.
After failure with the ‘Tombstone’ in the center

Before failure

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Main reasons for dam failure:

1, Sedimentary rocks on the west lost strength when it is
wet;
2, The fault separating the west and east rock formations
started to leak water;
3, Schist on the east increases pore pressure and lost shear
strength after wet. www.Vidyarthiplus.com
General Outlinewww.Vidyarthiplus.com
of Engineering Geology
1, Rock description and identification;
2, Engineering properties of rocks (e.g., foundation), material
for construction (e.g., aggregates);
3, Rock weathering and soil development;
4, Map reading, both topographic and geologic;
5, Structure aspects – bedding, joints, and faults;
6, Mass movement and landslides;
7, Running water-erosion, flood effects, water impoundment;
8, Groundwater control during construction, water supply,
pollution, subsidence, slope instability;
9, Shoreline erosion and protection;
10, Earthquakes and earthquake engineering;
11, Glacial deposits;
12, Arid environments;
13, Subsurface geology, condition of stress at depth (for
excavation, tunneling etc.)
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Highway Engineering Geology Considerations
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1, Highway alignment, locations of right-of-way for the

proposed construction;
2, Subsurface exploration along highway centerline and
bridge foundations;
3, Classification of materials for excavation, rock versus
common borrow (soil);
4, Cut and fill volumes determined to minimize the need of
offsite borrow pits or rock waste areas; volume changes in
both soil and rock from the cut to the fill are estimated;
5, Recommend angle of back slope (rock cut slope) based on
rock conditions;
6, Groundwater aspects related to construction;
7, Evaluation of landslide-prone areas;
8, Recognition of compressible soil materials;
9, Construction materials, location and inventory;
10, highway effects on adjacent landowners;
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General Outlinewww.Vidyarthiplus.com
of Environmental Geology
1, Geological constraints to construction
siting sanitary landfills;
septic tank percolation fields;
groundwater pollutions;
2, Environmental health
chronic diseases related to geologic environment;
trace elements and health;
3, Human interaction with the environment
effects of urbanization on landscape;
water supply and disposal;
4, Mineral resources and depletion
mineral resource and population;
environmental impact and mineral development;
resources vs reserves;
5, Land use and land use planning
Environmental impact of urban development;
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A Comparison between Engineering Geology
and Environmental Geology

Engineering Geology Environmental Geology

• Established in 1928 after • Established in later

the failure of the St. 1960s;
Francis Dam; • Physical and biological
• More physical geology geology;
oriented; • Less quantitative(?);
• More quantitative; • Broader area including
• Focused on engineering hazards, health, mineral
construction. depletion, land use and
land use planning, etc.

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In the area covered by the
permafrost, the surface
vegetation is dominated by black
spruces that are relatively short
due to their shallow root systems
constrained by the hard ice. In
the area where the permafrost is
gone, one can find tall trees like
birches.

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Cross Alaska Pipeline

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Engineering geologists contribute to the design of structures

such as the Alaskan pipeline near Fairbanks and many other
edifices. The pipeline was built in the 1970s to transport
crude oil from the Alaskan North Slope to the port of Valdez
in southern Alaska. Ground conditions near the surface
(permafrost and other processes) and those at depth
(substrate conditions, potential seismic activity, position of
faults etc.) must be clearly understood and taken into
consideration to guarantee the integrity of engineered
structures. The photograph shows the raised pipeline (to
prevent warm oil from melting the permafrost) and the
staggered shape of the pipeline (to allow elasticity during
earthquake shocks).

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Railway in Tibetan Plateau – “the roof of the world”

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Louis Agassiz’ Statue after 1906 San Francisco Earthquake

Louis Agassiz

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The old Wishell Seismograph for recording strong earthquake motions

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Earthquake Engineering

Studies of the effects of earthquakes on people and

their environment, with methods of reducing these
effects.

Earthquake Engineering involves:

geology, seismology, geotechnical engineering,

structural engineering, risk analysis with also
social, economic, and political factors
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SI Unit System
• SI – Le Systeme International d’Unites
• Base units
• Derived units

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SI base units
The SI is founded on seven SI base units for seven base quantities
assumed to be mutually independent, as given in Table 1.

Table 1. SI base units

Name Symbol
Base quantity
length meter m
mass kilogram kg
time second s
Electric current ampere A
thermodynamic Kelvin K
temperature
amount of substance mole mol
luminous intensity candela cd

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SI derived units

Other quantities, called derived quantities, are

defined in terms of the seven base quantities via
a system of quantity equations. The SI derived
units for these derived quantities are obtained
from these equations and the seven SI base
units. Examples of such SI derived units are
given in Table 2, where it should be noted that
the symbol 1 for quantities of dimension 1 such
as mass fraction is generally omitted.

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Table 2. Examples of SI derived units

Name Symbol
Derived quantity
Area Square meter m2
Volume Cubic meter m3
Speed, velocity meter per second m/s
Acceleration meter per second m/ s2
squared
Density kilogram per cubic meter kg/m3
Specific volume cubic meter per kilogram m3/kg
Amount-of-substance mole per cubic meter mol/m3
concentration
Luminance candela per square meter cd/m2
Frequency Revolution per second 1/sec
Angular frequency Radian per sec Radian/sec
Wave number Radian per meter Radian/m
Wave length meter m

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