GEOLOGY AND ITS ROLE IN THE FIELD OF CIVIL ENGINEERING One of the most important roles of the engineering

geologist is the interpretation of landforms and earth processes to identify potential geologic and related man-made hazards that may impact civil structures and human development.The background in geology provides the engineering geologist with an understanding of how the earth works, which is crucial minimising earth related hazards. Engineering geologic studies may be performed during the planning, environmental impact analysis, civil or structural engineering design, value engineering and construction phases of public and private works projects, and during post-construction and forensic phases of projects. orks completed by engineering geologists include! geologic hazards, geotechnical, material properties, landslide and slope stability, erosion, flooding, dewatering, and seismic investigations, etc. Engineering geologic practice is also closely related to the practice of geological engineering, geotechnical engineering, soils engineering, environmental geology and economic geology. The methods used by engineering geologists in their studies include

geologic field mapping of geologic structures, geologic formations, soil units and hazards! the review of geologic literature, geologic maps, geotechnical reports, engineering plans, environmental reports, stereoscopic aerial photographs, remote sensing data, "lobal #ositioning $ystem %"#$& data, topographic maps and satellite imagery! the e'cavation, sampling and logging of earth(rock materials in drilled borings, backhoe test pits and trenches, fault trenching, and bulldozer pits! geophysical surveys %such as seismic refraction traverses, resistivity surveys, ground penetrating radar %"#)& surveys, magnetometer surveys, electromagnetic surveys, high-resolution sub-bottom profiling, and other geophysical methods&! deformation monitoring as the systematic measurement and tracking of the alteration in the shape or dimensions of an object as a result of the application of stress to it manually or with an automatic deformation monitoring system! and other methods.

The field work is typically culminated in analysis of the data and the preparation of an engineering geologic report, geotechnical report, fault hazard or seismic hazard report, geophysical report, ground water resource report or hydrogeologic report. The engineering geologic report is often prepared in conjunction with a geotechnical report, but commonly provide geotechnical analysis and design recommendations independent of a geotechnical report. *n engineering geologic report describes the objectives, methodology, references cited, tests performed, findings and recommendations for development. Engineering geologists also provide geologic data on topograpic maps, aerial photographs, geologic maps, "eographic +nformation $ystem %"+$& maps, or other map bases.

EARTH ITS INTERNAL STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION

Compositional/C !mi"al La#!$in% The chemical layering of the earth formed as part of the earth,s differentiationresulting from the heat generated during the process of planetary accretion. *s a general rule, denser materials settled to the center of the earth, leaving lighter

materials on top. Thus, the earth consists of successive layers of material getting less dense as you approach the surface. The major compositional layers areCo$! is made of iron with minor amounts of nickel, and lies at the center of the earth Mantl! is made of iron-magnesium silicates and surrounds the core. The mantle makes up the bulk of the earth. C$&st occurs as two distinct types, oceanic crust and continental crust. .oth types of crust are lighter %less dense& and contain more silica than the mantle. O"!ani" "$&st is the crust that underlies most of the areas we call /oceans/ it is thinner, is more dense, and contains less silica and aluminum and more magnesium and iron than continental crust. The lack of silica makes it darker than continental crust. .ecause "ontin!ntal "$&st is thicker and made of less dense material than the oceanic crust, it /floats/ higher on the earth. P #si"al La#!$in% .ecause of variations in temperature and in pressure, the materials inside the earth vary in there physical properties with depth. Inn!$ Co$! is the central part of the iron-nickel core. +t is a solid iron sphere. The reason that the iron is solid is that the pressure at the center of the earth is significantly higher than the pressure above, while the temperature is only slightly higher. hile higher temperature would tend to melt materials, higher pressures tend to create solids. O&t!$ Co$! constitutes the remainder of the iron-nickel core and is li0uid. +t is li0uid because the pressure is lower. M!sosp !$!. The majority of the mantle from the core-mantle boundary is solid and is called the mesosphere. Ast !nosp !$!. 1earer to the surface of the earth the temperature is still relatively high but the pressure is greatly reduced. This creates a situation where the mantle is partially melted. The asthenosphere is a plastic solid in that it flows over time. Lit osp !$!. *bove the asthenosphere, the temperature begins to drop more rapidly. This creates a layer of cool, rigid rock called the lithosphere. The lithosphere includes the uppermost part of the mantle and it also includes all of the crust. That is, the crust is the upper part of the lithosphere, and the upper mantle is the lower part of the lithosphere. Isosta"# The lithosphere /floats/ on the asthenosphere. The asthenosphere accommodates the floating lithosphere by flowing. +f a load is placed on the surface of the earth %like the weight of water of a large lake& the surface of the earth will sink under the added

weight. 2ountains are like icebergs- the higher the mountain is, the thicker the crust is underneath it, and the more displaced is the asthenosphere. Thus mountains have /roots/. MINERALOGY )ock mechanics is the theoretical and applied science of the mechanical behaviour of rock and rock masses! it is that branch of mechanics concerned with the response of rock and rock masses to the force fields of their physical environment. The fundamental processes are all related to the behaviour of porous media. Together, soil and rock mechanics are the basis for solving many engineering geologic problems.