One great contributing factor to the role of a civil engineer is to be

knowledgeable of different formations of land and the processes of which the

earth undergoes to produce them. The engineer must understand how the
earth works in order to manipulate it for the development of the human race.
To carry out this process the engineer must be familiar with the origin and
makeup of the Earths structure. By looking at the Earths history, it can be
seen that climate change played a critical role to the development of the
Earths surface. Earths mantle was cooled to form a crust by the
introduction of water from salt bearing asteroids that plummeted to Earth.
The Earth went from extremely hot to extremely cold, also referred to as
snowball earth. This process of heating and cooling lead to the earths
crust breaking into plates. The earths mantle caused the plates to push and
pull to form continents.
By looking at this information, engineers formulate ideas of what the
earth is capable of and the destructive power it contains. In todays world,
the hazardous ability of the earth is minor compared to millions of years ago.
This information can still be useful when designing structures. In order to
ensure longevity of these structures, they must be able to withstand natural
disasters such as floods, earthquakes, storms and volcanic eruptions. Over
time, floods can be mapped and suitable structures such as dams, reservoirs
and dykes can be put in place to manage them. With this knowledge, oceans
and rivers can be controlled and manipulated to suit the engineers needs.
Knowing the amount of rainfall and its frequency has a large impact on the
use of materials. That is, moisture content of materials determines the
properties of these said materials and how they behave. When dealing with
materials in civil engineering, their structure and properties must be known
in order to make proper use of them. Inspecting the behaviour of materials
to the weathering elements of the earth can give an idea of the most
suitable material for a particular job.
Past natural disasters help determine areas suitable to erect structures
as well as the strength needed for the structure to resist damage from these
disasters. By having the knowledge of how a particular material behaves
under temperature, pressure and moisture, the appropriate material can be
chosen for the required strength. Rainfall can also contribute to erosion
which generally weakens soil and causes landslides. By knowing the
properties of the soil, a suitable fix can be applied in order to prevent
erosion. Storms has plagued the earth for millions of years. Hurricanes and
typhoons bring with them high intensity wind pressure. Buildings, especially
skyscrapers, are prone to these strong winds. To counteract such disasters,

structures are designed to resist wind velocities of up to 100 km/h.

Earthquakes are another natural disaster that can have detrimental effects.
To put a damper on this, an estimated frequency, strength and location of
future earthquakes can be determined by studying previous events around
the location of the proposed site.
Given that most structures depend heavily on their foundation, the
ground is assessed for response to earthquakes. The results of this can be
used when choosing materials and applying fixes for this problem. Fixes can
be determined by looking at the proposed structure response to anticipated
tremors. By the movement of the earths crust under the sea, a tsunami can
be formed. To be better prepared for this disaster, the study of the earths
plates is a necessity. Knowing how the plates move and interact with each
other over time is vital to better understanding this phenomenon. Volcanic
eruptions which plays a part in these disasters also has a major role in the
formation of rocks. Molten rock bursts through the earths crust and through
the ocean and cools to form volcanic islands. Millions of years ago these
volcanic islands clashed together to form continents. By knowing the
volcanic veins leading from the earths mantle through the crust, engineers
can determine the best sites for a structure given that volcanic eruptions are
deadly and prevention seems impossible.
Now, when building foundations especially for tall buildings, a sturdy
ground is needed to support the structure. It is of a great deal that the
internal structure of the earth be a part of the engineers knowledge. This is
key when performing drilling or pile driving. Knowing the properties of the
underlying soil helps determines the actions needed to create a stable
environment for the proposed structure. Knowing the chemical makeup of
these rocks is of vital importance. Stromatolites are layered bio-chemical
sedimentary rocks which are formed in shallow waters. These bio-chemical
rocks fills the ocean with oxygen which reacts with iron in the water to form
rust deposits on the oceans floors and forms iron rich rocks. This mineral is
widely used in the construction industry for the purpose of building ships,
bridges, etc. In engineering, different types of materials are used to produce
the desired product. Therefore the properties and chemical makeup of these
materials are vital for a strong safe and long lasting structure to be
produced.