You are not logged in You are not logged in to this journal. Log In

Journal of Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Engineering / Volume 131 / Issue 6 / TECHNICAL PAPERS

LOG IN or SELECT A PURCHASE OPTION:

Geology: Engineer Ignore It at Your Peril

J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 131, 783 (2005); http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2005)131:6(783) (9 pages)

Marian P. Rollings, M.ASCE1 and Raymond S. Rollings, M.ASCE2

1Consulting Engineer, P.O. Box 313, Lyme, NH 03768; formerly, Research Civil Engineer, Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC), 72 Lyme Rd., Hanover, NH 03755.
2Research Civil Engineer, Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC), 72 Lyme Rd., Hanover, NH 03755.

View MapView Map

(Submitted 21 May 2002; accepted 10 August 2004)

Geology and related earth processes are an inherent part of civil engineering design and construction. This paper examines eight specific examples to illustrate how geologic factors can dominate project behavior. The examples are from a spectrum of environments associated with design and construction of roads and airfields and vary from the apparently obvious to the more subtle. Failure to understand the geologic conditions at a site almost invariably results in unsatisfactory performance. This complex interplay between geology and engineering is at the heart of the geotechnical profession and should be appreciated by all.

© 2005 ASCE

Acknowledgments

Financial support for the work described in this paper was provided by various organizations including the Air Force (AF) Civil Engineer Support Agency (AFCESA), AF Air Combat Command, AF Space Command, AF 819th and 823rd RED HORSE Squadrons, Corps of Engineers Albuquerque District, Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Project Office, Army Training and Doctrine Command, Southern Command, and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Many people contributed to the efforts described here including colleagues at ERDC Waterways Experiment Station (WES) and ERDC Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) and numerous individuals at the project sites. The writers would like to thank Mr. George Blaisdell (CRREL), Mr. James Greene (AFCESA), and the late Mr. Bryant Mather (Director Emeritus, WES) for their review and comments on the paper. The support of ERDC in preparing this paper is also acknowledged. The views expressed in this paper are those of the writers alone and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of any government agency.

Article Outline

  1. Introduction
  2. Wind: Pegasus Runway, Antarctica
  3. Water: Military Airfield, Middle East
  4. Soil: Military Facility, Missouri
  5. Rock: Travis AFB, California
  6. Nature’s Construction Materials: Military Airfield, Pacific Ocean
  7. Man’s Mistake: Port-au-Prince, Haiti
  8. Man’s Impact: Vandenberg AFB, California
  9. Nature’s Surprises: Holloman AFB, New Mexico
  10. Conclusions

KEYWORDS

RELATED DATABASES

To view database links for this article, you need to log in.

ARTICLE DATA

Digital Object Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2005)131:6(783)

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

1090-0241 (print)  
1943-5606 (online)

Publisher

ASCE

For access to fully linked references, you need to log in.

Figures (9) Tables (2)

Access to article objects (figures, tables, multimedia) requires a subscription; log in to view available files.
(Access to supplementary files, where available, is free for this journal.)

Access to article objects (figures, tables, multimedia) requires a subscription; log in to view available files.
(Access to supplementary files, where available, is free for this journal.)


Close

Your Recent History Recent History Help

Recently Viewed

  1. Geology: Engineer Ignore It at Your Peril
close