FOR CIVIL ENGINEERS

Prepared by: ENGR. GANIE DELA LUNA

 COURSE DESCRIPTION

• This course deals with the fundamentals of geology

applied to civil engineering problems. Topics include
rock and mineral types, soil properties, rock
mechanics, geologic structure, active tectonics and
earthquake hazards, slope stability, and landslides,
groundwater, rivers and flood hazards. Team projects
including engineering geology case studies and site
assessment investigations.
 COURSE OUTCOMES

At the end of the course, the student must be able to:

 Describe and explain the role of geology in the design and construction process.

 Apply geological concepts and approached on civil engineering projects.

 Identify and classify rock using basic geological classification systems.

 Use the geological literature to establish the geotechnical framework needed to

properly design and construct heavy civil works projects.

 Utilize backgrounds in engineering and earth science to provide solutions to

engineering problems within the context of the natural world.
WHAT IS GEOLOGY?

“geo”
means
Earth

GEOLOGY

“logos”
the
study of

• Geology can be defined as the scientific study of the Earth and

especially the rocks and soils that make up the Earth: their origins,
nature and distribution, and the processes involved in their
formation.
GEOLOGY IN CIVIL ENGINEERING

• Engineering Geology then may be defined as the scientific study of

geology as it relates to civil engineering projects such as the design
of a bridge, construction of a dam or preventing a landslide.

• Engineering Geologist needs to identify the local rock and soil

conditions at the a site and anticipate natural hazards such as
earthquakes so that structures can be designed constructed and
operated safely and economically.
GEOLOGY IN CIVIL ENGINEERING

Civil Engineers who deals with foundations of a structure and works

related to dams and tunnels stability of earth slopes etc. should be
knowledgeable of geography, climate, type of soil and geology (rock
formation) etc., of the place they are working in.
GEOLOGY IN CIVIL ENGINEERING

Geologist is someone who works to understand the history of the

planet we live on, to better predict the future and explain current
occurrences. They are also known as earth scientists or geoscientists.

Geologists are the scientists who study the origin, occurrence,

distribution and utilities of all materials (metallic, nonmetallic, inorganic,
etc), minerals, rocks, sediments, soils, water, oil and all other inorganic
natural resources.
GEOLOGY IN CIVIL ENGINEERING

What do Engineering Geologist do?

• Consulting (Designing)
• Construction
• Works with Geotechnical Engineers
• Investigation( Investigates the Geological conditions of the site)
• Site Modeling
GEOLOGY IN CIVIL ENGINEERING

An engineering geologist:
• needs to be fully familiar with geology to the level of traditional earth
sciences degree.
• Should be able to identify soil and rocks by visual examination and
to interpret the geological history of a site.
• Needs to have knowledge of geomorphological processes, and be
able to interpret terrain features and hydrogeological conditions.
• Must be familiar with ground investigation techniques so that a site
can be characterized cost effectively and thoroughly.
• Needs to understand the way that soils and rocks behave
mechanically under load and in response to fluid pressures, how
they behave chemically, and how to investigate their properties.
• Needs to know fundamentals of how structures are designed,
analyzed and constructed.
GEOLOGY IN CIVIL ENGINEERING
GEOLOGY IN CIVIL ENGINEERING

It is important to know that in those projects like dams or foundation of

a bridge where we are going to deal with rocks that the full geological
details survey should be done by an engineering geologist, not by
a civil engineer.

But the civil engineer should understand the geologist’s report

and the terms used. One of the most important point in the report is the
geological history of the rock formation in the site. Hence in this
chapter we will discuss historic geology to be familiarized with the
terms and definitions as used in a geological report.
 WHAT IS GEOLOGY?

 from the Greek words geo, “Earth,”

and logos, “discourse or study”

 the science that pursues an

understanding of planet Earth

- its origin and history

- the processes that shape it
- and the resources that could be
obtained from it

GEOLOGY is the scientific study of the all constituents of planets, their

internal and external forms and processes, nature, structure and history
of the planet.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

GEOLOGY is a very vast subject. It has several branches. In the olden

days, people divided it into two broad areas or types, as physical
geology and historical geology.

• Physical Geology - deals with the study of Earth's materials, such as

minerals and rocks, as well as the processes that are operating on and
within the Earth and on its surface.

• Historical geology - focuses on the origin and evolution of life on the

Earth, its continents, oceans, atmosphere, and the life of all
ecosystems. It is more than just concentrating on the past events in
geological history. It is the study of the sequential changes that have
happened and evolved continuously during the past 4.6 billion years on
the planet.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

2 Types of
GEOLOGY

Physical Geology Historical Geology

Planetary
Mineralogy Paleontology
Geology

Petrology Volcanology Stratigraphy

Economic
Seismology Geochronology
Geology
Petroleum Environmental
Geology Geology

Geomorphology Hydro-geology

Geophysics Marine Geology

Geochemistry
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Economic Geology
 is the scientific study of the Earth’s sources of mineral raw
materials and the practical application of the acquired knowledge.
 is primarily concerned with the earth's materials that are used for
economic and/or industrial purposes. These materials include precious
stones and base metals, nonmetallic minerals, construction-grade
stones, petroleum minerals, coal, and water.
In broader terms, economic geology is concerned with the distribution
of mineral deposits, the economic considerations involved in their
recovery, and assessment of the reserves available.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Economic Geology
 Economic geology is a sub discipline of the 17 geosciences.
 It is “the application of geology”.
 focuses on the properties and characteristics of ores, ore minerals
and gangue minerals, gives an outline of the processes of formation
and classification of ore deposits, the mode of occurrence, origin,
distribution (in India) and economic uses of gold, ores of iron,
manganese, chromium, copper, aluminum, lead and zinc; mica,
gypsum, magnesite and kyanite; diamond; coal and petroleum
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Engineering Geology
 Engineering geology is the application of the geology to engineering
study/practices and solving engineering problems for the purpose of
assuring that the geological factors regarding the location, design,
construction, operation and maintenance of engineering works are
recognized and accounted for.

Engineering geologists provide geological and geotechnical

recommendations, analysis, and design associated with human
development and various types of structures.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Engineering Geology
 Engineering geology 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.
 The principal objective of the engineering geologist is the
protection of life and property against damage caused by various
geological conditions.
 The practice of engineering geology is also very closely related
to the practice of geological engineering and geotechnical
engineering.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Geotectonics
 Geotectonic is a subject of earth science which deals with the
phenomena of solid earth on a global scale and the timescale of the
earth’s history.
 It is the subject relating to the shape, structure, and arrangement of
the rock masses resulting from structural deformation of the earth's
crust.
 Origin and history of major tectonic elements of the earth, especially
their interaction through time are discussed
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Geotectonics
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Geotectonics
The map below shows the relative motion of the plates, longer arrow
indicates faster motions.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Historical Geology
 Historical geology is the discipline that uses the principles and
techniques of geology to reconstruct and understand the past
geological history of Earth.
 It is a major branch which deals with the records of events of earth
history and with the historical sequence and evolution of plants and
animals of past ages.
 Its objective is to arrange the events of earth history in the regular
chronological order of their occurrence and to interpret their
significance. Fortunately, the historical records are preserved in the
layered rocks of the crust.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Historical Geology
 Historical Geology is , sometimes , called as Stratigraphical Geology.
It brings together all collated details of other Branches of Geology like
Paleontology, petrology and structural geology, pertaining to age-wise
correlated beds.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Mineralogy
 Mineralogy is the branch of geology concerned with the study of
minerals.

 A mineral is a naturally occurring, homogeneous solid with a definite

chemical composition and a highly ordered atomic structure.

 The history of mineralogy is as old as humankind. Minerals have

been an important part of our society since the time of prehistoric man.
Early humans carved tools out of minerals such as quartz. Pottery has
been made of various clays since ancient times. Sodium Chloride, also
known as the mineral halite, has been used in food preservation
techniques for millions of years.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Mineralogy
 The modern study of mineralogy was founded on the principles of
crystallography – the scientific study of chemistry, crystal structure, and
physical (including optical) properties of minerals.

 Mineralogy is an important discipline for several reasons. For one,

the study of the composition of the earth's crust gives scientists an idea
of how Earth was formed. The discovery of new minerals could provide
useful materials for industry.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Palaeontology
 is the scientific study of the developing history of life on earth.
 It is the study of ancient plants and animals based on their fossil
record.
 This includes the study of body fossils, tracks, burrows, cast off
parts, fossilized feces ("coprolites"), and chemical residues.
 The subject of Paleontology helps to determine the organisms'
evolution and interactions with each other and their environments
(paleoecology)
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Palaeontology
 It also heavily relies on the two subjects such as biology and
geology. It differs from archaeology in that it excludes the study of
anatomically modern humans. It uses techniques drawn from a wide
range of allied sciences like biochemistry, mathematics, and
engineering.
The major subdivisions of paleontology include paleozoology
(animals), paleobotany (plants) and micropaleontology (microfossils)
and palynology.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Petrology
 Petrology is the scientific study of rocks, their composition, texture,
and structure, their occurrence, distribution and origin in relation to
physicochemical conditions and geologic processes of formation.
 It is concerned with all three major types of rocks — igneous,
metamorphic, and sedimentary and the processes that form and
transform them.
 Petrography is a branch of petrology that focuses on detailed
descriptions of rocks. Someone who studies petrography is called a
petrographer.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Petrology
 The classification of rocks is based on the information acquired
during the petrographic analysis.
 Petrology has three subdivisions: igneous, metamorphic, and
sedimentary petrology. Igneous and metamorphic petrology are
commonly taught together because they both contain heavy use of
chemistry, chemical methods, and phase diagrams. Sedimentary
petrology is, on the other hand, commonly taught together with
stratigraphy because it deals with the processes that form sedimentary
rock
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Structural Geology
 Structural geology is a scientific discipline that is concerned with rock
deformation on both a large and a small scale.
 The primary goal of structural geology is to use measurements of
present-day rock geometries to uncover the information about their
origin and history of deformation (strain) in the rocks.
 It helps to understand the stress field that resulted in the observed
features of strain and geometries.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Structural Geology
 This subject is a field-based discipline.

 Structural geology is an essential part of engineering geology, which

is concerned with the physical and mechanical properties of natural
rocks.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Environmental Geology
 Environmental geology, like hydrogeology, is an applied science
concerned with the practical application of the principles of geology in
the solving of environmental problems. (It is an applied geology.)
 It is a multidisciplinary field that is closely related to engineering
geology and, to a lesser extent, to environmental geography.
 Environmental geology is the study of the interactions between
humans and their geologic environment: rocks, water, air, soil, life.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Environmental Geology
 It is the application of geological information to solve conflicts,
minimizing possible adverse environmental degradation or maximizing
possible advantageous conditions resulting from the use of natural and
modified environment.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Geochemistry
 Geochemistry uses the tools and principles of chemistry to explain
the mechanisms behind major geological systems such as the Earth's
crust and its oceans.
 Geochemistry is the branch of Earth Science that applies chemical
principles to deepen an understanding of the Earth system and
systems of other planets.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Geochemistry
 Geochemistry uses the tools and principles of chemistry to explain
the mechanisms behind major geological systems such as the Earth's
crust and its oceans.
 Geochemistry is the branch of Earth Science that applies chemical
principles to deepen an understanding of the Earth system and
systems of other planets.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Geophysics
 Geophysics is a major subject of natural science.
 It is a core branch of geology.
 Geophysics is the study of the Earth's physics and structure using
mathematical and physical methods.
 This includes everything from an understanding of the microscopic
properties of minerals and rocks, to an understanding of global
processes such as earthquakes and climate.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Geophysics
 Geophysics is applied to societal needs, such as mineral resources,
mitigation of natural hazards and environmental protection.
 Geophysical survey data are used to analyze potential petroleum
reservoirs and mineral deposits, locate groundwater, find archaeological
relics, determine the thickness of glaciers and soils, and assess sites for
environmental remediation.
 Biogeophysics
 Exploration geophysics
 Geodesy
 Geodynamics
 Geomagnetism BRANCHES OF GEOPHYSICS
 Mathematical geophysics
 Mineral physics
 Near-surface geophysics
 Paleomagnetism
 Seismology
 Tectonophysics
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Hydro-Geology
 is the study of the distribution and movement of water in aquifers and
shallow porous media—that is, the porous layers of rock, sand, silt, and
gravel below the Earth's surface. Hydrogeology examines the rate of
diffusion of water through these media as the water moves down its
energy gradient.
 It deals with how water gets into the ground (recharge), how it flows
in the subsurface (through aquifers) and how groundwater interacts
with the surrounding soil and rock (the geology).
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Hydro-Geology
 The flow of water in the shallow subsurface is also pertinent to the
fields of soil science, agriculture, and civil engineering.
 Hydrogeologists are involved in attempting to solve some of the big
questions facing the world today, including sustainable water supply,
food and energy production; environmental protection; and coping with
climate change. They work closely with a wide range of people, from
individual farmers and well owners; to other scientists and engineers; to
agronomists, sociologists, economists, policy makers, regulators and
planners.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Marine Geology
 Marine geology or geological oceanography is the study of the
history and structure of the ocean floor.
 It involves geophysical, geochemical, sedimentological and
paleontological investigations of the ocean floor and coastal zone.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

Marine Geology
 Marine geology has strong ties to geophysics and to physical
oceanography.
 Marine Geology focuses on areas affected by our oceans including
the deep ocean floor, the shallower slopes and shelves that surround
the continents, and coastal areas like beaches and estuaries.