Engineering Geology

Dr. Pavel Spirov

2nd year

Outline
- Introduction

-Metamorphic Rocks

-Geological History

-Geological Structures

-The Earth: Surface,

-Strength of Geological Material

Structure and Age

-Ground-water

-Surface Processes

-Slope Stability

-Minerals

-Water reservoirs

-Igneous Rocks

-Excavations

-Sedimentary Rocks

Excavations
Ground Treatment and Support
-

 Leering material:
A geology for engineers
(7th edition)
Listening lectures and making notes

The interior off the Earth

Our knowledge of the Earth's interior is
at present based
on those direct investigations that can
be made to depths
of a few kilometres from the surface,
together with extrapolations to lower
levels. Studies of heat-flow, geostatic
pressure.
Temperature gradient and density
-average rate of 30 C per km

Density
The high pressure prevailing at that depth and the ability of crustal rocks to
conduct heat away to the surface of the Earth result in
the rock-material there remaining in a relatively solid condition
The mean mass density of the Earth, which is found from its size and motion
around the Sun, is 5.527 g cm3.

This is greater than the density of most rocks found at the surface, which
rarely exceeds 3;
sedimentary rocks average 2.3,
and the abundant igneous rock granite about 2.7.

Earthquakes
The numerous shocks which continually take place are
due to sharp movements along fractures
Stress accumulates locally from various causes until it exceeds the strength
of the rocks, when failure and slip along fractures occur, followed usually
by a smaller rebound. A small movement on a fault, perhaps a few
centimeters or less, can produce a considerable shock because of the
amount of energy involved and the fault may 'grow' by successive
movements of this kind.

Earthquakes

Tectonic Plates

Earthquakes
Accurate measure of earthquake activity
is
provided by the amount of seismic
energy released in
an earthquake; this defines its
magnitude, for which the
symbol M is used. The Scale of
Magnitudes due to C. F.
Richter (1952) and now in general use is
based on the
maximum amplitudes shown on records
made with a
standard seismometer.

Earthquakes

Isostasy
This term (Greek, meaning 'in equipoise') is
used to denote an ideal state of balance
between different parts of the
crust.
The continental masses can be visualized as
extensive blocks or 'rafts' essentially of granitic
composition supported by underlying subcrustal material.
The difference in the density between these
two implies that the continents are largely
submerged in denser sub-crustal material
rather like blocks of ice floating in water.

Example

weak zone is called the

asthenosphere (Greek: a, not, and sthene, strength). It lies
in the uppermost part of the mantle (Fig. 1.3) and its
distinctive feature is its comparative weakness

Continental drift

Lands in the southern hemisphere including South

America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and peninsular
India formed a large continent, called Gondwanaland
(Fig. 1.12), some 400 my ago in Carboniferous time

Oceanic ridges

These structures, mentioned briefly on p. 2, resemble submerged mountain ranges and are found in all the
oceans. The existence of a large rise below the North Atlantic had
been known for a long time; surveys have now shown
that a ridge extends from Iceland southwards through the
North Atlantic, and thence continues into the South Atlantic about midway between Africa and South
America

Mechanism of drift
Continental drift is associated with the opening and extension of the ocean floor at the oceanic ridges.
The temperatures of rocks near the center of a ridge are higher than on either side of it, because material
from the mantle rises towards the surface in the hotter central part of a
ridge.

The cause of this upward flow is believed to be the operation of slow-moving convention currents in the
Earth's mantle

Plate tectonics

Tectonic Plates

 1. oceanic plate, 2.continental rift, 3.islands creation , 4.active continental plates, 5. pools , 6. oceanic
islands, 7.zones of continental activity

The layers of ocean plate

Paleomagnetic zones in Atlantic Ocean

Relief of the ocean bottom near transform fault

Hot spots (41)

Earthquakes.Volcano belts.