The purpose of this page is to draw attention to those aspects of Engineering Geology and Geology for Engineers to be found in the UKESCC courseware and to pin-point the modules containing the material. Links to descriptions of individual module are given at the bottom of the page.
Introduction
Geology plays a key role in many civil engineering projects and civil engineers need a understanding of basic geology. The UKESCC software covers much of the relevant material and so can be used to learn about the subject. This page highlights those courseware modules that contain material of direct use to students of civil engineering wanting to learn about geology.
Geological shapes and sizes
Civil Engineers need to have a general understanding of the size, shape and nature of the main types of rocks and geological features that are likely to encounter during underground investigations and subsurface operations. The 'Visualising Geology in Three Dimensions' courseware module is a good place to start to build up knowledge of this sort. The module aims to provide an idea of the size and three dimensional shape of common geological bodies, faults, folds and where these features are formed. A secondary aim, as the name suggests, is to try and help users develop ways of visualising geology in three-dimensions.
Rock Deformation
Engineering geology is concerned with the geological factors which influence the location, design, construction and maintenance of engineering works. The way rocks behave when subjected to changes in stress is of fundamental concern to Engineering Geologists. The 'Rock Deformation and Geological Structures' module covers this subject. It provides information on the concepts of stress and strain as applied to rocks, the structures that may result, and how they relate to deformed rocks in the field. It is assumed that users have a basic geological knowledge so this module would normally be used after the 'Geological Map Skills' and 'Visualising Geology in 3D' modules.
Aspects of Earth Resources.
Water, energy, and building materials of geological origin are the three types of Earth resource that the 'Aspects of Earth Resources' module covers.
The building materials section contains most information directly related to engineering, with descriptions of the properties and uses of the different types of geological building materials. There are short section on rocks as building stones, aggregates, the manufacture of cement and concrete, also transport and the place value of building materials. A small project is provided where users consider providing aggregates to meet future demands, whilst taking socio-economic issues into account.
Basic Skills in Earth Sciences
This module provided basic maths, physics and chemistry training using geological examples. In the physics section, earthquakes and seismic waves are deal with as well as the Earth's gravity and magnetic fields.
Exploring the Shallow Subsurface using Geophysics
Geophysical surveys are often employed by engineering geologists to investigate the shallow subsurface prior to using direct investigation methods such as trial pits and boreholes. This courseware module explains the use of three applied geophysical techniques (seismic refraction, electrical resistivity and gravity) in environmental, archaeological and engineering site investigations. It is divided into four main sections - an introductory geophysics course and three projects.
The introductory course provides a brief introduction to the geophysical techniques needed to complete the projects, along with the basic physics and simple examples of their uses. The user works through the course answering a range of types of question and giving keyword answers. At the end of each course section the main points are displayed in a summary sheet.
Each of the projects poses a different problem in site investigation. The projects are; siting a dam across a river valley; locate a buried shelter; and to mapping buried foundations. For each problem the user is presented with relevant geophysical data sets and is asked to select an appropriate technique(s), design a strategy for solving the problem and then interpret the data. Interpretation is amplified by explanatory sections which require interactive learning by the user and each contains a 'library' of information into which the user can probe in order to correctly answer the questions posed. At each stage, the user gains results (which may or may not be correct or conclusive) which they use to decide what to do next.
Basic Skills for Earth Sciences
Exploring the Shallow Subsurface using Geophysics
Rock Deformation and Geological Structures
