Engineering Geology and

Geomorphology
Lecture Note-1
 Geology
• The science of Geology is concerned with the
Earth and the rocks of which it is composed,
the processes by which they were formed
during geological time, and the modelling of
the Earth’s surface in the past and at the
present day.
Importance of Geology in Civil
Engineering Projects
 1. Dam Construction

Hoover Dam, Clark County, Nevada/ Mohave County, Arizona, U.S.

2. Building Construction
3. Construction of Highway

Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway
4. Construction of Tunnels

Hongtiguan Tunnel, China(Shanxi)

5. Groundwater Exploration and
Development

Groundwater Aquifer
6. Airport Construction

Courchevel Airport, France

7. Irrigation Canals

Irrigation Canal in Jhenaidah

8. Bridge Piers and Abutments
9. Soil Mechanics
10. Soil Excavation
11. Research in Construction Materials

Limestone
 12. Sedimentation and Silt
Accumulation

Hong-Kong International Airport on Reclaimed Land

13. Soil Erosion
 Doctrine of Uniformitarianism
• This principle simply means that the physical
processes operating in the present to modify
the earth surface have also operated in the
geologic past, that there is a uniformity of
processes past and present.
Earth’s Layers
 Earth’s Layers

Different Layers of the Earth

 Chemical Composition
Crust
Mantle
Outer Core
Inner Core
 Chemical Composition
 The crust is the outermost layer of the planet, the cooled and
hardened part of the Earth that ranges in depth from
approximately 5-70 km.
 This layer makes up only 1% of the entire volume of the Earth,
though it makes up the entire surface (the continents and the
ocean floor).
 Beneath the continents the crust is thicker (about 35 km) than
that beneath the ocean.
 Basalt (dark colored, heavy igneous rocks) dominate the crust
beneath the ocean (oceanic crust) of average density of
3 t/m‫‏‬³.
 Granite (light, grey or pink colored igneous rock) dominates
the crust beneath the continents (continental crust) of
average density of 2.6 t/m‫‏‬³.
 Chemical Composition
Mantle
iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), aluminium (Al),
silicon (Si) and oxygen (O) silicate compunds
solid but can slowly deform in a plastic
manner
67.3% of Earth's mass
convection in this region drives plate tectonics
 Chemical Composition
Outer Core
The outer core is liquid
Density is is much higher than the mantle or
crust, ranging between 9.9- 12.2 t/m3.
composed of 80% iron, along with nickel and
some other lighter elements.
 Chemical Composition
Inner Core
 The inner core is composed primarily of iron and nickel.
 Density in the core ranges between 12.6-13.0 t/m³,
which suggests that there must also be a great deal of
heavy elements there as well – such as gold, platinum,
palladium, silver and tungsten.
 The temperature of the inner core is estimated to be
about 5,700 K (~5,400 °C). The only reason why iron
and other heavy metals can be solid at such high
temperatures is because their melting temperatures
dramatically increase at the pressures present there,
which ranges from about 330 to 360 gigapascals.
 Mechanical Composition
• Lithosphere
• Asthenosphere
• Mesosphere
• Outer core
• Inner core
 Mechanical Composition
Lithosphere
The outer 50-100 km of the earth is a rigid
shell of rock, called the lithosphere.
The crust and the upper layer of the mantle
together make up a zone of rigid, brittle rock
called the Lithosphere.
 Mechanical Composition
The layer below the rigid lithosphere is a zone
of asphalt-like consistency called the
Asthenosphere.
The Asthenosphere is the part of the mantle
that flows and moves the plates of the Earth.
 Assignment-1
Describe the properties and compositions of
different layers of the Earth.

Submit by Email to: rtk.cwre@cuet.ac.bd

Deadline of Submission: 17/09/2017
at 5:00 PM
 References
• Aziz, M.A. (1972). Geology for Civil Engineers. Dhaka: BUET, p.4-6.
• Blyth, F. and De Freitas, M. (2003). A geology for engineers. 7th ed.
Oxford: Elsevier/Butterworth-Heinemann, p.1.
• Mukerjee, P.K. (1990). A textbook of Geology. 11th edn.,
Calcutta: World Press.
• Colorado.edu. (2017). The Earth's Inside. [online] Available at:
http://www.colorado.edu/physics/phys2900/homepages/Marianne
.Hogan/inside.html [Accessed 11 Sep. 2017].
• Williams, M. (2017). What are the Earth's Layers? - Universe Today.
[online] Universe Today. Available at:
https://www.universetoday.com/61200/earths-layers/ [Accessed 11
Sep. 2017].
• Layers of the Earth. [online] Available at:
http://staff.orecity.k12.or.us/jeremy.hill/Jeremy_Hill/Layers_of_the
_Earth_Notes.html [Accessed 11 Sep. 2017].