Role of Geology for Dams

Physical Geology (CV230)

Dr. Shamsher Sadiq

Email: shamsher.sadiq@giki.edu.pk
Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230)
 OUTLINE

• Dam structure
• Dam types
• Forces acting on dam
• Selection of site for dam
• Geological characteristics for Dam site selection
• Geology of reservoir
• Case studies

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 2

 Dam structure

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 3

 Dam structure

• Heel: contact with the ground on the upstream side

• Toe: contact on the downstream side
• Sluiceway: An opening in the dam near the ground level, which is used to
clear the silt accumulation in the reservoir side
• Spillway: It is the arrangement near the top to release the excess water of the
reservoir to downstream side
• Gallery: Small rooms like structure left within the dam for checking
operations
• Abutment: Sides of the valley on which the structure of the dam rest
• Reservoir: Artificial lakes which are created by constructing dam across river
• Axis of dam: imaginary line passes along the height of dam through its center

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 4

 Dam types

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 5

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 6
Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 7
 Forces acting on Dam

• Water pressure: Water pressure P, tends to displace dam in horizontal

direction, W act downward. When reservoir is full, toe of dam is overload
and heal is relieved, therefore in order to make dam stable P/W should be
kept smaller.
• Pore water pressure: The water entering in permeable rock below dam
exerts an upward pressure on dam base. Therefore, it is important to
consider this uplift pore pressure to avoid overturning or sliding failure of
dam.
• Silting load:

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 8

 Selection of site for Dam

• Topography: catchment area potential of collecting enough water,

minimize damage to existing population
• Stability: strong rock to support dam foundation, impermeable rock for
reservoir, stability in terms of seismic sources (faults), slip and slope
failure in and around dam
• Construction ability: dams require millions of cubic meters of natural
material (soil, sand, gravel, rock), nonviability of this material near site
makes project unfeasible
• Economically: cost justification (quantity of water stored, floods averted,
power generation and land irrigation)
• Environmentally: Ecological order in terms of life cycles pf animal,
vegetation and human
Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 9
 Geological characteristics for dam site selection

• Geology of area:
• Main topographic features
• Natural drainage pattern
• Rock formation, their stratification, folding, faulting and igneous intrusion
• Trend and rate of weathering
• Geology of site:
• Lithology
• Structure
• Dip and strike
• Fault
• Folds
• Joints

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 10

 Geological characteristics for dam site selection

• Lithology:
• What type of rock makeup the area (igneous , sedimentary, metamorphic)?
• By performing geological investigation lithology can be mapped
• Case1: area contains shale. If there is cementation shale its stronger and do not disintegrate in
wetting and drying whereas soft shale undergo compacting in alternative wetting and drying
cycles, therefore the structure will settle. In case of gravity dam on soft shale, it should be
excavated and should be concreted, or surface should be coated with asphalt to avoid swelling
and caving.
• Case 2: presence of soluble rocks (limestones, dolomites and marbles). These rocks can support
the dam weight but may contain underground caverns and solution channels. In case of solution
channels, leakage can exceed the level that reservoir do not hold water for long time. The
treatment of such openings is very expensive therefore lithology of dam site should be mapped
and in case of soluble rock site should not be used.

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 11

 Geological characteristics for dam site selection

• Structures:
• Detailed mapping of planes of weakness like bedding planes, foliation, cleavage, joints, shear
zones, faults and folds.
• Dip and strike

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 12

 Geological characteristics for dam site selection

• Faults
• Site should be avoided in case of active fault
• In case if there is no choice grouting should be performed,
shear zones should be excavated filled with concrete up to
stable depth
• Folds
• Synclinal bends dam placed on upstream limb would run
the risk of water leakage from beneath dam
• Balance of forces would be disturbed if opened during
construction

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 13

 Geology of Reservoir

• Ground water condition:

W.T= water table, T.R.L= top reservoir level

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 14

 Geology of Reservoir

• Permeability:
• Water leakage can reduce the storage
• In case of permeable rock outcrop it can
generate the landslide
• Trend and rate of rock weathering:
• Catchment area determine the age of
reservoir
• If catchment area is made up of
predominantly weathered rock, barren
slopes, high rate of creep, rock falls-slope
wash's after rain- water runoff will
contribute lot sediments in reservoir-
storage capacity will be reduced

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 15

 Case Studies

Hales Bar Dam (1905-13)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 16

 Case Studies

Hales Bar Dam (1905-13)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 17

 Case Studies

Hales Bar Dam (1905-13)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 18

 Case Studies

Hales Bar Dam (1905-13)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 19

 Case Studies

Hales Bar Dam (1905-13)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 20

 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

• St. Francis Dam was a 205-ft high concrete gravity-

arch dam constructed by the City of Los Angeles
between 1924-26
• It failed catastrophically on March 12-13, 1928, killing at
least 432 people, making it the worst American civil
engineering failure of the 20th Century
Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 21
 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 22

 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 23

 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 24

 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 25

 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 26

 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 27

 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 28

 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 29

 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 30

 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 31

 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 32

 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 33

 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 34

 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 35

 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 36

 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 37

 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 38

 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 39

 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 40

 Case Studies

St. Francis Dam (1924-26)

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 41

 Case Studies
Other geological causes of Dam failures

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 42

 Case Studies
The 2005 Upper Taum Sauk Dam Failure: A Case History

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 43

 Case Studies
The 2005 Upper Taum Sauk Dam Failure: A Case History

https://web.mst.edu/~rogersda/dams/taum-sauk/Taum-Sauk-Dam-Failure-EG&G-Aug2010.pdf

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 44

 Lecture review questions

• Define types of dams and dam components. Also, write down the forces acting on
the dam structure.
• Write down factor to be considered in selection of dam site. Explain the geological
characteristics considered in selection of dam site.
• Write down important geological factor for the geology of reservoir.
• Briefly explain the 5 dam failures case histories that involves the geological failure.

Shamsher (2019)-3 & 5th December, 2019 Physical Geology (CV230) 45