CE 201

GEOLOGY FOR
CIVIL ENGINEERS
GEOLOGY

- Is an earth science concerned with the

Solid Earth, the rocks of which it is
composed and the process by which they
change over time.
- The science which deals with the
physical structure and substance of the
earth, their history and the processes
which act on them.
 Geology & its Importance
in Civil Engineering Practice
ü The engineering geologist must observe and record
geological information and then translate this data into
practical engineering design, construction and
maintenance of civil engineering projects.
ü The geological aspects of the civil engineering site must
be studied in detail before commencement of the project.
ü The civil engineer and the engineering geologist must
work together in the field in various stages.
ü The feasibility, the planning and design, the construction
and costing, and the safety of a project may depend
critically on the geological conditions where the
construction will take place.
 Application of Geology in Civil
Engineering practice
1. Geology provides a systematic knowledge of construction
materials, occurrence, composition, durability etc. for civil
engineering works.
2. Geology provides a systematic knowledge of flowing water,
blowing wind, ice, earthquake etc. for planning and carrying
major civil engineering works.
3. Quantity and depth of ground water table occurrence.
4. Construction of Dams, Reservoir, Bridges, Roads etc. directly
concerned with geology of the area
5. The knowledge about the nature and Structure of rocks is very
necessary for tunneling construction and canals.
6. The knowledge about the variation in the earth atmosphere
studied by geology
 Origin of the Earth

q Our earth is a cosmic body. It is one of the nine members of

the solar system of which sun is the central star.
q The eight planets constituting the solar system has been
named as Mercury, Venus, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus
and Neptune.
q In its shape, the earth is commonly described as a spheroid,
it has an equatorial diameter of 12 757.776km and a polar
diameter of 12 713.824km and thus has an equatorial bulge.
q At present the Earth is the only planet believed to be
sustaining life other planets have shown no signs of life on
them.
Internal Constitution of the Earth
Lithosphere

• It is the solid part of the earth in a broader sense includes all

the solid materials composing the earth from surface
downwards, although sometimes-specific terms are used for
deeper earth zones.
• Recent detailed seismic studies of the body of the earth have
shown that it is composed of three well-defined Crust, Mantle
and Core.
Atmosphere

• The outer gaseous part of earth starting from

the surface and extending as far as 700km and
beyond is termed atmosphere.
• Although extending for such great distances,
the atmosphere makes only one-millionth part
of the mass of earth, this is because of its
gaseous composition.
• It is now fairly established that the atmosphere
possesses a layered structured.
Crust
• Is the topmost shell of the earth, which has a thickness of 30-40 km in
the continents and 5-6 in the oceans.
• When considered as a part of the total structure of the earth, crust
makes only an insignificant part represented by a thin layer, like the
skin of an apple.

Mantle
• These materials appear to form a nearly homogeneous zone till a dept of
2900km is reached.
• It is made up extremely basic materials, called ultra basic rocks, which
are believed to be very rich in iron and magnesium but quite poor in silica.
• Many of the most important geological process such as earthquakes and
formation of mountains are believed to have their origin in this zone.
Core
• It is the third and the innermost structure shell of the
earth, which is clearly marked by the seismic evidence.
• At a depth of 2900km below the surface and extends
right up to the center of the earth at 6370km.
• The material making the core is found to be from seismic
studies only strikingly different from that making the
other two shells in one major aspect, in elastic
properties.
THANK YOU !!!

PREPARED BY: Engr. Glaidel Carrera

1. MINERALOGY
2. PETROLOGY
3. PHYSICAL GEOLOGY
4. STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY AND ROCK MECHANICS
5. GEOLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATION IN CIVIL
ENGINEERING