CVE-104

GEOLOGY FOR
CIVIL ENGINEERING
LECTURER:
ENGR. CHRISTIAN FRANCIS Q. NAYRE
 WHAT IS GEOLOGY?

• ​The word geology means 'Study of the Earth'

• The science which deals with the Physical
Structure and substance of the earth, their
history, and processes which act on them.

• Also known as geoscience or earth science,

Geology is the primary Earth science and
looks at how the earth formed, its structure
and composition, and the types of processes
acting on it.
 IMPORTANCE OF GEOLOGY TO
CIVIL ENGINEERING DISCIPLINE

1) Rocks are used in the formation of foundation or

base for civil engineering projects.
 IMPORTANCE OF GEOLOGY TO
CIVIL ENGINEERING DISCIPLINE

2) Soil and Rock materials are commonly used as

Construction Materials.

SELECTED GRAVEL - 1” APPROVED SAND

 IMPORTANCE OF GEOLOGY TO
CIVIL ENGINEERING DISCIPLINE
ITEM 200 - SUBBASE AGGREGATE COURSE ITEM 311 - PCCP

FIELD DENSITY TESTING PORTLAND CEMENT CONCRETE PAVEMENT, 200MM THK

 IMPORTANCE OF GEOLOGY TO
CIVIL ENGINEERING DISCIPLINE

3) 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.
• Natural hazards (earthquake, landslide, and tsunami) are
originated and produce the deformation on surface of
earth. Natural hazards cannot be prevented, but it can be
predicted.
IMPORTANCE OF GEOLOGY TO
CIVIL ENGINEERING DISCIPLINE

Landslide Earthquake
IMPORTANCE OF GEOLOGY TO
CIVIL ENGINEERING DISCIPLINE

Earthquake Earthquake
IMPORTANCE OF GEOLOGY TO
CIVIL ENGINEERING DISCIPLINE

Settlement of Foundation Failure

 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

1) Physical Geology:
- It is concerned with the work of natural process which bring
about changes upon the earth’s surface.

2) Petrology:
- The discussion of different kinds of rocks.

3) Minerology:
- The study of minerals, its composition & properties.

4) Structural Geology:
- In includes the study of the structures of the rocks in the
earth’s crust.
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

5) Stratigraphy:
- is the study of rock layers (strata) and layering
(stratification).

6) Palaeontology:
- Study of fossils

7) Historical Geology:
- The study of Stratigraphy and palaeontology is included
under historical geology
 BRANCHES OF GEOLOGY

8) Economic Geology:
- it deals with the study of minerals of economic importance,
or is concerned with earth materials that can be used for
economic and/or industrial purposes.

9) Mining Geology:
- it is concerned with the study of application of geology to
mining engineering.

10) Engineering Geology:

- it includes the study of application of geology to civil
engineering.
 EARTH STRUCTURE AND
COMPOSITION
3 LAYERS OF EARTH

1) Crust:
- This is the outside layer of the earth and is made of solid rock,
mostly basalt and granite. There are two types of crust; oceanic and
continental. Oceanic crust is denser and thinner and mainly com​posed of
basalt. Continental crust is less dense, thicker, and mainly composed of
granite.

2) MANTLE:
-The mantle lies below the crust and is up to 2900 km thick. It
consists of hot, dense, iron and magnesium-rich solid rock. The crust and
the upper part of the mantle make up the lithosphere, which is broken
into plates, both large and small. To learn more about these plates see the
Plate Tectonics page​.
 EARTH STRUCTURE AND
COMPOSITION

3) Core:
- The core is the
centre of the earth and is
made up of two parts: the
liquid outer core and solid
inner core. The outer core
is made of nickel, iron and
molten rock.
Temperatures here can
reach up to 50,000 C.
CONTINENTAL DRIFT AND PLATE
TECTONICS
Continental Drift

-the gradual movement of the continents across

the earth's surface through geological time.
• Continental drift was a theory that explained how continents
shift position on Earth's surface. Set forth in 1912 by Alfred
Wegener, a geophysicist and meteorologist, continental drift
also explained why look-alike animal and plant fossils, and similar
rock formations, are found on different continents.
CONTINENTAL DRIFT AND PLATE
TECTONICS
Plate Tectonics

-Plate tectonics explains the movement of Earth's

surface.

• A tectonic plate (also called lithospheric plate) is a massive,

irregularly shaped slab of solid rock, generally composed of
both continental and oceanic lithosphere.
CONTINENTAL DRIFT AND PLATE
TECTONICS
CONTINENTAL DRIFT AND PLATE
TECTONICS
 ORIGIN AND OCCURANCE OF
EARTHQUAKES, MODE OF OCCURENCE
 ORIGIN AND OCCURANCE OF
EARTHQUAKES, MODE OF OCCURENCE
Faults and Earthquake
As the plates move, their rough edges can get
stuck on each other. This stops movement at the
boundary while the rest of the plates keep moving

Stress builds up, and when it becomes too much, the

plates suddenly slip past one another, and the rocky,
brittle lithosphere cracks. These cracks are called
faults. It is the energy released by the sudden
movement on these faults that causes most
earthquakes.
 ORIGIN AND OCCURANCE OF
EARTHQUAKES, MODE OF OCCURENCE
There are three basic
types of faults:

1) Reverse (or thrust)

earthquakes are caused by slip
along a gently sloping fault
where the rock above the fault
is pushed up relative to the
rock below. They commonly
occur at convergent
boundaries. Most tsunamis, and
the largest, result from
reverse earthquakes.
 ORIGIN AND OCCURANCE OF
EARTHQUAKES, MODE OF OCCURENCE
There are three basic
types of faults:

2) Normal earthquakes are

caused by slip along a sloping
fault where the rock above the
fault moves down relative to
the rock below. They
frequently occur at divergent
boundaries.
 ORIGIN AND OCCURANCE OF
EARTHQUAKES, MODE OF OCCURENCE
There are three basic
types of faults:

3) Strike-slip earthquakes
earthquakes are caused by
horizontal slip along a fault.
They frequently occur at
transform boundaries
 PROSPECTING: GROUNDWATER AND
ITS IMPORTANCE

Groundwater prospecting involves various methods to locate suitable

quality and quantity groundwater for extraction. Groundwater
prospecting and extraction can both be part of general water
resource management strategies to increase supply, or respond to
climate change induced water scarcity or variability. Prospecting and
extraction methods depend on the desired water quality and its final
utilization, and can include hydrogeological investigations, geophysical
surveys, remote sensing assessments, and the more simple method of
investigating already existing well sites in the area and their depths
and characteristics.
PROSPECTING: GROUNDWATER AND
ITS IMPORTANCE
REFERENCES:
• A.C. McLean, &C.D. Gribble, (2005). “Geology for Civil Engineers” (2nd
Edition). E & FN Spon.
• F.G.H . Blyth, &M . H. de Freitas, (2005). “A Geology for
• Engineers” (7th Edition). E & FN Spon.
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352801X183
01978
• https://www.weather.gov/jetstream/plates_max#:~:text=Together%2C
%20the%20crust%20and%20the,Layers%20of%20the%20earth.
• https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/tectonic.html
• https://www.livescience.com/37529-continental-drift.html
END OF MY LECTURE
THANK YOU!