Geologic hazards. A field guide for geotechnical engineers / Геологические опасности. Полевое руководство для инженеров-геотехников

Geologic hazards represent substantial danger to humans and their works. The hazards may exist as a consequence of natural events, but often they are the result of human activities. Slope failures, such as landslides and avalanches, can occur in almost any hilly or mountainous terrain, or offshore, often with a very frequent incidence of occurrence, and can be very destructive, at times catastrophic. The potential for failure is identifiable, and therefore forewarning is possible, but the actual time of occurrence is not predictable. Most slopes can be stabilized, but under some conditions failure cannot be prevented by reasonable means.
Ground subsidence, collapse, and expansion usually are the result of human activities and range from minor to major hazards, although loss of life is seldom great as a consequence. Their potential for occurrence evaluated on the basis of geologic conditions is for the most part readily recognizable and they are therefore preventable or their consequences are avoidable. <...>