Geology. Basics for engineers / Геология. Основы для инженеров

The engineer’s job is to design and build structures that interact continuously with the soil and subsurface. The goal of this book is to give engineers an academic understanding of earth science and the basics needed to conduct engineering activity appropriate to the various environments that exist on our planet. The objective is to provide:
• The knowledge and ability to analyze the geological processes that create, deform, and weather rocks;
• An understanding of the principal types of rocks and unconsolidated materials and their properties;
• An illustration of how geological conditions affect engineering activities, and how they can simplify or complicate these activities;
• An appreciation of the richness of underground resources and an understanding of how to manage them, geared toward modern engineers seeking sustainable development in an interdisciplinary environment.
This book is a presentation of the scientific basics for engineering geology. The discussion of geological fundamentals is simplified to meet the specific needs of engineers. Other more specialized texts cover the subject of engineering geology in greater detail.

In this introductory chapter, we discuss the areas of geology of interest to engineers and illustrate how geology contributes to the resolution of civil engineering and environmental problems. We will also examine the ancient origin of earth science as early man tried to answer questions raised by his observation of the land. <...>