Engineering Geology: An Introduction

If you are interested in geohazards and the consequences of human intervention, this book will give you new insights into exciting challenges. You will learn about natural hazards such as rockfall, landslides and subsidence, but also about safe and economical construction, the mapping of contaminated sites, the remediation of post-mining landscapes and the storage of hazardous waste. This book presents the interdisciplinary field of engineering geology in three stages: First, the basics are presented, then the broad field of site investigation is discussed, and finally the knowledge gained is put into practice. You will also learn how engineering geology contributes to current topics such as the sustainable use of raw materials, the green energy transition, the water crisis and climate adaptation. The final chapter deals with utopias, some of which are within the realm of the feasible, such as a tunnel through the Atlantic, inhabitable islands made of plastic waste or towers that break height records.

Engineering Geology navigates readers through a myriad of practical examples, showcasing both impressive projects and cautionary tales of costly failures whose causes are thoroughly examined and analyzed. The book features approximately one hundred worked-out exercises, offering readers an immersive experience across various topics. Following each chapter, practical exercises and suggestions for further reading are provided. With its excellent illustration through numerous diagrams, tables, drawings, and photos, this textbook caters to engineers and geoscientists, as well as students and practitioners.

This book is a supplemented translation of the original German 3rd edition Ingenieurgeologie by Dieter D. Genske, published by Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature in 2021. The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically differently from a conventional translation. Springer Nature works continuously to further the development of tools for the production of books and on the related technologies to support the authors.