Geological and Environmental Sustainability

Geology in Civil Engineering

Civil engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with the design, construction & maintenance of roads, bridges, large buildings, airports, ports, subways, dams, mines and other large scale developments. For a civil engineering project to be successful, the engineers must understand the land upon which the project rests. Geologists study the land to determine whether it is stable enough to support the proposed project. They also study water patterns to determine if a particular site is prone to flooding. Some civil engineers use geologist to examine rocks for important metals, oil, natural gas and ground water. The value of geology in mining has long been known but its use in civil engineering has been recognized only in comparatively recent years. Geology provides a systematic knowledge of construction material, its occurrence, composition, durability and other properties. Example of such construction materials is building stones, road metal, clay, limestone & laterite. The knowledge of the geological work of natural agencies such as water, wind, ice and helps in planning and carrying out major civil engineering works.