1 - SERC

COMMON GROUND BETWEEN APPLIED GEOLOGY AND ENGINEERING Horacio Ferriz, Dept. Physics and Geology, California State University
Stanislaus
hferriz@geology.csustan.edu (209) 667-3874 Engineering, the most creative profession in the world! In Latin and its
derived languages, the word engineering (e.g., ingeniería in Spanish) is
derived from the word ingenuity (e.g., ingenio in Spanish). The scope of
Engineering is the solution of problems through ingenuity, often with the
help of technology and scientific knowledge. Since problem solving is as
old as humanity itself, engineering is as fundamental a human activity as
art or language. It is surprising that many universities do not have
engineering programs as part of their "liberal arts" curricula! Geology is the scientific study of the Earth, including the solid Earth,
the hydrosphere, and the atmosphere. Some of this study is "academic", as
practiced in research institutions, but a lot of it is applied in the sense
that it is used for the solution of problems relevant to society. In this
regard, then, applied geology and engineering have a common goal. Enter,
then the practice of geological engineering, which could be divided in:
- Engineering geology, whose practitioners provide civil engineers with
the information on soil strength, rock mechanics, or seismic behavior
that is needed to design lasting civil works. Engineering geologists are
also involved in the location of suitable banks of construction
materials, mapping of active fault strands, and estimation of compaction
potential, slope stability, and liquefaction susceptibility.
- Ore deposits geology (aka economic geology), whose practitioners explore
and locate the mineral deposits that will be extracted by the mining
engineer, and will be refined by the metallurgical engineer.
- Petroleum geology, whose practitioners explore and locate petroleum and
natural gas that will be extracted by the petroleum engineer.
- Hydrogeology, whose practitioners characterize the variability and
availability of surface water that will be managed by the hydraulic
engineer, locate and characterize groundwater resources, and help design
dewatering approaches needed by civil and mining engineers.
- Environmental geology, whose practitioners locate and quantify
contamination in soil and groundwater, and in concert with environmental
engineers design strategies for cleanup. It is quite common for
environmental geologists to be well versed in hydrogeology and applied
geochemistry.
- Applied geophysics, whose practitioners survey the Earth by physical
methods with the intent to measure properties needed for civil
engineering design or to contribute in the location of construction
materials, mineral deposits, petroleum reservoirs, aquifers, or
contaminated groundwater.
- Applied geochemistry, whose practitioners contribute in the location of
mineral deposits and petroleum reservoirs, or in the destruction of soil
and groundwater contaminants. We at California State University Stanislaus do not have a School of
Engineering, but have made an effort to have a strong emphasis in applied
geology. Partly this is due to the fact that most of our graduates go
directly to the work force, where they are expected to be proficient in the
work requirements of the disciplines listed above, and partly because I am
a geological engineer with working experience in engineering geology,
hydrogeology, geophysics, petroleum geology, and ore deposits geology. Perhaps the most effective ways I have found to trigger interest in applied
geology/geological engineering has been through laboratory or field
exercises that give the students a flavor for what may be expected of them
in professional life. By the course in which the exercises are presented: Applied Geology (a course that covers engineering geology and ore deposits
geology)
. Topographic survey of a slope, and calculation of its factor of safety
under static and dynamic conditions. I need to add a construction
design to this exercise, so the students can see what changes could be
induced if say a water tank were placed on the slope. It would also be
nice to add sample collection and measurement of strength parameters
in the laboratory.
. Geologic mapping of a coastal location, and assessment of erosion
potential. We did this project once and it was very successful, but I
have not had the chance to go back and repeat it. Also, the follow up
was weak, and I ended having to write the final report myself.
. Geologic reconnaissance of the Yerington porphyry copper deposit in
Nevada. This project triggered a lot of interest in ore deposits
geology among my students, but we needed more time for them to look at
core and do some mapping. Mapping is difficult in these heavily
hydrothermal altered rocks, so I need to find a prospect with less
alteration. The students would like to have a couple of labs in core
logging, so I need to get some core donated. Hydrogeology
. Hydrogeologic survey of a small valley. A County Park in a narrow
canyon found contamination in their water supply, and asked for
recommendations. The students mapped the alluvium-to-bedrock boundary,
surveyed the elevations of all water bodies and wells with a standard
topographic level, and collected basic geochemical data (pH, electric
conductivity) to determine paths of groundwater flow.
. Groundwater table mapping and sample contamination at an abandoned
gasoline station. The students used a standard topographic level and a
groundwater depth sounder to determine the geometry of the water table
based on ten groundwater monitoring wells. They also learned how to
collect groundwater samples for contamination studies. This site is
actually only marginally contaminated, but I need to develop an
imaginary scenario, where a gasoline plume from the site intermingles
with a PCE regional plume. Geophysical Exploration (a course that also covers the foundations of
petroleum geology)
. Resistivity survey to select a drilling location. The local landfill
wanted to install a well to provide them with water for dust control,
and asked us to perform a resistivity survey and provide
recommendations. The students had a lot of fun with the survey, and
one of them interpreted the data for each station, but we ran out of
time for the general interpretation and I ended writing the report
myself.
. Gravity survey across a good size valley. We collected gravity data
along a traverse 4 km long in an alluvial valley (fun) as well as an
elevation profile (not fun). The goal was to determine the thickness
of the alluvium, but we ended spending most of our time with the
elevation survey, and at the end could not prove to ourselves that it
was accurate enough for doing the terrain correction for proper
gravity interpretation. Next time we will use a lidar survey of the
valley and concentrate in the acquisition of gravity data and the
subsequent modeling.
. Petroleum exploration lab. This exercise is in its infancy, and I
would like to develop it into a petroleum exploration game (in the
80's such a game was developed, but I don't remember by whom). What I
need is to get the structural maps of a district, preferably one that
has a couple of different types of traps, as well as seismic
reflection sections, geophysical borehole logs, and petroleum data.
The idea is that students would buy a piece of data once a week (e.g.,
one well per section), interpret the limited data, and then bid with
each other for a new well. Over a whole semester enough buyouts and
mergers would take place that the final picture is developed. Maybe I
will try this as the project for this workshop. Two final thoughts: First, the limited mathematical ability of geology
students is a real hindrance to tackling any "real life" problems. I
designed a "Math for Geologists" class, but over the last four years I have
been able to teach it only ones, because of low enrollments. Second,
developing a problem-solving mentality is probably easier in a studio
environment, such as used in the teaching of architecture. Unfortunately
that is a model not commonly used in other disciplines, so being able to
implement such a model, at least in my university, is unlikely. An alternative would be to use case studies as lab assignments. To be
realistic one would need access to investigation results and design
drawings. Maybe this is an area where engineering companies could be asked
to partner with applied geology programs.