GeoPrac.net All Headlines

More Nuclear Power – No Geologic Repository

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:18:00 +0100

President Obama’s decision to cut funding to Yucca Mountain has, for me, been the most disappointing decision he has made so far in his presidency. And yet he has also professed his desire to increase the use of Nuclear Power Plants to meet the United States’ energy needs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Well, in my opinion, you can’t have it both ways.

People are concerned about the security risks of transporting spent nuclear fuel, and possible long term environmental risks. What about the risks of hundreds of “Obama Barrels” (to borrow a phrase by geoblogger Ontario-geofish) littered around our nuclear power plants for the next hundred years. Geology.com posted this CNN video showing the dry storage of spent Nuclear Fuel at a Chicago area nuclear power plant. Check it out. Sorry about the rant, but this topic is a hot button with me.

Joseph A. Sopko, Ph.D., P.E., joins Moretrench to head up new Midwest office

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:54:57 +0100

Moretrench is pleased to announce that Joseph A. Sopko, Ph.D., P.E., has joined the company as Regional Manager for its Midwest operations. Strategically located just north of Milwaukee in Port Washington, Wisconsin, the new office will offer the full range of Moretrench’s technologies to the Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit and St. Louis areas. These include dewatering and groundwater control, ground freezing, earth retention and excavation support, deep foundations, underpinning systems, grouting systems and environmental remediation.

[Editor] Click through for the rest of this press release from GeoPrac.net premier sponsor Moretrench. [/Editor]

I-70 Glenwood Canyon Rock Slide Damages Road, Bridge

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:46:48 +0100

Colorado governor Bill Ritter declared a disaster emergency Monday after a slide in Glenwood Canyon struck near midnight Sunday. It was located near Hanging Lake Tunnel, spot of a 2004 rockfall event that damaged a portion of cut and cover tunnel and required some innovative repair techniques. (Photos by CDOT via 9 News)

No injuries were reported, but the slide did some significant damage to median barriers, pavement, guardrails and even a bridge. Boulders up to 10-ft in diameter and up to 66-tons in weight fell into the westbound lanes. But perhaps the most impressive damage was the large hole or possibly holes that it punched through the bridge.

Repairs are currently underway, but the freeway will likely remain closed for some time. The closest detour is on the order of 200-miles.

I-70 Glenwood Canyon Rock Slide Links

AP Article - Colo. rock slide rains boulders on bridge, highway
9 News Slideshow of I-70 Rockslide

Weekend CUP March 8, 2010

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:37:18 +0100

Geo-Florida Presentation by Steve Dapp, Tip-Grouted Drilled Shaft Foundations for the Audubon Bridge - Dan Brown and Associates, PLLC
News 8 Austin - At least one injured in drilled shaft rig accident
Direction drilling method comes under scrutiny in Minnesota after two recent gas explosions - Minnesota Public Radio NewsQ
Drilling rig traps worker near I-35 and 51st | KXAN.com
USDOT Furloughs to Shut Down Critical Construction Projects - USDOT Press release
Secretary LaHood Denounces Political Games During Tough Economic Times

... and 27 more. Click through for the rest.

Dozens of Sinkholes in Plant City, Florida after Farmers Pump Extra Water Trying to Protect ...

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:55:27 +0100

In early January of this year, Florida experienced some unusually cold temperatures that forced Plant City area strawberry farmers to pump extra groundwater to try to protect their crops. Over the course of about 11 days, the groundwater table in areas of Plant City was lowered by as much as 60-ft.

Almost immediately as many as 80 sinkholes began opening up around that region. Including ones that jeopardized a 500,000-gallon water tower, several that shut down an elementary school and numerous ones that shut down roads and highways and affected individual property owners. Around 20 local homeowners were left homeless after sinkholes left their house uninhabitable. For comparison, based on data from Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Sinkhole Database for the period of 1998 to 2008 (the last year for which data is available), 77 sinkholes were reported to have opened up in Polk, Pasco and Hillsborough counties combined.

Local officials are seeking help from the State and FEMA to cover the estimated $3 million in damages. That figure is double what Plant City received from FEMA for the particularly bad 2004 hurricane season. And that dollar amount does not include what individual homeowners and property owners will be seeking from their insurance carriers. (Photos by Tampa Bay Online)

Read on for maps of Plant City sinkhole locations and more information.

Video: Rockslide on Highway 96 in Northern California

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:30:00 +0100

A short 25-second video showing an impressive rock slide event. Credit to Dave’s Landslide Blog.

Rock slide on Hwy 96 in Northern California near the Humboldt/Siskiyou County line. from Paul Hailey on Vimeo.

Drilled Shaft Rig Topples in Austin, Texas [Video]

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:44:00 +0100

An excavator mounted drill rig drilling shafts as part of a project to pass utilities under I-35 near 51st Street toppled over while trying to move in soft, rain soaked soil. The Austin Fire Department was able to extract the operator from the cab and he was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries, a minor miracle. I’m not sure what the purpose of the drilled shafts were for. Since the project was for some kind of utility pipe jacking under the freeway, I’m speculating it was drilling holes for temporary shoring for the jacking pit or something along those lines. I’m sure OSHA will be looking into the incident. Video news story after the break. (Photo from Austin KXAN.com).

Chile Earthquake Links - March 1, 2010

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:24:28 +0100

A few interesting links related to the Chile Earthquake. Over the next days and weeks, I will try to highlight interesting news and blog posts related to this event.

Chile Earthquake: Soft ground bites the hand that builds on it - Ontario-geofish
Harold is an expert in earthquake engineering, and this post discusses the limitations of current seismic codes around the world that are based on using a "peak ground acceleration" or PGA for the design earthquake event as opposed to a "peak ground velocity" or PGV approachl. Harold notes one of the problems with the PGA code-based designs is that 'Nobody takes soft soil seriously!'. He wonders if this earthquake in Chile will be a catalyst for changes in seismic codes around the world.
Chile quake toll limited by good planning - Washington Post- msnbc.com
Scientists defend warning after tsunami nonevent - Yahoo! News
Chilean earthquake hints at dangers of 'Big One' for USA - USATODAY.com via ASCE SmartBrief
Sizing Up The Tsunami: Why It Wasn't So Big - NPR
How big was that EQ? Magnitude vs intensity in Chile and Haiti - All of My Faults Are Stress-Related

Weekend CUP March 1, 2010

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:27:11 +0100

Dam Safety News for January and February - Association of State Dam Safety Officials
Illustrated Guide to Nonprofit GIS and Online Mapping - Slashgeo
"The Guide includes: * a brief introduction to mapping and GIS (geographic information systems) technology and concepts. * examples of successful nonprofit projects using GIS and/or mapping technologies. * helpful strategies for planning your own mapping/GIS project. * a review of public data sources with freely available data. * a brief review of free and low-cost tools for nonprofit mapping and GIS projects."
New Training Video on How to Heat Seam and Field Test Geomembranes - Cadwaller Technical Services via GeosyntheticsMagazine.com
See the techniques of hot wedge welding, extrusion welding, hot air welding, destructive testing, and non-destructive testing demonstrated and discussed by one of the industry's most experienced and qualified training teams. Includes information relevant to all geomembrane materials and all forms of heat seaming and heat seaming equipment. $80 plus $10 shipping for an 80-minute DVD broken up into 25 sections.
Polk County US-64 Rockslide Update - WTVC NewsChannel 9
Lessons to be learned from Haiti's tsunami - BBC News via Ontario-geofish

... and 10 more. Click through for the rest.

Chile Earthquake 2010 – Magnitude 8.8

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:15:03 +0100

A magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck Chile on Saturday, centered about 200 miles southwest of the capital, Santiago and 70 miles north-northeast of Concepcion, one of the worst hit areas. According to the USGS event page, it occurred at about 3:30AM local time, with the epicenter about 21-miles below the ground, on the boundary between the subducting Nazca plate and the South American Plate (if you remember your plate tectonics). The earthquake prompted tsunami warnings around the Pacific Rim but the waves that materialized were relatively minor. As of Sunday night, the death toll for this earthquake is around 700. (Photo from the Daily Mail)

According to Geology.com, this earthquake was the 5th most powerful ever recorded. The most powerful earthquake ever recorded was the 1960 earthquake in Chile at 9.5 magnitude. Surprisingly, there was not as many casualties in the immediate vicinity of the 1960 quake as you would expect for one of that size. The reason is that it occurred in the middle of the day and was preceded by a powerful foreshock that frightened people out of buildings, many of which were leveled when the main quake hit. However, some 2 million people were left homeless.

The resulting tsunamis from the 1960 quake were responsible for perhaps a larger number of casualties, including 61 people killed in Hawaii with wave amplitudes of 35-ft. 185 people in Japan were killed by the tsunamis, and 32 people in the Phillipines. Waves up to 1.7-m high were measured at locations along California’s coast. All of these things put into perspective why they called for a tsunami warning around the pacific rim after this earthquake.

CUP for Thursday, February 25, 2010

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:47:37 +0100

Experts warn of new landslides in populated areas of Italy - AFP
Portugal Landslide Death Toll Rises to 42 - CBS News
Company fined following rock-drilling accident in Marathon - SOOTODAY.com
2 workers killed when trench collapses in Oklahoma - AP via ASCE SmartBrief
New Haiti earthquake links - Arrowsmith blog

... and 13 more. Click through for the rest.

Bridge and Tunnel Engineer, Thomas R. Kuesel 1926-2010

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:08:35 +0100

Newport Bridge, Newport, R.I., much of the BART subway system and Boston’s Big Dig were among the numerous significant projects worked on by the late Thomas R. Kuesel. He was a well known civil engineer and tunneling expert, co-editor of the “Tunnel Engineering Handbook,” a standard reference for design and construction used worldwide. One of his most noteworthy tunneling projects was the NORAD Combat Operations Center beneath Cheyenne Mountain near Colorado Springs, built during the height of the Cold War and designed to withstand a nuclear blast. Read on for a full obituary chronicling his distinguished career.

ASTM Updates February 2010

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:40:11 +0100

ASTM C39/C39M - "Standard test method for compressive strength of cylindrical concrete specimens" is probably the most significant standard update for the moth of February, at least as it pertains to the geotechnical and construction industries. Also included are a number of other concrete and mortar related standards, and some changes to the E series on nondestructive testing. Click through for the list of ASTM Standards that were revised, reapproved or otherwise changed this month.

Weekend CUP February 22, 2010

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:58:03 +0100

Geology meets archaeology: ancient Mediterranean harbours - Through The Sandglass Blog
Drilling to stabilise mines | Ipswich News | Local News in Ipswich | Ipswich Queensland Times
N.C. residents awaiting cleanup after landslide :: WRAL.com
Landslide neighborhood homeowners look for support from lawmakers | WOAI.COM: San Antonio News
Feds plan landslide sensors in San Rafael's Lucas Valley - ContraCostaTimes.com
Subsidence sends home insurance quotes soaring - The Observer (UK) - Geology.com
One homeowner's story about high insurance premiums and other problems after a 1989 insurance claim related to ground subsidence which was subsequently fixed by underpinning.
Geotechnical and engineering geology work begins to determine the causes of the Naches landslide in Eastern Washington - SeattleTimes.com
Haiti earthquake only moved half the fault - USATODAY.com
Missouri S&T students help reconstruct geologic history of the Nile - MST.edu
Update to RockWorks 15 - Rockware Support Forum
State of emergency declared following Sicilian landslide - timesofmalta.com
F3 drill begins - Singleton Argus
Geotechnical drilling for a new Australian highway over an area of past underground mining.
Global Demand for Geosynthetics to Reach 6.9 Billion Square Yards by 2015, According to New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. - PRWeb.com
How high do GPS satellites orbit? Answer: Really, really high.
Check out their "scale" drawing to get a physical sense. But the answer is over 20,000-km above the earth which explains why your GPS can see so many of them at one time.
The newest Google Earth imagery is sometimes 'historical' - Google Earth Blog
This is interesting. Apparently Google selects the best quality imagery for an area for display in Google Earth. This may not always be the most recent imagery.
Automated Tiltmeter Monitoring Of Bridge Response To Compaction Grouting | resources.carboceramics.com
FoSSA 2.0 Update 17 available - ADAMA Software
Palisades Contract Awarded for NJ Mass Transit Tunnel - TBM Magazine
Volcanic Dome Collapse at Soufriere Hills | Geology.com
Final segment of immersed tunnel floated into place on Tyne River in Wallsend, Newcastle, UK - Ground Engineering (GE) Magazine | Geotechnical news
BC, Canada Landslide lawsuit tossed - Homeowner's failure to disclose 20-year old geotechnical report ruled innocent error - Canada.com
California SR-710 Tunnel Draft Geotechnical Summary Report - CALTRANS, 710tunnelstudy.com
Oakland geotechnical and seismic experts research Haiti earthquake - San Francisco Business Times:
State DEP report says longwall mining caused subsidence at dam - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Geology.com
GEO5 Redi Rock Wall program with option 'Analyses according to LRFD (Load and Resistance Factor Design)' has been released - Geoengineer.org Press Center
Obama's nuclear power push faces obstacle: Waste - CNN.com - Geology.com
First of three Robbins EPB TBMs Headed to Mexico City - TBM Magazine
Landslide Blocks 10 Freeway Transition Road - KTLA
Landslide near Interstate 10 in Pomona still moving | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times
GPS controlled compaction equipment - New Civil Engineer
Impressive roadside landslide in Pomona, California - Dave's Landslide Blog

GEO-SLOPE GeoStudio 2007 Version 7.16 Update – Chinese User Interface

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 03:00:00 +0100

GEO-SLOPE International, makers of the GeoStudio 2007 geotechnical software suite have announced a version 7.16 update for their GeoStudio 2007 software products, which includes SLOPE/W, SIGMA/W and SEEP/W, QUAKE/W and others. The major change is the addition of a Chinese user interface. This is the first I've heard of a geotechnical software package trying to target the Chinese market, very smart.

From GeoStudio Current News. If you are interested, read about the full list of changes in GeoStudio 2007 Version 7.16.

Geotechnical Engineering Challenges of British Columbia’s Sea-to-Sky Highway, gateway to the ...

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:45:00 +0100

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been enjoying watching the 2010 Olympic Winter games over the past few days. If you have, you know that Whistler is the venue for many of the sports including alpine skiing, luge, skeleton, bobsled, ski jumping, biathlon and cross-country skiing among others. The Whistler area is located about 50-miles or so North of Vancouver. In order to get to Whistler, you need to drive along Highway 99, better known as the Sea-to-Sky Highway. This highway has a long history of geotechnical problems, including some significant structurally controlled rockslides and landslides. In the years leading up to these Olympic Games a fair amount of work was done on the highway with some significant geotechnical innovations.

Maierato Italy Landslide Video

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 06:05:50 +0100

This amazing video has been making its way around the geoblogosphere as well as the mainstream media. Pretty remarkable. It ranks up there with the Japanese Landslide Video.

Geology of Ancient Mediterranean Harbors – Studying Sediments for Clues to the Past

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:46:00 +0100

Geoarchaeology is a fascinating application of geologic tools and disciplines, and I came across a post on the Through the Sandglass blog about a Geology Today article on “Coastal and ancient harbour archaeology”. In a quote from the article:

It has effectively been demonstrated that ancient harbours constitute outstanding archives of both the cultural and environmental pasts.

One example of the application of this scientific field is by looking at sediment gradation and number of ostracod (microscopic crustaceans) assemblages per 10g of sand in core samples. The resulting data can help reconstruct the history of the port.

Geotechnical Contractor DBM Digs Up 13,000+ Year Old Mammoth Tusk in Drilled Shaft Excavation

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 06:59:00 +0100

Specialty Geotechnical Contractor DBM was excavating a drilled shaft for the I-5 interchange in Ridgefield, Washington when they dug up something unusual at a depth of 30-ft. At first the WSDOT inspector thought it looked like wood, but then called in a WSDOT archaeologist who took the fragments to University of Washington’s Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. The tusk is believed to belong to a Columbian Mammoth and date to approximately 13,000 to 15,000 years ago. Story and image from The Columbian.

It’s Official – USDOE ‘Pulls the Plug’ on Yucca Mountain

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:06:00 +0100

It’s been evident for a while that Yucca Mountain was history after it was announced that it’s funding was eliminated by President Obama. ENR is reporting that the USDOE is officially withdrawing its Nuclear Regulatory Commission application for a waste-storage facility although it sounds like they are a little unsure about how to do that. Reportedly, more than $38 billion has been spend on research and construction at the site over the last couple decades. According to ENR, the temporary storage costs of storing spent nuclear fuel could reach $10 to $26 billion in the next 100 years if a permanent storage site is not found. It looks like we will be dealing with indefinite “temporary” storage of nuclear waste for probably our lifetime.

Weekend CUP – Feel the Love Edition (February 14)

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 03:11:00 +0100

Ground thawing at Boston's Big Dig site continues to be monitored, thawing slower than anticipated - Boston Globe via ASCE SmartBrief
Crews filling void under Plant City (Tampa Bay Florida area) elementary school - Tampa Tribune
This is interesting, apparently the dozens of voids and sinkholes were reported at the school after farmers pumped out millions of gallons of water to protect their crops from freezing temperatures in early January.
Troops in Afghanistan Will See Through Walls in 2010 | Danger Room - Wired.com
Mudslides occur in the areas affected by the 2009 Station Fire in Los Angeles - Dave's Landslide Blog
20-ft section of concrete retaining wall fails in Ft. Worth Texas, causes car to flip - NBC Dallas-Fort Worth
ASU team finds smaller but more frequent quakes on San Andreas fault - Arizona Geology
Foundations laid for former MG factory - New Civil Engineer
Piling is progressing at the Bournville College site, located at the the former MG Rover factory, Longbridge.
Twelve families lose their homes in Kentucky landslide - WKYT via USGS
Residents evacuate as new storm threatens mudslides in LA-area foothills - chicagotribune.com via USGS
Landslide Hazard: More retaining walls built without permits - WOAI.COM San Antonio News
Messy lawsuits likely left in landslide’s wake - The Smoky Mountain News
The Road Came Tumbling Down, California Storms Hit Hard - CNN iReport via ASCE Smart Brief
Tomorrow Begins Today: Climate Change and Geosynthetics - geosynthetica.net
Falling boulder damages home, structures in Rockville, Utah - thespectrum.com | The Spectrum
Appropriate name for the town I guess.
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering -- March 2010
Construction crews unearth prehistoric tusk in Ridgefield - The Columbian
First Segment of Bay Bridge Deck Lifted Into Place - ENR: Engineering News Record
LSU Professor Ivor van Heerden Files Wrongful Termination Lawsuit Against LSU and University Officials - PR-CANADA.net
In this press release from what I presume is Dr. van Herdeen's attorneys, it outlines his allegations that LSU officials tried to silence him and ultimately fired him because of his comments and congressional testimony that was critical of the Army Corp's levee designs related to the failures that occurred during hurricane Katrina.

ASTM Updates January 2010

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 04:36:35 +0100

Standards updates and revisions that may be of interest to GeoPrac readers include Bulk Density and Voids in Aggregate, several updates for Dry-Cast Segmental Retaining Wall Units, a revised standard for the California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test and several for Geosynthetic Clay Liners and Lanfill Daily Covers. Click through for the list.

CUP for February 8, 2010

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:33:49 +0100

Did Leonardo paint himself as Mona Lisa? - SeattlePI.com
Why did I add this article? A very loose tie-in with geophysics as the group of scientists plans to use small cameras and ground penetrating radar to confirm the presence of Da Vinci's remains. They hope that if the French Government allows them to do carbon testing and DNA testing and if his skull is intact, they can take measurements on his skull and use forensic facial reconstruction techniques and compare them to the Mona Lisa to determine if it is really a self portrait in disguise.
Kilbuck Township, PA Landslide (Former Proposed Walmart Site) Still Not Repaired - WPXI Pittsburgh
This was one I blogged about in the early days of GeoPrac back in 2006, and it's still not fixed.
Mining (Haiti) destruction for data to help others - latimes.com
'The National Science Foundation, the primary funder of such missions, is now evaluating proposals from investigators hoping to study the geologic and engineering aspects of the quake, such as the way houses crumpled and how soil moved and changed.'
Texas officials say failed wall not built to plan - Houston Chronicle
'Assistant City Manager T.C. Broadnax wrote in an e-mail obtained by the San Antonio Express-News that inspectors' field observations Friday found limestone was not mortared throughout the wall as plans called for.'
Port of Seattle will pay $300M for viaduct replacement tunnel - Seattle Times Newspaper via ASCE SmartBrief
Huge hydroelectric dam approved in Brazil's Amazon | Reuters - via ASCE SmartBrief
VDV - Virtual Disaster Viewer - Haiti Earthquake
Shows overlays of various data and imagery available related to the Haiti Earthquake. It uses Microsoft Virtual Earth as an interface and was originally developed after the Wenchuan China Earthquake.
Tour an old silver mine in Bolivia and buy a stick of explosives to blow up at the end of the tour - Odd Spot | BigPond News
Pending Legislation in Virginia is Bad for Dam Safety - Association of State Dam Safety Officials
ION Geophysical Corporation Wins $25 Million Patent Infringement Jury Verdict Against Sercel - OilVoice via Geoengineer.org
GIS on a shoestring - Adventures in GIS Blog
Arne at the adventures in GIS Blog writes about his company's (agency's) approach to digitizing and cataloging years of old boring logs using Google Earth and some inexpensive software to bridge between ArcMap and Google Earth.
Movements Of The Earth's Crust In Haiti - Spacemart.com
Crust movements up to about 2-m based on TerraSAR-X satellite radar data.
Centex hires Terracon to investigate cause of retaining wall failure in San Antonio - San Antonio Business Journal
San Antonio rain adds to soil sliding woes - Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
Hong Kong Drainage Tunnel - Tunnel Business Online
USGS Relaunches Early Warning System For Landslides - News Story - KTVU San Francisco
Blue Mountains train line to re-open after landslides - Local News - News - General - Blue Mountains Gazette
Maggie Valley residents recall horror of landslide - citizen-times.com | Asheville Citizen-Times
Leshchinsky receives Kapp Award - Geosynthetics
Kavazanjian, Fox receive ASCE awards - Geosynthetics
The Rivermist subdivision in San Antonio, Texas is on the move again - and it is a rotational retaining wall failure - Dave's Landslide Blog
Google tapped for new 3D view of the Bay Bridge during construction - CNET News via ASCE SmartBrief
Utah Company's plans to store energy in form of compressed in underground salt caverns - ABC News

Massive Mudslides and Debris Flows in California

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 06:45:47 +0100

Another El Nino storm just moved through Southern California culminating in significant rainfall on Saturday producing mudslides and debris flows in the area hit by this past September’s Station Fire. More after the break. (Photo from Sacramento Bee, David McNew - Getty Images)

Arizona Geological Survey Publishes Earth Fissure Viewer

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 05:57:11 +0100

A new Google Maps based interface for viewing earth fissures in four Arizona counties has been launched by the AZGS. Earth fissures are a serious geologic hazard in Arizona where they have been known to reach lengths of up to 1-mile, depths of 40-ft and widths of up to 15-ft. They pose a risk to vehicles, structures, livestock and people in addition to creating potential pathways for contaminants to reach groundwater.

In 2007 some high profile earth fissures in the news motivated the Arizona State Legislature to mandate that the AZGS undertake an earth fissure mapping program and make the information available to the public so they can make informed decisions regarding real estate transactions. This new interface is a much improved way of meeting that second mandate.

Read the announcement on the State Geologist’s blog, or visit the Earth Fissure Viewer launch page.

ASCE 2010 OCEA Award Finalist Projects Full of Geotechnical Engineering Challenges

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:24:00 +0100

I was reading the ASCE News, January edition which announced the 5 finalists for the 2010 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) Award and I was struck by the significant geotechnical engineering and geoengineering components of these projects. Read on as I highlight some of things hidden beneath the ground of these remarkable projects.

January/February GeoPrac.net Newsletter

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 06:04:41 +0100

The January newsletter was really late, so I just decided to wait until the beginning of this month and combine it with February. Highlights include Haiti Earthquake coverage, Top Content for December and January and more. You can find this newsletter and all the others in our Newsletter Archive and you can subscribe using the form on this site or directly through Constant Contact.

Haiti Earthquake Updates for February 1, 2010

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:46:05 +0100

Architects and engineers are working on a new building code for Haiti - latimes.com via ASCE SmartBrief
Haiti's Quake Assessment Is Small Step Toward Recovery - ENR: Engineering News Record
A quick look at NGA LiDAR from Haiti - Open Topography Portal - Arrowsmith blog
Haiti's Quake Assessment Is Small Step Toward Recovery - ENR: Engineering News Record
Major environmental issues arising for Haiti recovery - ReliefWeb
U.S. Embassy in Haiti Stood Up to Quake's Shaking - ENR: Engineering News Record
Haiti rescue focuses on sanitation - New Civil Engineer

CUP for February 1, 2010

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:44:31 +0100

New rockslide comes down on Interstate 40 - Nashville - Fwix.com via USGS Landslide Events
Germany: Boulder Crushes Home, Two Die (VIDEO) - Huffington Post via USGS Landslides
DBA on successful St. Louis Bridge team - Dan Brown and Associates, LLC
Characterization of Loess for Deep Foundations - Dan Brown and Associates, LLC
GeoPad - Selecting a Field-Capable GIS/GPS Workstation - Slashgeo
Autodesk Ongoing Support to Geospatial Open Source - Slashgeo
Fatal rockfall near to Munich in Germany - Dave's Landslide Blog
Engineers watch Texas homes for more moving soil - Star-Telegram via ASCE SmartBrief
Interesting that the representatives from Centex (formerly Pulte) acknowledge they didn't have a permit for the wall but insist the followed industry standard construction practices. The City said it will be looking for permits for all Pulte retaining walls built in the City.
Retaining Wall Failure - San Antonio TX - RetainingWallExpert.com
They have collected some nice photos, including a number of nice aerial angles I haven't seen before.
Allegations continue from city, Pulte as officials sort out slope failure - kens5.com
Five Teams Prequalify To Bid Last Hudson River Tunnel Job - ENR: Engineering News Record
Construction Fell 26% in 2009 - ENR: Engineering News Record
New low altitude aerial photographs along the San Andreas Fault - Arrowsmith blog
New Jersey Panel Warns of Delay for Hudson Train Tunnel - NYTimes.com - ASCE Smart Brief
Roller-Compacted Concrete Delivers Rapid, Efficient Dam Rebuild - ENR: Engineering News Record
Stronger structure needed after catastrophic failure of reservoirâ€™s earth-and-rockfill dam.
States awarded nearly $8B in high-speed rail funding - AASHTO - High Speed Rail
The White House has announced that 21 states and the Northeast Corridor will receive high-speed and passenger rail grants under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Nine states will receive grants for rail planning studies.
Rogersville Tennessee woman escapes injury when boulder crashes into apartment, misses bed - Kingsport Times-News Online
December-January 2010 Issue of Foundation Drilling Magazine by the ADSC - ADSC Website
Debris flows not as serious as projected due to less rainfall - USGS Release
Permeation Grouting and Micropiling to Stabilze Section of 134-km Victorian Era Aqueduct that Supplies Water to Manchester, UK - New Civil Engineer
Louisiana coastal restoration and levees would share $600 million from state in fiscal year 2011 under proposal - NOLA.com via ASCE SmartBrief
Sinkhole snarls traffic on U.S. 19 in Florida
Federal panel to examine nuclear waste storage - ReviewJournal.com (Las Vegas) via Ontario-geofish
Like Harold pointed out on his post, the blue ribbon commission seems completely full of politicians and relatively few scientists. I think Harold is right, appears like a long shot that the US will go for a deep geologic repository type system.
Utah canal safety bill pitched: Rep. Hunsaker defends hazard secrecy provision - The Herald Journal
Latest Dam Safety news updated 1/29/10 - ASDSO

Boulderscape Launches New and Enhanced Web Site

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:55:35 +0100

San Juan Capistrano, California (January 25, 2010) Boulderscape Inc, the nationwide leader in sculpted retaining wall finishes, is pleased to announce the launch of it’s newly resurfaced web site, www.boulderscape.com.

The new site was designed to increase functionality for clients and is complete with comprehensive photo galleries, videos, case studies, and technical information. [Editor] Click through for the full press release. [/Editor]

Retaining wall failure and landslide in San Antonio Displaces 25 Homeowners

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:55:18 +0100

A 20 to 30-ft high retaining wall in a subdivision in San Antonio Texas failed on Sunday causing an evacuation of 80 homes. After an initial inspection, some 55 home-owners were allowed to return. The massive tension cracks that opened along the wall and behind it were 12-15-ft deep and 6-8-ft wide. Reportedly, the wall had problems even before the subdivision was even constructed. More after the break. (Photo by Jerry Lara – San Antonio Express-News)

Recent Haiti Earthquake News for Geo's

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 05:42:17 +0100

Here are a couple of links to some recent news on the Haiti Earthquake.

Haiti's geology points to big quakes - USATODAY.com
Haiti Quake Similar to Loma Prieta '89 - KGO AM 810 Newstalk Radio, San Francisco
Haiti Earthquake - video of the liquefaction damage to the main dockyard in Port-au-Prince - Dave's Landslide Blog
Assessing the Damage in Haiti - Map - NYTimes.com
Maps showing the location of the strike-slip fault along the plate boundary relative to the City of Port-Au-Prince. Also shows locations of maximum damage, temporary shelters and road blockages apparently based on analysis of recent GeoEye satellite imagery. Thanks Pancho!
Haiti Earthquake Response - US Military Drone Images Available - Slashgeo
UT Engineer to Lead Team Mapping Haiti Destruction - The University of Texas at Austin
'To develop safer, future engineering design procedures, the seven-person team will spend an intensive week documenting the effects of the Magnitude 7.0 earthquake. Their efforts are sponsored by the Geo-engineering Extreme Events Reconnaissance (GEER) Association which is supported by the National Science Foundation.'

CUP for Tuesday January 26, 2010

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 05:40:06 +0100

Energy Department probing Hanford waste burial - SeattlePI.com
Sinkholes close highway in Lake Wales | Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Sarasota | WTSP.com 10 Connects
Drilling finished at Nile Valley landslide - KNDO/KNDU Tri-Cities, Yakima, WA
Chevron Australia lets $20M AUS geotechnical contract for Wheatstone LNG Facility to Golder - Oil & Gas Journal
WSDOT pre-qualifies four teams for the SR 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct bored tunnel project - West Seattle Herald / White Center News
I guess this is about a month old, but this is the first I have heard of it.
Secaucus firm gets $271.7M contract for Hudson River Rail Tunnel | New Jersey Business - - NJ.com
Structural Engineers Begin On-Site Damage Assessments in Haiti | ENR: Engineering News Record | McGraw-Hill Construction - via ASCE SmartBrief
Google Earth, Bing and other Mapping Resources for Haiti - Google Earth Blog
Garmin launches sevice for aerial photo backgrounds on handheld GPS units - Garmin Blog
State Route 264 cleanup, repair continues - Navajo-Hopi Observer
This link has some nice pictures of a small to moderate sized rockfall event in Northern Arizona. It was large enought to shut down the highway. Thanks to my colleagues Gregg and Pancho for pointing this out.
Mudslide blocks Seattle commuter train tracks | KOMO News - Breaking News, Sports, Traffic and Weather - Seattle, Washington | Local & Regional
Sinkhole reroutes Olympic torch relay in Calgary
Discussion of British Standards Institute Withdrawing Support for British Standards for Geotechnical Design and Switching to Eurocode 7 for - Ground Engineering Magazine
German nuclear waste to be removed - Ontario-geofish
Nary a Seismometer in Haiti - Ontario-geofish
Hydraulic Fracturing, a Natural-Gas Drilling Technique, Raises Water-Pollution Concerns - WSJ.com - via ASCE SmartBrief
This issue has significant ramifications in the use of Natural Gas as an energy resource in the US. This is a pretty well-written article by the Wall Street Journal.
Small Businesses Want Bigger Slice of New Orleans Work Pie | ENR: Engineering News Record | McGraw-Hill Construction
Geosynthetics photo contest - Geosynthetics Magazine
Gap in foundation technology threatens wind farm progress - Ground Engineering (GE) Magazine | Geotechnical news
20 Years of Expansion in Chandler, AZ | Geology.com
Work on $0.75M Landslide stabilization retaining wall project in Pittsburgh on hold - post-gazette.com
ASCE Disaster Assistance Volunteer Program | Critical Infrastructure
Cutoff Interface Seepage Analysis Example using SEEP/W - GEO-SLOPE
An example problem highlighted in their January Newsletter.
New, remarkable animation video of the Po Shan Road landslide in Hong Kong - Dave's Landslide Blog
Another lakefront levee is found packed with debris | Hurricane News and Storm Tracking - - NOLA.com - via ASCE SmartBrief
So much debris has been found in a second stretch of the Lake Pontchartrain levee in East Jefferson that the Army Corps of Engineers plans to replace the top 2Â½ feet of dirt on a section more than one mile long because it violates corps standards.
UT Engineer to Lead Team Mapping Haiti Destruction - The University of Texas at Austin
'To develop safer, future engineering design procedures, the seven-person team will spend an intensive week documenting the effects of the Magnitude 7.0 earthquake. Their efforts are sponsored by the Geo-engineering Extreme Events Reconnaissance (GEER) Association which is supported by the National Science Foundation.'
Tunnel repairs to begin on disaster struck hydro scheme in Scotland near Loch Ness - New Civil Engineer

ASCE North Jersey Branch Geotechnical Group Upcoming Events

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:58:11 +0100

GeoPrac.net Premier sponsor Moretrench would like to announce two upcoming events in the ASCE North Jersey Branch Geotechnical Group:

Ground Freezing Challenges for Horizontal Connection Between Shafts Under Difficult Geologic and Hydrostatic Conditions

by Mr. Kenneth E. Wigg, P.E., Senior Engineer with Moretrench American Corporation, Rockaway, New Jersey

Thursday, February 11, 2010 at The Newark Club, One Newark Plaza, Newark, New Jersey.

Ground freezing to assist in horizontal tunneling presents unusual challenges to the ground freezing design-build contractor. Stresses on the frozen ground vary with depth and the strength and water tightness of the interface between the frozen ground and existing structures is critical. For the East Side CSO Tunnel project, in Portland, Oregon a hand-mined tunnel was completed between two existing concrete slurry wall shafts at 42.7m (140ft) below ground surface. This presentation discusses the design, installation and operation of the ground freezing system, together with QA/QC measures employed to ensure full closure and maintain structural competency of the frozen ground during the tunneling activities.

Download the PDF Flyer on Ground Freezing Challenges for Horizontal Connection Between Shafts Under Difficult Geologic and Hydrostatic Conditions for more information.

Design and Installation of Micropiles and Drilled Shafts

in Association with ADSC Northeast Chapter

Thursday, March 25, 2010 at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey.

This full day seminar will cover general and special topics relating to the design and construction of micropiles and drilled shafts. Topics will include micropile design techniques and structural considerations, case histories of difficult micropile installations and the use of hollow bar micropiles.

Download the PDF Flyer on Design and Installatio of Micropiles and Drilled Shafts.

Nicholson Awarded Earth Retention Contract for Seattle Light Rail Project

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:11:03 +0100

PITTSBURGH, PA – January 15, 2010 – Nicholson was awarded a subcontract by Traylor Bros./Frontier-Kemper JV that includes temporary shoring and the construction of the permanent reinforced concrete diaphragm walls for the a new light rail station near the University of Washington’s Husky Stadium in Seattle. The project owner is Sound Transit and the work will be completed in a joint venture with Condon-Johnson & Associates. [Editor] Click through for the entire press release from GeoPrac.net sponsor Nicholson Construction. [/Editor]

Nicholson Awarded a Contract on the MTA’s Second Avenue Subway Project

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:08:43 +0100

PITTSBURGH, PA – January 18, 2010 – Nicholson was recently awarded a subcontract by E.E. Cruz and Tully Construction Co., a Joint Venture that includes approximately 200,000 SF of diaphragm walls for the construction of the 96th Street station box as part of New York City’s Second Avenue Subway project. Nicholson’s contract also includes jet grouting for a subgrade strut, water cutoff, and temporary support of excavation; compensation grouting for two buildings at excavations for ancillary structures; micropiles within an existing building; and curtain grouting in rock. The project owner is the Metropolitan Transit Authority. [Editor] Click through for the entire press release from GeoPrac.net sponsor Nicholson Construction. [/Editor]

Moretrench announces the appointment of Joseph M. McCann to Executive Vice President

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:00:16 +0100

Moretrench, a leader in construction dewatering and specialty geotechnical construction, is pleased to announce that Joseph M. McCann has been appointed to the position of Executive Vice President. [Editor] Click through for the rest of the press release from GeoPrac.net sponsor Moretrench. [/Editor]

Weekend CUP January 19, 2010

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:57:19 +0100

M 6.5 Offshore California Earthquake | Geology.com

Crews probe Yakima River to design bridge - Mid-Columbia News | Tri-City Herald : Mid-Columbia news

Work is under way after two sinkholes close section of U.S. 27 in Florida - NewsChief.com

City of Ottowa approves functinal design of new metro tunnel system - Ontario-geofish

114-pages pdf guide named 'A Gentle Introduction to GIS' produced by Tim Sutton - Slashgeo

GeoDetect launched in North American market - Geosynthetics - Geosynthetics Magazine

ArcGIS 9.4 Renamed to ArcGIS 10 and ArcGIS 10 Planned Improvements [updated] - Slashgeo

Dredging up a good use for tunnel waste - Shields Gazette - iCivilEngineer

kcICON project moving along - see it on Facebook and YouTube | Dan Brown and Associates, LLC

Arizona bill proposes seismic monitoring for illegal activity - Arizona Geology Blog

Twitter Earthquake Detection from the USGS - Arizona Geology Blog
This post describes a new official USGS Twitter account trying to track tweets related to earthquakes. Excellent idea, we'll have to see how well it works. I've tried something similar, and if you're not careful you end up with stuff like "i'm so hungry, my stomach growled and it felt like an earthquake" etc. It's a challenge to filter out the common stuff like that.

Detailed information and amazing images of the catastrophic Attabad (Atabad or Atta Abad) landslide in Hunza, Pakistan - Dave's Landslide Blog

Dave's Landslide Blog: The 2009 fatal landslide map and statistics
Dave keeps statistics on fatal landslides around the world, this is his 2009 summary.

Panasonic announce World's first integrated twin-lens Full HD 3D camcorder
Of course, at $21K (US), it's not quite ready for mainstream yet! But maybe in a couple years the cost will come down some.

Geographical agency's Earth movement analysis assists Haiti rescuers - Nextgov

HeraldNet: Does insurance cover landslides? Probably not

Landslide blocks westbound Highway 18 at West Valley Freeway - Breaking News - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington

Long road to Caldecott fourth bore ends Wednesday with groundbreaking - ContraCostaTimes.com

Welcome new Sponsors: Nicholson Construction and Dataforensics!

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 04:10:00 +0100

I am very grateful for the support of two new sponsors this year, Nicholson Construction and Dataforensics. Please let them know you appreciate their financial support of GeoPrac!

Nicholson Construction is a specialty geotechnical contractor headquartered out of Cuddy Pennsylvania. They have expertise in many different techniques, including micropiles, augercast piles, soil-nailing, ground anchors, jet grouting, compaction grouting and stone columns among many others. Find more info about the on Our Sponsors page or at the Nicholson Construction website.

Dataforensics is a software company specializing in geotechnical and geoenvironmental data management. Their products include PLog, the most popular field borehole logging system on the market, PLog Enterprise - the only GIS based geotechnical data management system, PDensity and PConcrete for field and office data management of construction QA/QC, PWell for groundwater monitoring data management, and a cone penetration testing software package called RAPID CPT. Read more about Dataforensics on the Our Sponsors page or at the Dataforensics website.

Haiti Earthquake

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:50:29 +0100

The magnitude 7.0 earthquake in the impoverished nation of Haiti has clearly had devastating consequences. I don’t know what I can add in terms of useful information except perhaps to point interested readers to these additional sources of information. This is truly a heart-breaking situation. Click through for the links. (Photo by UNDP Global)