Abstract
Abstract The UK is perhaps unique globally in that it presents the full spectrum of geological time, stratigraphy and associated lithologies within its boundaries. With this wide range of geological assemblages comes a wide range of geological hazards, whether geophysical (earthquakes, effects of volcanic eruptions, tsunami, landslides), geotechnical (collapsible, compressible, liquefiable, shearing, swelling and shrinking soils), geochemical (dissolution, radon and methane gas hazards) or related to georesources (coal, chalk and other mineral extraction). An awareness of these hazards and the risks that they pose is a key requirement of the engineering geologist. This volume sets out to define and explain these geohazards, to detail their detection, monitoring and management, and to provide a basis for further research and understanding, all within a UK context.
Highlights
A geological hazard is the consequence of an adverse combination of geological processes and ground conditions, sometimes precipitated by anthropogenic activity
To understand geohazards and mitigate their effects, expertise is required in the key areas of engineering geology, hydrogeology, geotechnical engineering, risk management, communication and planning, supported by appropriate specialist knowledge of subjects such as seismology and volcanology
The likely cause of the landslide was a combination of rainfall (140 mm in the 2 months before the failure took place), issues related to slope drainage and porewater pressure build-up in the slope, all influenced by the site geology (British Geological Survey n.d.; Forster 1993; Lee 1999; Forster & Culshaw 2004)
Summary
A geological hazard (geohazard) is the consequence of an adverse combination of geological processes and ground conditions, sometimes precipitated by anthropogenic activity. To understand geohazards and mitigate their effects, expertise is required in the key areas of engineering geology, hydrogeology, geotechnical engineering, risk management, communication and planning, supported by appropriate specialist knowledge of subjects such as seismology and volcanology. There is a temptation for geoscientists involved in geohazards to get too focused on the ‘science’ and lose sight of the purpose of the work, which is to facilitate the effective management and mitigation of the consequences of geohazards within society. The Geological Society considered that a Working Party Report would help to put the study and assessment of geohazards into the wider social context, helping the engineering geologist to better communicate the issues concerning geohazards in the UK to the client and the wider public
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