3/16/2025

Geology:
 The word geology has been derived from the Greek
word,”Geo” meaning earth and “logos” meaning study.The
Introduction study of geology mainly concerns itself with the study of
earth’s constitution, structure and history of development.

Purushottam Adhikari

1 2

 Geophysics: application of principles of physics for the study of

Different branches of geology the geology.
 Geochemistry: deals with chemical composition of earth,
 Physical Geology: deals with processes that bring about
distribution and migration of elements in various parts of the
changes on the earth’s surface.
earth.
 Structural Geology: deals with the configuration of the rocks in
 Sedimentology: deals with the science of erosion and deposition
the earth’s crust produced by number of forces.
of rock particles by water, wind, ice.
 Petrology: deals with study of rocks.
 Mineralogy: deals with the study of minerals, their properties.
 Geomorphology: study of origin of landforms an their
 Economic geology: deals with the exploration and recovery of
modification by dynamic processes.
natural resources, like ores, precious gemstones.
 Engineering Geology: Engineering geology deals with the
application of geology in design, construction and performance of
civil engineering works.

3 4

1
 3/16/2025

Definition: Civil Engineering Scope of geology in civil engineering

 Civil engineering is field of engineering, related  Mining engineering
to design, construction and maintenance of buildings,  Water Resource Engineering
dams, bridges, tunnels, highways and any other structures by  Geomechanics
the use of physical laws, mathematical  Land use planning
equations and theories of mechanics.  Environmental engineering
 Civil engineering is all about people. It’s the work that civil  Earthquake Engineering
engineers do to develop and improve the services and  Oceanography
facilities we, the public, all use.  Hydrogeological study
 Construction material engineering
 Tunneling

5 6

Objectives and importance of geology in

 Foundation engineering - assessment of soil conditions civil engineering
 Construction materials engineering - quality of stones,  Geology provides systematic approach to complete the
lime, cement etc. constructions' groundwork smoothly and complete the civil
 Infrastructure engineering - location of bridges, tunnels, engineering without any complications
river meandering zones
 The value of geology in Civil Engineering has been recognized only in comparatively
 Disaster mitigation - seismic resistant structural design, recent years.
flood control, river training, waterway of bridges
 Geology provides a systematic knowledge of construction material,its occurrence,
 Land-use engineering - soil erosion control, natural composition, durability and other properties. Example of such construction
drainage materials is building stones, road metal, clay, limestones and laterite.
 Water Resources engineering - hydrogeology, source and  The knowledge of the geological work of natural agencies such as water, wind, ice
quality of aquifer and water, desilting of reservoirs and and earthquakes helps in planning and carrying out major civil engineering works.
channels
 For example the knowledge of erosion, transportation and deposition helps greatly in
 Environmental engineering - ecological balance, solid solving the expensive problems of river control, coastal and harbour work and soil
waste management by landfill conservation.
 Ground water is the water which occurs in the subsurface rocks.The knowledge
about its quantity and depth of occurrence is required in connection with water
supply, irrigation, excavation and many other civil engineering works.

7 8

2
 3/16/2025

Definition of Engineering Geology according

 The foundation problems of dams, bridges and buildings are directly to IAEG (1992)
concerned with the geology of the area where they are to be built. In these
works drilling is commonly undertaken to explore the ground conditions.  Engineering geology, is defined by the IAEG as the science devoted
Geology helps greatly in interpreting the drilling data. to the investigation, study and solution of engineering and
 In tunneling, constructing roads, canals, docks and in determining the
environmental problems which may arise as the result of the
stability of cuts and slopes, the knowledge about the nature and structure interaction between geology and the works or activities of man, as
of rocks is very necessary. well as of the prediction of and development of measures for the
 Before staring a major engineering project at a place, a detailed geological prevention or remediation of geological hazards.
report which is accompanied by geological maps and sections, is prepared.  It simply refers to the application of geological principles to
Such a report helps in planning and constructing the projects. engineering studies.
 The stability of civil engineering structure is considerably increased if the
geological feature like faults, joints, bedding planes, folding solution
channels etc in the rock beds are properly located and suitably treated.

9 10

Role and task of an engineering geologist Scope, objective and it’s importance in
 Consult geological maps and aerial photographs to advice on site selection.
 Perform desk studies and assess site information sources prior to field investigations.
context of Nepal
 Assist with design of built structures, using specialized computer software and calculations.
 Nepal has diverse topography with Himalaya, hill andTerai which comprises
 Assess findings for construction engineers. of variable geology.
 Collect data and produce engineering geological reports.  Tectonically active Himalaya range comprises of many unique landforms to
 Oversee progress of specific contracts related to engineering geology. be studied prior construction.
 Conduct engineering calculations.  Different dynamic earth processes like weathering, erosion, landslides,
 Assist in preparation of construction plans, specifications and cost estimates including material earthquake makes the study of geology in nepal important before
quantity calculations.
commencing any design.
 Provide construction oversight, documentation, interpretation of drawings and specifications
and other support services.  Lack of better understanding of geology of a area may result in design
 Gather, analyze and publish field and laboratory data in geotechnical report. failure.
 Conduct field investigations as geologic mapping, geotechnical drilling and sampling.  For the identification of different hazards study of geology is important for
 Conduct engineering analyzes including slope stability. Nepal.
 Report geotechnical recommendations integral to successful design, construction and
maintenance of roads, airports and other engineered structures.  Geology assist in the preliminary phase of investigation so that the
 Perform logging and sampling drill holes and trenches, geological and structural mapping, and implementation phase of design works which has not yet been possible in
installation and observation of down-hole instrumentation. Nepal.
 Collect, analyze and interpret geotechnical data.  Geological study is therefore essential to avoid disasters, accidents and for
the long lasting construction.

11 12