Geomodels in Engineering Geology: An Introduction

By Peter Fookes, Geoff Pettifer and Tony Waltham

This book explains that ground conditions for building depend on the history of all these aspects in connection with both the actual building site and the surrounding area. In fact, the book goes into some detail, using colour photographs and block geomodels, to bring the subject to life in what is, I suspect, a somewhat fresh way.

More particularly, Geomodels in Engineering Geology: An Introduction outlines the world’s climatic and morphological zones, and the changes these make on the ground, including the fundamental aspects of surface soils and geology in relation to their engineering behaviour. It also shows how ground investigations can be developed with the aid of ground models to provide the information required for the design and construction of a project.

In this way, the book provides a repository of information for engineering geologists and geomorphologists, and for geotechnical and ground engineers. Therefore, it is suitable for experienced professionals investigating new or novel locations or as a basic guide for students and those just starting out in the profession.

It is also a timely reminder of the need for geology courses in the UK, as geology will always play a part in the construction of both major (for instance, tunnels under London) or minor (housing estates) projects in the future. For these reasons, I suspect that it may also be of interest to those who are interested in learning how geology and building are related.

Peter G Fookes FR Eng is a retired international consultant in engineering geology, geomaterials and concrete technology, with well over 50 years of working professionally in some 96 countries. Geoff Pettifer is an active Chartered Geologist, with over 35 years of experience, ranging from microscopic and X-ray examination of aggregates, site investigations and earthworks supervision, to regional landslide studies and flyover terrain evaluations. Tony Waltham is a retired lecturer in engineering geology, who primarily enjoyed teaching the subject to students of civil engineering and developed his lecture notes into a textbook now widely used in universities.

Geomodels in Engineering Geology – An Introduction, by Peter Fookes, Pettifer, Geoff Pettifer and Tony Waltham, Whittles Publishing, Dunbeath, Scotland (2015), 197 pages (paperback), ISBN: 9781849951395