- New images of the Attabad landslide – Dave’s Landslide Blog
- Southern California Quake Damaged Treatment and Storage Infrastructure – ENR: Engineering News Record
- Eyewitness Account of Chile Devastation in COPRI Blog – ASCE Team in Chile Blogs About Devastation, Lessons Learned – ASCE
- National workzone awareness week begins on April 19 – AASHTO News
Standards and Codes
ASTM Updates September 2010
Last month there were several updates to standards involving texting the flexural strength of concrete as well as updates to some masonry and dimension stone standards. ASTM D6926 – Standard Practice for Preparation of Bituminous Specimens Using Marshall Apparatus has been updated, so if you are involved in asphalt pavement testing, make sure you go and find out what the changes are. There are also a whole slew of groundwater and site investigation standards that were reapproved.
Geologic Hazards
Landslide Causes Train to Derail into Mississippi River
Four engines pulling a freight train derailed July 9 and landed in the Mississippi River after hitting a landslide or major rockfall. The accident happened near Guttenburg in northeastern Iowa. Two workers on the train were injured, one was rescued by boat. The engines are now leaking diesel fuel and transmission oil into the river, but crews are on scene to attempt to contain the contamination which has apparently spread 5 miles downstream. Two ethanol tankers derailed as well but do not appear to be leaking. Several rail cars carrying grain have spilled also. There are 75 cars still on the track. Via Reuters and The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA). (Photo credit: Orlan Love/The Gazette)
Geologic Hazards
NY Landslide Halts Highway Construction
A report has been released by the NYSDOT on the Scoby Hill Landslide which has impacted a 4.2-mi improvement project of Route 219. The report, dated May 20, 2008 was headed to an FHWA peer review panel.
The Feds were call in to help because of the unusual nature of the landslide. The slip surface is very deep, approximately 30-m (100-ft) below the surface and below all of the design phase investigations. And the remolded shear strength of the silty clay forming the slip surface was only 12-14 degrees.
Read on for more details of the slide. (Photo by NYSDOT)