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Articles

Bertha – The World’s Largest Tunnel Boring Machine

clip_image002Perhaps you’ve heard of Bertha, the World’s Largest Tunnel Boring Machine or TBM? She’s currently working her way underneath Downtown Seattle, excavating the Alaska Way Bored Tunnel to replace the aging Alaska Way Viaduct. This $2 Billion megaproject is an incredible feat of engineering on so many levels. I was in Seattle in September for the Association of Engineering Geologists annual meeting, and was fortunate enough to attend a field trip to see the launch pit and Bertha before she began her tunnel drive. It was an unforgettable experience for this engineer! In this article I give an overview of the project and Bertha herself, discuss some of the geotechnical features, and share my photos and video. Check it out!

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Press Releases

Quenching the Thirst: Compelling New Book Reveals Sustainable Solutions to Water Supply and Climate Change

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Written by George Annandale, ‘Quenching the Thirst: Sustainable Water Supply and Climate Change’ informs readers of the inadequacy of global water supply. The book outlines plausible options to safeguard future fresh water supply in spite of the uncertainties associated with climate change. With its vital insight and concrete guidance, the book is sure to resonate with readers around the world.

Denver, Colorado – The flow of clean water from taps in the western world creates the illusion of abundance, while, in fact, the small amount of fresh water available on earth is dwindling. The amount of fresh water is so small that all the fresh groundwater on earth can fit in a sphere with a diameter of only 42 miles. Similarly, if one would place the fresh water that instantaneously flow in all rivers on earth in a sphere, it will have a diameter of only 10 miles. A distance of 10 miles is shorter than the daily commuting distance of most people on earth.

Globally humans use three and a half times more groundwater than what is naturally replenished. While many people are aware of pending water shortages and are concerned about climate change impacts, few have solutions. Renowned engineer and humanitarian George Annandale has prepared a ground-breaking new book that explains the threatening problem in plain terms and also proposes plausible remedies. Quenching the Thirst: Sustainable Water Supply and Climate Change puts aside long-winded explanations and scientific terminology to help the public recognize and accept the world’s growing fresh water shortage, and understand how it may be resolved.

[Editor] Click through for the rest of the press release on this provocative new book by George Annandale. [/Editor]

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Available Resources

2013 Terzaghi Lecture by Skip Hendron on Dam Safety

The Geo-Institute has released the 2013 Terzaghi Lecture onto their YouTube channel. “Skip” Hendron, Professor Emeritus at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign presented his lecture on “Improving Dam Safety with Lessons Learned from Case Histories […]