rockman

Landslide Blocks Road in LA, Inconveniences UCLA Hoops Fans

March 9, 2008 rockman Comments Off

Mud and debris from a small landslide closed a portion of Sepulveda Blvrd. In Westwood California on Thursday. The slide took out at least one local resident’s backyard and was large enough to block several lanes of the roadway with debris up to 6-ft high in addition to knocking out several power poles and disrupting service. The material was cleared up by 10pm but not before it cause some inconvenience to UCLA basketball fans on their way to watch their team beat Stanford. The LA Times reports that there were questions about possible broken water lines, of course it is the old "chicken or the egg" argument that’s been seen before (including on a recent landslide) about whether the broken water lines contributed to the landslide, or the landslide caused the water line breaks. (Photo by Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Utah Company has 7 Western-US Geothermal Projects Under Development

March 8, 2008 rockman Comments Off

Utah-based Raser Technologies has started development of two additional geothermal projects which will bring the total number of projects under development to seven. There are three projects in Nevada, two in Utah, one in New Mexico, and one in Oregon. The company has initiated approximately 75 MW of geothermal projects since April of 2007. By 2011 they plan to initiate 150 MW of projects per year. Links after the break. (Photo copyright Raser Technologies, Inc.)

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Changes in Geotechnical Engineering Practice in Arizona

March 7, 2008 rockman Comments Off

[Editor] Note: NCS Consultants, LLC is Randy Post’s full time employer…ie. my day job! [/Editor]

There are some significant changes being made to the state of the practice in geotechnical engineering in Arizona. NCS Consultants, LLC has prepared three policy memoranda for the Arizona Department of Transportation or ADOT that have been issued to consultants all over the State. These memos are on the topics of bearing capacity and settlement of spread footings and retaining walls, the design of drilled shaft foundations in gravelly soils, and the preparation of drilled shaft axial capacity charts for use by bridge engineers.

Although primarily applicable to upcoming ADOT projects implementing the AASHTO 2007 LRFD code, the memos will have a ripple effect down through other local agencies within the state who frequently defer to ADOT guidelines for geotechnical engineering. Also, the memos and the ADOT/NCS approach to LRFD implementation in geotechnical engineering were presented by NCS at the 2008 TRB Conference in Washington D.C., and many other state DOTs and the FHWA were very excited about the memos. The approach used if not the exact content may become a model for other agencies. More info and links to download the policy memoranda are provided after the break.

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February Update of Google Earth Imagery

March 6, 2008 rockman Comments Off

I don’t know about you, but I’ve found Google Earth to be a very useful tool in my practice. Whether it is scoping out a site I’ve never seen before or creating a boring location plan or other figure for a report. Feel the same way? Then you might be interested in some recent (February 19, 2008) updates to Google Imagery and other data. Higher resolution images are always welcome! Comprehensive list after the break.

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Geological Engineering Major Eliminated at University of Arizona

March 5, 2008 rockman Comments Off

[Editor’s Note] I am an alumn of the U of A’s Geological Engineering program, so this hits me in a sentimental spot. [/Editor’s Note]

A proposal submitted by Mary Poulton (Mining and Geological Engineering Department Head) and Jeff Goldberg (Associate Dean of College of Engineering) was submitted to the University of Arizona Faculty Senate to eliminate the geological engineering undergraduate major and merge the degree with Mining Engineering. The proposal was accepted by the Senate this week despite the efforts of Dr. Ben Sternberg who attended the hearing. The geological engineering degree will be combined with the mining engineering degree. The new degree will be a B.S. in Mining and Geological Engineering and there will be a mining engineering track and a geological engineering track. Budget cuts and small enrollment were the main reasons cited for the elimination of the degree. Read on for more. (Photo by Jacob Rader)

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AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications – 2008 Interims Released

March 4, 2008 rockman Comments Off

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) just released the 2008 interims for the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, Customary U.S. Units, 4th Edition. These specifications govern the design of foundations for federal and state highway projects. As soon as we find out if there are any significant changes with respect to bridge foundations or retaining walls, we’ll let you know.

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New Dams Being Considered to Handle West’s Water Needs

March 4, 2008 rockman Comments Off

An article in the Seattle Post Intelligencer discusses how the era of building massive dams that ended in the late 1960s with the completion of Glen Canyon Dam may be on its way to a resurgence because of booming populations throughout the west and a desperate need for water. This comes at a time when the USBR and other agencies are in the process of tearing down some dams. Of course the environmental hurdles and opposition to new dam projects will likely kill many of the projects before they get started. But in the absence of any kind of limits on population growth, there may not be many other options. Read on to see where major dam projects are being considered. (Photo by Molas)

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Most Popular of All Time!

February 28, 2008 rockman Comments Off

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Geologic Hazard Photos

February 28, 2008 rockman Comments Off

The National Geodetic Data Center (NGDC) of NOAA has an online collection of photos of various geologic hazards. Many of the photos are from older sets of 35mm slides that have been digitized. They are free to use provided you credit the photographer and the NGDC as the source. The would be really useful for educators and for powerpoint presentations. The only drawback is that they are in TIF format and some of them could use some retouching. (Photo by University of Colorado, made available by NOAA/NGDC)

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New Sheet Piling Installation Manual

February 28, 2008 rockman Comments Off

The North American Steel Sheet Piling Association (NASSPA) has released a Sheet Piling Installation Manual. It has a nice overview of different hammer systems and covers issues such as driving systems and methods, templates, cofferdams, driving corrections, driving assistance and extraction. (Photo courtesy of NASSPA)

NASSPA promotes the use of steel sheet piling through the development and dissemination of technical information. This guide was compiled to assist the designer, contractor, or owner with the construction of steel sheet pile walls.

Download the Steel Sheet Piling Installation Guide – Best Practices

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