News – Page 153 – GeoPrac.net

Capital Gate building in Abu Dhabi, UAE was designed to slant by 18-degrees

Not so fast, Pisa! UAE lays claim to world’s furthest leaning tower

June 14, 2010 rockman Comments Off

The Capital Gate building in Abu Dhabi was just certified by Guiness as the ‘World’s Furthest Leaning Man-made Tower’. The bottom 18 stories of the 35-story building were constructed vertical, and the remaining ones were […]

Inside the Devil's Slide tunnel construction, by kxyoung on Flickr

Flickr: kxyoung’s stuff tagged with devilsslide

June 14, 2010 rockman Comments Off

These are some really fantastic photos of the Devil’s Slide tunnel construction. For those who aren’t familiar, the tunnels will be bypassing a particularly landslide and rockslide-prone portion of the California Coast that is currently […]

Updates on testing and standards development for geosynthetics

June 11, 2010 rockman Comments Off

Tony Allen of Washington State DOT may be one of the most influential people in the country in the field of geosynthetics standards, testing and specifications. His involvement in the field of geosynthetics over the […]

Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) construction on the Trans-Hudson Express Tunnel Project

Tunnel-Boring Machines Are On the Move in New York City

June 10, 2010 rockman Comments Off

There are a total of 7 TBM projects in the New York area either currently under construction, awarded or coming soon totaling roughly $4.7 billion! The caption on the nice summary table at the end […]

Visitors look at a German bunker at Pointe du Hoc, Normandy, France. The area has experienced 33-ft of coastal erosion since D-Day.

D-Day site under assault again – from erosion

June 10, 2010 rockman Comments Off

For those in my generation, the Steven Spielberg movie ‘Saving Private Ryan’ is probably what most sticks in people’s minds when they think of the WWII invasion of Normandy, otherwise known as D-Day. The graphic […]

Jefferson Memorial seawall replacement project schematic diagram from the Washington Post

Workers try to repair the sinking sea wall at the Jefferson Memorial

June 9, 2010 rockman Comments Off

The Jefferson Memorial itself is supported on a network of 600+ concrete piles and drilled shafts that penetrate through soft Patomac River sediments and dredged material into bedrock between 80 and 138-ft below ground. However, […]

The Global Positioning System IIF satellite, developed and built by Boeing, is the next generation of GPS space vehicle. (U.S. Air Force graphic)

New GPS satellite launched by US Air Force, first in series to replace all existing GPS satellites

June 7, 2010 rockman Comments Off

The new satellites are for military as well as civilian use and are meant to replace the aging system of satellites that are currently in service. They offer a number of improvements, including a stronger […]

Finland’s geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel is nearing final depth

June 7, 2010 rockman Comments Off

Although they are nearly at the final depth, the work thus far has been primarily to construct the 4-km long access tunnel. The facility is not scheduled to accept the nuclear waste until 2020 but […]

Standards and Codes

ASTM Updates May 2010

June 2, 2010 rockman Comments Off

American Society of Testing Materials Logo - ASTM Updated ASTM Standards for May, 2010. Click through for the list of new, revised and reapproved standards relating to geotechnical and geological engineering, soil and rock laboratory testing and materials testing that were updated last month.

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Guatemala City sinkhole from May of 2010, over 300-ft deep and 60-ft wide

Huge Sinkhole over 30-stories Deep Opens in Guatemala City

June 1, 2010 rockman Comments Off

Tropical Storm Agatha that hammered Guatemala over the weekend also was likely a catalyst in the final collapse of a massive 100-ft wide by at least 200-ft deep sinkhole in Guatemala City. The sinkhole swallowed […]