News

News, announcements, policy updates, spotlighted websites, software updates and other info that may be of interest to practicing geotechnical engineers, engineering geologists, geophysicists, hydrogeologists and related professions.

Available Resources

Utah Releases Landslide Susceptibility Map

January 9, 2008 rockman Comments Off on Utah Releases Landslide Susceptibility Map

The Utah Geologic Survey has released a "Landslide Susceptibility Map of Utah". They apparently relied quite heavily on GIS based thresholding of existing slope angles but only after they had statistically analyzed failure  angles for particular geologic units. So it sounds like they throw the known landslides, the geologic map of Utah and a DEM into the GIS a blend it all up. Perhaps a slight oversimplification!

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Failures

City of Vancouver sues over failed shoring

January 6, 2008 rockman Comments Off on City of Vancouver sues over failed shoring

The City of Vancouver is suing a developer, excavation contractor and their consulting engineer for the costs of repairs, overtime for city employees and lost revenue from parking meters etc stemming from an apparent failure of a shoring system that formed a 30-meter sinkhole. No mention of the developer’s name or the engineer, but the contractor was Matcon Excavation and Shoring. The site will be the future home of high-rise condominiums…if the City lifts it’s stop work order.

The failure of the shoring caused a break inf a 20-cm water main ultimately flooding the site. It also necessitated the closure of the adjacent street. Of course this invites the whole chicken or the egg scenario. The defendants will probably argue that the water line failed first causing the failure of the shoring, but of course the City Engineer, Tom Timm was not shy about fingering the shoring as being deficient.

"It’s some kind of a failure of the shoring system . . . either a design issue or the way it was put in place."

 

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Project Related

Boston’s Big Dig Finally Complete

January 4, 2008 rockman Comments Off on Boston’s Big Dig Finally Complete

The $14.8 billion project that has constructed a dizzying array of underground highways, bridges, ramps and tunnels in the middle of Boston has finally ended. The end of 2007 apparently was also the end of the Bechtel/Parsons Brinkerhoff joint venture that designed and built the project. More… (Photo by brewrat)

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Rockman's Ramblings

Most Popular GeoPrac.net Content of 2007

January 2, 2008 rockman Comments Off on Most Popular GeoPrac.net Content of 2007

Happy New Year to everyone! Most blogs this time of year publish a list of their most popular content from throughout the year. I thought it would be nice to do the same hear on GeoPrac. So, without further adieu…

The most popular GeoPrac.net GeoNews and Article Items of 2007 (in order of popularity) are… 

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No Picture
Miscellaneous

ASCE Geo-Institute Reports on Trends Affecting the Geo-Community

December 19, 2007 rockman Comments Off on ASCE Geo-Institute Reports on Trends Affecting the Geo-Community

In July of 2007 a virtual who’s who of the Geo-community gathered at the headquarters of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) for a workshop to discuss the Trends Affecting the Geo-community. Yesterday the ASCE released a report on the workshop titled: Trends Affecting the Geo-Community: What Does the Future Hold, edited by Peter Smeallie. More details after the break.

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Geologic Hazards

New White Paper on Earth Fissures

December 14, 2007 rockman Comments Off on New White Paper on Earth Fissures

The Arizona Land Subsidence Group (ALSG) has just released a white paper entitled "Land Subsidence and Earth Fissures in Arizona". More details after the break. (Photo courtesy of NCS Consultants, LLC)

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Miscellaneous

Nevada’s Yucca Mountain Case Versus DOE Thrown Out

December 14, 2007 rockman Comments Off on Nevada’s Yucca Mountain Case Versus DOE Thrown Out

The State of Nevada lost a major battle in their attempt to block the US Department of Energy’s attempt at licensing the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. The panel of judges in the case threw it out after a week of oral arguments by the State. According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, the Judge’s  ruling stated "Nevada’s legal position is incorrect."

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Geologic Hazards

Massive Landslide in B.C. Triggers Tsunami in Lake

December 12, 2007 rockman Comments Off on Massive Landslide in B.C. Triggers Tsunami in Lake

A massive landslide triggered a 2 meter plus high wave at a lake in British Columbia. The resulting wave wiped out massive full grown cedar trees all along the lake and could have an environmental impact by damming up a stream that flows from the lake and also impacting fish populations. Apparently salmon migrate through this lake also. Video coverage after the break. (Photo by CBCNews.ca)

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Failures

$180 Million Settlement in Reservoir Failure

December 4, 2007 rockman Comments Off on $180 Million Settlement in Reservoir Failure

On December 14, 2005, the upper reservoir of the Taum Sauk pumped storage plant, a hydroelectric power plant in the Missouri Ozarks, suffered a catastrophic failure. The resulting flood severely damaged the Jonhson’s Shut-Ins State Park and swept away the park superintendent and his family. Fortunately all of them survived. (Photos by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and USGS)

Last week, the Missouri Attorney General’s office announced a settlement of $180 million between the facility’s owner, Ameren Corp. The failure reportedly was a result of negligence on the part of the company. More details after the break.

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