The Engineering Geology and Natural Hazards

Earth is continuously affected by extreme events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, onshore and offshore landslides, sinkhole formation, and land subsidence. Meeting the challenges these processes pose to society requires rethinking how we define the conditions for and design resilient infrastructure and safely utilize underground spaces for geologic storage and transportation. The EG&NH group advances the scientific understanding and engineering solutions needed to operate in dynamic environments at the interface between natural hazards and built infrastructure.

Many of the processes we deal with are not fully understood, for example we don’t completely understand the dynamic mechanisms in play during soil liquefaction, induced seismicity, the stability of sliding across fault planes, the mechanisms in which the earthquake front propagates through the earth crust, and the response of surface structures and terrain to strong ground motions.

Our faculty members use state of the art experimental facilities, advanced numerical and theoretical models, and field monitoring equipment to study rock and soil deformation under static and dynamic loading conditions, the dynamics of rupture propagation, the stability of slopes and the resilience of underground cavities.

Present day challenges that we address include the geological storage of H2 to ensure clean, renewable, energy sources, understanding earthquake dynamics to better prepare for the “next big one”, understanding how grains and fluid interact to induce landslides and soil liquefaction hazards, and studying the response of surface structures to strong ground motions to ensure better and safer building codes.