Engineering Geomorphology

A unique practical guide to engineering geomorphologyDraws on 40 years of industrial experience across a range of planning and engineering sectorsCase studies and case histories demonstrate how engineering geomorphology has been applied to address planning and engineering needs

Engineering Geomorphology: A Practitioner's Guide combinesthe experience and case studies from the author's 40-year career in engineeringgeomorphology with a review of other published work into a single guideline.The guideline describes and illustrates how techniques of geomorphologicalassessment are used to help avoid and resolve land use planning and engineeringdifficulties associated with the terrain and its geohazards. 

Thebook is structured according to planning and engineering sector and,accordingly, it has an applied focus from the outset. Each chapter commenceswith an overview of the terrain and geohazard issues that specifically concernthe sector under discussion. It then reviews some of the published examplesthat describe how these issues have been addressed using engineeringgeomorphological and allied techniques. These published examples include bothpioneering applications from the 20th Century and those benefiting from morerecent progress made in remote sensing technology, ground modelling and spatialanalysis. Case studies from the Author's files are used to illustrate howgeomorphological techniques have been applied using methods designedspecifically to yield robust and usable outputs and maximum end-user benefit.Summary and methodological flow charts, conclusions and recommendations areprovided for the practitioner to consider.   

Thebook comprises eleven chapters. Following an introductory chapter, Chapter 2covers techniques of terrain evaluation used to inform planning and engineeringdecision making and provides a technique familiarisation and information sourcefor later chapters. Chapters 3, 4 and 5 deal with landslide hazards and urbandevelopment, coastal erosion, coastal flooding and fluvial hazards. Chapter 6covers linear transport infrastructure, namely roads and railways, whileChapter 7 is concerned with oil and gas pipelines in difficult andgeohazard-prone terrain. Chapter 8 examines how engineering geomorphology canbe used to assist in the design and operation of hydropower schemes, whileChapter 9 describes and illustrates techniques of geomorphological assessmentapplied to open cast mining projects in mountain terrain. Chapter 10illustrates how geomorphological assessment has been used in the prospectingfor construction materials, principally aggregates. 

Finally,Chapter 11 considers the future of engineering geomorphology, including theengagement of its practitioners in the fields of remote sensing, artificialintelligence, climate change and disaster reduction. The role of traditionalskills in field mapping and landscape interpretation are reviewed in a world ofadvancing technology and big data, and guidance is offered to futurepractitioners as to how best they might equip themselves to respond to theevolving demands on their services.