Geotechnical engineering

Geotechnical engineering is an important subset of civil engineering dealing with engineering performance of earth materials. Geotechnical engineering uses principles of soil and rock mechanics to determine:

• subsurface conditions and materials;
• relevant physical/mechanical and chemical properties of these materials;
• stability of natural slopes and man-made soil deposits;
• risks posed by site conditions;

to design:

• earthworks;
• structure foundations;

and to monitor:

• site conditions;
• earthwork and foundation construction.^[1][2]

Foundations built for above-ground structures include shallow and deep foundations. Retaining structures include earth-filled dams and retaining walls.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Geotechnical engineering.

1. ↑ Terzaghi, K., Peck, R.B. and Mesri, G. (1996), Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice 3rd Ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0-471-08658-4
2. ↑ Holtz, R. and Kovacs, W. (1981), An Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering, Prentice-Hall, Inc. ISBN 0-13-484394-0