10/25/2012

KAEA2134
Fundamentals of
Engineering Geology
Lecture 9: Surface Processes

KAEA2134 Schedule
1 Basic concepts in geology and their 8 Surface processes: Weathering
relevance in Civil Engineering Practical: Introduction to geological maps
Practical: Introduction to rock and minerals
2 Earths internal structure and Plate 9 Surface processes: Erosion, transportation
Tectonics and deposition
Practical: Silicate minerals Practical: Uniformly dipping beds
3 Minerals and rock cycle 10 Geological site investigation 1: Desk &
Practical: Ore/economic minerals walkover study
Practical: Folding
4 Description and classification of igneous, 11 Geological site investigation 2: Geophysical
sedimentary and metamorphic rocks methods
Practical: Igneous rocks Practical: Faulting
5 Geological structures: faults, joints & folds 12 Geological site investigation 3: Boring &
Practical: Sedimentary rocks drilling
Practical: Unconformities
6 Description and classification of rock 13 Geological site investigation 4: sampling &
material in-situ tests
Practical: Metamorphic rocks Practical: Igneous bodies
7 Description and classification of rock mass 14 Terrain evaluation
Continuous assessment test #1 Continuous assessment test #2

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Surface Processes: Erosion

Erosion is the process of weathering and transport of solids
(sediment, soil, rock and other particles) in the natural environment
or their source and deposits them elsewhere.
It usually occurs due to transport by wind, water, or ice; by down-
slope creep of soil and other material under the force of gravity; or
by living organisms.
Erosion is a natural process, which over time carve the landscape
that we see today. Erosion produces sediments.
The rate of erosion depends on many factors. Climatic factors
include the amount and intensity of precipitation, the average
temperature, as well as the typical temperature range, and
seasonality, the wind speed, storm frequency.
The geologic factors include the soil, sediment or rock type, its
physical properties, the slope gradient, and the geological structures
and weathering.
The biological factors include ground cover from vegetation or lack
thereof, the type of organisms inhabiting the area, and the land use.

Surface Processes: Erosion

Severity of erosion increases with higher precipitation intensity,
more frequent rainfall, more/stronger wind, or more storms.
Loose sediments or sediment with high sand or silt contents erode
more easily.
Areas with steep slopes and areas with highly fractured or
weathered rock also erode more easily.
Porosity and permeability of the sediment or rock affect the speed
with which the water can percolate into the ground. If the water
moves underground, less runoff is generated, reducing the amount
of surface erosion.
Forested areas have higher infiltration rates, so precipitation will
result in less surface runoff. Vegetation and organic layer also
shelters the soil from the impact of falling raindrops and reduce the
speed of surface runoff flows.

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Erosion agents and processes

Gravity / mass wasting down-slope movement
of rock and sediments, mainly due to the force of
gravity.
Water splash, sheet, rill, gully, stream, bank &
coastal erosion.
Wind deflation and abrasion of small dry
particulates.
Ice glacial erosion

Mass wasting
Mass wasting or mass movement earth material moves downslope under
the force of gravity.
Mass wasting occurs on both land and submarine slopes when the
gravitational force acting on a slope exceeds its resisting force.
The slope material's strength, cohesion and the between material help
maintain the slope's stability and are known collectively as the slope's shear
strength.
The steepest angle that a cohesionless slope can maintain without losing its
stability is known as its angle of repose.
Mass wasting may occur at a very slow rate, particularly in dry areas or
areas with dense vegetation cover.
It may also occur at very high speed, such as in rock slides or landslides,
with disastrous consequences.
Increase in slope angle, weakening of material by weathering, increased
water content, loss of vegetation cover and overloading increase the
potential of mass wasting

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Types of mass movement - Falls

Falls are abrupt, downward movements of rock or earth, or both,
that detach from steep slopes or cliffs.
The falling material usually strikes the lower slope at angles less
than the angle of fall, causing bouncing.
The falling mass may break on impact, may begin rolling on steeper
slopes, and may continue until the terrain flattens.

Types of mass movement - Topple

A topple is recognized as the forward rotation out of a slope of a
mass of soil or rock around a point or axis below the center of
gravity of the displaced mass.
Toppling is sometimes driven by gravity exerted by the weight of
material upslope from the displaced mass. Sometimes toppling is
due to water or ice in cracks in the mass.
Topples can consist of rock, debris (coarse material), or earth
materials (fine-grained material).

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Types of mass movement - Slides

A slide is a downslope movement of a soil or rock mass occurring on
surfaces of rupture or on relatively thin zones of intense shear strain.
Movement does not initially occur simultaneously over the whole of what
eventually becomes the surface of rupture; the volume of displacing
material enlarges from an area of local failure.
Rotational slide - surface of rupture is curved upward and the slide
movement is more or less rotational about an axis that is parallel to the
contour of the slope.
Translational slide - landslide moves out, or down and outward, along a
relatively planar surface with little rotational movement or backward tilting.

rotational translational

Types of mass movement - Spreads

An extension of a cohesive soil or rock mass combined with the
general subsidence of the fractured mass of cohesive material into
softer underlying material.
Spreads may result from liquefaction or flow (and extrusion) of the
softer underlying material. Types of spreads include block spreads,
liquefaction spreads, and lateral spreads.
Lateral spreads usually occur on very gentle slopes or essentially
flat terrain, especially where a stronger upper layer of rock or soil
undergoes extension and moves above an underlying softer, weaker
layer.

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Types of mass movement - Flows

A flow is a spatially continuous movement. The displacing mass resembles
those in a viscous liquid.
Often, there is a gradation of change from slides to flows, depending on the
water content, mobility, and evolution of the movement.
Debris flows - loose soil, rock and sometimes organic matter combine with
water to form a slurry that flows downslope.
Debris avalanches - large, extremely rapid, often open-slope flows formed
when an unstable slope collapses and the resulting fragmented debris is
rapidly transported away from the slope.
Earthflows occur generally in fine-grained soil & weathered rock that
liquefy and flow long distances.

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Types of mass movement - Creeps

A slow earthflow and consists of the imperceptibly slow, steady downward
movement of slope-forming soil or rock.
Movement is caused by internal shear stress sufficient to cause deformation
but insufficient to cause failure.
The steeper the slope, the faster the creep.

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Erosion by water
Splash erosion is the detachment and airborne movement of small
soil particles caused by the impact of raindrops on soil.
Sheet erosion is the detachment and removal of soil particles
downslope by water flowing overland as a sheet (unconfined).
Rill erosion is the development of small, ephemeral concentrated
flow paths, which act as both sediment source and sediment
delivery systems for erosion on hillslopes.
Gully erosion occurs when water flows in narrow channels during or
immediately after heavy rains or melting snow.
Stream erosion occurs with continued water flow along a linear
feature. Erosion occurs downwards and laterally, by water and by
suspended particles.
Bank erosion is the wearing away of the banks of a stream or river.

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Sediment transport
The most abundant sediment is clastic or detrital
material consisting of mineral and rock particles.
The most important agent of sediment transport is water.
Rivers move the majority of the sediments on land as
bed load and in suspension.
The ability to transport sediments by water depends on
its velocity.
Sediments are sorted during transport.
Sediment is also moved in the sea by wave action,
current and as mass transport deposits.
Dissolved substances can also be transported by water.

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Sediment deposition
Deposition by water on land. Alluvium in river valley, flood plains
and delta. Sediments are sorted and stratified, mostly sand and clay.
Deposition in the sea. The final destination for most clastic
sediments, mainly in shallow shelf sea. Turbidity currents carry
sediments into deeper basins.
Deposition on slopes. Localised poorly sorted scree and colluvium.
Wind deposits very well sorted sand and silt in desert regions.
Ice deposits unsorted debris in the melt zone.
Volcanoes deposit pyroclastic sediments.
Dissolved substances can be deposited by direct precipitation, by
organic activities or by evaporation.

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