alive and well - Geological Society of Australia

Andrew Hunter undertaking a cliff inspection at Warragamba Dam in 2011.Engineering geologists remain closely involved in working on dams. Upgradesto spillways on a number of dams along the east coast were a significant sourceof work over the past decade. One of these featured heavily in the press lastyear as fuse plugs in the auxiliary spillway at the Wivenhoe Dam came closeto triggering during last year’s Brisbane floods.The field of landslide risk assessment, a core engineering geologytask, has experienced significant change since the late 1990swhen Australia experienced its worst landslides in terms of deathsat Gracetown and Thredbo. The AGS was and continues to be atthe forefront of developing guidelines for landslide risk managementin Australia (see http://lrm.australiangeomechanics.org/).The development of landslide inventories and susceptibilityzoning studies is becoming widespread. The NSW Roads andMaritime Services has been a world leader in developing a systemof qualitative slope risk assessment for its road system, which isrecognised internationally and is currently being adopted by anumber of Australian States. Methods for investigating, monitoringand managing landslides have also undergoneconsiderable change, with improvements in ground and structuralmonitoring capabilities, communication technology and of coursethe internet now allowing the development of real-timemonitoring of structures, subsurface and surface groundmovements, groundwater and rainfall. The continuous monitoringrecord this allows is of huge benefit to engineering and assetmanagers, while the continuous data record is a gold mine forthe analysis of performance in, for example, the assessment oflandslide frequency.There has been considerable improvement in the use ofcomputer software to model rockfall and landslide (debris flow)behaviour. GIS and associated computer software has provideda means to manage vast quantities of data and bettercommunicate surface and subsurface conditions to engineers,asset managers and others in planning and management rolesacross many fields. GIS is the platform to spatially assess climatevariability and sea-level rise. GIS also facilitates the storage ofcorporate data, making it so much harder for it to be lost,forgotten and ignored.Satellite, airborne and ground-based imagery and geophysicaldata are gathered and used to assist in regional and localgeological studies. Ground-penetrating radar is regularly used toassess fill embankments for shallow voids. Airborne laser scan(ALS) or lidar technology and photogrammetry have been furtherimproved to better assess the influence of geological structuresin pit and cutting design and this is also widely used in landslidestudies.In short, engineering geology is moving in strides asinternational technological developments abound, while itremains firmly underpinned by a sound understanding of regionaland local geology. Engineering geologists actually make greatgeologists. Engineering geology is a fantastic profession thatallows practitioners to live in major cities and urban centres ratherthan remote mining camps and the fly-in, fly-out lifestyle. Thereare also many opportunities for local and international travel.We hope we have expanded on Greg’s early comments andincreased the awareness of the field we are immersed in and arevery passionate about. We believe engineering geology is thrivingacross Australia, BUT at its grass roots there are major gaps ineducation and training. If we don’t act now, the discipline is indanger of evaporating before our very eyes.MARC HENDRICKXMarc Hendrickx and Associates Pty LtdANDREW HUNTERCoffey Geotechnics Pty LtdPHIL FLENTJEUniversity of WollongongR E F E R E N C E S A N D L I N K SAustralian Geomechanics http://australiangeomechanics.org/Australian Geomechanics Landslide Risk Managementhttp://lrm.australiangeomechanics.org/Australian Geomechanics Journal http://australiangeomechanics.org/journal/Australian Institute of Geoscientists Registered Professional Geoscientist(RPGeo) programhttp://aig.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=77&Itemid=97Coffey Geotechnics Pty Ltdhttp://www.coffey.com/our-businesses/coffey-geotechnics/coffey-geotechnics/about-usMarc Hendrickx and Associates Pty Ltd www.marchgeo.comUniversity of Wollongong Landslide Research Teamhttp://www.uow.edu.au/eng/research/landslide/index.htmlWilson R, Moon A, Hendrickx M, Stewart I 2005. Application of quantitative riskassessment to the Lawrence Hargrave Drive Project, New South Wales. InternationalConference on Landslide Risk Management, Vancouver, Canada May 2005. JointTechnical Committee on Landslides and Engineered Slopes, JTC-1, in association withVancouver Geotechnical Society. Proceedings of the International Conference onLandslide Risk Management/18th Annual Vancouver Geotechnical SocietySymposium, Vancouver. 31 May to 4 June.TAG September 2012| 35