Geotechnical evaluation, quality control, and other services are provided by Geotill in Lexington, Kentucky in addition to Geotechnical Engineers in Louisville

Studying the ground under your feet: Interview with Taylor Hall about rock and soil stability

Source: Studying the ground under your feet: Science Moab speaks with Taylor Hall about rock and soil stability | Get Out & Go | moabsunnews.com Moab is renowned for its biological soil crusts, but what’s happening underneath all that crusty black — with the soil and rock itself? This week, we speak with geotechnical engineer Taylor Hall, owner of the Moab Geotechnical Group, about soil mechanics, engineering tools, and how he decided — at age 15, in a McDonald’s — to start working with the dirt. Science Moab: What is geotechnical engineering? Hall: Geotechnical engineering generally deals with rock and soil mechanics and physics: how those materials will respond to structures or just how they respond to gravity. We might look at something like a bridge to understand its foundations, or we might look at a landslide that gets triggered by natural causes. We’re fortunate to be able to come in there and tell you how things are responding and why and what to expect. Science Moab: How do you test soil? Hall: When geotechnical engineering got its feet in the 1940s and 1950s, they would sample soil by drilling a hole and driving a sampler into the ground using a fixed-weight hammer. Using that method, we were able to acquire a sample and get some resistance associated with that sample. That's much of what we do today, but we do it now because it's backed by 60 or 70 years’ worth of empirical relationships. Generally, you're only dealing with one or two such holes, and you have to use them to characterize a whole site. It's tough, but that's why I chose geotechnical engineering: because no two sites are the same. It provides the opportunity to really think on your feet. Science Moab: Once you’ve taken measurements, how do [...]

Section of Cobb Road closed by sinkhole in Trigg County

Source: Section of Cobb Road closed by sinkhole in Trigg County | WHOP 1230 AM | News Radio A section of Cobb Road in northern Trigg County is closed due to the formation of a sinkhole between the 4 and 5 mile marker not far from the Brushy Grove Creek Bridge. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says it’s about two miles west of the Cerulean Community and a little less than a mile east of the Trigg-Caldwell County Line. A contract mowing crew was working along the right-of-way Wednesday when one of the tractors broke through the surface.  On investigation, the crew discovered a hole created by the tractor at the edge of the pavement was about 8 feet deep and extended out under the pavement about 10 feet or more. Cobb Road is closed and barricaded at the site as state officials develop a repair plan. The Cabinet says while sinkholes are not uncommon in areas with karst topography, this appears to be one of the larger holes to develop in recent years. Depending on the depth of the sinkhole, Cobb Road could be closed at the site for several days or more.

Kentucky seeks action against West Virginia’s Governor’s coal companies

Source: Kentucky seeks action against WVa gov's coal companies - LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Regulators want the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice to pay a penalty and follow through on a promise to fix environmental problems at eastern Kentucky coal mines. The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet asked a circuit judge this week to enforce an agreement over reclamation violations against Justice; his son, Jay Justice; and several family coal companies. It included a $3 million penalty, plus interest, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. In a motion filed in Franklin County, the Kentucky agency wants to revoke five permits at Justice-company mines and seize money that had previously been posted for reclamation. The motion seeks to force the companies to fix the site violations and block any new or amended permits until then. The Justices and their companies “have been provided many second chances to meet their permit obligations and time and again have failed,” the motion said. Lexington attorney Richard Getty, who represents the family, said the state’s request was “unnecessarily severe.” Justice has said many of the violations were inherited when he acquired the properties. The companies admitted to hundreds of reclamation violations in eastern Kentucky in 2014 and agreed to monitor water quality, fix drainage problems, stabilize landslides, clean out sediment ponds and eliminate highwalls at dozens of mines. After the companies missed a deadline to fix the issues, the state sued in 2015 to enforce the earlier agreement. A new settlement was reached in 2019 setting deadlines to complete reclamation work at five mines, along with other requirements. Last year, Justice's companies agreed to pay more than $5 million for thousands of mine safety violations in a civil case brought by prosecutors in Virginia on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor and the Mine Safety and [...]

South Dakota Homeowners Sue County Over Sinkhole Risks

Source: South Dakota Homeowners Sue County Over Sinkhole Risks More than 150 homeowners in a development outside Rapid City, South Dakota, are suing Meade County over risks to their properties after a sinkhole exposed an abandoned gypsum mine. The federal complaint filed Sept. 27 by Hideaway Hills residents in Black Hawk seeks damages to be determined by a jury and other relief “allowed by law or equity.” The sinkhole forced about 40 residents from 15 homes in April 2020. Geotechnical studies show there could be water flowing through the abandoned mine and toward Interstate 90 and there is the potential for future sinkholes, the Rapid City Journal reported. The complaint alleges several violations of the state Constitution. It says the decision to approve the subdivision by the county Planning Commission and the Meade County Commission put homeowners at risk. “Without the decisions to approve the subdivision, issue building permits and certificates of occupancy, the opportunity for harm would not have existed,” the complaint states. Developers allegedly informed the county in 2001 of an underground gypsum mine and discussed taking steps to determine if it was safe to build on. The commission approved the subdivision proposal in 2003. Katelyn Cook, an attorney for the county, said her legal team does not comment on pending litigation. South Dakota isn't the only area that suffers from sinkholes. Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania tend to have the most damage from sinkholes.

Sustainable solution to mining’s ‘red mud’ waste enters final stage of testing

Source: Sustainable solution to mining’s ‘red mud’ waste enters final stage of testing | Central Queensland Today University of Queensland has developed technology that could rehabilitate mine waste back to useful soil is entering full-scale trials. University of Queensland has developed technology that could rehabilitate mine waste back to useful soil, with the technology now entering full-scale trials. Developed by researchers at UQ’s Sustainable Minerals Institute in partnership with Rio Tinto and Queensland Alumina Limited (QAL) the bio-engineering technology works by transforming bauxite residue, a by-product of alumina refining also commonly called ‘red mud’, into a soil-like material capable of hosting plant life. QAL Environment and Tailings Manager Trent Scherer said there was an excitement amongst the team to see the project move to a full-scale trial. “After years of watching various trials unfold within our daily work environment, to now be able to see the tangible outcomes of UQ’s work unfolding has been encouraging for the team,” he said. Mr Scherer said QAL were committed to minimizing their environmental footprint through their 5-YES program and the funding and resources provided to this project were further steps in that journey. In 2018 QAL commenced works for their 5-Year Environmental Strategy, comprising of 60 capital works projects and culture change initiatives. With a budget of $440 million designed to improve the environmental performance of QAL. This initiative with UQ is in addition to the 5-YES funding and QAL are hoping will pave the way for the future of tailings management. Ecological Engineering of Mine Wastes Group Leader Professor Longbin Huang said the technology would be trialed on an operational scale at two red mud sites in Queensland after the team secured new multi-million dollar funding agreements with Rio Tinto and QAL. “The technology demonstrates how transformative industry-academia partnerships can [...]

Lancaster County sinkhole raises concern over detours, emergency responder response times

Source: Lancaster County sinkhole raises concern over detours, emergency responder response times | WHP LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — A nearly 20-foot sinkhole on State Route 324 (Marticville Road) between Sprecher Road and West Penn Grant Road in Lancaster County is causing detours for community members and concern over delays for emergency responders. PennDOT implemented a detour Sunday night, originally anticipating work to fill the sinkhole would begin in a month. PennDOT Engineering District 8 Press Officer Dave Thompson exclusively tells CBS 21 News’ Samantha York Thursday the timeline has extended. “We expect this road might be closed into next spring before we can actually start working on it,” Thompson says. “That’s- that’s news to me,” New Danville Fire Company Fire Chief Brad Shenk says. 20% of his 25 active volunteer firefighters live on the opposite side of the sinkhole and respond to emergencies from home in a rural town. He says being delayed for a few minutes can make a big difference when time is of the essence, requesting the sinkhole to be filled sooner. “It’s going to have an adverse effect on our response times to get those members here,” Shenk tells CBS 21’s Samantha York. “We’re a small fire company, we’re counting on everybody to go up at any given time, whoever’s available responds and these guys are going to be delayed by several minutes.” Community members speculate the sinkhole, which reaches from the middle of the road through a drainage ditch and into adjacent property, has something to do with new construction nearby. However, the cause remains undetermined by officials – which is causing the delay in getting it fixed. “We’ve assessed what needs to be done, but we need to get some- an agreement in place with a local property owner that’s property is adjacent to [...]

California Issues Maps of Earthquake Faults to Avoid ‘Potentially Devastating’ Damage to New Buildings

Source: State Issues Maps of Earthquake Faults to Avoid 'Potentially Devastating' Damage to New Buildings - Times of San Diego The Rose Canyon Fault system. Courtesy County News Center Maps released Thursday of earthquake-prone areas are intended to ensure new construction in San Diego does not take place atop dangerous quake faults. Developed by the California Geological Survey, the regulatory Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone maps detail where local governments must require site-specific geologic and engineering studies for proposed developments to ensure this hazard is identified and avoided. Generally, new construction for human occupancy must be set back 50 feet from the active surface trace to avoid faults that may break the surface. “Surface fault rupture is the easiest earthquake-related hazard to avoid because you can see the evidence of where it has occurred,” said Steve Bohlen, acting state geologist and head of CGS. “Surface fault rupture means that one side of a fault is moving either vertically or horizontally in relation to the other side. The deformation that movement causes is potentially devastating to buildings and infrastructure.” Two maps of revised Earthquake Fault Zones have been prepared for the Rose Canyon Fault where it comes onshore in Coronado, traversing the San Diego area to the northwest and going back offshore near La Jolla. Each of the maps covers a roughly 60-square-mile quadrangle of territory. The Alquist-Priolo Act was passed into law following the 1971 magnitude 6.6 San Fernando earthquake, which caused extensive surface ruptures that damaged buildings. Not every large earthquake, though, causes surface fault rupture. For example: the Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989 devastated the Bay Area without breaking the surface. However, the 1992 Landers Earthquake in San Bernardino County caused surface ruptures along 50 miles, with displacements ranging from one inch to 20 feet. “Since the [...]

Dynamic behaviors of wind turbines under wind and earthquake excitations

Source: Dynamic behaviors of wind turbines under wind and earthquake excitations: Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy: Vol 13, No 4 Source: How Do Wind Turbines Respond to Winds, Ground Motion During Earthquakes? - AIP Publishing LLC A new study investigates the combined effect of wind and earthquake forces to assess the dynamic behavior of wind turbines. The demand for renewable energy is nowadays at its peak. Wind power is a great source of clean energy and is harvested via wind farms placed in numerous regions across the world. This has led to some winds farms being established in earthquake-prone regions making it important to assess the combined excitation under wind and earthquake forces. In the US, these wind farms are most commonly seen in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The study, recently published in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, aims at establishing a numerical model that will integrates both seismic, wind, and operation forces of wind turbines to evaluate the performance of the wind turbines. This is referred to as the "fully coupled model". Such models have been tested before but the research team emphasizes that a solid interpretation of the results is still missing. The authors studied a 5MW wind turbine subjected to a combination of wind load and input ground motion with the latter being retrieved from a list of earthquake records. The study provides some interesting findings. The results from the sophisticated numerical models suggest that the wind that acts as a dynamic load for the wind turbine also exerts a damping effect on the response of the structure. In particular, when shaking is strong, the energy absorbed due to the aerodynamic damping is higher than the actual wind loading generates hence, the [...]

Reusable Ionic Liquid from Coal Fly Ash Enables Extraction of Rare Elements

Source: Reusable Ionic Liquid Enables Extraction of Precious Rare-earth Elements from Coal Fly Ash | School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Turnipseed Family Chair and Professor Ching-Hua Huang, left, and Ph.D. candidate Laura Stoy, right, published research outlining a new method for extracting rare-earth elements from coal fly ash.  By Melissa Fralick  Researchers from Georgia Tech’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering have discovered a way to extract rare-earth elements—essential ingredients for nearly all modern electronics—from the ash left behind at coal-burning power plants using a non-toxic ionic liquid. In a paper published in ACS’s Environmental Science and Technology on June 23, the Georgia Tech researchers showed that by applying an ionic liquid directly to solid coal fly ash, rare-earth elements can be successfully removed in a safe process that creates little waste. The study is co-led by Ching-Hua Huang, a professor of environmental engineering and Ph.D. candidate Laura Stoy. A third co-author, Victoria Diaz, is an undergraduate student who joined the lab as part of Georgia Tech’s Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering/Sciences (S.U.R.E.) program. Rare-earth elements (REEs) are a set of 17 elements that are utilized to make everything from permanent magnets in windmills to LED screens for computers and smart phones. While rare-earth elements aren’t as scarce as their name implies, only a few locations around the globe have deposits large enough to mine directly. Many of these reserves are in politically sensitive locations, resulting in global supply chain tensions. “Right now, China produces over 80 percent of the world’s supply of rare-earth elements, meaning that if something were to happen to disrupt the global supply chain— like a ship getting stuck in the Suez Canal, or a pandemic, or a trade war with China—United States manufacturing might be cut off,” Stoy said. “Our work is one of many efforts to secure a [...]

UD researchers study climate change impacts on soils at military installations

Source: The Ground Underfoot - Civil and Environmental Engineering UD researchers study climate change impacts on soils at military installations We walk over it, drive over it and build on it. Yet, it is probably safe to say, most of us rarely think about the ground beneath our feet. Underneath the grass, concrete, asphalt and other materials in our built environment, however, soil provides structure and stability for what lies above. The United States military wants to understand the role that climate impacts, such as flooding, storm surge or sea level rise, will have on soils at its coastal military bases and facilities, which are critical to national security. Soil conditions can affect the integrity of the ground underpinning buildings, roads, bridges and more. For example, if a soil’s pH were to rise significantly, due to increased salt content-containing ions such as sodium from storm surge, it could create saline conditions that could hamper the ground’s ability to support this necessary infrastructure. Understanding these threats will enable faster and more accurate routing and maneuverability for U.S. forces. The Delaware Environmental Institute (DENIN) is collaborating with the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Louisiana State University to understand how vulnerable military installations along coasts may be affected by soil changes due to sea level rise and coastal flooding. DENIN has received $3.79 million in first- and second-year funding from the U.S. Department of Defense to start this work, and is eligible for an additional $3.82 million in continued funding over the following two years. Led by DENIN Director Don Sparks, Unidel S. Hallock du Pont Chair of Soil and Environmental Chemistry in UD’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, the UD effort includes interdisciplinary collaboration with Yan Jin, Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor [...]

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