Syllabus academic year 2007/2008
GEOTECHNOLOGYVTG040

Higher education credits: 6. Grading scale: TH. Level: G1 (First level). Language of instruction: The course will be given in Swedish. VTG040 overlap following cours/es: VTGA01, VTGA05, VTGA01 och VTGA05. Compulsory for: BI2. Course coordinator: Conny Svensson, conny.svensson@tg.lth.se, Teknisk geologi. Assessment: Written examination and compulsory geological excursion.

Aim
The aim is to present basic environmental knowledge concerning geological and geotechnical conditions and thus an understanding of how both natural processes and human activities are risks in todays community. Special focus is made on Swedish conditions where groundwater protection and landslide basics are presented.

Knowledge and understanding
For a passing grade the student must

- be familiar with basics of geology and especially geology of Sweden

concerning soils, rocks, groundwater, surface water and topography.

- be able to understand basics of soil mechanics and especially slope stability.

Skills and abilities
For a passing grade the student must

- be able to read a geological map and construct a principal section - a type section - and thus describe a rock mass in three dimensions.

- be able to use a principal section - a type section - to estimate the need of groundwater protection and slope stability.

- be able to identify the most common geological soil materials.

Contents
Minerals. Rocks. Soils - genesis and general properties. Glacial geology and quaternary geology of Sweden. Groundwater - aquifers, flow, quality and vulnerability. Groundwater protection. Natural disasters and geological disasters. Earthquakes and volcanoes.

Basic soil mechanics. Frictional soil strength and cohesional soil strength. Bearing capacity. Improvement of bearing capacity. Slope stabilty of natural slopes and slope stabilty of excavations. Commission on slope stability. Monitoring of slope stabilty. How to handle excavation failures. Dams and dam failure. Soil mechanical aspects of floodings.

Engineering geological excursion in southwest Scania, Sweden.

Literature
Ledskog, L and Lundgren, T: Olje- och kemikalieutsläpp i jord. SGI 1995.
Svensson, C: Lektioner i geologi, hydrogeologi och grundvattenskydd. LTH 2007. As a supplement to the course literature, a documentary report of a geological field trip: "Conny Svenssons Ingenjörsgeologiska exkursion" is available for technology students via the Internet.
Sällfors, G: Geoteknik. Chalmers 2001.