Geology for Civil Engineering (Notes)

University of Batangas: Core Principles

Mission: Provides quality education promoting personal/professional growth and global participation.
Vision: To be a center of educational excellence committed to community service.
Philosophy: Non-sectarian institution focusing on knowledge, values, and skills for Philippine society, believing in human dignity, democratic process, individual excellence, and freedom of worship.
Objectives: Pursue educational excellence, promote well-being, engage in community services, ensure institutional improvement, adopt a global perspective, commit to research, and maintain student leadership.

Geology in Civil Engineering

Civil engineers working with foundations, dams, tunnels, and slope stability need knowledge of geography, climate, soil, and the geology (rock formation) of the site.
Detailed geological surveys for projects involving rocks are done by an engineering geologist, not a civil engineer.
Civil engineers must understand geological reports, including the geological history of the site's rock formation.

Branches of Geology

Geology is the scientific study of planets' constituents, internal/external forms, processes, and history.
Historically, it was divided into physical geology and historical geology.
- Physical geology: Studies Earth's materials (minerals, rocks) and processes on/within Earth.
- Historical geology: Studies the origin and evolution of life, continents, oceans, atmosphere, and ecosystems.

Main Branches

Allied Branches

Specialized Branches Definitions

Economic Geology: Studies Earth’s mineral raw materials and their practical applications (e.g., precious stones, metals, petroleum, water).
Engineering Geology: Applies geology to engineering studies to integrate geological factors in project location, design, construction, operation, and maintenance.
Geotectonics: Deals with solid Earth phenomena globally, concerning the shape, structure, and arrangement of rock masses from crustal deformation.
Historical Geology: Reconstructs Earth's past geological history and the evolution of life using geological principles.
Mineralogy: Studies minerals.
Paleontology: Scientific study of the developing history of life on Earth based on fossil records.
Structural Geology: Studies the three-dimensional distribution of rock units concerning their deformational genesis and histories to infer origin and deformation.
Environmental Geology: Applies geological principles to solve environmental problems, closely related to engineering geology.
Geochemistry: Uses chemistry to explain mechanisms of major geological systems (Earth’s crust, oceans) and the mobility of elements.
Geophysics: Core branch focused on the physical processes and properties of Earth and its space environment, using quantitative methods.

Major Branches of Geophysics

Biogeophysics: Study of how organisms alter geologic materials and geophysical signatures.
Exploration geophysics: Surface methods to detect ore concentrates and hydrocarbons.
Geophysical fluid dynamics: Study of large-scale natural flows on Earth and other planets.
Geodesy: Measurement and representation of the Earth, including its gravitational field.
Geodynamics: Study of transport and deformation modes within Earth (rock deformation, mantle convection, heat flow, lithosphere dynamics).
Geomagnetism: Study of Earth’s magnetic field and related phenomena.
Mathematical Geophysics: Development and application of mathematical methods for geophysical problems.
Mineral Physics: Science of materials composing planetary interiors.
Near-surface Geophysics: Geophysical methods for investigating shallow subsurface features.
Paleomagnetism: Measurement of Earth’s magnetic field orientation in the geologic past.
Seismology: Study of Earth’s structure via seismic waves and surface deformations during earthquakes.
Tectonophysics: Study of physical processes driving plate tectonics.