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Slope Stability in the Age of Steam

ecuscino | Created: 23 Aug 2024 | Updated: 26 Aug 2024
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Our member blogger looks at at Charles Gregory’s seminal 1844 paper “On railway cuttings and embankments”, examining two slope failures on a London railroad cut in the winter of 1841-42.

Soundtrack to the Summer '24

ecuscino | Created: 17 Jun 2024 | Updated: 18 Jun 2024
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Soil Properties and Modeling
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Member blogger James Press assembles a geotechnical playlist for Summer 2024: music that speaks of frustration, desperate desire, triaxial test results, pore water pressure matches, the consolidation settlement of soils, and more.

Spooky Soil Mechanics

ecuscino | Created: 30 Oct 2023 | Updated: 30 Oct 2023
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A special guest lecturer presents his award lecture "Spooky Soil Mechanics: A More Ghoul-omb Approach"

The Carsington Dam Failure

ecuscino | Created: 27 Jun 2025 | Updated: 08 Jul 2025
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In 1984, the Carsington Dam in Derby, UK, underwent a major slope failure just as construction was concluding. G-I history member blogger Michael Bennett looks at the causes and the outcomes of the failure.

The Engineer's Field Book of Frights

ecuscino | Created: 28 Oct 2022 | Updated: 28 Oct 2022
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Some projects seem scary. For us, it’s just another day on the job.

The Hardpan Boys: The Clue of the Tilting Wall

ecuscino | Created: 17 Dec 2024 | Updated: 19 Dec 2024
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Teenage sleuths and civil engineering students Frank and Joe Hardpan find an ominous clue. Can they discover its meaning -- before it's too late?

The Johnstown Flood of 1889: A Catastrophe of Civil Engineering (Part 1)

ecuscino | Created: 13 Jan 2023 | Updated: 20 Apr 2023
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First post in our new Geotechnical History blog, and part 1 of a series on the 1889 Johnstown Flood. In this post: The why, when, and how of the construction of the dam that eventually became known as the South Fork Dam. (This post revised Feb. 16, 2023)

The Johnstown Flood of 1889: A Catastrophe of Civil Engineering (Part 2)

ecuscino | Created: 24 Feb 2023 | Updated: 20 Apr 2023
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Part 2 of a series on the 1889 Johnstown Flood presented by our new Geotechnical History Blog. In this post: the replacement, breach, and abandonment of the Western Reservoir, and its rebuilding as the South Fork Dam.

The Johnstown Flood of 1889: A Catastrophe of Civil Engineering (Part 3)

ecuscino | Created: 04 Mar 2023 | Updated: 20 Apr 2023
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Part 3 of a series on the 1889 Johnstown Flood presented by our new Geotechnical History Blog. In this post: the weakening of the South Fork Dam, the increasing frequency of floods in Johnstown, and an approaching storm.

The Johnstown Flood of 1889: A Catastrophe of Civil Engineering (Part 4)

ecuscino | Created: 17 Mar 2023 | Updated: 20 Apr 2023
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The efforts to save the dam, its failure, the possible geotechnical mechanisms of the failure, and the horrific consequences.

The Johnstown Flood of 1889: A Catastrophe of Civil Engineering (Part 5)

ecuscino | Created: 18 Apr 2023 | Updated: 20 Apr 2023
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The aftermath of the Johnstown Flood: relief efforts, journalism, analysis, and lessons learned. This post is the conclusion of the series and includes references.

Why Study Geo-History?

ecuscino | Created: 03 May 2024 | Updated: 06 May 2024
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As we approach the centenary of Terzaghi's pioneering work Erdbaumechanik, looking back can bring big benefits for the future.