There's consensus on how and why the St. Francis Dam failed on March 12, 1928, but did it even meet the standard of care of the day?

What did geotechnical design and construction look like in 1923? What's changed since then -- and what hasn't? In this series, member blogger Michael Bennett reviews the 1923 textbook "Foundations, Abutments, and Footing" to see what the practices of a century ago might suggest for the future. Part 1: "Soil Investigation"

By James Press, EIT, Geotechnical Engineering Associate, Aterra Solutions Hello, Geo-Institute faithful! I’m very excited to present the first edition of a new column: More Pressing Matters . I’ll be...

"I wanted to provide some updates on “A Geotechnical Adventure” (working title) ahead of the public demo currently scheduled for beta in March (will likely need to push this back, again). "

We had several proposals for our keynote addresses for Geo-Congress. Here's one of the ones that we ended up not choosing.

Review of Modern Conceptions Concerning Foundation Engineering (Terzaghi, 1925) By Michael Bennett, P.E. , M.ASCE (A.G.E.S., Inc. – King of Prussia, PA) “People spend their first 40 years trying to...

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.

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.

A special guest lecturer presents his award lecture "Spooky Soil Mechanics: A More Ghoul-omb Approach"

Got piles of pile installation data? DIGGS can help!

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.

Some projects seem scary. For us, it’s just another day on the job.

Teenage sleuths and civil engineering students Frank and Joe Hardpan find an ominous clue. Can they discover its meaning -- before it's too late?

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)

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.

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 efforts to save the dam, its failure, the possible geotechnical mechanisms of the failure, and the horrific consequences.

The aftermath of the Johnstown Flood: relief efforts, journalism, analysis, and lessons learned. This post is the conclusion of the series and includes references.

These 5 tips will help you achieve stability and strength against the shear forces of daily life!

As we approach the centenary of Terzaghi's pioneering work Erdbaumechanik, looking back can bring big benefits for the future.