Geo Slice

Seattle and the AEG Professional Forum on Landslides

2015-03-13T10:36:00.003-07:00

I must apologize for not posting much around here as it's been a very hectic beginning of 2015. So, I'll just skip ahead a bit.

About to speak at the Washington Section meeting.

At the end of February I traveled to Seattle, WA to speak at the Washington Section AEG, at an applied geology course at the University of Washington, attend the AEG Professional Forum on Landslides, and then hold a couple of days of meetings with the rest of the Executive Council of AEG. It was an exhausting trip, but also a very rewarding trip.

It began with me presenting to a class at UW full of some of the most prepared applied geology students I've come across. The program they have set up is very impressive and I hope it has a long future ahead of it. Then I presented at the Washington Section meeting - once again the Hoover Dam Bypass talk which seems to be a crowd pleaser. This was my largest Section audience yet at 70+ people.

Oso (SR 530) Landslide

Next up was 2 days of talks and workshops at the AEG Professional Forum on Landslides: Time to Face the Landslide Hazard Dilemma: Bridging Science, Policy, Public Safety, and Potential Loss. It was a very impressive forum that brought scientists together with stakeholders such as emergency planners, local government officials, forest service, FEMA, USGS, policy professionals, insurance professionals and more. I think a lot of steps were taken toward truly protecting the public from landslide hazards and I hope to see movement on the policy front both regionally and nationally.

House destroyed at Panaview Landslide, Everett, WA

As part of the forum there was a field trip that included stops at the Panaview landslide in Everett, WA as well as the the Oso landslide site (also known as the SR 530 landslide). It was very impressive to see these up close and it was especially impactful to see the full scale of the Oso landslide. It was also very sobering to see the destruction and site where so many lives were lost. It was one of the best field trips I've been on, for both the geology and the human element.

AEG will be following up with another conference related to this in the next year or two - this time probably on the eastern side of the country.

Traveling to Las Vegas and Los Angeles Next Week

2015-01-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

Next week I'll be on the road again with visits to AEG Sections in Southern Nevada (Las Vegas) and Southern California (meeting in North Hollywood). I'll be in Vegas on Tuesday evening and the LA-area on Wednesday evening. If you're in the area, it'd be great if you could attend (both Sections have selected my talk about the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge). Information below

Las Vegas:

TUESDAY, January 13, 2015

Embassy Suites Convention Center

3600 Paradise Road

Las Vegas, NV

THE SOUTHERN NV SECTION MEETING PRESENTATION:

Mr. KEN FERGASON

NATIONAL PRESIDENT of AEG

The Geologic, Geo-Hazard, and Geotechnical Field Investigation for the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge

Los Angeles:

JANUARY MEETING NOTICE
***Wednesday, January 14, 2015***

Greetings AEG Southern California Section Member
We hope you will join us for the AEG Southern California Section's first meeting of 2015, to be held at Victorio's Ristorante, in North Hollywood, on Wednesday, January 14th.

The presentation will be by Ken Fergason, Senior Geologist with AMEC Environment & Infrastructure, Inc. (AMEC) in Phoenix, Arizona and current President of AEG. Ken will present a retrospective of the field investigation portion of the geohazard investigation and geotechnical design of the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge that spans the border of Arizona and Nevada, crossing the Colorado River immediately downstream of the Hoover Dam. A summary and full abstract of the presentation topic can be found near the bottom of this page.

Link to more information

The following week I'll be visiting the AEG Carolinas Section in the Charlotte, NC area and the AEG Southeastern Section in the Atlanta/North Georgia area. I'll post more specific information next week.

2015 AEG Professional Landslide Forum: Time to Face the Landslide Hazard Dilemma: Bridging Science, Policy, Public Safety, and Potential Loss

2015-01-09T12:35:00.002-07:00

AEG has a wonderful opportunity coming up in February, 2015 for experts in landslide hazard to interact with public safety, planning, insurance, political, emergency management and other stakeholders in a public forum. The lineup of speakers is very impressive and I believe that this will prove to be standout forum. Please consider attending - I will be there.

http://www.aegweb.org/about-aeg/aeg-meetings-events/2015-landslide-forum

2015 AEG Professional Landslide Forum

Time to Face the Landslide Hazard Dilemma:

Bridging Science, Policy, Public Safety, and Potential Loss

February 26-28, 2015 | University of Washington, Seattle, WA

The conference will consist of two days of technical and other presentations by invited speakers, posters, discussion sessions and workshops regarding: landslide hazard assessment and risk methodology, current state and local programs and how these can be integrated into current and potential future national programs, what’s working and where do we need to improve, can we develop consensus recommendations and guidance for agencies responsible for land use, and more. Cost for the conference is $300 per attendee. There will also be an optional field trip to the Oso landslide and another recent landslide impacting several houses in Everett, WA on Saturday. Cost for the field trip is $100. More details are available on the registration form.

Hotel Information

Silver Cloud Inn Lake Union
1150 Fairview Ave North
Seattle, WA 98109

For Reservations: 1-800-330-5812 (Please indicate group name AEG when making your reservation.)

Note: If you use any other phone number and/or book online, you may not receive the group rate listed below.

The following rates have been negotiated and are only guaranteed until Jan. 26, 2015 so don't delay in planning your trip to attend this conference!

Standard Guestroom: $129.00 per night plus tax
Lakeview Guestroom: $149.00 per night plus tax
Lakeview Suite Upgrade: $179.00 per night plus tax

- See more at: http://www.aegweb.org/about-aeg/aeg-meetings-events/2015-landslide-forum#sthash.Fcv5XbEu.dpuf

Profiled in International Innovation Magazine

2015-01-09T12:30:00.003-07:00

Late last year an exciting opportunity came about in the form of an interview/profile with the magazine International Innovation. Well, the article is live now. It was a lot of fun and I think it covers a lot of what AEG is, what AEG does, and how I got where I am as President. Please give it a read.

"Many of the current trends in higher education in the US endanger the future of applied geology."

I'm also happy to see it get a fair bit of coverage all around. Some examples are linked below.

And as always, I've promoted it heavily on my Twitter page.

On The Road Again

2014-12-03T21:05:00.001-07:00

After a nice little break from significant travel, I'll be heading out on the road again next week. I'll be visiting the Kansas City/Omaha Section on Tuesday, December 9th, our North Central Section (Chicago) on the 10th, and the St. Louis Section on the 11th. Anyone in those areas is encouraged to attend - AEG member or not. Information on the meetings is below.

Kansas City/Omaha, Dec. 9:

5:30pm (presentation at 7pm) at Californos - Westport, Kansas City, MO (more information)

Presentation - Characterization, Rehabilitation, and Monitoring of a Subsidence-Impacted Dam: A Case Study at Powerline FRS, Arizona (full abstract)

North Central, Dec. 10:

5:30pm (presentation after dinner) at Greek Islands, Lombard, IL (more information)

Presentation - Someone is Paying Me to do This! The Geologic, Geohazard, and Geotechnical Field Investigation for the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge (full abstract)

St. Louis, Dec. 11:

5:30pm (presentation at 6:45) at Pietro's, St. Louis, MO (more information)

Presentation - Someone is Paying Me to do This! The Geologic, Geohazard, and Geotechnical Field Investigation for the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge (full abstract)

I always discuss a few business items with AEG prior to my technical presentation as well. It's the interaction I get with members at these meetings that really gets me excited about AEG. I hope you all can find a way to a meeting.

I Survived GRA and GSA

2014-11-04T16:40:00.003-07:00

AEG Presidential Selfie at the
Capilano Suspension Bridge in
Vancouver, BC

Even though I’ve been back from my trip that took me to California and Vancouver, BC for the GRA and GSA conferences, respectfully, I am still trying to play catch-up.

The trip began when I landed in Oakland, CA back in mid-October. I spent a couple of hours at the AMEC office in Oakland and then headed into San Francisco. I met up with Sarah Kalika, the SF Section Chair, at the Hyatt Regency to tour it for advance planning for the 2018 AEG-IAEG Meeting. That hotel will be a great venue.

Then I crossed the street to the SF Section meeting next to the Ferry Building. The SF Giants were playing in the National League Championship Series, so attendance was a bit low (note – don’t go up against playoff baseball with a technical talk). Though it was great to interact with a more intimate crowd.

Then I was off to Sacramento for the GRA conference, where I presented a poster. It was a very interesting meeting and I’m glad that I attended. I see a lot of activity in the groundwater world coming for California – both good and bad – and the overall mood at the conference was a bit depressing with dealing with the realities of the lack of water in the West.

From Sacramento I flew to Vancouver, BC for GSA. This was my first time at GSA and it was nice – I was able to catch up with a few old friends from grad school and there were several AEG members around as well. I participated in the Onto the Future Mentor program, though I didn’t get to spend near enough time with my mentee. It was also a bit disheartening to see that the for all of the interesting career information that was available, it was pretty much only oil and gas companies that were participating (the price tag was way too high for anyone else). I’d be happier if there was more information for other options that students have (such as environmental and engineering geology).

I ended up in meetings most of the time, and only saw the technical talks that were around my own. The meetings were great, though a bit overwhelming. Even as President of AEG I’m continually surprised by just how much our little Association does.

I did manage to skip out one morning and visit a nice urban park/tourist trap – the Capilano Suspension Bridge. It’s in a temperate rain forest in North Vancouver – and it is beautiful, if a bit pricey and crowded. But it was a nice way to spend a few hours.

Anyway, I’m back now and trying to get some actual work done, keep AEG in hand, and spend time with my family. It’s all just another ball in the air (it’d be easier if I could actually juggle though). But it was a great trip, and I’m looking forward to the next one in December – I’ll be visiting the Kansas City/Omaha and St. Louis Sections. Hopefully I can work in another one as well – I’m looking at you North Central.

Ciao!

California, GRAC Annual Meeting, Vancouver and GSA...Here We Go!

2014-10-12T21:07:00.003-07:00

So, this is going to be a busy couple of weeks for me. Tuesday morning I begin my first big trip touring as President of AEG, though I'm fitting in quite a bit of stuff related to my day job at AMEC as well.

On Tuesday I fly out to Oakland, CA. I'll be stopping in at the AMEC office in Oakland for a bit and then I'll take BART over to San Francisco. I have a meeting at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco about 2018 AEG-IAEG Annual Meeting/Conference. I'm told it's a great space for the meeting and I'm looking forward to checking it out.

Tuesday evening I'm presenting to the SF AEG Section. I'll cover a bit of AEG business, then move on to a technical talk - they chose "Someone is Paying Me to do This! The Geologic, Geohazard, and Geotechnical Field Investigation for the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge." I'm really looking forward to meeting with the SF Section.

On Wednesday morning I drive out to Sacramento for the Groundwater Resources Association of California (GRAC) Annual Conference. I'm presenting a poster titled "The Development of Guidelines and Procedures for Land Subsidence Investigations: An Arizona Perspective". On Thursday evening after the conference I'm meeting up with the AEG Sacramento Section for happy hour drinks at the River City Brewing Company. That should be a great time.

Friday morning I fly up to Vancouver, BC for the Geological Society of America (GSA) Annual Conference. My schedule is way too packed to try and put it up in this post, but I'll be doing a lot of meeting for affiliated societies of GSA and the American Geosciences Institute (GSI). I'm also participating in the mentor program and presenting a talk on "Utilizing InSAR for Geotechnical Asset Management of Landslides in Colorado". Somewhere in between the meetings, my presentation, being a mentor, and visiting the AMEC office Burnaby, I will be manning the AEG booth, so come on by and chat if you can.

Anyway, if you're going to be at any of the events mentioned above, come introduce yourself to me and we can chat. As busy as I'll be during that time, I'll definitively have a need to quench a thirst. I also hope to blog and tweet throughout.

Presidential Presentations

2014-10-10T11:59:00.006-07:00

One of the more enjoyable things I get to as President of AEG is travel around to some of our regional Sections, present to and interact with local meetings. I've repeatedly been told by Past Presidents that this is the most 'fun' part of the job and it's one I'm looking forward to a lot.

My Section visits begin next week with a visit to the San Francisco Section on Tuesday, Oct. 14th (details available at this link), where I'll be talking about my involvement with the geo-investigation for the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge (in addition to general AEG business). On Thursday evening, Oct. 16th, I'll be joining the Sacramento Section for drinks at a brewery in downtown Sacramento (details in image).

Generally, as President I will be giving a technical talk plus some general discussion of AEG business. I have 4 technical talks plus 1 general applied geology talk that it appropriate for students and the general public (titles are below).

Someone is Paying Me to do This! The Geologic, Geohazard, and Geotechnical Field Investigation for the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge
Seismic Refraction as a Tool for Geotechnical, Geologic, and Geohazard Investigations
Characterization, Rehabilitation, and Monitoring of a Subsidence-Impacted Dam: A Case Study at Powerline FRS, Arizona
Application of Satellite-Based Interferometry (InSAR) to Geologic and Geotechnical Investigations
Between a Rock and Geologic Disaster. Working as an Applied Geologist

Below the cut I have added the text for the full abstracts.

Someone is Paying Me to do This!

The Geologic, Geohazard, and Geotechnical Field Investigation for the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge

This presentation is a retrospective discussion of the field investigation portion of the geohazard investigation and geotechnical design of the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge that spans the border of Arizona and Nevada, crossing the Colorado River immediately downstream of the Hoover Dam. Or to put it another way, a collection of ‘war stories’ from a young field geologist who, on his first year on the job, had the opportunity to work on a career-defining project. This project was awarded the 2014 Outstanding Environmental and Engineering Project Award from AEG at the 57^th Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The river bridge structure — the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge — is as grand as its safety, security and economic impact. The 1,900-foot-long Colorado River crossing is the centerpiece of the project, which included 3.5 miles of new approach roadway on both sides of the river and seven other bridges. It is the highest and longest arched concrete bridge in the Western Hemisphere and features the world’s tallest precast concrete columns. The innovative hybrid structure is designed to complement the dam with the high-performance concrete arch while limiting the load demands with a modern steel superstructure. It is the first steel-concrete hybrid arch bridge in the United States.

The spectacular setting provides a backdrop for one of America’s most significant modern civil engineering projects but also proved to be the greatest challenge. The Black Canyon below the dam is an 800-foot-gorge with dramatic rock cliffs, steep to vertical canyon walls and a vast geological palette. Working in such a setting required rock cuts and fills exceeding 100 feet in height, accounting for winds up to 70 miles per hour and setting concrete at night to avoid desert heat reaching more than 120 degrees.

Major challenges faced by the geotechnical investigation included

· Extreme heat (on site temperatures in excess of 130°F in the shade were measured – there was very little shade),
· Extreme access – mountaineering rope work techniques were required, drill rigs were mobilized via helicopter, crane, track, and ‘spyder’,
· High voltage overhead electrical transmission lines constraining helicopter access were present in many locations,
· Security – initial field work began the week after September 11, 2001, and
· Accelerated project schedule due to security concerns.

The project consisted of several investigative phases – 1) Geologic mapping and seismic hazard investigation, 2) Canyon wall mapping, 3) Preliminary drilling investigation at river bridge foundation locations and potential tunnel location, 4) Arizona approach drilling, 5) Colorado River bridge foundation drilling, and 6) Nevada approach drilling. Total time in the field was a little over 6 months over a 1-year period with up to 4 drill rigs on site at a time. Several thousand feet of corehole sampling with optical borehole surveys were drilled. Additional characterization included early adoption of LiDAR scanning to map the canyon walls, pushing the technology at the time, and other techniques such as Goodman Jack testing, surface refraction and downhole seismic surveys, helicopter reconnaissance, and fixed-wing aerial search for any previously unknown area faults.

Seismic Refraction as a Tool for Geotechnical, Geologic, and Geohazard Investigations

When characterizing sites, especially in areas of shallow rock, geoprofessionals typically need to know depths to and profile of harder materials, and to quantify the strength or resistance to excavation (rippability) of those materials, the assessment of foundation conditions, the stability of the geomaterial, and/or scour potential. As practical, cost effective tools to address these parameters, signal enhancement refraction seismographs have been available to geotechnical engineers since the 1970s. Using a typical single channel instrument in the early years, data could be obtained using the one geophone set near the instrument and moving the sledgehammer energy source at set spacing distances to obtain the seismic refraction first arrival time-distance data one point at a time. Interpretations were performed using slide rule, chart or hand calculator (by mid to late 1970s) methods to calculate seismic compression wave (p-wave) velocities and depth to harder horizons (often bedrock). Although field equipment, seismic methods and computational interpretation technologies have improved exponentially since that time, some of the geoprofessional’s basic data needs from seismic geophysics have remained the same: depth to and profile of harder horizons (often rock or bedrock), excavatability of those harder horizons, foundation conditions for load bearing, stability of the geomaterials, and/or scour potential.

Recent advances in surface wave measurement capabilities now permit collection of both seismic refraction compressional wave (p-wave) and Rayleigh surface wave (for s-wave) data using the same physical field equipment and (thankfully!) multi-geophone arrays. Typical energy sources include sledge hammer for p-wave and spectral-analysis or multi-analysis of surface wave data, and field vehicle, jogging or background ambient noise for refraction microtremor (ReMi) data. Seismograph field sampling rate settings are changed from p-wave to surface wave data collection; the rest of the field setup may remain the same. Interpretation of p-wave and s-wave data sets uses standard procedures. However, results of each data set are used to constrain or verify the results of the other data set. P-wave interpretations proceed first to interpret interface depths and p-wave velocities in two dimensions across the seismic line profile. The p-wave results provide an initial model for interpreting the s-wave profile from the dispersion curve. Upper or shallow interface depths based on p-wave results are honored, and s-wave velocities for the shallow layers are initially estimated as about one-half the p-wave velocities. Interpretation of the deeper portion of the s-wave profile based on the dispersion curve then proceeds. The p-wave results provide an effective constraint on the upper portion of the s-wave interpretation to reduce the non-uniqueness of dispersion curve interpretation. At the same time, the s-wave interpretation can be used to identify the absence or presence of a significant velocity reversal condition or water table, and typically provides a considerably greater depth of investigation for the final interpretation. Information concerning subsurface geotechnical profile geometries, site seismicity classification, geomaterial strengths and excavation conditions, and estimates of in-situ unit weights to assist in determining shrink / swell earthwork factors are obtained.

This presentation is given from the perspective of the engineering geologist utilizing small-scale surface seismic methods as another tool in the toolbox for efficient and effective characterization. Examples of geotechnical characterization for highway projects in Arizona, Utah and New Mexico using these complementary surface seismic concepts are presented, including earthwork factors, excavability, scour potential, slope stability and landslides.

Characterization, Rehabilitation, and Monitoring of a Subsidence-Impacted Dam: A Case Study at Powerline FRS, Arizona

Powerline Flood Retarding Structure (FRS) is a 2.5-mile long earthen dam located in Apache Junction, about 20 miles east of Phoenix, Arizona in Pinal County. Constructed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service from 1967 to 1968, it is operated and maintained by the Flood Control District of Maricopa County (District). A study in 2002 identified earth fissures about 900 feet downstream of and trending towards the dam. In 2007 additional investigations determined that an earth fissure was present immediately downstream of the dam and likely passed underneath. Other studies have included the development of earth fissure risk zones, failure modes and effects analysis, and performance of an alternatives analysis. Providing a new dam segment as an Interim Dam Safety Measure (IDSM) to bypass zones of higher risk emerged as the preferred alternative; elevated monitoring was not considered sufficient to reduce the risk associated with the known earth fissure. The District’s goals were to have an interim solution in place in 2 to 3 years, and for the interim solution to have a life of up to 15 years. The design consists of an engineered earthen fill with an over-excavated cut-off and upstream filter aggregate and geotextile. IDSM construction was completed in early 2014.A final design for the larger region, including channels and 2 additional structures is currently underway. Powerline FRS will be abandoned and flood protection will be provided by a new channel that will flow to an adjacent rehabilitated and raised FRS. Additionally, a comprehensive monitoring plan has been developed. It includes conventional survey leveling, GPS data collection, regular acquisition and analysis of high-resolution digital imagery and satellite-based interferometric synthetic-aperture radar interferometry (InSAR), ground inspection, and regional groundwater monitoring. The presentation will show the project’s evolution through time and conclude with data acquired in the monitoring process and some lessons learned.

Application of Satellite-Based Interferometry (InSAR) to Geologic and Geotechnical Investigations

Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) has the potential for measuring deformation of the earth’s surface with very high accuracy. In addition, when archived (post-1992) raw data is available, recent historic movement may be quantifiable. Future InSAR data can be utilized as a monitoring tool. InSAR utilizes satellite-based data acquired at two different times along orbits of a similar trajectory to detect changes in the ground surface elevation. This technique can be used to measure ground deformation for rectangular areas as large as 100 kilometers on a side, often with higher-resolution data available for smaller areas. Production of an interferogram from raw satellite data and quantification of differential ground movement (‘unwrapping’) is a complex computational process. Successful interpretation of the interferometric results requires applying available knowledge or inference of topography, geology, atmospheric conditions, ground movement trends and mechanics of existing ground conditions to address issues at hand. InSAR can also be utilized to create high quality and repeatable digital elevation models (DEMs).

The most important information that InSAR can provide is a direct observation of ground deformation as measured from the satellite’s line of site. This includes ground deformation from

· Ground subsidence (groundwater withdrawal, petroleum withdrawal, mine collapse),

· Landslides and slope instability,

· Sinkholes/karst,

· Erosion events,

· Earthquakes, and

· Other geologic events.

This presentation will show examples of InSAR use and application to geologic and geotechnical investigations and monitoring for

· Flood control structures impacted by land subsidence due to groundwater withdrawal (Arizona),

· Pilot study for evaluating InSAR and landslides as part of a geotechnical asset management plan in Colorado,

· Highway infrastructure impacted by sinkholes, potential sinkholes, dissolution mining, and underground mine works (New Mexico),

· Mine infrastructure impacted by ground subsidence related to pit dewatering (Nevada),

· Pit slop stability in large, open-pit mines (British Columbia, Arizona, and Nevada), and a

· Landslide hazard study for a tailings dam location (Western US).

Between a Rock and Geologic Disaster

Working as an Applied Geologist

This presentation is intended for students and/or a general audience. If you are interested in this talk, I can generate an abstract/description based on the audience of the presentation.

The 57th Annual Meeting of the Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists (AEG)

2014-09-29T10:40:00.002-07:00

Last week was the 57^th Annual Meeting of AEG in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was a spectacular meeting and one that I was proud to be a part of. For me, the most significant part of the meeting is that I officially became the 58^th President of AEG. It is quite an honor to President of such a great organization and to ‘join the club’ of the many prestigious individuals who have served as President of AEG ahead of me.

The meeting was a great success with some excellent technical sessions covering a wide range of topics including land subsidence and earth fissuring, landslides (with multiple presentations on the tragic Oso Landslide), dams, landfills, debris flows, and seismic hazards. I probably heard the most positive comments regarding our field trips and keynote speaker – Wayne Ranney. Wayne was a leader along with Phil Pearthree of the Arizona Geological Survey for a multi-day field trip to the Grand Canyon and Wayne’s keynote address concentrated on the geologic history of the Grand Canyon. Other trips to Kartchner Caverns, Ray Mine, Sedona, and the Phoenix area were equally praised.

For me the entire meeting was a virtual whirlwind – I was at meeting after meeting, shook countless hands, managed to sit in on a talk or two, participated in a round-table discussion on land subsidence and earth fissures, lead a town hall meeting on governance restructure issues, gave a couple speeches (including my ‘Presidential address’ at our Annual Banquet to over 120 people), had a few drinks, and chaired my first Board Meeting. To say the least, now that I am home again I am exhausted and slowly downloading the entire experience.

I am looking forward to an exciting year as the new AEG President!

IAEG 2014 Download

2014-09-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

I’m sitting in the airport in Milan, Italy at the start of my long journey back to Flagstaff, Arizona*. I’ve had a wonderful week in Torino, Italy at the IAEG2014 Congress, which is held once every 4 years by IAEG. It was a very nice conference with a huge variety of attendees from around the world (those of us from the USA comprised of less than 2% of the 1100+ attendees). Italy and China had the largest contingencies, but I enjoyed speaking with people from all over Europe, Asia, Australasia, South America and North America (such as Turkey, Hungary, Italy, UK, Japan, China, Singapore, Netherlands, India, Australia, and New Zealand, to name just a few).

It was also a great meeting for AEG, even though we (and the rest of the USA) are dreadfully underrepresented (due to non-participation) within IAEG these days. We proposed to host the next IAEG Congress in 2018 in San Francisco, California and were awarded the meeting. So, in 4 years, AEG will be hosting the IAEG conference – we are very excited for this opportunity and look forward to an excellent meeting.

In addition, AEG Past President Scott Burns was elected President-elect of IAEG to serve a 4-year term beginning in January. AEG Past President Jeff Keaton was elected as the Vice President for North America as well. Both Scott and Jeff have a long history of involvement with both AEG and IAEG and its excellent to have us

so well represented, particularly with us hosting the next conference in 2018. I hope during my presidency with AEG that I can work with Scott and Jeff to increase AEG’s involvement with IAEG and the greater world community.

My poster went well and I’ve made new international connection to serve me professionally and personally. With that, I think I’ll try to rest up for AEG’s Annual Meeting, which begins next week!

Ciao!

*Note: I did not end up posting this until a few days after I had returned.

IAEG in Torino, Italy

2014-09-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

So, on Thursday I’m off to Torino, Italy for the IAEG 2014 Congress (IAEG is the International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment). This conference only happens every 4 years, and it’s a big one with lots of really good applied geology presentations. The theme of the conference is ‘Engineering Geology for Society and Territory’.

I have a poster presentation on Thursday (September 18) in the morning poster session. My presentation is titled “Investigative Procedures for Assessing Subsidence and Earth Fissure Risk for Dams and Levees”. The full abstract is posted below for those that are interested. There is a paper included in the conference proceedings, but it’s really just an extended abstract. My colleagues and I have a series of papers that we authored for the USSD (United States Society on Dams) Conference that was in Phoenix in 2013 that cover the topic in much greater detail.

One exciting part of this meeting (other than being in Italy!) is that AEG is proposing to host the next IAEG Congress in 2018 in San Francisco. I really hope that it’s selected as it will be a great meeting to bring to the US for the first time and a spectacular setting. I’ll post the results of the selection here and on Twitter when it comes through.

Speaking of Twitter, I plan to ‘tweet’ regularly while in Italy (probably at odd hours for US folks), so tune in at @AEGFergason for updates.

Abstract for the meeting below:

investigative procedures for assessing Subsidence and earth fissure risk for dams and levees

Kenneth C. Fergason, PG
AMEC Environment and Infrastructure, Inc.
Michael L. Rucker, PE
AMEC Environment and Infrastructure, Inc.
Bibhuti B. Panda
AMEC Environment and Infrastructure, Inc.
Michael D. Greenslade, PE
Flood Control District of Maricopa County

The depletion of groundwater resources in many deep alluvial basin aquifers in the Western U.S.A. is causing ground subsidence, as it does in many regions worldwide. Ground subsidence can severely and adversely impact infrastructure by changing the ground elevation, ground slope (grade) and through the development of ground cracks known as earth fissures that can erode into large gullies. Earth fissures have the potential to undermine the foundations of dams, levees, and other pertinent structures and cause system failure.

Earth fissures that have been exposed to flowing water will most likely have observable surficial expressions such as ground cracking, piping holes, vegetative and tonal lineaments, and similar features, however uneroded earth fissures often do not have surficial expression.

Subsequent to the performance of an evaluation of the overall subsidence experienced in the vicinity of a subsidence-impacted structure, a detailed investigation to search for earth fissures must be performed. Such an investigation must include investigative techniques capable of detecting earth fissures that do not have significant surficial expression. Utilizing the findings of subsidence investigation, additional investigative methods for earth fissure search include photogeologic (lineament) analysis, assessment of the capability of near-surface soils to develop an earth fissure, assessment of the degree of ground disturbance, detailed site inspection, seismic refraction profiling for concealed earth fissures, and excavation of trenches.

Satellite-based interferometry by repeat pass synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) provides unique information about active land subsidence over large areas based on multiple radar images (commonly about 100x100 km scenes) obtained from different time periods. The subsidence or deformation image known as an interferogram can also reveal with proper interpretation some preliminary subsurface information about alluvial basin geometry, lithology and hydrology where active land subsidence is interpreted. However, utilizing interferometry is very a complex task that requires synthesis of available information to properly or best constrain an interpretation.

Effective subsidence risk assessment and mitigation requires understanding and quantification of historic subsidence, and estimation of potential future subsidence that could impact the dams and levee infrastructure. A primary subsidence mechanism is increasing effective stress due to groundwater level decline within saturated compressible basin alluvium. Ultimate subsidence magnitude at a given location is a function of change in effective stress, compressible alluvium thickness and material modulus. Modulus is typically a function of depth and effective stress. Subsidence rates are assumed to largely be a function of rate of groundwater level decline, alluvium permeability or hydraulic conductivity and distance from groundwater level stress points (such as pumping wells). Basin alluvium and bedrock interface geometry, and changes and interfaces in basin alluvium lithology, profoundly influence patterns and the degree of subsidence. Characterization includes collection and synthesis of historic survey and well data, surface geophysical methods for basin and bedrock characterization, and when available, InSAR to document recent or current subsidence patterns. Utilizing a synthesis of this information, subsidence modeling matching documented historic subsidence and estimating potential future subsidence can be developed to assess potential impacts on dam and levee infrastructure.

Utilizing the results of the site characterization and subsidence modeling, a finite-element stress-strain model can be developed to estimate past and future ground strain. Estimated tensional strain values can be utilized to predict where earth fissures are likely to initiate with future subsidence and reduce the risk of failure.

Multiple case studies from Central Arizona will be utilized as examples, including McMicken Dam and Powerline Flood Retarding Structure which are operated and maintained by the Flood Control District of Maricopa County, Arizona.

About Me

2014-07-17T10:29:00.001-07:00

This post serves as a basic introduction to who I am Professionally and Personally.

I am the current President of the Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists (AEG). I am Senior Geologist with AMEC Environment & Infrastructure, Inc. (AMEC) in Phoenix, Arizona, though I reside in Flagstaff, Arizona and a registered professional geologist in Arizona.. I have been with AMEC since November 2000. Since that time, I have been utilized as a project manager, technical lead, project geologist, task manager, and field geologist performing geologic, geotechnical and geologic hazard investigations for dams, levees, channels, basins, buildings, roadways, bridges, power plants, transmission lines, mining projects, pipelines, and other structures. In addition, I have been extensively involved in the characterization of land subsidence and subsidence-related hazards such as earth fissures and associated impacts for planning, design and remediation. I have also been involved in projects that utilize remote sensing technologies such as interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) as they apply to geologic and geotechnical characterization, including ground subsidence and earth fissuring and slope stability issues. Involvement in this wide-range of projects has included field investigation, logging and sampling of soils and rock, seismic and resistivity surveys, quality inspection, gravity surveys and analysis, geologic mapping, aerial photographic and remote sensing interpretation, background research, data analysis, report preparation, supervision of drill and other field crews, and overall task management. I have also utilized mountaineering techniques obtained in a specialized training course to map the geology, fracture patterns, and other concerns on canyon walls specifically applied to geotechnical characterization for bridge foundations and slope stability. I have experience investigating geologic hazards such as land subsidence, earth fissuring, landslides and seismic hazards and has received specialized training in the use of LiDAR and high resolution DEMs for landslides and slope stability. I have worked internationally in Canada, Mexico, Germany, Romania, the Czech Republic, and have supported other projects worldwide.

My experience with AEG: Vice Chair, Phoenix Chapter (2003 – 2007); Chair, Arizona Section (2007 – 2010); Website Committee (2008 – 2011); Website Committee Co-Chairperson (2010 – 2011); Governance Committee (2010 – 2011); AEG Secretary (2011 – 2012); AEG Treasurer (2012 – 2013); AEG Vice President/President-Elect (2013 – 2014). I also served on the planning committee for the 2011 Shlemon Conference in Tempe, Arizona and the planning committee for the 2014 Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Education: 1998: BS, Engineering Geology, Texas A&M University, 2001: MS, Geology, Arizona State University.

I am also active with the Arizona Hydrological Society (AHS), The Arizona Land Subsidence Group, The Arizona Geological Survey Earth Fissure Advisory Group, the Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance (GEER), and the International Association of Engineering Geology and the Environment (IAEG).

I am a proud husband and a father of 2. My son is 7 and my daughter is 4. My wife is a planetary geophysicist with the USGS and my children love all things fun - sports, dancing, music, and the outdoors. We spend as much time outdoors as possible - mostly hiking the mountains outside of Flagstaff, and enjoying the trip down to Sedona when there's too much snow on the ground. I'm also typical of many geologists I know in that I enjoy a good drink - fine craft beer, scotch, wine, etc.

Back From The Dead

2014-07-16T13:09:00.000-07:00

I figure it's about time to resurrect this blog and develop a new purpose. At the moment I (Ken Fergason) am the Vice President/President-Elect of the Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists (AEG) and I will become President at our Annual Meeting in September (It's in Scottsdale, AZ and it's going to be an awesome meeting). I am going to utilize this blog to document my experience as President. I don't know yet how active it will be and what exactly the content will be, but I'm envisioning discussions on my travels, meetings I attend, presentations I give, people I interact with and such. I also imagine there will doomsday travel stories and gratuitous photos from a conference I'll be attending in Italy. Anyway, I'm hoping it'll a lot of fun. So stay tuned as content ramps up over the next couple of months.

-Ken

PS: Current info on the Arizona Section of AEG can be found here.

2011 Shlemon Specialty Conference

2011-07-08T14:45:00.000-07:00

2011 Shlemon Specialty Conference

Opportunities for Alternative Energy Development in Arizona and the Southwest – Geologic/Hydrologic Considerations

Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists

Arizona Land Subsidence Group

October 27-28, 2011

Embassy Suites – Tempe, AZ

Take advantage of this exciting opportunity to network and see presentations by experts in geology, geologic hazards, soils, foundation engineering, hydrology, and land use as applied to opportunities for alternative energy development in Arizona and the Southwest U.S. Invited talks by the Arizona State Geologist, Arizona Land Commissioner, and experts from both the public and private sectors will provide an excellent educational opportunity as well as the chance to meet and network with industry colleagues. Registration for the day-long technical conference is only $100/person and CEU’s will be available. Additionally, there is a follow-up day-long field trip led by industry and agency experts that will show examples geologic and hydrologic issues discussed in the technical presentations and visit a local alternative energy facility. The cost of the field trip is only $60/person. Sponsorship and Exhibiting opportunities are available. A conference rate of $129 per night is available at the Tempe Embassy Suites.

More information including registration forms is available at the conference website:

http://www.aegweb.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageID=5464

Additional questions and inquiries can be sent by email to info@azlandsubsidence.org

UA AEG Meeting March 24th 2011

2011-03-21T16:17:00.001-07:00

University of Arizona
Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists

Call and Nicholas, Inc.
International Geotechnical Consultants

Invites You to a Presentation by
Robert Pratt, PE on
Rock Mechanics and Slope Stability

Free Brooklyn Pizza and Soda
Provided by Call and Nicholas, Inc.

When- UA AEG Monthly Meeting, Thursday March 24th, 12:30pm
Where- Mines and Metallurgy Bldg, Room 225

UA AEG Meeting March 24th 2011

2011-03-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

ASU GeoClub Meet and Greet

2011-02-15T15:22:00.002-07:00

GeoClub’s Second Annual
Student/Professional
Meet and Greet

Thursday, March 3, 2011
5:30-6:30 PM Reception
in Dietz Museum
6:30 PM Professional Introductions
PSF 166
7:00 PM Informal Discussion Groups
PSF 166

This is an opportunity for students to talk to
professionals and find out about summer opportunities.
These could include internships, scholarships, jobs and
more!

There will be professionals from Hydrology, Environmental, Mining,
Engineering Geology, Geotechnical , Academia and more!
For a full list of professionals and a short biography, please look at the
GeoClub website at

http://asu.orgsync.com/org/geoclub

AEG Meeting 2/10/11

2011-02-08T14:58:00.000-07:00

We have another great AEG meeting planned for February! The meeting will be on held Thursday February 10, 2011 at Monti’s located at the SWC of Mill Ave and 1st Street in Tempe. We'll start off at 6:00pm with a hosted happy hour courtesy of Enviro-Drill Inc. Dinner will be at 7pm with the presentation starting shortly after dinner.

Our speaker is Bill Haneberg, PG, PhD, the current Jahn's lecturer. His presentation is titled "3-D Rock Slope Modeling and Virtual Discontinuity Mapping Using Digital Photogrammetry". Please see the attached flyer for more details.

Please RSVP by Monday February 7th if you will be joining us! Thank you and hope to see you at the meeting!

AEG-AHS Student Night 2011

2011-02-01T13:22:00.005-07:00

Student Night 2011

For All Arizona Students and Professionals in Groundwater,

Environmental, & Engineering Geology

Geotechnical Engineering and Geological Engineering Fields

Hosted By: AEG and AHS

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Student/Professional Meeting

Networking

Recruiting

Schedule of Events:

5:30-7:00 Career Fair and Mingling

7:00-7:45 Dinner

7:45- 8:45 Student Presentations

8:45-9:00 Award Presentations

Location:

Arizona State University in Tempe

Student Memorial Union

Cochise Room

EWB Meeting

2010-08-26T12:50:00.001-07:00

Engineers Without Borders (ASU Chapter) Meeting
Wednesday, September 1st
6:30 PM PSH 151
Arizona State University

For more information contact Armando Villareal avillar2@asu.edu

Geologist opening at Ohio Geological Survey

2010-08-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

Geologist 3 - Ohio Geological Survey

The Ohio Geological Survey seeks applications for the position of Geologist 3 for the Geologic Mapping & Industrial Minerals Group. The successful candidate will be a versatile and highly motivated geoscientist with a thorough understanding of geologic mapping, bedrock geology and stratigraphy, and glacial geology and geomorphology. Background knowledge in areas such as geophysical exploration, interpretation of logs, familiarity with coring, sampling, and drilling, geologic modeling, and GIS, particularly any 3-D or geostatistical analysis is a major plus. A Master’s degree is preferred although a Bachelor’s degree with relevant experience will be considered. The complete job posting will be available on the ODNR website beginning August 23^rd. (www.ohiodnr.com); applications will be accepted thru September 3, 2010. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. For more information concerning application procedures, please contact Rene Norris at 614-265-6406. For more information about position duties and qualifications, please contact Mike Angle at 614-265-6602.

Additional info

The Ohio Geological Survey (OGS) is a Division within the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, with offices located at Fountain Square in Columbus, Ohio and at Alum Creek State Park in Delaware, Ohio. The Geologic Mapping & Industrial Minerals Group currently has a staff of eight full-time geologists plus a part-time seismologist and technicians/interns. The group is involved in diverse research and mapping of deep subsurface to shallow bedrock and surficial glacial and alluvial deposits. This section is also heavily involved in delineating Ohio’s geohazards including karst terrain, abandoned underground mines, landslides, and shoreline erosion along the Lake Erie coastline. The Group also compiles mineral resource statistics ranging from coal to sand and gravel aggregate

Excellent written and oral communications skills, publications record, and demonstrable mapping and/or GIS experience is preferred.

Computer Skills: Integrated geologic mapping and analysis software (e.g. GeoGraphix), GIS - ESRI Arc/Info including Geostatistical Analyst, Microsoft Office, Fluid flow modeling (e.g. Mod Flow).

In order to be eligible to accept a permanent part-time or full-time job with the state of Ohio, you must be a U.S. citizen or a legal resident of this country. Those here on student visas cannot be offered permanent employment.

--

Next Meeting: August 19, Joel Anderson - Engineers Without Borders

2010-08-03T11:06:00.003-07:00

Association of Environmental and

Engineering Geologist - Arizona Section

Dinner Meeting:

Thursday August 19, 2010

El Peñasco in Tempe

6:00 PM Mingling and Happy Hour

Sponsor: AECOM

7:oo PM Dinner and Presentation

Mexican Buffet

SPEAKER:

Joel Anderson

HDR

Presentation:

Engineers Without Borders

Cost: $20 AEG Member, $25 Non-Members

$5 Students

Location: El Peñasco

19 E Broadway

Tempe, Arizona

RSVP by Monday August 16, 2010 to Bonnie Whitley at bonniewhitleype@gmail.com

For more information about AEG, visit www.aegweb.org

Next Meeting: July 8, in Tucson with Lee Allison

2010-06-29T14:00:00.004-07:00

Association of Environmental and
Engineering Geologists – Arizona Section

Dinner Meeting:
Thursday July 8, 2010
El Parador in Tucson

6:00 PM Mingling and Drinks
Sponsor: Golder Associates

7 PM Dinner and Presentation
Menu:
Chicken Fajitas

SPEAKER:
Dr. Lee Allison
Director of AZGS and State Geologist

PRESENTATION:
A Digital Revolution in the Geosciences

Cost: $25 AEG Member & Non-Member
$10 Students

Location: El Parador
2744 E. Broadway
Tucson, Arizona

RSVP by Monday July 5, 2010 to Bonnie Whitley at bonniewhitleype@gmail.com
For more information about AEG, visit www.aegweb.org

Next Meeting Wednesday May 26: "Environmental Consulting: Where We're At and Where We're Going"

2010-05-12T10:38:00.002-07:00

AEG is excited to announce our next dinner meeting! The meeting will be on held Wednesday May 26, 2010 at El Peñasco located at the SWC of Mill Ave and Broadway in Tempe.

We'll start off at 6:00pm with a hosted happy hour courtesy of Geomechanics Southwest. Dinner will be at 7pm with the presentation starting shortly after dinner.Our speaker is Duane Kreuger, the AEG 2010 President. Duane's presentation is titled "Environmental Consulting: Where We're At and Where We're Going".

We will also be holding officer elections at the meeting. We have an opening for Vice Chair, please consider volunteering!

Please RSVP to Bonnie Whitley at bonniewhitleype@gmail.com by noon on Monday May 24th.

Thank you and hope to see you there for this rare Wednesday meeting!

Bonnie Whitley, P.E.

Geologists: "We May Be Running Out of Rocks"

2010-05-07T10:07:00.003-07:00

The always insightful news source The Onion brings attention the very real threat of running out of rocks. What we all do !?!