Soil and Rock Risks: The Hidden Dangers Beneath Major Projects

Behind the strength of dams, the grandeur of skyscrapers, and the smooth operation of open-pit mines lies one element that always serves as the foundation—literally: soil and rock.

As engineering professionals, we often focus on design, logistics, and planning. But how often do we truly realize that project failures can stem from something invisible?

Soil Risks: Stable on the Surface, Uncertain Below

Soil is not a homogeneous material. It consists of particles, water, and air, with behavior highly influenced by environmental conditions and external loads. In both construction and mining projects, risks associated with soil may include:

• Settlement or uneven ground subsidence, which can cause structural deformation
• Liquefaction of saturated sandy soils during earthquakes
• Slope or embankment failure due to soil instability
• Internal erosion (piping)—invisible but extremely destructive

In many cases, these symptoms don’t appear at the beginning, but their effects can severely disrupt operations and lead to major financial losses.

Rock Risks: Not Always as They Seem

While rock is often perceived as strong and stable, rock masses in the field are rarely 100% intact. They may contain fractures, weak planes, or even active fault zones. Common geotechnical risks related to rock include:

• Rockfall on steep slopes
• Pit slope failure due to undetected discontinuities
• Roof collapse in underground tunnels within weak or fractured rock
• Squeezing ground in claystone or soft rock formations

These characteristics aren’t always visible from the surface, yet they can completely alter reinforcement strategies and design approaches.

Recognize, Predict, Control

The geotechnical perspective not only helps us identify risks, but also to mitigate them. This process includes:

• Comprehensive geotechnical investigation, including CPT testing, borehole logging, and detailed geological mapping
• Numerical modeling for slope stability, earth pressure, and structural deformation simulations
• Mitigation design, such as retaining walls, drainage systems, rock bolts, shotcrete, and geogrids
• Ongoing monitoring to detect changes and anticipate failure early

Conclusion: A Known Risk = A Manageable Risk

In project management, unrecognized risks are the most dangerous. With a strong geotechnical approach, we don’t just prevent failure, we unlock opportunities for efficiency, sustainability, and long-term safety.

Don't wait for cracks, landslides, or collapses before taking action.
Start from below: understand the soil and rock beneath.

References:

• Craig, R.F. (2004). Soil Mechanics. Spon Press.
• Hoek, E., & Diederichs, M.S. (2006). Empirical Estimation of Rock Mass Modulus. International Journal of Rock Mechanics.
• Duncan, J.M., & Wright, S.G. (2005). Soil Strength and Slope Stability. Wiley.