Planing and documenting geophysical, engineering geological, hydrogeological and environmental investigations 1300-OPBGGHGP-GGG

The aim of the course is to present legal principles and best practices in planing and documenting geophysical, engineering geological, hydrogeological and environmental investigations.
Engineering geological issues will be addressed in the context of various types of activities (spatial development, geotechnical conditions for the foundation of buildings) and various types of construction (urban and industrial, water, transportation). The impact of geological structure complexity on the design of geological and engineering works, geotechnical categories of buildings, and the content and substantive content of geological works designs and geological and engineering documentation will be discussed.

The engineering geological issues will include:

- the purpose and justification for conducting engineering geological investigations, i.e., the practical and substantive expectations of construction designers, legal regulations and standards used when planning and documenting engineering geological investigations
- archival data as a basis for designing engineering geological surveys
- soil and rock parameterization – classification, identification, and discussion of the main, important parameters; presentation of the purpose of parameterization and discussion of its applications; Creating a engineering geological model
- Main limit states analyzed in the subgrade of structures
- Laboratory and field tests – presentation and discussion of the main laboratory and field research methods used to parameterize the soil-rock medium
- Research planning depending on the type of investment (engineering structure) – the scope of proposed research work will be discussed, using examples, in relation to the type of structure (linear, housing, industrial, non-standard structures)
- The content of engineering geological documentation, using examples from administratively approved documentations.

The hydrogeology part of the course will focus on practical skills related to obtaining data for designs, documentation, and other hydrogeological studies. Students will also be tasked with interpreting this data in accordance with hydrogeological, administrative, and legal knowledge, as well as developing selected elements for hydrogeological studies using computer programs.

The environmental component of the course will include fieldwork related to sampling methodology and laboratory analyses of basic soil properties and parameters used in environmental studies, based on applicable legal acts. Environmental studies will cover topics related to:
- soil mapping;
- creating and interpreting a geological structure model for sensitivity to contamination and potential migration of pollutants;
- methodology for collecting, averaging, and reducing soil, land, and water samples;
- soil, land, and water monitoring;
- methods for assessing land surface contamination;
- criteria for assessing environmental damage.

Geophysical classes are held in a computer lab. Students work independently. They are tasked with planing geophysical measurements, taking into account the following stages: preliminary problem assessment, selection of the most advantageous geophysical method, determining the methodology and scope of measurements, and assessing how data will be acquired, processed, and interpreted. Students' next task is to prepare a piece of documentation based on the obtained data. Geophysical investigations will be related to the research issues (engineering, environmental, hydrogeological) as well as the study area (Polish Lowlands, mountainous areas).