What is Geotechnical engineering?
{{main|Engineering}} '''Geotechnical engineering''' is an important subset of [[civil engineering]] dealing with engineering performance of earth [[material]]s. Geotechnical engineering uses principles of [[soil]] and [[Rock (geology)|rock]] [[mechanics]] to determine:[[File:Pile drilling tool 2.jpg|thumb|A drilling machine for [[Foundation (engineering)|foundation]] piles.]] * subsurface conditions and materials; * relevant physical/mechanical and chemical properties of these materials; * stability of natural [[slope]]s and man-made [[soil]] [[deposit]]s; * [[risk]]s posed by site conditions; to design: * earthworks; * structure [[Foundation (engineering)|foundation]]s; and to monitor: * site conditions; * earthwork and foundation [[construction]].<ref name=TerzaghiPeckMesri>Terzaghi, K., Peck, R.B. and Mesri, G. (1996), ''Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice'' 3rd Ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc. {{ISBN|0-471-08658-4}}</ref><ref name=HoltzKovacs>Holtz, R. and Kovacs, W. (1981), ''An Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering'', Prentice-Hall, Inc. {{ISBN|0-13-484394-0}}</ref> Foundations built for above-ground [[structure]]s include shallow and deep foundations. Retaining structures include earth-filled [[dam]]s and retaining walls. {{commonscat}} ==Notes== {{reflist}} [[Category:Civil engineering]] [[Category:subfields of geology]]