1. Introduction
Engineering geology is one of the oldest branches of applied science.
Ancient civilisations had developed knowledge on the response of the earth
on the loading by engineering structures, they had knowledge on stability
or instability of excavations for mining, road construction or irrigation
purposes.
Nevertheless the real establishment of engineering geology as a special
branch of applied science took place during the last three decades. Only
in January 1967 the International Association of Engineering Geology was
created. Wide-spread university education in Engineering Geology is given
only after 1970.
At first engineering geological maps were annotated geological maps with
explanatory appendices or extensive legends on the engineering aspects
of the map units, which were still strictly geological units.
With the development of engineering geology a growing need was felt for
special engineering geological mapping methods, procedures and techniques.
Comprehensive papers on engineering geological mapping were published by
the Working Party of the Engineering Group of the Geological Society (1)
by Dearman and Fookes (2) and by the Commission on Engineering Geological
Maps of the International Association of Engineering Geology (3). For a
review of the principles of engineering geological mapping reference is
made to the last mentioned publication.
According to this monograph an engineering geological map should contain
information on
— distribution of soil and rock units and their character, with the
emphasis on the physical and mechanical properties,
— hydrogeological conditions with the emphasis on distribution of water
saturated soils and rocks and the depth to the water table,
— geomorphological conditions,
— geodynamic phenomena with the emphasis on erosion, deposition, mass
movement, karst, active faulting.
Information about these aspects can be obtained in several ways:
- study of available maps and literature
— study of photography and other remote sensing imagery
