Htuta. D. J. (1982). Ct’~~rrh~yur 32. No. 3.

175-194

Geology, geomorphology and geotechnics

D. J. HENKEL*

The importance of collaboration between geologists and respective functions and use of language so that
geotechnical engineers is emphasized and the common they can work together in a more productive
interest in geomorphology is suggested as a useful link manner. The problem is not new. It was
to enable both the geological engineering skills to be considered by Peck in 1973 and by Legget in the
mobilized. The role of geomorphology in the under-
1977 Terzaghi Lecture. I hope my lecture will
standing of soil movements in the Gulf of Mexico during
promote more efficient communication.
hurricanes is discussed. Attention is drawn to problems
of tropical weathering and changes in soil chemistry Geologists have for many years recognized that
which need further study. Some of the problems associ- they have an important role to play in the
ated with groundwater lowering in an area underlain by construction of civil engineering works. History
dolomite are described together with the effects on provides many examples of the outstanding
stability of minor changes in surface drainage of an contribution of geologists to the art of civil
inclined rock layer. engineering, particularly in the fields of dam and
tunnel construction.
L’article souligne I’importance d’une collaboration plus As long ago as 1801, William Smith suggested
ttroite entre les gkologues et les inginieurs that a book he proposed to publish, but never did,
giotechniciens, afin que leurs ttudes combinies puissent would provide geological information to enable
amkliorer simultanement leurs deux disciplines gtologie the canal engineer ‘to choose his stratum, find the
et giotechnique. Puis est discutk le rBle jouC par la most appropriate materials, avoid slippery
morphologie dans la comprChension des mouvements du
sol pendant les ouragans dans le Golfe du Mexique. Le
ground, or remedy the evil’ (Sheppard, 1917). We
besoin existe d’une ttude approfondie des problimes still from time to time encounter slippery ground
causts par la d&gradation dans les zones tropicales et des and on some sites come across the evil which we
changements dans la chimie du sol. Finalement l’article have to remedy. The problems do not seem to have
dtcrit quelques-uns des probltmes posks par changed much over the past 180 years.
I’abaissement de I’eau souterraine dans une zone The straightforward and unambiguous role of
sousjacente de dolomie et discute les effets sur la stabilittt the geologist in civil engineering became confused
de changements de faible importance dans le drainage when the term ‘engineering geology’ was
superficiel d’une couche de roche inclinke. introduced into the geological vocabulary. There
have been so many conflicting definitions of that
term that even today I am not sure what it means.
INTRODUCTION In 1961 Terzaghi presented a paper entitled
The subject of my lecture this evening reflects ‘Engineering geology on the job and in the class-
my experience over the past 30 years that engineers room’ to the Boston Society of Civil Engineers.
and geologists have not yet learned to communi- The term ‘engineering geology’ appeared to have
cate efficiently with each other. We still do not originated as the name of a course of elementary
always ensure that essential geological knowledge geology taught to civil engineering students. The
and experience is applied to the design and discussion on his paper produced a wide spectrum
construction of projects. of opinion ranging from the idea that the engineer-
We still come across problems in construction ing geologist should fulfil the role of both engineer
which could and should have been foreseen at an and geologist to the more rational view that
early stage in the design process. Part of the engineering geology was geology and no different
problem arises from the excessively obscure jargon from any other branch of applied geology. It was
too often used by geologists and part is due to the also suggested by Dolmage (1962) that, because a
fact that the engineer may not know what the little knowledge was a dangerous thing, it might be
geologist has to offer. In addition, both are often easier if the engineer knew nothing about geology
unclear about their respective roles. 1 believe that and the geologist knew nothing about engineering.
engineers and geologists need to clarify their Terzaghi was firmly against the engineering
geologist assuming any of the responsibilities of
* Ove Arup & Partners. the engineer and drew attention to the writings of
175

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 176 HENKEL

Berkey (1929). Berkey, a geologist by profession,

defined the geologist’s role as follows: ‘It is his duty
to discover, warn, explain without assuming the
particular responsibility of the engineer who has to
design the structure and determine how to meet all
the conditions presented and stand forth as the
man responsible for the project.’ I believe that the
role of the geologist has remained unchanged and
that his duty is still to discover, warn and explain.
In spite of all the discussion, the confusion about
engineering geology remained, and, in an attempt
to resolve the problem at a meeting of the
engineering Group of the Geological Society in
1970, Professor Dearman (1971)gave the following
definition: ‘Engineering Geology is the science or
discipline of geology applied to Civil Engineering,
particularly as applied to the design construction
and performance aspects of engineering structures
in and on the ground. The extremes of the subject
merge into the disciplines of Soil Mechanics, Rock
Fig. I. Sky and water (M. C. Escher)
Mechanics and Materials Science and merge also
into some aspects of the extractive industries
including quarrying, opencast mining and deep
mining.’ Dearman also made it clear that
engineering geology was not a special kind of
geology but covered the whole spectrum of the
science.
This was a good, clear definition of the
function of engineering geology-very similar to
that adopted by the Association of Engineering
Geologists. Definitions were concerned with the
areas of civil engineering activity in which the
discipline of geology should be applied but did not
face the central question of how the geological
involvement was to be achieved.
Ten years later the Engineering Group of the
Geological Society held a meeting to discuss AgO m’),?“‘m(fiA 10 20 30
the question ‘Should engineering geology be Scale of km
taught and if so how? The discussion produced Fig. 2. Birdfoot Delta; contours indicate water depth
no common viewpoint but the teaching of (Shepard, 1955)
engineering subjects to geologists was suggested as
a step in the process of teaching engineering
geology to geologists. There was, however, still
confusion over what the engineering geologist Distance from shore: km

needs to be able to do. In my view engineering

geology has its roots in the field and can only be
learnt by painstaking field observations of how a
site works.
The way to clarify the situation is to leave the
arguments of the classroom and the lecture theatre
and look at what is needed from the geologist to
enable the geotechnicai engineer to define and
solve his design and construction problems at a $ 400.
particular site. Verticalscale waggeraWn 5O:l
The geotechnical engineer needs answers to the
following questions.
(a) What soils and rocks are there on the site, how 600_
have they been formed and what are their Fig. 3. Section AA, 1940 data

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 GEOLOGY, GEOMORPHOLOGY AND GEOTECHNICS 171

properties‘? are familiar. The engineer’s work extends from the

(b) What is the relationship between the shape and permafrost of the polar regions, through the
form of the site and the geological processes at temperate zones and the baking deserts to the
work? tropical rain forest. In all these diverse conditions
(cl How will the proposed engineering works we need to be aware of the geomorphological
change the geomorphological environment processes at work.
and what will be the consequences? Over the years I have been involved in a wide
variety of construction projects and those which
The skills and knowledge needed to answer all have proved to be most demanding and
these questions cover a wide range of the subjects stimulating and have contributed most to my
included in the science of geology and indicate the education have always been associated with the
wide background needed by any geologist who need to bring together geology, geomorphology
wishes to practise in the professional field of and geotechnical engineering. In order to
engineering geology? emphasize the prime importance of the interplay
A study of these questions indicates that they are between geomorphology and geotechnics I now
also a partial prescription for the often neglected describe a number of projects which require a
branch of physical geology known as geo- multidisciplinary approach so that the engineer-
morphology: the study of the origin, evolution and ing problems are understood.
shape of the earth’s surface. As well as considering
the present land form, it is necessary to take THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA
account of earlier land forms which might be During the early 1960s there were a number of
buried beneath the present land surface. breakages of offshore oil pipelines in the
If design problems are approached in the light of Mississippi Delta which were associated with the
three basic questions-What is there? Why does it major hurricanes that had swept across the delta,
have its present form? What will happen if any of the most important being Carla in 1961, Hilda in
the environmental factors are changed?--a 1964 and Betsy in 1965. In addition flare pile had
rational framework for the integration of geo- been destroyed during Carla and a small well
technical and geological skills can be provided. jacket was lost during Betsy.
These questions fit in well with Berkey’s ideas of In 1967 the Shell Oil Company was planning to
discovering, warning and explaining. If the install production platforms in the area known as
engineering geologist is asked these specific South Pass Block 70 and I became involved with
questions rather than asked to produce a the Shell Development Company in
geological report both he and the civil engineer considerations of the geotechnical problems on the
will understand more clearly their roles in the site.
design and construction process.
The interface between the separate disciplines of
Distance from shore-line: km
geology and geotechnical engineering is
0 10 12 14 16 18
epitomized by the remarkable drawing by Escher 60
entitled ‘Sky and water’ (Fig. I). The birds and the \
fishes retain their separate identities away from the
geomorphological boundary between sky and 80
water but, at the interface, they are E I
indistinguishable. In order to understand the
nature of the air-water interface we need to view it
from above as well as from below. We need the
input from both the birds and the fishes. There
will, of course, be maverick flying fish and diving
birds that can exist lleetingly in another medium
but, in the end, they have to return to their native
element.
At this geomorphological interface we need to 1401
abandon the complex and often unnecessary
jargon of geology and geotechnics and Vertical scale exaggeration 1OO:l
communicate in common words to be found
in contemporary English dictionaries. The
geomorphological approach is particularly
important when we are working away from the Fig. 4. Section AA, comparison of 1940 and I%7 data
particular geotechnical conditions with which we (Bea & Arnold, 1973)

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 GEOLOGY. GEOMORPHOLOGY AND GEOTECHNICS 179

Water death: m

Fig. 7. Wave pressures at mud-line for 20m wave height

shown in Fig. 5 (Bea.& Audibert, 1980). The trough of the wave as shown in Fig. 6. The
variation in undrained shear strength with depth is pressure on the sea bed depends on wave height,
also shown. The major change in strength, which is wave length and water depth. The real problem is
at a depth of about 45 m, has been identified as the extremely complicated but, as is often the case in
base of the modern delta. Above this elevation the engineering, a simplification of the problem, to one
shear strength depth profile is divided into an in which an analytical solution can be obtained,
upper strong crust, with a ratio of cJ;l’h of 0.12, throws light on the mechanisms at work.
which extends to a depth of about 12m, and a If it is assumed that a sinusoidal wave is
lower zone, which has a value of c,/;“It of 0.02 and travelling across a rigid sea bed, the pressure
extends to the base of the modern delta. The value changes on the sea bed may be calculated
of 0.02 for c,,i;‘k is very low and reflects the fact easily.The pressure change or wave pressure Ap is
that below the crust the clays are underconsoli- given by Ap = (u, H/2) cash (2&/L) where y, is the
dated and that there are very large excess pore unit weight of sea water, H is the wave height, d is
water pressures. Prior & Suhayda (1979) report the water depth and .C is the wave length.
cases in other parts of the delta where only about Storm waves with a height of 20m are not
2” of the submerged overburden pressure is uncommon in the Gulf and as these waves move in
cayried by the effective stresses in the clays. towards the shore their height and wavelength are
The relationships between the Atterberg limits influenced by the water depth. When allowance is
and the natural water contents are normal for the made for these factors the wave pressures, as a 20 m
recently sedimented clays. but an odd feature is the high wave moves from deep water into shallow
high gas porosities found between depths of 12m water, change as shown in Fig. 7. Longer waves
and 45 m. have a greater influence on wave pressure; the
It can be shown that for gentle slopes maximum wave pressures occur in water depths of
equilibrium under gravity forces requires that 2&30m. These maximum wave pressures corre-
cU;;“/r is equal to p, the slope angle in radians. The spond with the most complex underwater contours
general slope angles in Block 70. on the 1940 and suggest that there is a causative link.
section, were about O,007rad, while the minimum
value of cU;; ‘h in borehole AM 8 was 0.02. The
changes between 1940 and 1967 could not
therefore be explained in terms of gravity slides as
the factor of safety against gravity sliding was
about 3.
The earlier evidence of the association of pipe-
line breaks with storms prompted the attempt to
find a possible connection between storm waves
and sea bottom instability.
When a wave passes over a point on the sea bed
there is an increase in pressure beneath the crest of
the wave and a decrease in pressure beneath the Fig. 8. Limit equilibrium model for stabilit)

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 180 HENKEL

The stability of the sea bed may be investigated

in a simple way by considering a circular arc failure
surface and a sinusoidal wave pressure loading as
shown in Fig. 8. For any depth of slip circle below
the sea bed, the relationship between the average
shear stress on the circular surface and the wave
pressure Ap can be calculated. The result of
calculations for a wave with a period of 12s and
length of 225 m is shown in Fig. 9. The maximum
average shear stress is about 0.3 times the wave
pressure and occurs for a depth of slip surface of
about 50m below the mud-line or at about a
quarter of the wave length.
In order to compare the shear stresses imposed
by the wave and gravity forces with the shear
Fii 9. Ratio of average shear strew to maximum wave strength of the sediments the 20 m high wave with
a period of 12 s and length of 225 m is again used.
The ground slope is taken as O-007 rad. The shear
stresses induced in the clay by the wave and gravity
cU or S: kN/m 2 forces are plotted in Fig. 10 against the depth of
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 penetration of the slip surface below the mud-line.
,
The shear strengths measured in borehole AM 8
L = 225 m are included and the results for water depths of
T= 12s 80 m, 1OOm and 120 m are also shown.
H= 20m It is difficult to compare the shear stresses and
the shear strength directly in Fig. 10 as one needs
Average shear stress to compare the average shear strength on the slip
on circular slip surface
surface with the average induced shear stresses.
This has been done and the resulting factors of
Shear strength from
safety are plotted in Fig. 11 against depth for the
three water depths. Within the limits of the
simplifying assumptions that have been made, it
can be seen that, in water depths of less than
50 - lOOm, shear failure can be induced by the passage
of 20m high waves with a wavelength of 225
60 _ metres.
120m 100m 80m This simple analysis is concerned with the statics
Water depths of a dynamic problem which involves the
Fig. 10. Variation of average shear stress with depth of propagation of a stress wave through the sedi-
slip circle ments as water waves pass across the surface of the
sea. The physical consequences of the passage of a
wave of shear stresses through the sediment are
very difficult to handle analytically and so to help
Factor of safety
,
“Water depth’s 80 m 2 100 m 3 m4 in the understanding of the complex interaction
between waves and the sea bed some small-scale
Y experiments were carried out at Cornell University.
0
A 107; by weight suspension of Bear Paw shale
in water with a sodium chloride concentration of
34g/l was prepared and, after thorough mixing,
allowed to sediment. During sedimentation small
cracks developed on the surface of the clay, and
where these intersected small mud volcanoes were
formed. It was not possible to determine how deep
the cracks were but the presence of the mud
volcanoes showed that the vertical permeability
near the surface was rather high.
Gravity slides were initiated at various times
Fig. 11. Variation of factor of safety with depth after sedimentation started by tilting the tank until

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 GEOLOGY. GEOMORPHOLOGY AND GEOTECHNICS 181

0 1 2 3 4

Scale of km
Fig. 12. Changes in bed level in metres due to Camille (Bea et al., 1975)

Distance: km
2 4 6 8
80<

2E
-
f
u loo-
I

: - E
$ \p
r
z120-
$
_ Vertical scale exaggeration 1OO:i
Wave dIrectIon

Fig. 13. Change in section DD due to Camille (Bea & Fig. 14. Platform B after Camille (Bea & Audibert,
Audibert, 1980) 1980)

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 182 HENKEL

a slide occurred. This procedure. which was of organic material is exhausted. If the sediments
essentially a measurement of shear strength are disturbed new supplies of organic materials
against time, suggested that the best way to become available to the bacteria and the process of
measure very low shear strengths might well be by gas generation is renewed. It thus appears (Bea &
using a tilting tank. Arnold, 1973) that the presence of gas in sediment
After the relationship between consolidation is an indicator that the sediment has been recently
time and shear strength had been established by disturbed and the field data confirm that the
observing the onset of gravity slides, wave loadings presence of gas correlates well with other evidence
were introduced into the tank. At small wave of landslide activity. The existence of gassy
heights the sediments oscillated in sympathy with sediments may be determined by remote sensing
the waves. However, when wave heights suflicient because, due to their ability to dissipate acoustic
to cause shear failure on a sloping bed were energy, no seismic reflections are obtained from
generated an unsymmetrical movement in the gassy sediments.
sediment resulted and a series of mud snouts The high gas porosities in borehole AM 8
migrated down the slope. There was good agree- between depths of l2m and 45 m suggest that
ment between the calculated shear stresses from underwater landslide movements had extended
the wave loading and the clay shear strength deep into the recent sediments. The other signif-
measured in the static tests. cant feature in borehole AM 8 was the existence of
The changes that took place in Block 70 the stronger crust near the mud-line. A possible
between 1940 and 1967 were very similar to the explanation of this phenomenon has been supplied
change in the wave tank as the mud snouts by Doyle (1973) as a result of model tests he carried
advanced and it seems highly probable that the out to investigate the relationship between waves
changes in the profile at Block 70 were due to the and sediment movement. Doyle also found that,
effects of storm waves, It also seems probable that during the consolidation of the sediment in the
the change in slope at a depth of 100 m occurred at tank, vertical pore tubes were formed in the soil
the point at which the wave-assisted transport of and that these vertical drains permitted the rapid
sediment gave way to the more usual gravity slide. escape of water from the upper layers of the
Studies of gas in recent sediments (Oppenheimer sediment. Small volcano-like structures were
& Kornicker, 1958; Volkmann & Oppenheimer, formed at the mud-line as clay particles were
1962: Anderson, Harwood & Lovelace, I97 I) have ejected from the pore tubes.
shown that gas is formed as bacteria decompose When wave loading was initiated the drainage
the organic materials available to them. In the from the pore tubes was reactivated and water and
absence of any disturbance in the sediment the soil spewed out as additional excess pore-water
process of gas generation slows down as the supply pressures were generated by the wave loading. The
wave action combined with the natural vertical
drains led to an accelerated consolidation process
kN/m’ together with the upward migration of line
0 5 10 15 20 25 particles. The higher shear strengths and Atterberg
02 ’ 1
limits near the mud-line in borehole AM 8 may well
\
Undrained shear be the held expression of this laboratory
‘\ ‘1. strength before
10 - Camille
phenomenon.
Additional held evidence of the effects of waves
‘1. in Block 70 was provided by the passage of
E
hurricane Camille-the most intense hurricane
? ever recorded--to the east of the Birdfoot Delta in
’ 2o - ‘sndramed shear
2 L. strength after
September 1969. By this time the area had been
Camille thoroughly surveyed and production platforms
carried on piled foundations were in operation.
The changes in bottom topography which took
place during hurricane Camille are shown in Fig.
12 and the positions of production platforms A
and B are also shown. An enormous area sunk by
up to 2m and at the south end of the block a
massive accumulation of material led to the
formation of a mound with a maximum height of
IOm.
Fig. 15. Changes in shear strength at platform A (Bea & The changes on the section line XX in Fig. I2 are
Arnold, lY73) shown in Fig. 13. The mound formed is very

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 GEOLOGY. CEOMORPHOLOGY AND GEOTECHNICS 183

Fig. 16. Plan of rehery area

similar to that seen on the 1940 section, and in the morphological processes are at work. However,
migrating mud waves in the laboratory wave tank. even a simple examination of one problem shows
Bea & Audibert (1980) reported that, based on that we need to know what is there and why it has
high resolution geophysical data, a nose of soil its present form before we can start to understand
advanced I200 m down-slope and that large-scale what is going on.
soil displacements took place to a depth of 30m.
During the hurricane Camille, platform B dis- TROPICAL WEATHERING AND CHEMICAL
appeared beneath the waves. It was found lying on CHANGE
its side on the sea floor as shown in Fig. 14. The Very different types of problem are associated
lateral down-slope translation of the platform base with tropical weathering and the stability of soils
was about 30m. This event provided striking subject to changes in groundwater chemistry.
additional evidence in support of the hypothesis A substantial cavity discovered beneath a con-
that storm waves could lead to massive instability crete slab in the main process area of an oil refinery
in the weak sediments of the Mexican Gulf. had no obvious cause and so an investigation was
The sediments at the site of platform A were made to find out why the cavity had developed.
considerably stronger and precision measurements The site was on the edge of the Niger Delta,
indicated that the structure had been displaced by close to one of the discharge mouths on the Bonny
about one metre down-slope without its oper- River. The general geological conditions at the site
ational functions being impaired. Borehole data are Pleistocene coastal plain sands overlying thick
obtained before and after Camille showed that sandy and clayey delta deposits.
a considerable reduction of strength had taken The details of the surface features in the vicinity
place during the storm and provided field evidence of the refinery were examined using aerial
of the increase in excess pore-water pressures and photography. The only visible natural feature, on
loss of strength associated with repeated loading as the otherwise flat coastal plain, was well-defined
shown in Fig. 15. clumps of trees. When stereo pairs of the area were
Since these events, and partly as a result of them. examined all the trees appeared to be growing in
an enormous research effort has gone into the hollows. Aerial photographs taken before the
problems associated with rapid accumulation of refinery was constructed showed that the process
sediments in the Mississippi Delta. The real area in which the cavity had been found was
problems are probably much more complex than I located where a clump of trees had been growing.
have indicated (Bea & Audibert. 1980). In the If the problems were to be understood the geo-
enormous area of the Mississippi Delta there are morphological significance of the tree-filled
wide variations in the rate of deposition and the hollows needed to be assessed.
types of material being deposited and many geo- A plan of the ground in the vicinity of the oil

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 184 HENKEI

refinery is shown in Fig. 16. In order to establish surface soils at the site was coastal plain sands, the
the possible significance of the tree-filled processes of weathering had produced a matrix of
depressions. the depression closest to the refinery kaolinite holding together the relatively un-
along the track was visited first. The general weathered sand grains. The explanation for the
appearance of the clump of trees from the track depressions appears to be that the organic acids
was not spectacular but among the trees there was produced by the rotting vegetation in the
a dank smell of rotting vegetation and a chaotic depressions had led to an accelerated rate of
mass of plant debris, as well as an army of breakdown of the coastal plain sands with a
ferocious ants. The ground level of the clump of consequent decrease in volume.
trees was about 2 m lower than that of the adjacent A simple indicator of the intensity of weathering
ground and the surface soils showed signs of is the percentage of material passing the 74um
intense leaching. sieve. In Fig. 17 the soils in the depression and on
Although the geological description of the the tlat coastal plains are compared. In the
depression the percentage of fine material is much
Percentage passing 74m sieve in residual clays higher and the weathering has proceeded to a
greater depth.
20 40 60 60
O0 In the area of the refinery, a further small cavity
\
in the ground was found in a drain into which
water, treated with sodium carbonate, was being
discharged. Although there had been some
contamination by hydrocarbon wastes it was
On coastal plam possible to establish that erosion of the soil along
fissures had taken place. The texture of the surface
of the natural soil and the fact that the sand grains
stood out very clearly suggested that a chemical
dispersion process was involved.
The cavity in the process area, which led to the
initial concern on the site, was downstream of an
ion exchanger used to condition the boiler feed-
water. In order to recondition the ion exchanger
14kg of Y8”;, sulphuric acid and 80 kg of flake
Fig. 17. Comparison of coastal plain and depression soils caustic soda were passed through the ion
exchanger and flushed into the drainage system
every eight hours. It appeared that leaks had
developed in the drainage system and that some of
the chemical waste materials had found their way
into the ground. The natural pH of the
groundwater at the site is about 5, but in many
places near the drains, the pH had increased to
about 9 because of contamination from caustic
clay) soda.
For many years dam engineers have been con-
cerned about the possibilities of internal erosion in
dam foundations and it has been established that
internal erosion can take place when the clay
particles are in a dispersed rather than a floccu-
lated array. When flocculated the clay particles
Flocculated cling together but when dispersed they are readily
removed by flowing water. Dam engineers and soil
scientists have a common interest in this problem
because whether the soils are dispersed or floccu-
lated has an important effect on their permeability
and also the agricultural yield.
The factors which control the llocculation or
dispersion of clays are very complex and there are
Total cation concentration: me/l no adequate theories to explain all the
Fig. 18. Boundary between dispersed and flocculated phenomena. However, there is strong pragmatic
states (after Collis-George & Smiles, 1963) evidence that the presence of sodium ions is one of

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 188 HENKEL

directly on the granite-gneiss basement complex. in a solution channel in the dolomite and the
The Transvaal system, which includes the water- settlement profile approximates to the relative
bearing dolomite, rests uncomfortably on an thickness of the Karroo sediments which had been
erosion surface which cuts across the older rocks. dewatered in the pumping operation. The reduc-
An isolated pocket of the Karroo system is laid tion in the hydrostatic uplift led to consolidation of
down on the weathered and glaciated surface of the the sediments.
dolomite. The weathered shales of the Karroo A more alarming aspect of the geological investi-
system provided admirable raw material for the gations was the discovery of a substantial zone of
manufacture of bricks and the Driefontein brick- material known as ‘wad’. This is an insoluble and
works, known as Brickor, were established on this highly compressible material left after the dolomite
outlier. has been dissolved by percolating waters contain-
Water levels recorded in a borehole near the ing carbonic acid. The solution of the dolomite
Brickor site are shown in Fig. 26. The readings took place after the deposition of the Karroo
were ceased in October 1970 because the water sediments. It was fortunate that, at the site of the
level had sunk below the bottom of the borehole. brickworks, the Karroo sediments, which had
As the water levels in the Bank Compartment infilled a solution feature in the dolomite at the
were lowered probktns were encountered with the time of their deposition, were able to arch across
continuous kiln process being used. The cars the very weak and compressible wad produced by
carrying the bricks became jammed in the kilns additional solution and thus prevent a catastro-
and it was decided to measure the settlements of phic collapse.
the kilns and adjacent areas. The settlements Catastrophic collapses had occurred in a num-
which took place between July 1970 and April ber of places adjacent to the brickworks and in a
1972, when movements had effectively stopped, are short helicopter trip a number of surface features
shown in Fig. 27. During this period the settle- associated with the collapse of wad were seen.
ments amounted to 180mm and it had become These are shown in Figs 29-31. Fig. 29 shows an
impossible to operate the kilns which required very early stage in the development of a hole with
tight tolerance on level for their successful deformation and cracking of the ground surface.
working. Fig. 30 shows a situation in which most of the
The detailed geology of the area was investi- disturbed area has collapsed and Fig. 31 shows a
gated thoroughly by Brink (1979); a section view of this hole seen from the ground.
through the area of maximum settlement is shown The catastrophic settkments that can result
in Fig. 28. The Karroo sediments were laid down from groundwater. lowering in doiornitic or lime-

Drier

h----i+
Scale of metres
F&. 27. m at Brickor from July 1970 to April 1!372

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 194 HENKEL

Doyle. E. H. (1973). Soil-wave tank studies of marme soil tion, it is interesting to note that, on the bed of the
instability. Proc,. _st/t Ann. Offshow Tec~hnol. Con/: North Sea, similar cyclic wave loading seems to
2. 7533766. have had the beneficial effect of densifying the
Henkel, D. J. (1970). The role of waves in causing
widespread sand deposists there, which otherwise
submarine landslides. GPorrc~ltrriyrw 20. No. I. 75-X0.
Legget. R. F. ( 1979). Geology and geotechnical engineer-
may well have been prone to liquefaction.
ing. J. Gtbrech. Enqnq Div. Am. Sm. Cir. Enqrs 105, ‘Dr Henkel’s eminence in both the professional
CT3 342-391. and academic spheres of our subject makes him
Oppenheimer. C. H. & Kornicker. L. S. (1958). Effect of unusually well equipped to comment on current
the microbial production of hydrogen sulfide and teaching practices. In the lecture, his views on
carbon dioxide on the pH of recent sediments. P~rhls these were uncharacteristically restrained, but
ImI. Mtrr. Sc,i. Ufiir. Ti1.y. 5. three important points emerge. First, that
Peck. R. B. (1973). Presidential address. Proc. Krh Inf. engineering geology should become more distinct
Con/. Soil MN/I.. Mo.ww 4, 156.
than at present from geotechnical engineering, so
Prior. D. B. & Suhayda. J. N. (1979). Application of
infinite slope analysis to subaqueous sediment
that the two disciplines may be truly comple-
stability. Mtsaissippi Delta. Enyny Gcol. 14, No. 1. mentary. Second, that in this context, geomorpho-
I IO. logy has been seriously neglected and that there is
Shepard. F. P. (1955). Delta front valleys bordering on now a pressing need to give this discipline its
the Mississippi distributaries. Ball. Grol. Sot. Am. 66. proper place in the geotechnical spectrum. The
14x9-- 1498. claim of neglect is indeed supported by the fact
Sheppard, T. (1917). William Smith: his maps and that the term geomorphology has not been men-
memoirs. Proc. York. Geol. Sot. 19, 755253. tioned in any of the previous twenty-one Rankinc
Taute, A. H. & Tress. P. W. (1971). Dewatering of the
Lectures. Third, Dr Henkel suggests that the
flooded underground workings on the Bank Com-
partment. S. A/?. Min. Engng J 82. Oct. 23-45.
discipline of geomorphology can act as a long-
Terzaght. K. (1956). Varieties of submarine slope failures. needed catalyst to bring about a more effective
PI-w. NIlI Con/. Soil ,‘Mrch.. 7ilYtr.r combination between geology and geotechnics. I
Terzaght. K. (196’1). Engineering geology on the job and believe that these views deserve our serious con-
in the classroom. Contributions to soil mechanics sideration
1954-62. J. Boston Sot,. Civ. Engrs. 335-347. ‘During his time in the Civil Engineering
Volkmann. C. M. & Oppenhetmer. C. H. (1962). The Department at Imperial College, Dr Henkel was
microbial decompositton of organic carbon in surface able to put into effect some of his teaching ideas. In
sediments of Marie Bays of Central Texas Gulf Coast.
particular, he organized and led the first geotech-
P trhls Inst. Mar. Ser. <‘rlir. 72cv. 8.
nical field excursion for postgraduate soil
VOTE OF THANKS mechanics students. Indeed, such was his belief in
In proposing a vote of thanks to Dr Henkel, the educative value of the Norfolk Pleistocene cliffs
Professor J. N. Hutchinson said: that we were taken through a field of anti-tank
‘In his introductory remarks, Professor Wroth mines to see them! I have never been quite sure
highlighted the distinguished and wide-ranging how to interpret the fact that this was done with
nature of Dr Henkel’s career. The lecture which we the agreement of the Rector! I would suggest that
have just heard has truly reflected these qualities. this episode is symbolic of Dr Henkel’s subsequent
moving expertly from consideration of soft Holo- professional career. In this, he has continued to
cene deposits in the Gulf of Mexico to the deep enter engineering and geological minefields from
geology of ancient rocks in the Transvaal: from the vvhich, however. because so well armed with the
subtle manifestations of tropical weathering in the geotechnical virtues, he manages to emerge un-
Niger Delta to the complexities of glacial deposits scathed.
in East Anglia. With his soundly based, all-round ‘There is one matter for which, I believe, there is
knowledge and his enviable ability, noted by cause for regret. That is, because of Dr Henkel’s
Professor Wroth. to cut through a maze of inessen- intense professional activity over the past decade,
tials to reach the heart of a problem, Dr Henkel he has had little time to record the fruits of this in
bids fair to be a rare exception to Terzaghi’s the technical literature. Tonight’s lecture has
dictum concerning the supposed impossibility of shown vividly what we have been missing. I hope
combining. in one person, equal competence in that. in the future, Dr Henkel will make time to
engineering and geology. Whether he achieves this enlarge on. and add to, the wisdom that he has
in the form of a flying fish or a diving bird is shared with us tonight.
perhaps less clear. ‘In conclusion, it gives me great pleasure to
‘I found Dr Henkel’s account of his, now classic, propose a warm vote of thanks to Dr Henkel for
work on the generation of submarine landslides in his outstanding and thought-provoking address’.
soft clays by dilIerentia1 wave loading to be The vote of thanks was accorded with
particularly elegant and satisfying. In this connec- acclamation.

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