Organised by:
South East Regional Group, Engineering Group, Institution of Civil Engineers
Venue:
Atkins Limited, Conference Room 1A (Off main reception), Woodcote Grove, Epsom, Surrey
Event status:
EVENT CLOSED
A talk by Martin Culshaw
(University of Birmingham and British Geological Survey)
When the public becomes aware of geological hazards, it is usually because a catastrophic event
such as an earthquake, a volcanic eruption or a tsunami has occurred elsewhere in the world.
While Britain does experience some of these 'geohazards' very occasionally, their effect is usually
small. Yet, geological hazards in Britain cause losses in terms of damage to buildings, structures
and infrastructure of between £0.5bn and £1bn every year. In addition, people occasionally lose
their life or are injured.
The lecture will discuss the geological hazards that affect Britain. Perhaps
surprisingly, the most important of these, in terms of financial loss, is the swelling and shrinking of
certain clay formations. Other relatively common natural geological hazards include landslides,
dissolution of more soluble rocks and weak, compressible soils. People have also created a range
of 'anthropogenic geohazards'. The lecture will explain the impact of geological hazards and how
they can be mitigated.
About the Speaker
The South East Group of the Geological Society is
delighted to have such a distinguished speaker to help
celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Engineering Group
of the Geological Society.
Martin Culshaw is an independent engineering geological
researcher and consultant. He was Director of
Environment and Hazards at the British Geological
Survey (BGS) and the Survey's Chief Engineering
Geologist until 2008. He is Visiting Honorary Professor in
Engineering Geology at the School of Civil Engineering,
University of Birmingham and an Honorary Research
Associate at the BGS. In 2010 he was awarded the
International Association for Engineering Geology and
the Environment's Hans Cloos Medal. He is currently
Editor-in-Chief of the Bulletin of Engineering Geology and
the Environment.
Event Details
Time: 18:00 for 18:30 start
A light buffet and refreshments will be provided by Atkins
Please download the flyer for a map of the venue.
- Please let us know if you plan to attend so that we have an idea of numbers for catering - [email protected]