I'm discussing safety with a team doing endangered plant conservation work in a small very narrow gulch with walls hundreds of feet high. We see evidence that rocks fall often, and would like to assess the hazard to our once-a-year visiting team who visit briefly to survey the plants. Is it plausible that drought conditions are causing the rockfall frequency to increase? Who is the type of scientist who could analyze the soil type or geo formations type and answer this kind of question?
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A geologist or some variant thereof? Surely not any geologist would be capable of this task though. – DKNguyen Aug 02 '22 at 18:06
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@DKNguyen yeah it seems like a little geologist, a little engineer, hence the tag. but I don't know the industry name for this specialty – J. Win. Aug 02 '22 at 19:06
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It will be a guess as you won't analyse every square inch of soil... – Solar Mike Aug 02 '22 at 19:06
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@J.Win. Surveying? – DKNguyen Aug 02 '22 at 19:07
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You need to consult a geomechanical engineer. Sometimes they can also be referred to as geotechnical engineers.
A geologist can tell you overall geology of the region of interest, but to determine ground stability issues and likelihood of failure and failure modes that is the specialization of geomechanical engineers.
Geomechanical engineers are usually engaged in civil engineering projects or mining.
Geomechanics is the application of engineering and geological principles to the behaviour of the ground and ground water and the use of these principles in civil, mining, offshore and environmental engineering in the widest sense.
Fred
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1Exactly. They are very hard to find because they are so busy and on top of that, they are highly paid. They are needed for every major construction project for feasibility studies. – Rhodie Aug 09 '22 at 18:30