Near-surface instability 287Figure 17.2 Slope stability in mining and civil engineering. (a) Slope stability during
open-pit mining. (b) Slope stability in a road cutting.
factors lead to greater potential for rock instability in surface excavations
compared to underground excavations.
The main factors involved in the stability of rock foundations and
slopes are intact rock quality, fracture geometry, fracture mechanical
properties, rock mass properties, rock stresses, hydraulic conditions,
slope orientation, slope dimensions, proximate engineering disturb-
ances, support and maintenance, and the effects of construction. In
this chapter, we will consider the basic mechanisms that can lead to in-
stabilities beneath foundations and in slopes, and we will concentrate on