Geological setting
2
2.1 Rock masses
Rock masses are the natural structures that will host rock engineering
projects. A road may pass through a rock cutting with rock slopes on
each side; the foundations of a dam may rest on a rock mass; a tunnel or
cavern can be completely contained within a rock mass; a borehole can
be drilled several kilometres into the earth’s crust; an underground mine
can involve the excavation of large volumes of ore; a repository might
be excavated underground for disposing of large volumes of radioactive
waste.
In Figs. 1-6, we give examples of engineering projects where the
geological features play a significant role in the overall stability and
success of the project. In Fig. 2.1, there is an example of one of the cave
Figure 2.1 9th century monolithic Buddhist temples excavated in the Deccan basalts in
India.