Landslides, earthquakes, erosion... you've heard of these natural hazards and perhaps have even been affected by one of them. So what do engineering geologists have to do with natural hazards, anyway? Look at it this way - natural hazards are simply geologic processes that become hazardous when humans get in their way. For example, consider the natural process of "mass wasting", which is a generic term for the movement of soil and rock downhill in response to the pull of gravity. Mass wasting, which includes landslides among other things, is constantly occurring in mountainous and hilly terrain throughout the world. Yet, this natural process isn't much of a hazard until humans build something that gets in the way of a landslide.
Engineering geologists identify where geologic processes are most likely to have an adverse impact on humans, the structures we build, and the environment. They then work with a variety of technical professionals, land owners, regulatory agencies and other entities to prevent geologic processes from becoming "natural hazards." To learn more about natural hazards and their relation to engineering geology, check out the geologic hazards pages of the AEG web site by following the links below.
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