Ground models; a brief overview

Abstract

The background to the presence of ground models in ground investigation practice is outlined. Ground models are not new but have been more widely and explicitly used since Fookes’ First Glossop Lecture in 1997. Most authors identify that a ground model is both necessary and beneficial, although they use a variety of alternative terms, and also present a range of views as to what should be included in a ground model. The literature on this variety of approaches is reviewed to suggest a consensus. In parallel, developments have led to the use of ground models being called for in the British (just published) and European Standards (currently in preparation). These explicit requirements in normative Standards will require that the geology, in the form of the ground model, will become an explicit and integral element of the whole process of the ground investigation and design and construction in the ground. The paper reviews the background to ground models, their suggested content and the significance of their presence in the latest Standards.Thematic collection: This article is part of the Ground models in engineering geology and hydrogeology collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/Ground-models-in-engineering-geology-and-hydrogeology