The Role of Geological Investigations for Dam Siting: Mosul Dam a Case Study

Dams are engineering structures constructed for different purposes. They are of different sizes, shapes and types. In all cases, many essential studies should be carried out before deciding the location, type and size of the dam. Among those studies is the geological investigations which should be carried out to deduce the geological conditions in the most relevant site, depth of the foundations and their types, cut-off depth, type of the available construction materials, and type of the expected geological hazards. Without proper geological investigations, the siting of a dam will cause serious hazards during construction and during commissioning of the dam. In this study, Mosul Dam case is considered as the consequences of inadequate geological investigations which were carried out by the contractor and supervised by Swiss Consultant. The location of the dam site and ist foundations are built over a highly karstified area, where gypsum and limestone beds are exposed and exist deep under the ground surface, and even deeper than the foundations. Accordingly, grouting treatment was carried out and still on going, but all the attempts to have a safe and relevant dam were in vain. In this study we have provided the essential studies which should be included during the geological investigation to have a safe and sound dam.

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