Friday, December 11, 2015

The Geology of Mongolia by Berkey and Morris stands as

a model in the field of geological exploration. Professor

Berkey was the Chief Geologist and Petrographer for the Expedition.

Early training in reconnaissance geology was particularly helpful

to Professor Berkey in the Gobi. Conditions under which geologic

work was conducted were far from ideal.

Long trips by car over terrain without roads were tiring.
In an expedition forced to keep a schedule to reach water
holes and meet supply trains on time, frequent stops to make
ground observations were not feasible. Great ingenuity
was required to piece together a coherent geological picture.

It is a high compliment to his ability as a field geologist that

Professor Berkey was able to integrate the general outlines of the

geology of an unmapped and little known region.

Those interested in the role that Professor Berkey played in exploration

of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia will find many of their

questions answered by reading:

"On the Trail of Ancient Man"

by Roy Chapman Andrews

Henry Fairfield Osborn and his associates

of the American Museum of Natural History in New York had

long been interested in the possibility that Central Asia was the

birthplace from which mammals migrated westward to Europe and

eastward across the Bering Strait to North America. Dr. Andrews

with characteristic vigor and imagination set out to organize and

conduct an expedition to visit this important region where, with

the benefit of the best scientific advice obtainable, verification of

ideas then prevalent might be found.

Ultimately, a staff composed of 21 members
was chosen, and full-scale journeys were made by

the Central Asiatic Expedition in 1922, 1923, and 1925.

Berkey Engineering Geology

It may be said by some that engineering geology developed
gradually as an inevitable process. This is partly true. It is generally
agreed, nevertheless, that the great disaster in 1928 which resulted
from the failure of the St. Francis Dam in southern California
brought home to the public the importance of coordinating geological
observation and interpretation with engineering construction.
Before the failure of the St. Francis Dam, the application of geological
interpretation to dams, tunnels, and other forms of major
engineering construction was optional with the engineer in charge;
after the failure, geological assistance became a requirement—by
law or by the rules of accepted engineering practice.

Not all geologists were prepared either by training or temperament
to accept the responsibility which this new situation imposed,
and several years passed before experienced and competent geologists
were trained to meet adequately the sudden demand for geological
advice in engineering. However, engineers concerned with
such problems soon learned that in New York City there was a
geologist who was not only a competent and well-known scientist,
but also possessed in full measure the desired type of experience.
In the era which followed the catastrophe of the St. Francis Dam,
leadership in the field of engineering geology was assumed by Professor
Berkey; this is largely described in the memorial volume on
Application of Geology to Engineering Practice published by the
Geological Society of America and known as the Berkey Volume.
During this period many great dams were constructed, several large
cities built aqueducts, important bridges were erected, and other
forms of construction requiring geological advice were undertaken.
As a member of the Board appointed by President Coolidge to
pass upon the plans and designs of the Hoover Dam, Professor
Berkey assured the engineers that the rock of the walls along the
Colorado River at the site was safe for large outlet tunnels. He also
advised upon the suitability of the rock floor to hold the highest dam
in the world. The dam itself now stands as a silent witness to the
value of his good judgment.

The enormous dam across the Columbia River at Grand Coulee
and the large reservoir in Grand Coulee itself constituted another
of the major projects on which Berkey advised. Here again the rock
floor was subjected to close scrutiny. The material itself, as well
as every crack and fracture, was examined on a completely exposed
surface to ascertain that the concrete when poured would form a
dam inseparable from the rock beneath.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Bonneville Dam Project

This aerial view was reproduced from a glass slide. (ca. 1941)

Bonneville Dam was the first of a series of dams built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers along the Columbia River in response to the Corps’ 1932 “308 Report”. Designed to replace a canal and locks that had been in place since 1896, the dam was intended to serve shipping up the river, control flooding, and provide electric power. Construction began in 1933, and the jobs provided helped to lessen the impact of the Great Depression in the area.

Although fish ladders were included in the construction plan, it has become clear that, as far as salmon were concerned, this system could not replace the free flowing river.