Civil and Building Engineering.

The value of a visit to the site of a new project is difficult to overestimate. Many observations can lead to valuable insights into the problems to be encountered in the forthcoming construction. Among the things that can provide information on the site are the kinds of structures on the site and their foundations, if discernible; any observable deleterious movements of buildings in the area; the kinds of soil observed in excavations or in the sides or beds of streams; cracks in soil and desiccated soil; the quality of pavements in the area; and comments from homeowners and occupants of buildings if available.

A telling example of information to be gained occurred in 1953 when Professor Parker Trask took his graduate class in engineering geology on a tour of East Bay in California. Trask pointed to rolling hills where evidence of minor slides was apparent. Many minor scarps and slumps were observed, showing that the soil on a slope had a factor of safety close to unity. Newspaper reports during the period following the tour noted that slides had occurred when cuts were made for the construction of various projects. The resulting steep slopes reduced the safety against sliding.