Engineering geological field study around Malekhu area,

Dhading district, Central Nepal

Submitted by: Submitted to:

Aashish Ghimire Civil dept

THA074BCE002 Thapathali Campus

Introduction
Background
Geology is the science dealing with the formation, composition and change of
interior and exterior structures and features of earth over time. Application of
geology over engineering ensures the engineering structures are geologically
sound, stable and sustainable for maximum efficiency of engineering works and
preservation of geology and environment. Geology is also referred as earth science
and is basically the study of earth and its components such as soil, sand, river,
rocks, etc. Hence for a proper and intuitive understanding of this subject, a field
work incorporating of various geological components and processes is must.

The field word was comprised of learning basic geological information such as
studying petrology, river morphology, landslides, rock formations and morphing,
differentiating rocks, surveying construction sites, etc. It also focused on learning
geotechnical skills such as measurement of strike, dip angle, dip direction etc.

Objectives
The major objectives of the field study were:

 Study of rock in outcrop and rock identification process.

 Study of rock weathering.

 Study of river channel morphology.

 Study of river sediments.

 Study of geographical structures.

 Measurements of orientation of bed rocks.

 GPS data collection

 Study of suitable site for bridge and road (site investigation).

Study area
Our study was targeted in the Malekhu-Benighat area around the periphery of
Trishuli River where there were many kinds of river sediments, suspension bridge, river,
catchment, landslide prone areas and other different areas with overall geological
variety which made it a suitable target for surveying and studying geological structures.
 Accessibility
Malekhu is an easily accessible place from Kathmandu with about 3 to 4 hours of bus
ride from Thapathali College along the Prithvi highway. It’s a well facilitated place with many
different hotels and lodges for staying and comfortable travel.

Topography
The topography of malekhu is very diverse with different structures such as hills, river
valleys, escarpments, spurs, saddles, river plain, terrace, etc. which makes it a very suitable site
for geological study. There is about a thousand metres of variation of altitude in the area with
Trishuli area being at an altitude of 340 m and Dharapani village at an altitude of 1525m. The
site had diverse variation of rocks such as quartzite, dolomite, gneiss, limestone, etc. and also
had examples of various gelological variations like faults, joints, catchments, sediment deposits,
landslide prone areas etc.
Methodology
Field study

The field study was conducted in different parts as mentioned below:

 Field scouting and traversing along with strike line, dip angle and dip
direction measurement with compass.

 River sedimentation ,delta formation and flood analysis along river banks

 Study of geological structure and tectonic mass movement.

 Observation of an out-dated suspension bridge and proposal of new bridge

site.

 Identification of rocks, their morphology and weathering pattern

Day 1:

Compass measurement:

Usually the bed rocks are formed by sedimentation followed by metamorphosis for a
large time while being subjected to high pressure and temperature. The movement of
continental beds or tectonic plates leads to different events such as formation of joints and
faults. The rocks are hence created by sedimentation and eroded by weathering, mass
movement etc. This cycle of formation and breakage of rocks is called tectonic cycle.

Dip amount is the inclination of bed rock measured with respect to horizontal surface. It
is necessary to calculate the stability of the survey site and sloping of the area as high sloping
can lead to high chance of failure of sites. The slopes are differentiated as:

0-5 ᵒ  Almost horizontal sloping

5-15 ᵒ  Gentle slope

15-30 ᵒ  Steep slope

30-60 ᵒ  Very steep slope

60-85ᵒ  Almost vertical

85-90 ᵒ  Vertical
 The dip direction is the azimuth of the direction the dip as projected to the horizontal. It
is measured towards the obtuse angle. Strike line is the imaginary horizontal line that goes
along the direction of continuity of bed rock. Brutum compass is the instrument used to
measure all the above data in the survey field.

Initially we studied the theory of strike and dip and formation and orientation of bed
rocks found in the survey area. Then the study group was divided into different groups and
guided along a suspension bridge to the bank of Trishuli river where the measurement of strike,
dip angle and dip direction were measured.

Sediment analysis:

The sediments deposited by Trishuli River were studied and the age of river was verified
based on the size of sediments deposited, the elevation and velocity of the river. Larger the
sediments deposited, younger is the river. The probability of flood was also determined was by
measuring the size of sediments, the formation of catchments etc. If the size of sediments
around the river exceed .The secondary rivers or channels connecting to the river can also be a
cause of flooding if they can deposit sediments into the river hence blocking the flow path.
Catchments are channels where the rainwater can collect and flow towards channels or rivers
hence increasing the volume of rivers which can cause flooding. All of the above mentioned
data was analyzed and studied in the field. The sloping of surrounding area was also
determined as high slope can lead to high rainfall runoff which can also contribute to flooding.
The causes of diverting of a river due to blocking of sediments was studied along with other
various other information about river systems. These are necessary while building engineering
structures like roads, bridges as they help to determine the necessity of spurs, the elevation of
construction, building materials and stability and various other factors.

River dimensions:

Then traversing was done along the bank of Trishuli to study river morphology and
dimension of the river. The nearby sites were also scouted for delta formations and river
channels. River deltas are formed when the small channels connecting to the river can divert
the direction of the flow of river. The width and gradient of river was also estimated by
observation. These are necessary for the economical and sustained engineering works and
constructions.
 Site traversing:

We proceeded uphill to study the geological stability of the hill by surveying the
traverse. We also selected a suitable site for designing a new suspension bridge. The site for
construction was selected such that it was easily available for the nearest settlement and it was
economic for construction of bridge. Other factors such as the amount of weathering of
supporting hills, their sloping and risk of landslides, stability of base etc. were also calculated
accordingly.

Day 2:

Rock mineralogy:

We studied about the formation and different types of rocks, their composition and
formation, weathering patterns and geological conditions such as faults, joints etc. We also
surveyed landslide prone areas, studied the identification of rocks based on the vegetation,
hardness, sound tests, etc. We studied the properties of silicious and calcious rocks such as
dolomite, quartzite, feldspar, etc. and tested their strength with hammer testing and also
verified which types of rocks are more stable and useful for engineering.

Observation
Location wise study
Location 1: (N27ᵒ48’34.78914’’)(E84ᵒ50’9.2468’’)

The dip amount, dip direction and strike line were measured as given below:

S.N. Strike Line Dip Angle Dip direction

1 N84°E 79ᵒWCB 174ᵒWCB
2 S244°W 78ᵒWCB 175ᵒWCB
3 N84°E 86°WCB 353°WCB
4 N83°E 78°WCB 172°WCB
5 N87°E 84°WCB 172°WCB
6 N83°E 81°WCB 175°WCB
7 N83°E 78°WCB 352°WCB
8 N85°E 80°WCB 177°WCB
9 N84°E 78°WCB 350°WCB
10 N83°E 86°WCB 353°WCB
 Location 2: (N27ᵒ48’49.3591’’)
(E84ᵒ50’10.8296’’)

The river channel diversion

was studied. Trishuli river diverted its
original channel along this location
which was deduced to be caused due
to blocking of sediments along the
original path of the river. Some
features of Trishuli were studied like:

 It has high gradient and

discharge
 It is a mature stage river

Location 3: (N27ᵒ48’49.7566’’) (E84ᵒ50’11.1216’’)

There was no formation of delta along the joining of Trishuli and Thopal khola because
the discharge and velocity of Trishuli is very high . The sediments along the Thopal khola were
studied and the catchments and elevation of the surroundings were surveyed. The river was
surrounded by steep hill and there was large chance of formation of catchments. Hence we
deduced that there is large chance of flooding of Thopal khola during rainy seasons.

Location 4: (N27ᵒ48’43.3756’’) (E84ᵒ50’13.9816’’)

The surrounding hills were traversed and their slope was found to be very high. The
slope along the side of the suspension bridge was found to be mild. The elevation and the
availability to settlement area were also best near the original suspension bridge. The width of
the river was also small in that area. Hence, it was deduced as the best site for construction of a
new bridge.
Location 5:

Weathering of rocks (dolomite) was observed in this area. Some rocks were weathered
to the point of turning into dust or soil. Weathering was tested in the following ways:

 Sound test: The rocks did not produce metallic sound. They produced hollow
sound which is a sign of highly weathered rocks.
 Observation: The rocks were very dusty and had brown surficial coating like
elephant skin which is sign of weathered rocks

Dolomite was found in this area and there was abundance of vines growing in area with
dolomite making the soil less stable and causes maximum biological weathering. When hit with
hammer, powdery stuff was released from dolomite. Dolomite is highly reactive and less stable
and hence undergoes high weathering which was observed in the site.
Location 6:

Phyllite rocks were observed in this

area. They are silicious rocks weaker than slate.
Their hardness was tested using hammer and
there was nonmetallic sound. They were silvery
in color and highly slippery making them a
problematic rock for construction as they have
high chance of causing landslides. They have
high feldspar content and are metamorphic
rocks. They have vegetation such as Sal which
require high concentration of silicates and grow
for a long time. They are formed by
metamorphosis of rock shale. They exibit the
following characterstics:

 Platy slabs as layers

 No reaction with acids
 Soft
 Soapy in contact with water
 High weathering rate
 Low friction angle
Location 7:

Quartzites were observed in this

area. They are monominiralic rocks and
are very suitable and stable for
engineering constructions. They were
tested by hamer and found to have
metallic sound and rebounding effect.
They exibit the following properties:

 Low chemical and

biological
weathering
 Strong
 Expensive
 Metallic sound
 Stable
Location 8:

Schists were observed in this area.

They are formed by metamorphosis of
phyllite. They are stronger than phyllite.
They have sheet like grainy orientation.
Gneiss were also found in this location.
They are igneous rocks with grainy
structure and a hard surface.

Location 9:

Granite was found at this location. It is an

igneous rock. The rock discovered was semi-melted
and crystallized. It has the following features:

 Light colored rock with grains large

enough to be visible.
 It is rich in Quartz and Felspar.
Eg: Zeolith

Conclusion
In this visit of Malekhu, we learnt about geological resources of the site, geological events,
geological conditions, and the relevant engineering applications. We saw and studied about the
major types of rocks in their natural condition and pictured them. We studied about the
morphology of the Thopal River which merges with the Trishuli River. We were able to use the
geological compass provided to us to find the attitude of a rock. We also used the calibrated
hammer to check the strength and hardness of the rock. Finally we also observed the river
morphology and the faults, folds and thrusts present in the area. We also studied the types of
rock morphology, weathering, delta formations and may more in this educational geology
camp.