Geo-expertise 2009

Road construction work in Kattmarka near the city of Namsos in mid-Norway, triggered a sudden quick clay slide on Friday 13th March 2009. The small community with ten dwellings was completely destroyed by the slide. NGI participated in the mitigation work and in the investigation committee appointed by the federal authorities.

The offshore platform Arkutun-Dagi, to be placed in 35 metres of water east of the Russian island Sakhalin in the Okhotsk Sea, will be exposed to extreme loads and weather conditions during its 40 years of production of oil and gas. NGI was responsible for the geotechnical design and the stability of the platform.

The 2.5 km long Strindheim tunnel will run from Nyhavne to Strindheim in Trondheim. This complex tunnel project will be built under challenging ground conditions. The preparations and investigations prior to the field work have therefore been very thorough.

Up to 50 000 people are affected yearly due to vibrations from roads and railways in Norway. Inconvenience due vibrations is an increasing problem. The good news is that geotechnical engineers can design foundation in any type of soil conditions to reduce and prevent the negative effects of vibrations.

The waterworks of Øvre Årdal are said to produce the best drinking water in western-Norway, even though the groundwater source lies beneath an old waste disposal site.

Coles Bay in Svalbard is marred by heavy oil pollution and contamination. NGI investigated the area and recommended that the area be cleaned up. But first, the sources of contamination must be removed.