Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
    • Journal home
    • Lyell Collection home
    • Geological Society home
  • Content
    • Online First
    • Issue in progress
    • All issues
    • Thematic Collections
    • Supplementary publications
    • Open Access
  • Subscribe
    • GSL fellows
    • Institutions
    • Corporate
    • Other member types
  • Info
    • Authors
    • Librarians
    • Readers
    • GSL Fellows access
    • Other member types access
    • Press office
    • Accessibility
    • Help
    • Metrics
  • Alert sign up
    • eTOC alerts
    • Online First alerts
    • RSS feeds
    • Newsletters
    • GSL blog
  • Submit
  • Geological Society of London Publications
    • Engineering Geology Special Publications
    • Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis
    • Journal of Micropalaeontology
    • Journal of the Geological Society
    • Lyell Collection home
    • Memoirs
    • Petroleum Geology Conference Series
    • Petroleum Geoscience
    • Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society
    • Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
    • Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society
    • Scottish Journal of Geology
    • Special Publications
    • Transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Society
    • Transactions of the Geological Society of Glasgow
    • Transactions of the Geological Society of London

User menu

  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
  • Geological Society of London Publications
    • Engineering Geology Special Publications
    • Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis
    • Journal of Micropalaeontology
    • Journal of the Geological Society
    • Lyell Collection home
    • Memoirs
    • Petroleum Geology Conference Series
    • Petroleum Geoscience
    • Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society
    • Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
    • Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society
    • Scottish Journal of Geology
    • Special Publications
    • Transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Society
    • Transactions of the Geological Society of Glasgow
    • Transactions of the Geological Society of London
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart
  • Follow gsl on Twitter
  • Visit gsl on Facebook
  • Visit gsl on Youtube
  • Visit gsl on Linkedin
Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology

Advanced search

  • Home
    • Journal home
    • Lyell Collection home
    • Geological Society home
  • Content
    • Online First
    • Issue in progress
    • All issues
    • Thematic Collections
    • Supplementary publications
    • Open Access
  • Subscribe
    • GSL fellows
    • Institutions
    • Corporate
    • Other member types
  • Info
    • Authors
    • Librarians
    • Readers
    • GSL Fellows access
    • Other member types access
    • Press office
    • Accessibility
    • Help
    • Metrics
  • Alert sign up
    • eTOC alerts
    • Online First alerts
    • RSS feeds
    • Newsletters
    • GSL blog
  • Submit
Previous issueNext issue

About the Cover

May 2019, Volume 52, Issue 2
Cover image expansion

The journey-time between Gundewein and Mekane Selam, two towns located at approximately 2660 m a.s.l. in the Ethiopian Highlands, has been cut by more than 75% by the construction of 129 km of mountain road and a 300 m long bridge. The bridge is across the Blue Nile and 58 km of this new road descends and ascends the steep sides of the 1300 m deep Blue Nile gorge on an alignment with a cumulative rise and fall of over 2500 m over a straight-line distance of 21 km. The terrain is one of the most challenging of any for new road construction. Its underlying geology comprises Oligocene–Miocene basalt and pyroclastic rocks (pictured) overlying Cretaceous sandstone and siltstone which, in turn, overlie Late Jurassic limestone mudstone and shale. Its geomorphology comprises lithologically-controlled benches separated by sheer cliffs, with extensive deposits of colluvium, taluvium and rafted rock debris. Geohazards include large-scale rock toppling, rock falls, deep-seated and shallow landslides, flash flooding, shifting stream channels, slope erosion, stream erosion, debris flows, debris fans, seepage erosion and cavity collapse. The Total Geology Approach to design and construction involved landscape modelling, geotechnical reference condition mapping, engineering geological mapping and targeted ground investigation, implemented by a team of national and international specialists between 2006 and 2015. The dynamism of the terrain, and in particular the adjustment of its geomorphology to earthworks and road drainage systems, meant that slope stability and erosion problems required careful attention during construction, as they will during the operational lifetime of the road. The Gundewein – Mekane Selam road was designed initially by Renardet SA/SABA Engineering. This design was reviewed and revised by ScottWilson (now AECOM). Construction was undertaken by CGC Overseas Construction Group, Beijing under the supervision of ScottWilson/Dana & Associates and on behalf of the Ethiopian Roads Authority. Further details can be found at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-015-0724-y and https://doi.org/10.1144/qjegh2018-058

Photograph by: G J Hearn

Back to top
Previous issueNext issue

This Issue

Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology: 52 (2)
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
  • Back Matter (PDF)
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Entire Issue ($330)
  • Introduction
  • Review article The Nineteenth Glossop Lecture
  • Review article
  • Thematic set: QJEGH 50th Anniversary Review paper
  • Photographic feature
  • Research article
  • Book review
  • Most read
  • Most cited
Loading
  • Microbial communities in UK aquifers: current understanding and future research needs
  • Coastal processes in the Russian Baltic (eastern Gulf of Finland and Kaliningrad area)
  • The temperature of Britain's coalfields
  • Coastal landslide monitoring at Aldbrough, East Riding of Yorkshire, UK
  • Performance of slope stabilization trials on the road network of Laos
More...

Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology

  • About the journal
  • Editorial Board
  • Submit a manuscript
  • Author information
  • Supplementary Publications
  • Subscribe
  • Pay per view
  • Alerts & RSS
  • Copyright & Permissions
  • Activate Online Subscription
  • Feedback
  • Help

Lyell Collection

  • About the Lyell Collection
  • Lyell Collection homepage
  • Collections
  • Open Access Collection
  • Open Access Policy
  • Lyell Collection access help
  • Recommend to your Library
  • Lyell Collection Sponsors
  • MARC records
  • Digital preservation
  • Developing countries
  • Geofacets
  • Manage your account
  • Cookies

The Geological Society

  • About the Society
  • Join the Society
  • Benefits for Members
  • Online Bookshop
  • Publishing policies
  • Awards, Grants & Bursaries
  • Education & Careers
  • Events
  • Geoscientist Online
  • Library & Information Services
  • Policy & Media
  • Society blog
  • Contact the Society

Published by The Geological Society of London, registered charity number 210161

Print ISSN 
1470-9236
Online ISSN 
2041-4803

Copyright © 2021 Geological Society of London