A new geological understanding:

implications for engineering

Marcus Dobbs, Tim Kearsey, Graham Leslie, Tom Dodd, Diarmad Campbell

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Significant natural and artificial hazards
are present in the subsurface
• Natural Shallow Geohazards – such as
karst, highly compressible soils,,
running sand, aggressive ground
conditions

• Artificial ground hazards –

contamination, buried structures, and
unstable cuttings/embankment

• Groundwater – surface and excavation

flooding, can become contaminated,
and then spread contamination
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 Consider ground conditions during
all phases of the development cycle
• All structures interact with the ground.
• Surface structures have foundation,
and therefore interact with the ground.
• Use of soil and rock as an engineering
material (engineered earthworks,
aggregated and building stone) and as
a construction medium.
• Different lithologies pose different
problems, and have different
properties.
• Geology is highly variable, horizontal
and vertically.
Image from Project Iceberg
FutureCitiesCatapult © 2017.

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 Geology in Singapore is complicated

WARNING NOT
REAL

Image from Project Iceberg

FutureCitiesCatapult © 2017.

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 Sedimentary lithological variability
• Nearly all lithologies
present in every unit.
• Limestone present in 3
different Formations.
• Significant quantities of
mudstone in the Tuas
Formation & Clementi
Member
• Significant quantity of
conglomerate in the
Labrador Park
Formation.
• Beware diagnostic
features do not mean
dominant features.
• Also absence of certain
lithologies should be
note

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 Sedimentary bedding thickness
Bukit Batok Fm
• There are significant
variations in bedding
thickness of lithologies
in different units.
• Generally most beds
are less than 1m.
• Mudstone beds
thinnest.
• Thinner beds in
Breakwater, Bukit
Resam, and Buona
Vista.
• Thicker beds in
Labrador and Pandan.
• Limestone units in
Pandan are significant
thicker than elsewhere.
• Some very thick
individual beds of tuff –
Nanyang Member
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 Igneous grainsize variability
• Differentiation of 2 igneous
Chronostratigraphical divisions Lithodemic units (rank and name)
Period Epoch Age 4 5 6
Cretaceous Upper Cretaceous Cenomanian
Probably no older than Upper Triassic Epoch
Pulau Sekudu Quartz-monzonite Pluton

Singapore Basalt–andesite Dyke-swarm

unnamed
units into 6.
• Dairy Farm Quarry pluton
and no younger than Lower Cretaceous Epoch dykes
Pulau Ubin Granite Pluton

Bukit Timah Centre

Upper Triassic Carnian
Triassic Simpang Granite Pluton
Middle Triassic
to Upper Triassic
Anisian to
Carnian
Dairy Farm Quarry Granite–rhyolite Pluton
contains rhyolite.
Permian to
Triassic
Guadalupian to
Middle Triassic
Capitanian
to Anisian
Gombak Gabbro–granite Pluton
Choa Chu Kang Granodiorite–tonalite
• Rhyolite – fine crystalline
Permian Cisuralian Artinskian
Pluton
granitic rock
• Strength significantly greater
than coarser-crystalline
granite.
• Porphyritic part of Dairy
Farm Quarry pluton presents
greater risk of extremely high
rock strength.
• Pulau Ubin pluton also has
some finer-grained granitic-
rocks.

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 Igneous mineralogy variability
• Mineralogy also affects strength
and hardness
• Mafic (Fe- & Mg-rich) rocks
generally stronger than Felsic
(quartz-rich) rocks
• Two mafic dominated areas have
been identified
• Others may be present elsewhere
• Mingles mafic and felsic rocks
found nearly throughout every
pluton
• Quartz-monzonite present in
Pulau Ubin, likely weaker and less
abrasive
• Strength an hardness have
significant impact on tunnels and
excavations in BTC

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 Tuffisite
Tuffisite consists of rock fragments in a matrix of
hydrothermal minerals or igneous rock; it forms in
fractures during the forceful passage through the rock
mass of highly pressurised hydrothermal fluid or
magma.

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 Tuffisite
Tuffisite consists of rock fragments in a matrix of
hydrothermal minerals or igneous rock; it forms in
fractures during the forceful passage through the rock
mass of highly pressurised hydrothermal fluid or
magma.

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 Tuffisite
Tuffisite consists of rock fragments in a matrix of
hydrothermal minerals or igneous rock; it forms in
fractures during the forceful passage through the rock
mass of highly pressurised hydrothermal fluid or
magma.

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 Tuffisite
Tuffisite consists of rock fragments in a matrix of
hydrothermal minerals or igneous rock; it forms in
fractures during the forceful passage through the rock
mass of highly pressurised hydrothermal fluid or
magma.

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 Example of tuffisite in core &
thin section
• Distribution and intensity of
tuffisite formation can have
significant impact on
geomechanical properties of
the rock mass.
• Sometimes it forms hairline
fractures on visible in thin
section; sometimes 100’s
metres thick.
• The nature of the shape is
likely to be quite variable
(sometimes planar in some
more like a vent).
• Likely to extend to deep into
the rock, meaning weak rock
will be found alongside highly
strong rock at depth.

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 Tuffisite distribution
• Present in nearly all
lithodemic units
• Can be difficult to identify in
outcrop and in core.
• Sometime only possible to
identify very thin tuffisite in
thin section.
• Not present in Singapore
Dyke Swarm – which
appears to exploit it.
• Does not appear to be
significant in Pulau Ubin
pluton (may be biased
dataset)
• Does not appear present in
Pulau Sekudu pluton

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 Development of the fault network

• There has been significant

development in our understanding of
the fault network.
• 2 major trends NW-SE and NE-SW.
• More than nearly anything else in the
bedrock geology, it is the faults that
determine the quality of the rock
mass.
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 Murai and Pasir Laba Thrust Systems

• Murai and Pasir Laba Thrust Systems

significantly more extensive.

• Thrust imbricates could result in substantial

reduction in rock mass quality

• Thrust imbricate structures produce very

unpredictable geological sequences.
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 Murai and Pasir Laba Thrust Systems

• Murai and Pasir Laba Thrust Systems

significantly more extensive.

• Thrust imbricates could result in substantial

reduction in rock mass quality

• Thrust imbricate structures produce very

unpredictable geological sequences.
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 Weathering is highly variable
• Effects of weathering first described by
F.E.S Alexander showed even quartz
undergo weathering in Singapore.
• Singapore weathering depth is highly
variable, BH 350 metres apart differ by
as much as 100m.
• 2014 BGS concluded WGII/III depth
was 17m in Bedock Fm.; 43m Seds;
33m in igneous – little spatial
correlation.
• 2018 more boreholes used, these show
evidence for corestones
• Some studies have shown a link
between topology, permanent water
table and depth.
• There is a positive correlation between
top borehole and ‘rockhead’ when
plotted against PLD

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 Weathering depth model – almost!
• Thickness model predicts
thinner weathering profile
over higher ground.
• Mean error is 14 m - still
quite large!
• Likely that there are other
significant controls that
must also be considered
• These are likely to be
structural (faults, joints
etc) and lithological.
• Still some work to be
done

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 The Virtuous Circle of Data and Knowledge
2/3/4D “Modelling” and outputs Decision-makers / Practitioners for
BCA and other researchers (project) planning GI, design (Gov
Agency & private sector)

New Subsurface
subsurface knowledge is
knowledge is used in
planning,
created (e.g. research and
better development
models)

Ground
More (free) investigations
Borehole logs and
data becomes are more other ground data
available
Database: focused Contractors/
Standardised Consultants
templates for
digital transfer / Benefits of
Time and
subsurface
acquisition money are
knowledge are
saved
(BCA; private recognised
sector)

© UKRI All rights reserved Ultimate goal – establish knowledge driven urban subsurface practice
 Develop KL GeoCIM Lifecycle (analogous to BIM)
• make all spatial data relevant to planning decisions available in
a common data environment
• support strategic planning and delivery of infrastructure projects
by access to all related information / knowledge, at each stage

From Mielby et
al., 2017
www.sub-
urban.eu

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 Thank you

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