"Geophysics in Geotechnical Engineering: Renewed Opportunities through Multiphysics Subsurface Characterization"

This event is sponsored by FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering.

Abstract: Soils are granular materials; therefore, their properties depend on factors such as grain size, pore fluid characteristics (including multiphase fluids), strain level, and effective stress. Interparticle forces define the fundamental differences between fine- and coarse-grained soils, while interconnected porosity governs flow and transport processes. Geophysical characterization methods—including elastic and electromagnetic waves, nuclear magnetic resonance, thermal conductivity, and X-ray techniques—offer small-perturbation, multiphysics approaches that provide complementary insights into soil and fluid properties. They enable monitoring of key processes such as loading, consolidation, diagenesis, liquefaction, freezing, drying, mixed-fluid interactions, fluid fingerprinting, and gas adsorption/desorption. These methods support a broad range of engineering applications and foster innovative laboratory and field developments. Examples include foundation systems, tunneling and retaining structures, liquefaction assessment and monitoring, characterization of ponded tailings and fly ash, energy geoengineering solutions, and offshore geotechnical systems.

J. Carlos Santamarina

Professor and Clough Chair

Georgia Institute of Technology

Speaker Bio: J. Carlos Santamarina is a Professor and the Clough Chair at Georgia Institute of Technology. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba and completed his graduate studies at the University of Maryland and Purdue University. He has held faculty positions at NYU-Poly, the University of Waterloo (Canada), KAUST (Saudi Arabia), and Georgia Tech. Dr. Santamarina’s research integrates experimental and numerical methods to study geomaterials—including sediments, fractured rocks, and complex fluids—with applications in energy geotechnics, particularly in coastal and offshore environments. His work spans resource recovery, energy storage, and geowaste containment. A frequent invited speaker, he has delivered several distinguished lectures, including the 50th Terzaghi Lecture, as well as the Casagrande, Bishop, and Leonards Lectures. He is a member of both Argentine National Academies and has received numerous honors, including ASTM’s Hogentogler Award, the Korean Geotechnical Society Award, and Saudi Arabia’s Tarek Al-Qasabi Award.