This book includes the best-selected papers on the latest advancements in underground structures and geological engineering.The ongoing population growth is resulting in rapid urbanization, new infrastructure development, and increasing demand for the Earth's natural resources (e.g., water, oil/gas, minerals). This, together with the current climate change and increasing impact of natural hazards, implies that the engineering geology profession is called upon to respond to new challenges. It is recognized that these challenges are particularly relevant in the developing and newly industrialized regions.

The book introduces the reader to the fundamentals of rock mechanics and to its application to economic construction in rock. Models describe the mechanical properties and the permeability of rock. Numerical methods for evaluating the stability of structures in rock are given to solve special problems related to tunnels, caverns, pressure tunnels, dam foundations and slopes. Methods for testing the rock mechanical properties are described. A number of case histories enable the reader to make use of the content in his or her own work.