Dr. Colin Harris
Geologist/Geotechnical Engineer
Profession: Geologist (with extensive geotechnical and engineering experience)
Experience: 24 years
Qualifications:
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BSc. Geology (Upper Second), University of Hull, 1972-75
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MSc., University of Wales, Aberystwyth, 1975-76
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PhD., University of Plymouth, 1976-79
Year of Birth: 1954
Nationality: British
Languages: English
Career Summary
I have 24 years working experience in geology and geotechnical engineering.
For the majority of this time I have been a self-employed consultant in
the tunnelling industry.
Having spent my first seven years as a professional geologist based in
Singapore, working in the oil service industry on the geology of S.E. Asia,
I returned to the UK and obtained work as a geological consultant to TML,
the builders of the Channel Tunnel. Much of the work involved the training
and supervision of a team of geologists to produce consistent underground
geological and geotechnical records. It also involved reaching agreement
on the records with the client, Eurotunnel. I was also responsible for
the verification of all underground probing. At the end of the project
I compiled the majority of the permanent records and agreed them with the
client. Throughout his time at the Channel Tunnel I worked on claims for
adverse ground conditions involving a total of £70 million. My work
culminated in the co-authorship of the final geological/geotechnical claims
report. Before submittal of the final report TML reached a favourable settlement
with their client.
As a result of working on the Channel Tunnel, I was employed by Taylor
Woodrow as an independent geological/geotechnical expert to work on their
Brighton & Hove Stormwater project. My remit was to report on the adverse
ground conditions that the Contractor claimed to have experienced. My reports,
inclusive of review of all the various geological/geotechnical Experts
report, formed the basis of the claim. The outcome was a favourable settlement
for Taylor Woodrow.
Based on this work, I was employed by Southern Water as an expert for
their dispute with their designer, which ended in mediation and a successful
outcome for Southern Water.
Most recently I have worked for Knight Piésold Philippines as a
Senior Tunnels Engineer, on a hydroelectric/water supply tunnel project
at Casecnan in the Philippines. This work included the assessment of the
tunnel lining for 30 km of tunnels and shaft, and quality control issues
related to the lining. In addition I have worked as the technical co-ordinator
for DEFRA water engineering department in Cumbria, involved in the FMD
crisis.
I am currently working for several internet gateways for the Earth and
Biological sciences in the UK.
Specialist Skills
Tunnelling; Site Investigations, Geotechnical Mapping and Lining Design,
Contractual Disputes, Quality Control of Installed Lining.
Professional Experience
PSIgate & the Natural History Museum, 2001-present
A consultant to PSIgate (Physical Science Information Gateway) and the
Natural History Museum (London) responsible for populating the earth science
and biological sciences section of these internet gateways with high quality
internet resources for the use of students, researchers and practitioners
involved in Higher Education (HE) and Further Education (FE). PSIgate is
run by a consortium of academic libraries in Manchester. Along with other
hubs these hubs comprise part of the RDN (Resource Discovery Network),
a JISC funded service for HE and FE in the UK.
DEFRA (Knight Piesold, UK), 2001
Water Engineer involved in the FMD (foot and mouth disease) crisis in
Cumbria. Technical co-ordinator responsible for setting up and running
a team of 40 engineers and support staff who were involved in:
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Designing waste water and pollution control systems for over 1000 farms
in Cumbria.
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Implementing an auditing system for the works.
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Designing and implementing a database to allow reporting of the Scope
of Works to Management, prioritising of the works etc.
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Treatment and spreading of farm slurry.
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Involved in the tender process for 3 major tenders.
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Reinstatement of the farms, in particular topsoil and field drains.
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Running a team of ‘Clerks of Works’.
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Set up a working relationship with the EA to monitor pollution associated
with Pyre and Burial sites.
Knight Piésold Philippines, 2000-2001
Senior Tunnel Engineer for a 30 km hydroelectric/water supply tunnel project
located at Casecnan in the Philippines, which also involved two shafts,
five adits and two dams. Responsibilities include assessment of the geological
risk to the tunnels, agreement of the final lining with the contractor
and quality control of the final lining. Tunnel construction included three
TBM drives, 6 drill and blast headings. The two shafts were blind sunk,
the first including a raised bore section. Lining types include steel,
structural concrete, structural shotcrete and shotcrete. Rocktypes are
mainly volcanic, inclusive andesites, agglomerates, basalts and dacites,
plus granodiorite and diorite. Work involved:
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Advising the client on the efficiency of the tunnel methodology, and
in particular the dewatering systems.
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Agreement of the final lining design which involved detailed walkdowns
of all the tunnels with staff from the contractor’s design
engineer.
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Part of this process involved establishing a model of the encountered
geology that could be used to assess geological risk. The main factors
involved were the structural geology of the area, the degree of alteration
of the rockmass due to a variety of processes, and water loss and ingress
into the tunnels.
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The structural geology of the area proved to be complex with some major
thrust/shear faults. A new model was proposed.
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Alteration of the rockmass included surface weathering, overstress,
hydrothermal activity, granulation due to fault activity, fault gouge,
and microfracturing. Other processes to be considered included the
dissolution of anhydrite and pyritisation.
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Water ingress/loss calculations involved obtaining reliable ingress
information from the tunnels inclusive peak initial flow and residual
flow data. The water loss and ingress was modelled based on this data.
Internal
and external pressure up to about 30 bar were involved.
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Quality control issues related to the cast concrete lining (crown and
invert forms) involved mapping of the defects in the cast concrete
lining, inclusive cold joints, joints, cracks, rock pockets, honeycombing,
pitting,
the waterstops, plus variations in water ingress through the lining
before and after initial pouring, after grouting of the major voids, contact
grouting
and consolidation grouting.
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It also involved co-ordinating with the client’s tunnel inspectors
in matters related to the quality control of the shotcrete lining
and most particularly; cleaning and barring of surface to be shotcreted,
correct
rockbolt and mesh placement, lining location, mix design and rebound.
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I was involved in the initial plans for the development of the long-term
powerhouse monitoring scheme. This included piezometers, extensometers,
convergence measurements, water ingress and crack monitoring.
Southern Water, Geological/Geotechnical Expert, 2000 - Jan. 2001
Main role in this contractual process was to advise other independent
experts employed by Southern Water on the work previously undertaken for
Taylor Woodrow. This involved the preparation of briefing documents and
commenting on other expert witness reports prepared for mediation. The
dispute was settled through mediation in January 2001.
Webmaster, 1999-present
Development of a geological website on the Internet; www.geologyshop.co.uk
for educational purposes. This was achieved using HTML and Webexpress.
It contains links to high quality geological and geotechnical information
worldwide, together with some of Mr Harris’ own articles including
several on the Channel Tunnel.
Taylor Woodrow, Independent Geological/Geotechnical Expert, May 1996-Nov.
1998
Brighton & Hove Stormwater Tunnel (5 km) and 7 Shafts. Independent
Geological Expert to assess the geology of the local area associated with
the site and to produce a geological model; then to consider whether there
was any geological justification for what Taylor Woodrow considered to
be adverse ground conditions. The study progressed through all of the legal
stage and finished in court with a senior civil engineer as the Expert
Adjudicator.
Duties included:
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A detailed desk study of readily available data inclusive visits to
local geological sites and a preliminary visit to the core store.
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This was followed by a brief study of the data provided by the site
investigation.
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Contacting other geologists with specialist expertise to work on the
project.
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A detailed re-logging of the rotary borehole core along the entire
length of the tunnel drive. This involved TCR, SCR, FI, RQD, a fracture
log and assessment of weathering profile.
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Definition of the geological model for the area included in this study.
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Assessment of the first geotechnical claims reports written by the
independent Experts from both sides and a site investigation report
from an adjacent project.
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Interpretation of all the site geotechnical logs, water ingress and
permeability data.
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Completion of a report on the adverse ground conditions. This allowed
the actual ground conditions as proven by my desk study and borehole
re-logging to be compared with the contractors geotechnical logs and the
conditions
indicated by the ground investigations. The question whether the
ground conditions were foreseeable by the contractor were addressed.
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The Expert determination from an earlier site dispute was reviewed
for relevance.
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A report was written on the significance of the data revealed during
the discovery process.
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The validity of the multi-volume Expert reply provided by the client
was then examined and commented upon.
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This was followed by the preparation of a briefing document for the
Taylor Woodrow legal team. This report summarised his expert
opinion in a “non specialist user friendly manner”.
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A total of three weeks were spent either in court or in meetings with
the Taylor Woodrow legal team. One day was spent giving his evidence.
A further day was spent in the field with the adjudicating Expert and the
clients main Expert during which he illustrated evidence submitted.
The
remainder of the time was spent advising the Taylor Woodrow team.
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Following the court case the evidence presented by the clients Experts
was reviewed.
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I then reviewed the TBM records in detail.
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A report was then compiled on the “adverse ground conditions” encountered
by the TBM. Further analyses were undertaken in support of his
opinion inclusive clay mineralogy (stickability) and flint strength (pick
wear),
the results of which were integrated with his geological model.
Additional subjects discussed included pick wear and the behaviour of the
spoil. This
study proved that there was a direct correlation between the
modified geological model of the ground conditions and the conditions actually
entered by the
TBM.
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An amicable settlement was reached with the client before either the
adjudication on the Shafts was made or the TBM support was submitted.
Taylor Woodrow was satisfied with the settlement.
Taylor Woodrow, 1997
Employed to report on the geological and geotechnical data included in
the tender documentation for the CTRL Thames Tunnel. This included a brief
review of the borehole core.
Co-ordinating Editor of Book entitled “Engineering Geology of the
Channel Tunnel”, 1993-1996
TML and Eurotunnel granted a group of senior geotechnical staff permission
to publish this book. I was the co-ordinating Editor (sponsored by Eurotunnel)
for a group of 42 authors, including many of the major names from our industry.
Contributions came from three countries. The completed book represents
a comprehensive case study of the geological, geotechnical and environmental
aspects of one of the largest construction projects ever undertaken. In
addition to main editorial role he also wrote four chapters.
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Tunnelling difficulties: working towards an explanation. This chapter
explained how the stratigraphy, regional structure, proximity of
the surface and location of the trial tunnel combined to provide a misleading
picture
of the likely tunnelling conditions.
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A revised stratigraphy. Research revealed a new uniform sedimentary
unit in which the trial tunnel was located. However, at the time
this tunnel was considered to have been located in a typical Chalk Marl
with very cyclic
sediments.
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An interpretation of the structural geology. Minor folds and major
unknown faults were instrumental in producing adverse tunnelling conditions.
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UK ground conditions: a geological explanation. The overall geological
model was directly compared with TBM performance.
I also contributed to two further chapters entitled:
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Stratigraphy and regional geology. This chapter, which was co-authored
by senior staff of the British Geological Survey described in
detail the regional geological setting of the Channel Tunnel.
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Site Investigation. The site investigations from the early 1960s to
construction were described.
I was primary editor of all of the chapters and assisted with the compilation
of several inclusive:
Geological and Geotechnical Consultant to TML, 1988 - 1993
I was initially employed to reorganise the construction geotechnical department
and to report to the senior management on the “Bad Ground” encountered
in the Marine Service Tunnel at the start of the tunnelling operation.
His contract was first extended to liaise with the design department and
to agree geotechnical records with the client, Eurotunnel. Further extensions
were obtained in order to:
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Design and edit a database. This allowed the major geotechnical parameters
describing the variations in the ground conditions to be
presented rapidly in graphical format for presentation to management and
for claims reports.
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To verify all probing from the tunnels. The safety of the tunnels with
respect to water ingress was of paramount importance. Probes
were also undertaken vertically to assess the alignment with respect to
the geology,
sideways to assess zones for ground treatment, and through
tunnel lining segments to assess the quality of the back grouting. In total
over 140
boreholes were studied.
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To train staff and maintain adequate staffing levels. In order that
sufficient records were obtained additional staff had to
be employed and trained. He was responsible for selecting potential candidates
and interviewing
them with the head of department.
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Editing of all geotechnical logging data. If an overall geological/geotechnical
model were to be defined it was essential that consistent
geological/geotechnical records were produced. As during any shift rotation,
up to twelve loggers
might be working, consistency and accuracy could only be
maintained with a single editor. Once edited and corrected the logs were
then forwarded
to Eurotunnel for checking. He was responsible for the editing
and the agreement of the data in weekly meetings with the client.
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A number of detailed reports were written detailing and explaining
the adverse ground conditions. The adverse conditions
encountered were initially considered to be excessive outbreak and excessive
water
ingress.
Further study indicated water ingress was only higher
locally and that over the entire tunnel lengths water ingress was actually
lower
than anticipated.
Detailed stratigraphy indicated the presence of aquicludes
that resulted in the build-up of hydrostatic pressure on single bedding
horizons. This
caused the slab failure at the UK Crossover. Stratigraphy
also provided that the 1974 tunnelling trial, which was considered
to be in the “typical” cyclic
lithology, was actually in an “unknown” highly
uniform unit. Thus, the 1974 trial tunnel that indicated
that minimum overbreak would
occur was actually highly misleading. The structure encountered
was also more complicated than anticipated at the time
of tender with minor flexures
and major regional block boundaries having significant
impact on tunnelling progress.
The final claims report was never issued as a settlement favourable with
TML was reached before it was submitted.
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I was responsible for producing the majority of the permanent record
drawings and documentation for the tunnels including; all
the underground geotechnical face records, core logs and probing records,
water ingress,
NATM excavations and instrumentation, Castle Hill landslide
instrumentation, geotechnical procedures including logging, computing,
etc., and an archive
report.
Robertson Research, Singapore and Jakarta, 1979 - 1987
During my seven years with one of the leading oilfield consultancy companies
based in Singapore and Indonesia he gained experience in most aspects of
local and regional geological studies. He began work as a micropalaeontologist,
progressing through the co-ordination of small multi-well studies to finish
as a Project Manager for a large multi-client study that directly involved
staff from the State Oil Company of Indonesia together with company staff
and outside consultants based in a total of five countries.
Involved in the palaeontology, sedimentology and stratigraphy of over
one hundred oil wells from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand,
Vietnam, Brunei, Philippines, China, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Australia,
New Zealand, Burma,
India and Sri Lanka. Palaeontology included the analysis
of foraminifera, calcareous nannoplankton, pollen and spores. He co-ordinated
basinal studies
in the South China Sea, Brunei, Tarakan Basin, NW Java,
N. Sumatra and Central Sumatra. The analysis of each well also involved
the sedimentological
logging of ditch cuttings and the matching of the results
with the wireline log.
Aspects of geology apart from palaeontology that he worked on included
core logging, basement geology, reservoir mapping and
geohistory diagrams (incorporating major tectonics), temperature gradients
and subsidence rates.
My major project involvement included:
Stratigraphic co-ordinator for the World Bank funded project on the Petroleum
Potential of Papua New Guinea. This involved over 50 oil wells, and the
integration of the stratigraphy with wireline logs and seismic survey data
in Jurassic, Cretaceous and Tertiary strata.
Project Manager of an in-house multi-client study with a budget of one
million dollars entitled “The Petroleum Potential of the Eat Java
Sea and adjacent areas.” This involved over 60 oil wells, mainly
Tertiary in age, together with full integration of wireline logs, lithostratigraphy,
sedimentology, seismic surveys, structural analysis, geochemical analysis
and geohistory diagrams. The geohistory diagrams were utilised with the
aim of identifying where the source rocks became sufficiently mature to
generate hydrocarbons. The final report included one A2 sized volume of
well summaries, one A2 sized volume including 40 coloured maps and two
volumes of text, the final product selling for $50 000 a copy.
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I was the final editor on several reports up to basinal study level.
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I was responsible for the in-house library and setting up of an in-house
database incorporating all the local companies’ reports.
He also helped develop standardised stratigraphic
and geochemical diagrams for
incorporating in reports, mainly with the aim of
streamlining production and he initiated the first
PC computer based plots for major reports within
the local company.
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I attended courses including a Schlumberger course on wireline interpretation
(1 week) and an OGCI course on Seismic Stratigraphy (1 week).
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I assisted in the training of staff including a programme to train
local staff in order to replace expatriates, thereby
reducing costs and fulfilling joint venture agreements in Indonesia.
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I was given responsibilities including temporary manager of Jakarta
Office; sales trips to Indonesia and Australia; negotiating
with oil companies for the release of oilfield data; negotiating with Pertamina
and the Geological
Survey of Papua New Guinea regarding the content of the
respective regional studies that he was co-ordinating; and training of
Pertamina staff.
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I gave presentation including the Stratigraphy of Papua New Guinea
to the World Bank and the Stratigraphy of the East Java Sea to Pertamina.
Research Assistant, The University of Plymouth, 1976-1979
While undertaking his doctoral research, I was involved in an average
of six hours per week of teaching, mainly demonstrating in practicals and
taking tutorials but including occasional lectures and assisting on field
trips. Subjects included stratigraphy, palaeontology, sedimentology, petrology
and field mapping. Field trips included Shropshire, Somerset, Isle of Wight
and various localities in Devon and Cornwall.
Other Information
Book: Engineering Geology of the Channel Tunnel, published by Thomas Telford,
1996
