| Sumari: | About a century later, the field of geotechnical engineering is still considered relatively young and full of wonders about the growing challenges upfront. The geotechnical engineering profession is challenged by increasing civil material consumption and aging infra-structures to meet the growing population worldwide in the coming century. Geological studies play a key role in the early stages of analysis. Its objective is to know the quality and characteristics of the materials, mainly of the areas where the dam is to be constructed. However, these studies must continue at the preliminary stage, project, and throughout the construction of the work. Some examples of geological investigations can be geological and geotechnical cartography, exploratory excavations (trenches, galleries, or tunnels), and identification of rock mass discontinuities and their geomechanical classification. Geo-material strength characterization is one of the most important yet challenging components in civil engineering projects. The future requires characterization extending to boarder range of materials such as municipal waste, gas hydrates, and soils from extreme off-shore recovery. Geo-material shear strength indicates the ability of the ground to withstand alteration in stresses, and very likely required to deal with great variability that the in-situ structure and fabric inherited from the natural depositional process. The participation of the geotechnical engineer is indispensable in the different stages of the construction of dams, in particular, to verify that the materials and activities correspond to the design and planning of the work. Special care should be taken in the construction of structures that cross the dam, for example, the spillways and intake structure, among others.
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