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Preface

A civil engineering historian would suggest that geotechnical and geological engineering in Colorado began about 1,250 years ago, during the development of the first of Mesa Verde's prehistoric reservoirs. The theme for the 2006 Biennial Geotechnical Seminar is "GEO-volution: The Evolution of Colorado's Geological and Geotechnical Engineering Practice." The theme was chosen to focus on Colorado's storied past, the difficult engineering challenges overcome by its early population, the current state of local geotechnical and geological engineering practice, and ideas that will carry our practice into the future. The seminar papers presented in this publication provide perspectives on Colorado's unique geology, on geotechnical and geological engineering for the challenging ground conditions present in Colorado, on emerging trends in the local engineering practice, and on current solutions to Colorado's diverse geo-problems.

Since 1984, the Geotechnical Group of ASCE's Colorado Section has organized a biennial series of seminars, in collaboration with the Rocky Mountain Section of the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists and the Colorado Association of Geotechnical Engineers. The seminars have been attended by as many as 270 civil/geotechnical engineers, engineering geologists, geologists, and other geo-professionals in the Colorado region. The seminars have been held at area universities or hotels and offer the opportunity for sharing ideas and experiences among Colorado's diverse geo-disciplines. We look forward to participating in Geo- Denver 2007.

The GEO-volution Steering Committee has been working to organize the 2006 Biennial Geotechnical Seminar and this accompanying publication since February 2005. The Steering Committee members included Lois Boxill, Mark Brooks, Tom Chapel, Dr. Christoph Goss, Tom Holben, Leslie Jansen, Dr. Bill McCarron, Minal Parekh, Rebecca Roland, Mark Vessely, Chris Wienecke, and Richard Wiltshire.