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Groundwater and geology
Groundwater is also important quite apart from its value as a resource or its close connection with surface water supplies. Engineers must consider groundwater when planning almost any kind of structure, either above or below the ground. Ignoring the effect of groundwater on slope stability can be both costly and dangerous. Geologists see groundwater as a major force in geological change. The fluid pressures exerted by groundwater, for example, play an important role in the occurrence of earthquakes. Geologists also know that the movement of water through underground geologic formations controls the migration and the accumulation of petroleum and the formation of some ore deposits.
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