It is vital to understand the physical properties of the ground before construction because the properties of the subsurface can lead to slope instability, uneven compaction, and water infiltration of the near-surface rock. These can cause foundation issues, which would result in the failure of the structures. Natural fractures are an important geologic feature because their mechanical and hydrological properties influence the sub surface’s behavior. Fractures within rocks allow for the dispersion of mechanical stresses and the transmission of fluids. Because of this, fractures must be investigated as part of a complicated geotechnical investigation of the ground’s mechanical and hydrologic properties whenever a new construction project begins. Pennsylvania has varying geology, and there is a broadly insufficient understanding of subsurface fracture behavior in the six physiographic provinces found within the state. Research needs to be done in all the state’s provinces to develop a comprehensive understanding of the naturally occurring fractures and their impact on ground properties, like stability and water infiltration. This research intends to attain greater foundational knowledge of the subsurface by analyzing fractures in the near-surface rock in two of Pennsylvania’s physiographic provinces. The research will contain fracture analysis of four drill cores, which will be compared to the rock type and stress regimes of the physiographic provinces in which they are found. The goal of this work is to develop a model to allow for more accurate and efficient geotechnical modeling of the near-surface rock in the future.
The National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) collects data from a series of buoys around the United States. From this data collection, the question was is it possible to find Nor’easters over the ocean when they go through an area near the coast. To do this, Google Colaboratory was used—more specifically Python. This is when the location of Long Island, New York was selected to be the research target. From buoy station 44025, data from meteorological and ocean data was pulled from the archives and analyzed. The main parameters in question were wind speed and wave height. These are the two that show when big storms go through an area. From numerous graphs, it is possible to determine when a Nor’easter or other big weather events go through a region based of data collected over the ocean. This project focused in on the time between 2010 – 2020. The next big thing in question is if there is a climate aspect in this project. This will result data being pulled from the 1990 to present data. The goal of this will be to determine if there has been an increase or decrease in storm, as well as an increase or decrease in storm strength.
