AEG NY-P Dinner Meeting - Thursday, October 19, 2017

“Mapping the Geologic Subsurface in New York City”
Thursday, October 19, 2017
At the Clarion Hotel in Somerset, New Jersey
 
Presented by
 
Dennis Askins and  Richard Meserole
New York City Department of Design and Construction


 

This meeting is sponsored by

ABSTRACT
New York City has a diverse geologic history throughout the five boroughs. Geologic processes have been going on over 1.1 billion years. Urban construction has taken place for more than 400 years, digging, dredging, drilling, tunneling and excavating the 302 square miles of land and water within its boundaries. Today most of the soil cover throughout the five boroughs is urban fill.

The New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) is the City’s primary capital construction project manager for a large percentage of NYC public buildings, including vast infrastructure programs encompassing roadways, sewers and watermain construction.   Because most of DDC’s projects require extensive subsurface investigations for building foundations, infrastructure programs, and specialty programs such as geothermal projects for space conditioning buildings, DDC has over the years archived and digitized most of this information for mapping purposes. Most of the Subsurface geologic data recorded is shallow from 25 to 100 feet in depth. The boring data from geothermal projects go deeper than 1000 feet.

Much of the boring data is accessible within DDC through an indexed, interactive GIS Map of the City.  DDC also utilizes WPA Capital Project Maps and Boring Logs compiled in 1938 by Columbia University as an additional source of information. Additionally, internet search engines are also utilized for searching for other geologic subsurface data from other City, State, and Federal Agencies, outside publications and journals, field guide books and college and university research papers and maps.

All these resources are compiled and processed for Geologic Subsurface Mapping of new DDC’s project locations anywhere in New York City.  

BIOGRAPHY
Dennis Askins is an engineering geologist with the Program Management Division, Site Engineering and Topographical Services Section, of the New York City Department of Design and Construction: he has been with this city agency since 1996. Prior to DDC, Dennis worked for another City Agency, Department of General Services in the Subsurface Exploration Section. He received a bachelor of science in geology from Brooklyn College, CUNY, in 1980. He specializes in environmental and engineering geology.
Telephone 718-391-1338 

Richard Meserole is an engineering geologist with the Program Management Division, Office of Environmental and Geotechnical Services of the New York City Department of Design and Construction. He has been with DDC since 2006. Prior to DDC, Richard worked in private sector civil, geotechnical, and environmental consulting firms.  He received a bachelor’s degree in geology from Allegheny College in 2001. He specializes in engineering geology.
Telephone: (718) 391-1034