Workshop on Fractured Rock Mass Characterization and Analyses; Atlanta, Georgia; Spring 2025

This award funds a workshop on fractured rock masses, a rapidly emerging topic that plays a crucial role in many pressing energy and environmental challenges, such as underground construction, natural hazards, geothermal energy, mining, environmental restoration, carbon sequestration, nuclear waste geological storage, and subsurface energy storage. Developing innovative solutions to these challenges relies on a deep understanding of fractured rock masses, which however is hampered by the inherent complexities that arise due to coupled multi-physics processes and multi-scale fracture-matrix interaction effects.

Studying fractured rock masses promotes multiple scientific fields of geotechnical engineering, geosciences, physics, sensors and sensing, seismology, mining and minerals, subsurface resources, and renewable energy. This workshop will reach beyond the associated engineering and science communities, including improved understanding of scientific problems, augmented capabilities in scientific tools and infrastructure, deepened insight into innovative engineering solutions, cross-education and collaborations among researchers, and a sustained pipeline of workforce and STEM education.

The workshop will also stimulate interest among young investigators who are future leaders in the field and cultivate a collaborative and innovative community in addressing energy security, environmental issues, and societal challenges.

This workshop will convene approximately 30 individuals with diverse backgrounds and demographics to distill the most important science questions related to fractured rock masses, develop strategies to address the challenges, conceive unique and unprecedented infrastructure and facilities, and foster a collaborative and educational community to educate the next generation of engineers working on fractured rock masses. The workshop will create the opportunity for cross-disciplinary experts to discuss topics that reside at the interface of multiple fields such as self-similar fracture topology, the cubic law of transmissivity, complexities in fractured rock mechanics, and the availability of robust engineering analysis and design tools.

Key observations and conclusions from this workshop will be summarized and disseminated through a white paper. To attain the workshop objectives, a series of activities before, during, and after the workshop will be organized to maximize the productivity of the gathering and ensure the broad distribution of the workshop outcomes.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.