Underground and surface mining is concerned with the extraction of the diverse solid mineral raw materials without which our lives would be unthinkable. In addition to energy raw materials and the critical raw materials for our modern information society and the energy transition, our economy also requires a significant amount of bulk raw materials such as hard rock, sand, salt, etc. In addition to the exploration, development and extraction of raw materials, the recultivation and reutilisation of former industrial sites is also of great importance. In addition to the supply of raw materials from terrestrial deposits, the environmentally friendly, safe and effective mining of raw materials on the seabed or in space will also be an important field of activity in the future.

In contrast to mineral mining, "fluid mining" is concerned with the exploration, development and utilisation of flowable raw materials underground. In the past, these were primarily crude oil and natural gas. These energy resources are still extremely important today and still account for well over half of the world's energy requirements. We will therefore have to continue to deal with this and ensure that these raw materials are provided in sufficient quantities, at reasonable prices - but above all in the most environmentally friendly way possible. This is the task of the engineers we train in our specialisation.

However, other fluid raw materials are also playing an increasingly important role these days! Geothermal energy is one of them. Geothermal energy is a regenerative and therefore green energy that is available in practically unlimited quantities.

In the context of the energy transition, the underground storage of hydrogen, CO2 or compressed air is playing an increasingly important role - the engineers in the specialisation are also responsible for the development and safe operation of such "geo-energy systems".

And last but not least, more and more infrastructure is being relocated underground, for example power lines, media, supply and disposal systems, pipelines, etc. These tasks are also performed by the specialisation. These tasks are also covered by the specialisation, as drilling technology expertise is required here (shallow drilling technology).

Geotechnical engineers are subsoil specialists who deal with the exploration, assessment, evaluation and classification of rock for the purpose of using it as subsoil, construction and excavation space.

In particular, they assess the stability of geotechnical structures, including dams, reservoirs, embankments, landfills, tunnels, shafts, etc. The assessment is based on practical and state-of-the-art theoretical approaches, which in particular also take into account dynamic loads (e.g. from traffic) or the influence of water (precipitation, groundwater) in the subsoil.