Novel Research on Geomechanics: Current Status and Future Challenges

Dear Colleagues,

The escalating global demand for energy has driven the rapid development of large-scale infrastructures, where extreme environments such as deep sea, underground space, and outer space pose significant challenges for ensuring safe design, efficient operation, and long-term performance. Geomechanics is evolving rapidly, integrating advanced testing, numerical modeling, and monitoring techniques across multiple spatial and temporal scales to investigate the evolutionary behavior of geomaterials and structures, thereby enhancing our ability to understand and predict their responses in diverse engineering applications. The integration of advanced techniques—including laboratory testing, high-resolution monitoring, and computational modeling—becomes increasingly critical as the rising frequency and intensity of extreme climate events significantly amplify geohazard risks, such as landslides, slope failures, subsidence, and offshore instabilities.

This special issue welcomes high-quality contributions presenting innovative theories, methods, devices, and applications that advance geomechanics, covering fundamental mechanisms, emerging techniques, and engineering applications. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Advanced numerical and computational methods for coupled multi-physics processes
• InSAR-based monitoring and high-resolution techniques for geohazard detection and early warning
• Novel experimental techniques and multi-scale characterization of geomaterials
• Offshore and subsea geotechnical engineering problems, including soil–structure interaction and hydrate-related issues
• Slope stability, landslide dynamics, and hazard mitigation strategies under extreme climatic and geological conditions
• Energy geotechnics, including subsurface energy storage, energy piles, and thermo-hydro-mechanical coupling

This special issue aims to provide a platform for sharing cutting-edge research and fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration to advance geomechanics and promote sustainable, resilient engineering solutions.

Dr. Liang Wang
Dr. Chao Zhou
Guest Editors

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