Earthwork
Soil is one of major construction materials used for the construction of road, embankment , earthen dam. We construct the infrastructural facilities on the soil. Construction engineer has to involve with soil with various object. The process of excavating the soil, transport to the other place and placing it is called Earthwork. Quantities of Earthwork varies from millions of cubic meters to 100 cubic meter. Like in the excavation of open mines to obtain coal require the removal of 200m to 800 m of soil from the top which is a gigantic amount whereas construction of building with spread footing requires few cubic meter of soil .
Earthwork primarily involved the following process.

1. Excavation of soil or shifting of the soil.
2. Loading, transportation and unloading of soil.
3. Placing and compacting of the soil.

Depending upon the quantity of work, site conditions availability of recourses these works are carried out by various method and equipments. We shall first discuss the equipments required to execute the various earthwork.

Excavation
Soils are required to be excavated at site for various purposes . Some of the purposes of soil excavations are –

1. Removal of soil to level the ground . Example , cutting of hill .
2. For filling the ground at other places –making embankments .
3. For making structures such as footing or laying pipes , etc.