Earthworks are engineering works created by the movement of massive quantities of soil or unformed rock. Engineers need to concern themselves with issues of geotechnical engineering (such as flow and friction of the soil) and the estimated quantities to ensure that soil volumes in the cuts correspond to the attic, while minimizing distance movement. In the past, these calculations were made by hand using a slide rule and with methods such as Simpson's rule. Now they can be performed with a computer and specialized software, including cost optimization and e-mails to non-distance (eg, cost mail is not proportional to the distance haul).

Due to the enormous amount of material to be moved millions of cubic meters (or cubic meters) in the case of dam engineering high-grading has been revolutionized by the development of the squeegee (Fresno) and other gear earthworks such as the loader, production trucks, grader, bulldozer, backhoe, and excavator.

Typical earthworks include roads, railways, dams, dikes, canals, dikes and levees (ridges of noise ").

In military engineering, earthworks are, more specifically, types of fortifications built from the ground. Although the soil is not very strong, it is cheap enough that huge quantities can be used, generating formidable structures. Examples of earthwork fortifications include ancient ditches, sod walls, castles Motte and Bailey, and hill forts. Modern examples include trenches and embankments.