The BGA selected eight exemplary papers to be stored in the time capsule. Six of them are Rankine Lectures, the remaining two are considered milestones.

The selection included: the first Rankine Lecture (Casagrande, 1961); the first Rankine Lecture given by a British person (Cooling, 1962); the Rankine Lecture given when Rock Mechanics, according to Prof Skempton, was considered as "an integral part of soil mechanics"(Mayer, 1963); a Rankine Lecture that represents a milestone in slope engineering (Skempton, 1964); the possibly most influential Rankine Lecture (Peck, 1969); another milestone Rankine Lecture marking the development of the prediction of ground displacements in geotechnical design (Clayton, 2011); a key paper which had a major influence on soil slope analysis and design (Bishop, 1955); a milestone paper examining the reasons for the different attitudes of geotechnical engineers and structural engineers (it often seems that the two groups speak different languages ) and seeks to improve communication, thereby reducing risks (Burland, 2006).

Table of Contents

1. Control of seepage through foundations and abutments of dams, A. Casagrande, 1961
2. Field measurements in soil mechanics, L F Cooling, 1962
3. Recent work in rock mechanics, A.Mayer, 1963
4. Long-term stability of clay slopes, A. W. Skempton, 1964
5. Advantages and limitations of the observational method in applied soil mechanics, R. B. Peck, 1969
6. Fiftieth Rankine Lecture - Stiffness at small strain: research and practice, C. R. I. Clayton, 2011
7. The use of the slip circle in the stability analysis of slopes, A. W. Bishop, 1955
8. Interaction between structural and geotechnical engineers, J. B. Burland, 2006