Search results for "sinkhole"
showing 10 items of 23 documents
The last sinkhole at Marsala: the 21 November, 2013,event
2014
Marsala area, in the western end of Sicily, has been historically interested by quarry activities, both at surface and underground. The carved rocks are Lower Pleistocene calcarenites, defined as “Calcarenite di Marsala” and referred to the Marsala syntheme. These calcarenites are composed of three main lithofacies with vertical and lateral passages: a)coarse to fine yellow bio- and lithoclastic calcarenites, rich in macrofossils; b) sands; and c) gray sandy clays. According to previous authors, the calcarenitic lithofacies can be divided into three lithotypes: i) coarse calcarenites and calcirudites strata, from 10 to 100 cm thick; ii) fine to coarse calcarenites with thickened grains; iii…
Study of anthropogenic sinkholes in the Marsala area (western Sicily) through numerical analyses of instability processes in underground quarries
2011
Some Considerations on 3-D and 2-D Numerical Models for the Assessment of the Stability of Underground Caves
2014
The application of numerical modeling to the analysis of the stability of both natural and man-made underground caves is rapidly increasing due to the availability of powerful numerical codes, that can account for either continuum or discontinuum behavior of the rock masses. Numerical methods allow to overcome traditional methods for cave stability analysis that assume too simplified geometrical, geological and geomechanical conditions. Further, they are also able to assess the potential failure mechanisms of underground systems. On the other hand, the application of numerical methods requires availability of a detailed geo-structural survey of the cave, as well as a proper geomechanical ch…
Examples of anthropogenic sinkholes in Sicily and comparison with similar phenomena in southern Italy
2013
A sinkhole, occurred in June 2011 and related to an underground quarry in the eastern sector of Marsala, is described in this paper as a case study (Figure 2). The site was selected for the availability of topographic data of the underground quarry, prior to the formation of the Abstract Anthropogenic sinkholes affect several built-up areas of Sicily (southern Italy) representing a great risk to people, buildings, and infrastructures. These phenomena are generally associated with the presence of ancient underground quarries for the extraction of calcarenite rock, used for building or ornamental materials. These quarries were poorly constructed and abandoned throughout history.
2017
Abstract. The aim of this study is to present a framework that provides new ways to characterize the spatio-temporal variability of lateral exchanges for water flow and solute transport in a karst conduit network during flood events, treating both the diffusive wave equation and the advection–diffusion equation with the same mathematical approach, assuming uniform lateral flow and solute transport. A solution to the inverse problem for the advection–diffusion equations is then applied to data from two successive gauging stations to simulate flows and solute exchange dynamics after recharge. The study site is the karst conduit network of the Fourbanne aquifer in the French Jura Mountains, wh…
Evaporite karst in Italy: A review
2017
none 16 si Although outcropping rarely in Italy, evaporite (gypsum and anhydrite) karst has been described in detail since the early 20th century. Gypsum caves are now known from almost all Italian regions, but are mainly localised along the northern border of the Apennine chain (Emilia Romagna and Marche), Calabria, and Sicily, where the major outcrops occur. Recently, important caves have also been discovered in the underground gypsum mines in Piedmont. During the late 80s and 90s several multidisciplinary studies were carried out in many gypsum areas, resulting in a comprehensive overview, promoting further research in these special karst regions. More recent and detailed studies focused…
Karst Landscape: Sinkholes in Sicily
2009
Natural and Anthropogenic Hazard: mine sinkholes in Sicily (Italy)
2008
Environmental hazard and water quality: the River Platani basin
2007
The River Platani, situated in the western side of Sicily, is one of the greatest rivers of the island. It runs for about 103 Km and the basin extends to about 1,784.9 Km. It rises near Santo Stefano Quisquina (Ag); the river flows to Capo Bianco (Ag) ends in the Mediterranean Sea. The morphology of the basin is predominantly characterized by rises of modest entities with slopes sweet or calanques. In the containing gypsum and carbonatic stony heaps are diffused the karst phenomena. In the Platani basin some mines are located of rock salt and potassium salts; today the mines are closed after a long activity and they interact with the geomorphology of the territory and on the water quality o…