Natural and human-induced sinkhole hazards in Saudi Arabia: distribution, investigation, causes and impacts

Youssef, Ahmed M.; Alharbi, H.; Gutiérrez, Francisco; Zabramwi, Yasser A.; Bulkhi, Ali B.; Zahrani, Saeed A; Bahamil, Alaa M.; Zahrani, Ahmed J.; Otaibi, Zaam A.; El-Haddad, Bosy A.

doi:10.1007/s10040-015-1336-0

Cited by 65 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…These measures supported reliable, safe, and efficient designs and construction works GEOLOGICAL SETTING Riyadh is located in the Interior Homocline of the stable Arabian Shelf that crops out in a great curved belt flanking the eastern margin of the Arabian Shield (Powers et al 1966). Most of the area of Saudi Arabia, including its capital, is located above soluble sedimentary rocks (Mesozoic age), with a wide variety of recent sinkholes reported in numerous areas (Vaslet et al 1991;Sharief, Khan and Magara 1991;Memesh et al 2008;Bamousa, Memesh and Dini 2014;Youssef et al 2016).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Saudi Arabia’s capital is mainly founded on rock units with a high potential of developing large dissolution sinkholes, numerous subsidence sinkholes, scattered collapses, and buried sinkholes (Abdeltawab ; Youssef et al ; Abd El Aal ). Sinkholes have been recognised as potentially the most hazardous geological risk in Riyadh and, especially, with regards to the Metro Line 3 construction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several authors have analysed different geophysical methods with various approaches related to karst assessment. Smith (2005) and Chalikakis et al (2011) assess the state of the art geophysics as Saudi Arabia's capital is mainly founded on rock units with a high potential of developing large dissolution sinkholes, numerous subsidence sinkholes, scattered collapses, and buried sinkholes (Abdeltawab 2013;Youssef et al 2016;Abd El Aal 2017). Sinkholes have been recognised as potentially the most hazardous geological risk in Riyadh and, especially, with regards to the Metro Line 3 construction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Karst‐induced sinkhole detection using an integrated geophysical survey: a case study along the Riyadh Metro Line 3 (Saudi Arabia)

Cueto¹,

Olona

Fernández‐Viejo

et al. 2018

Near Surface Geophysics

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Nowadays, most planned large infrastructure projects increasingly use multi‐technique geophysical methods integrated with geotechnical surveys to assess detection and exploration of karst‐related systems. This article focuses on the case of a large sinkhole found during the geophysical surveys that were carried out along Riyadh’s new Metro Line 3 (Saudi Arabia). This line is the longest (41 km) of the six that are currently under construction in the framework of the largest public rail infrastructure project, the Riyadh Metro Project (176 km). A multi‐technique geophysical survey combining seismic (1040 m of seismic refraction tomography and four downhole tests), electrical (1035 m of electrical resistivity tomography), and electromagnetic methods (1040 m of ground penetration radar) was conducted to shed light on the subsurface geology along the section of this case study. The combination of the geophysical methods led to early identification of a subsurface area of lower resistivity and seismic velocity than the background values of the carbonate bedrock. It also revealed smaller fractures that could lead to future sinkhole formation. A subsequent dense investigatory borehole grid (14 boreholes, five probeholes, 38 standard penetration tests, nine TV‐logging, and five pressuremeter tests) further confirmed the presence of a buried sinkhole. This paper shows the results of each individual geophysical method as well as the final geotechnical interpretation based on the combination of geophysical methods with borehole drilling. It concludes that the use of a single method for karst assessment, whether a geophysical method or borehole drilling, does not allow a sufficiently detailed geotechnical profile of the ground. This case study provides basic guidance on the most suitable and accurate techniques to detect similar karstic features across Riyadh.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Karst‐induced sinkhole detection using an integrated geophysical survey: a case study along the Riyadh Metro Line 3 (Saudi Arabia)

Cueto¹,

Olona

Fernández‐Viejo

et al. 2018

Near Surface Geophysics

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“…In these areas, sinkholes can cause substantial damage to infrastructure [2,7,9,[12][13][14][15][16] and places restrictions on the construction of buildings, roads and other critical infrastructure [13]. Sinkholes have also caused environmental problems, especially in cases where they change the local hydrology, potentially draining streams, rivers and dams [8,9,17].…”

Section: Introduction To Sinkhole Hazardsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The calculation of the probability of sinkhole occurrence relies on the availability of a sinkhole inventory of the area of interest which describes past sinkhole events in addition to the local conditions at the time of their formation [15,22]. In fact, the construction of the sinkhole inventory is considered to be the most important step in sinkhole hazard assessment [11,17,22]. The predictions derived from these models assume that sinkhole phenomena in the future will form in similar conditions as sinkholes in the past [12,23].…”

Section: Introduction To Sinkhole Hazardsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Earth Observation, with a Focus on SAR Interferometry, for Sinkhole Hazard Assessment

Theron

Engelbrecht

2018

Remote Sensing

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Sinkholes are global phenomena with significant consequences on the natural-and built environment. Significant efforts have been devoted to the assessment of sinkhole hazards to predict the spatial and temporal occurrence of future sinkholes as well as to detect small-scale deformation prior to collapse. Sinkhole hazard maps are created by considering the distribution of past sinkholes in conjunction with their geomorphic features, controlling conditions and triggering mechanisms. Quantitative risk assessment then involves the statistical analysis of sinkhole events in relation to these conditions with the aim of identifying high risk areas. Remote sensing techniques contribute to the field of sinkhole hazard assessment by providing tools for the population of sinkhole inventories and lend themselves to the monitoring of precursory deformation prior to sinkhole development. In this paper, we outline the background to sinkhole formation and sinkhole hazard assessment. We provide a review of earth observation techniques, both for the compilation of sinkhole inventories as well as the monitoring of precursors to sinkhole development. We discuss the advantages and limitations of these approaches and conclude by highlighting the potential role of radar interferometry in the early detection of sinkhole-induced instability resulting in a potential decrease in the risk to human lives and infrastructure by enabling proactive remediation.

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Karren and Sinkholes

2022

Karst Hydrogeology, Geomorphology and Caves

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Natural and human-induced sinkhole hazards in Saudi Arabia: distribution, investigation, causes and impacts

Cited by 65 publications

References 44 publications

Karst‐induced sinkhole detection using an integrated geophysical survey: a case study along the Riyadh Metro Line 3 (Saudi Arabia)

Karst‐induced sinkhole detection using an integrated geophysical survey: a case study along the Riyadh Metro Line 3 (Saudi Arabia)

The Role of Earth Observation, with a Focus on SAR Interferometry, for Sinkhole Hazard Assessment

Karren and Sinkholes

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