Subsidence hazards connected to quarrying activities in a karst area: the case of the Moncalvo sinkhole event (Piedmont, NW Italy)

Bonetto, Sabrina Maria Rita; Fiorucci, Adriano; Mauro, Frédéric; Vigna, Bartolomeo

doi:10.3176/earth.2008.3.01

Cited by 22 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…They may also reduce the thickness and strength of cavity roofs, triggering sinkholes (Fidelibus et al 2011). Tunnels and mine galleries, frequently excavated after dramatic water table declines by pumping (dewatering), may cause dramatic changes in the local hydrology (Milanovic 1981(Milanovic , 2002, leading to the formation of sinkholes, intercepting karst conduits and causing dangerous inrushes of water under pressure (Bonetto et al 2008;Lucha et al 2008;Palma et al 2012). Water inrushes and instability problems are especially common when the excavation works intercept pervious and mechanically weak breccia pipes rooted in deep-seated cavities developed in limestone or evaporites.…”

Section: Engineering Problems In Karstmentioning

confidence: 97%

Anticipating and managing engineering problems in the complex karst environment

et al. 2015

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Karst environments are characterized by distinctive landforms and a peculiar hydrologic behavior dominated by subsurface drainage. Karst systems can be extremely complex, heterogeneous, and unpredictable due to the wide range of geological and hydrological controlling factors. The great variability results in serious problems for engineers, and in difficulties to characterize the karstified rock masses, and in designing the engineering works to be performed. The design and development of engineering projects in karst environments require specific approaches aimed at minimizing the detrimental effects of hazardous processes and environmental problems. Further, karst aquifers (that provide approximately 20–25 % of the world’s drinking water) are extremely vulnerable to pollution, due to the direct connection between the surface and the subsurface drainage, the rapidity of the water flow in conduit networks, and the very low depuration capability. Sinkholes are the main source of engineering problems in karst environments, and may cause severe damage in any human structure. The strategies and solutions that may be applied to mitigate sinkhole problems are highly variable and largely depend on the kind of engineering structure, the karst setting, and the typology and size of the sinkholes. A sound geological model, properly considering the peculiarities of karst and its interactions with the human environment, is essential for the design of cost-effective and successful risk reduction programs. Due to the unique direct interaction between surface and subsurface environments, and the frequent ground instability problems related to underground karstification, management of karst environments is a very delicate matter. Disregarding such circumstances in land-use planning and development inevitably results in severe problems with high economic impacts. Karst environments require specific investigation methods in order to properly manage and safeguard the sensitive geo-ecosystems and natural resources associated with them

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Section: Engineering Problems In Karstmentioning

confidence: 97%

Anticipating and managing engineering problems in the complex karst environment

et al. 2015

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“…(Hao et al, 2010;Gao, 2012). However, due to the particularity of the solutionmining method and the complex chemical-physical reactions during the high-pressure and -temperature mining process, research regarding solution mining were mainly focused on mining techniques (Jiang and Jiang, 2004;Kotwica, 2008;Namin et al, 2009), mining cavity stability analysis and sinkhole problems (Staudtmeister and Rokahr, 1997;Bonetto et al, 2008;Ezersky et al, 2009;Goldscheider and Bechtel, 2009;Closson and Abou Karaki, 2009;Vigna et al, 2010;Frumkin et al, 2011;Ezersky and Frumkin, 2013;Qiu, 2011;Blachowski et al, 2014) and geohazards, particularly in karst areas due to man-made underground caving (Waltham and Fookes 2003;Parise and Gunn 2007;Zhou and Beck 2011;Parise and Lollino 2011;Lollino et al, 2013;Gutierrez et al, 2014;Parise et al, 2015) but rarely on source and channel analysis of water inrush in a solution-mining accident.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanism of groundwater inrush hazard caused by solution mining in multilayer rock salt mine area: a case study in Tongbai County, China

Zeng

Shi

Chen

et al. 2017

Preprint

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Abstract. The solution mining of salt mineral resources may contaminate groundwater and lead to water inrush out of the ground due to brine leakage. Taking a serious groundwater inrush hazard in a large salt mining area with three different types of ore beds which are trona (trisodium hydrogendicarbonate dihydrate, also sodium sesquicarbonate dihydrate, Na2CO3 · NaHCO3 · 2H2O, is a non-marine evaporite mineral), glauber (sodium sulfate, is the inorganic compound with formula Na2SO4 as well as several related hydrates) and gypsum (a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4 · 2H2O) in Tongbai County of China as an example, this paper mainly aims to analyse the source and channel of the inrush water. Based on the understanding of geological and hydrogeological conditions, the study obtained hydrochemical data of groundwater at different points and depths first; and then analysed the pollution source and pollutant component from single or mixed brines by both physical-chemical reaction principle analysis and hydrogeochemistry simulation method; finally possible leakage brine conducting channel to the ground had been discussed from both geological and artificial aspects. The results reveal that the brine from the trona mine is the major pollution source; the fissure zone in NW–SE direction controlled by the geological structure provides the main channels for the leakage brine to flow into the aquifer around the water inrush regions, and a large number of waste gypsum exploration boreholes are the channels that supply the polluted groundwater inrush out of the ground. The research can offer a valuable reference for avoiding and assessing groundwater inrush hazard in similar rock salt mining area, which is advantageous for both groundwater quality protection and resident health.

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“…10A). Only in 2005 one of these underground excavations, incidentally, intercepted one of these phreatic cave passages causing an inrush of 60,000 m 3 of water mixed with muds causing the complete flooding of the lower quarry tunnels (Bonetto et al, 2008;Vigna et al, 2009Vigna et al, , 2010b.…”

Section: The Moncalvo Aquifermentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrogeological flow in gypsum karst areas: some examples from northern Italy and main circulation models

Vigna¹,

D’Angeli²,

Fiorucci³

et al. 2017

IJS

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Abstract:A Messinian succession containing gypsum beds crops out in northern Italy, mainly in Piedmont and along the northern flank of the Apennine mountains in Emilia-Romagna. These gypsum bodies have been extensively quarried at the surface, in outcrops, and through underground quarries. In Emilia-Romagna these gypsum outcrops can be rather extensive, several km long and up to 1 km wide, while in Piedmont they are mostly covered by silty-marly deposits of Upper Messinian and Pliocene age and show only sparse and small outcrops. The underground quarrying of these evaporite bodies in Piedmont has allowed studying in detail their hydrogeology, and the ways in which water flows through these karst rocks. In contrast, in Emilia-Romagna the hydrogeology of these aquifers has been studied with traditional spring water monitoring and speleological methods. On the basis of the results it has been possible to define three conceptual models regarding the water circulation in these evaporites, similar to the models existing for carbonate aquifers. The models represent aquifers with decreasing vulnerability to pollution, from the more vulnerable system with dominant conduit drainage, characterizing most of the known gypsum aquifers, to those with interconnected conduit drainage and with dispersive circulation.

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Subsidence hazards connected to quarrying activities in a karst area: the case of the Moncalvo sinkhole event (Piedmont, NW Italy)

Cited by 22 publications

References 0 publications

Anticipating and managing engineering problems in the complex karst environment

Anticipating and managing engineering problems in the complex karst environment

Mechanism of groundwater inrush hazard caused by solution mining in multilayer rock salt mine area: a case study in Tongbai County, China

Hydrogeological flow in gypsum karst areas: some examples from northern Italy and main circulation models

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