Engineering geological behaviour of volcanic formations. References to instability phenomena and town planning in Lesvos Island, Greece
Abstract
The volcanic formations have varying behaviour between rock and soil depending on their geological origin, weathering degree and fracturing degree. The engineering behaviour and weathering classification of these formations is briefly reviewed. Slope stability problems in these rocks have either the form of soil type instabilities (mainly circular failures and creep phenomena) or rock instabilities such as rock sliding on discontinuities and rockfalls. These slope instabilities pose significant problems to human activities.
A case study referring to slope stability problems in different volcanic formations is given from the area of Petra municipality in Lesvos Island, Greece. The main volcanic formations in the study area are rhyodacitic and latiandesitic lavas, having rock behaviour and perlites, silicated lavas and pyroclastics, which have a soil like behaviour. Additionally, profiles of totally weathered andesites resulting to clay rich soils are frequently encountered. The mechanism of the anticipated instability phenomena are presented and analyzed.
Finally, a simple vulnerability map for instabilities was prepared, which can assist in town planning. Based on the field observations, the potential for occurrence of instability phenomena is related to the following factors: a) Slope aspect and b) geological nature of volcanic rocks (weathering degree and permeability).
Article Details
- How to Cite
-
Saroglou, H. (2012). Engineering geological behaviour of volcanic formations. References to instability phenomena and town planning in Lesvos Island, Greece. Bulletin of the Geological Society of Greece, 46, 108–122. https://doi.org/10.12681/bgsg.10936
- Section
- Articles
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (preferably in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
