111,813 research outputs found
Sinkholes caused by underground quarries: the case of the 2–3 May 2010, event at Barletta (Southern Italy).
No full textThe contribution of GPR analysis to knowledge of the cultural heritage in Apulia (southern Italy)
No full textThe present article describes two examples of GPR studies addressed to gain a better knowledge of cultural heritage sites in Apulia, southern Italy. The first case regards subterranean man-made cavities near Altamura, in the Murge plateau of the central part of the region, where the use of GPR provided a significant contribution in locating the known artificial caves, and helped to identify further ones. The second case study is San Cataldo, the seaside resort located along the Adriatic coast 10 km east of Lecce, the ancient Roman colony Lupiae. An integrated research allowed to analyze and comprehend the building techniques and the main features of the impressive pier dated back to the roman age (probably during the II century b.C.) which has been the objects of frequent degradation by both human activity and marine actions. The GPR prospection, applied to two different examples of historical and cultural heritage, provided significant information that might help in developing a correct management plan and a proper exploitation of the local cultural heritage. © 2009 IEEE
Assessment of rock stability in natural and man-made cavities
No full textUnderground voids of natural or anthropogenic origin potentially represent a serious hazard to the
built-up areas. Urban development and construction of infrastructures often is carried out without
taking into account the possibility of encountering subsurface cavities, and the corresponding danger
these might pose. In addition, loss of memory of man-made cavities under the historic part of many
towns adds further problems. Evaluation of the stability of rock masses in underground setting is not
an easy matter, since it requires, in addition to the geological and engineering background,
speleological skills and techniques in order to explore and survey the cavities, identify the type of
failures occurring therein, and collect the data necessary for the implementation of specific numerical
analyses.
In this paper we present an approach involving cavers, geologists and engineers to assess the rock
mass stability in natural and man-made caves, aimed at determining the control of rock failures in the
formation of sinkholes. The methodology is described through the application to a natural karst cave
and an anthropogenic cavity in Apulia, SE Italy. In both cases, following a detailed speleological
survey which is specifically addressed to define the complete cave topography, the geo-mechanical
characterization of the carbonate rock mass was carried out, and the data so obtained were used to
evaluate the rock mass stability by means of numerical codes
New data on a cave along the coast of Polignano a Mare (Apulia) by means of geological, geophysical and speleological researches
No full textLa rete delle cave sotterranee di Altamura: fenomenologie di dissesto e mappatura della suscettibilità
No full textLessons learned from occurrence of sinkholes related to man-made cavities in a town of southern Italy
No full textThe presence of man-made cavities below the historical parts of towns is a common feature in large portions of Italy. Different typologies of anthropogenic cavities have been excavated in different epochs for many purposes, including research and collection of potable water, establishment of underground working sites for olive oil production, worship sites, etc. Underground quarries are probably the most diffuse typology of subterranean cavities, especially the largest ones. Originally located at the outskirts of towns, quarries are increasingly found in built up areas due to urban expansion that has characterized the last century.
This paper describes the recent occurrence of sinkholes related to underground quarries in the town of Altamura, in the Murge plateau of inland Apulia, where since 2006 a number of sinkholes have formed above subterranean calcarenite quarries, the local rock mostly used for building purposes. These quarries developed below ground because the calcarenite is generally located covered by clays (ranging in thickness from a few to 15 meters). Their abandonment, and the progressive weathering of the rock, has caused failures in the underground quarries. Eventually, such instabilities propagated upward until reaching the surface, and producing sinkholes
Geological and geophysical techniques for the identification of subterranean cavitie
No full textDifferent techniques, used to identify the presence of subterranean cavities in the urban area of
Altamura (southern Italy) are described in this paper, with specific regard to the geophysical
surveys performed, that were integrated whenever possible by direct surveys and explorations
by cavers. Aimed at identification of voids that are present underground, and at assessing the
likely related threat to the anthropogenic environment above, electrical resistivity tomography,
ground penetrating radar and seismic surveys are described in the article. The experiences
carried out in 15 years of work are summarized to highlight the most significant outcomes
from the different techniques used, and their advantages and drawbacks
Grotta della Rondinella a Polignano a Mare: un progetto di ricerca della Federazione Speleologica Pugliese
No full textGrotta della Rondinella (PU 71) è una tra le cavità più note
e suggestive della fascia costiera di Polignano a Mare, in
provincia di Bari. Essa presenta un doppio ingresso: da
terra, attraverso uno sprofondamento (sinkhole) e da mare
con un ampio portale che conduce a una bella spiaggia
in ciottoli. Sebbene inserita in un contesto certamente ad
alta vocazione turistica, la cavità, al pari delle molte altre
distribuite lungo la costa, non è mai stata adeguatamente
tutelata, per cui è di frequente oggetto di degrado, specialmente
durante la affollata stagione estiva. Grazie ad un finanziamento
privato, è stato avviato un progetto di ricerca
multi-disciplinare della Federazione Speleologica Pugliese,
comprendente un nuovo rilievo della cavità, indagini a
carattere geologico-strutturale e di geomorfologia ipogea,
analisi petrografiche e mineralogiche, indagini geofisiche
indirizzate alla verifica di eventuali prosecuzioni degli ambienti
ipogei. Inoltre, è stato messo in opera il monitoraggio
micro-climatico della cavità, e sono stati condotti studi
di carattere biospeleologico, con particolare riguardo ai
chirotteri, presenti con una piccola colonia nella grotta.
L’insieme dei dati così raccolti costituisce indubbiamente
un’importante banca dati su un singolo ambiente ipogeo,
raramente disponibile in Puglia
La voragine di “San Procopio”a Barletta: analisi preliminari, rilievi speleologici e geofisici per la mappatura della pericolosità geomorfologica
No full textTra la sera del 2 maggio e le prime ore del
3 maggio 2010, in località San Procopio
in agro di Barletta, si verificava uno
sprofondamento di importanti dimensioni.
La voragine, di forma all’incirca circolare,
di diametro pari a circa 32 m e superficie
netta di 800 m2 circa, interessava svariati alberi
d’ulivo, un traliccio Enel e interrompeva
la strada comunale Via Vecchia Minervino. Ai
margini dello sprofondamento, profondo dai
5 ai 12 m, si intravedevano strutture cunicolari
di chiara origine antropica riconducibili
a gallerie sotterranee per l’estrazione della
calcarenite quale materiale da costruzione
(localmente detta “tufo” calcareo), dall’interno
delle quali i dissesti si erano propagati
alla superficie, determinando la formazione
della voragine
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