2D and 3D seismic measurements to evaluate thecollapse risk of an important prehistoric cave insoft carbonate rock

• Main Authors: Leucci Giovanni, Giorgi Lara De
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: De Gruyter 2015-02-01
• Series: Open Geosciences
• Subjects: 2d and 3d seismic method; prehistoric cave stability; carbonate rock; safety factor; probability of failure
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1515/geo-2015-0006

The southern part of the Apulia region (theSalento peninsula) has been the site of at least fifteen collapseevents due to sinkholes in the last twenty years. Themajority of these occurred in "soft" carbonate rocks (calcarenites).Man–made and/or natural cavities are sometimesassets of historical and archaeological significance.This paper provides a methodology for the evaluation ofsinkhole hazard in "soft" carbonate rocks, combining seismicand mine engineering methods.Acase study of a naturalcavity which is called Grotta delle Veneri is illustrated.For this example the approach was: i) 2D and 3D seismicmethods to study the physical-mechanical characteristicsof the rock mass that constitutes the roof of the cave; andii) scaled span empirical analysis in order to evaluate theinstability of the crown pillar’s caves.