Landslides are complex phenomena, and the main factors that have a significant impact on their behavior are changes in slope inclination geometry and changes in water conditions. The main purpose of this work was to evaluate current conditions of the landslide in Brzozówka, near Cracow (Poland), and analyzing how different saturations of soil influence the stability of the landslide. The combination of geophysical and geotechnical research, such as electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), cone penetration testing, drilling and laboratory tests as well as a comprehensive analysis of their results, provided reliable information on the geological structure and geotechnical parameters of the landslide. The results were used in numerical simulations of the landslide stability, in which a two-phase model (soil and water) was assumed that included the effective soil strength parameters and the transient flow conditions as well as a partial saturation zone. The sliding surface obtained from the numerical modeling was almost flat, which was confirmed by the ERT method. It was proved that the landslide occurred when the saturation of the upper part of the slope exceeded 0.8. Obtained results are useful for engineering practice.
Geophysical studies were conducted over a shallow mining excavation near a sinkhole that was created by partial collapse of the excavation. The main aim of this study was to detect the fractured zones induced by mining activity and so threatening the stability of the surface. To this end, geophysical surveys using microgravimetry, georadar, and electrical resistivity tomography techniques were carried out. However, although the results of these measurements were clear, yet the distribution of the fractured zones in the rock mass remained unclear. In this paper, the results of each individual geophysical technique used to detect the fractured zones and the ambiguities in the interpretation are presented. In order to properly analyse the data, a more complex interpretation were carried out using numerical modelling. Georadar and electrical resistivity tomography data provided the basis for gravity modelling, the results of which enabled confirmation of the presence of fractured zones. This had not been directly possible from the measured microgravimetric curve.
In the period of its great boom, i.e. between the fourteenth and the sixteenth centuries, Wiślica (a village in the southeast part of Poland) was one of the administrative capitals of Poland, an important centre of commerce and trade, as well as one of the most important centres of salt trade in the country. There is a hypothesis that underground chambers previously existed in Wiślica where salt was stored. This paper delineates archaeological, geological, and hydrogeological studies conducted in Wiślica and presents historical background with a particular focus on the salt trade. The main part of the paper consists of the results of geophysical studies carried out in the Solny Square, and the objective of the investigations was verification of the hypothesis of the existence of underground salt chambers. Three geophysical techniques were employed, i.e. ground penetrating radar (GPR), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), and a micro‐gravimetric method. The GPR method was applied for examination of the near‐surface zone to find the remains of medieval shafts located over the underground chambers facilities. ERT and micro‐gravimetric methods were applied for detection of chambers or their remains located at depths from a few to a dozen or so metres. The results of geophysical surveys were correlated with information from boreholes. ERT and micro‐gravimetric data were correlated, which allowed the determination of three main anomalous regions located several metres under Solny Square. A control borehole was drilled in the central part of the largest geophysical anomaly and samples were collected to establish pH; the borehole data confirmed the existence of a depression in the rock mass filled with Quaternary material with alkaline pH. It is likely that two of three anomalies indicated the locations of remains of medieval underground salt chambers.
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