Rockfall hazard assessment along a road in the Sorrento Peninsula, Campania, southern Italy

Abstract

Rockfalls are common in the steep and vertical slopes of the Campania carbonate massifs and ridges, and frequently represent the main threat to the anthropogenic environment, potentially damaging urban areas, scattered houses, roads, etc. Despite the generally limited volumes involved, the high velocity of movement (from few to tens of metres per second) poses rockfalls among the most dangerous natural hazards to man. Evaluating the rockfall hazard is not an easy task, due to the high number of involved factors, and particularly to the difficulty in determining the properties of the rock mass. In this paper, we illustrate the assessment of the rockfall hazard along a small area of the Sorrento Peninsula (Campania region, southern Italy). Choice of the site was determined by the presence of a road heavily frequented by vehicles. In the area, we have carried out detailed field surveys and software simulations that allow generating simple rockfall hazard maps. Over twenty measurement stations for geo-mechanical characterization of the rock mass have been distributed along a 400-m-long slope of Mount Vico Alvano. Following the internationally established standards for the acquisition of rock mass parameters, the main kinematics have been recognized, and the discontinuity families leading to the different failures identified. After carrying out field experiments by artificially releasing a number of unstable blocks on the rock cliff, the rockfall trajectories along the slope were modelled using 2-D and 3-D programs for rockfall analysis. The results were exploited to evaluate the rockfall hazard along the threatened element at risk. B. Palma Idrogeo s.r.l.,

Railways' stability observed in Campania (Italy) by InSAR data

“…In particular, we are interested in monitoring a bridge over the Volturno river, at Triflisco. As widely reported in literature [Calcaterra et al, 2003;Vilardo et al, 2009;Del Prete et al, 2010;Blonda et al, 2012;Parise and Vennari, 2013], Campania region is very unstable in terms of the Earth surfaces' deformations. Therefore this area must go under geo-based investigation periodically.…”

“…To the west, the Campania region is bounded by the Tyrrhenian Sea. Intense urbanization, active volcanoes, complicated fault systems, landslides, subsidence, and hydrological instability (flooding) are the characteristics of this region [Calcaterra et al, 2003;Vilardo et al, 2009;Del Prete et al, 2010;Blonda et al, 2012;Parise and Vennari, 2013]. 246 out of 652 sinkholes (38%) of entire Italy are located in Campania region itself [Parise and Vennari, 2013].…”

Hazards in Karst and Managing Water Resources Quality

“…Slope movements are frequent in karst settings, where the typical conditions favoring the occurrence of such phenomena (high relief, fractured rock mass, and low values in the geotechnical properties of affected materials) combine to further discontinuities produced by karst (Waltham 2002;Santo et al 2007;Parise 2008;Palma et al 2012): from those of larger size (caves accessible to man), to phreatic conduits and small fissures, all these features are additional paths available to water, where to develop chemical (solution) and physical (erosion) actions. The result is an increase in the overall weakness of the rock mass, potentially leading to failures.…”

Analysis of Potential Rockfalls on a Highway at High Slopes in Cold-Arid Areas (Northwest Xinjiang, China)

“…However, driven by the demand of city building in mountainous areas, research on rockfall attracts more and more attention of domestic and foreign scholars [8,9]. What is more, an increasing number of highway construction projects need the assessment of rockfall hazard to ensure people's lives and property security [10][11][12][13][14]. Literature investigation shows that methods for rockfall analysis can be summarized into three main kinds.…”