Geology, geography and global energy

Scientific and Technical Journal

Features of engineering-geological surveys in areas marked by subsiding soil

2012. №4, pp. 208-212

Vostrikov Nikolay G. - Post-graduate student, Kuban State University, 149 Stavropolskaya st., Krasnodar, Russian Federation, 350040, antoshkinaelena@rambler.ru

Serebryakov Andrey O. - Senior Lecturer, Astrakhan State University, 20a Tatishchev st., Astrakhan, Russian Federation, 414056, geologi2007@yandex.ru

The article covers problems associated with the spread of loess loam (silt-size sediments laid down by wind action or aeolian activity) in the Krasnodar Territory. It states that loess has a major role as a geo-environmental factor in the formation of subsidence processes. The paper then substantiates the roles played by engineering and geological surveys in the territory’s economic development. At this stage, the survey turns its focus to sinking, one of the geological hazards that might complicate the economic development of the area. It also covers subsidence, which occurs as a result of the soil being compacted due to a change in the area’s geological structure. In subsidence, silt-clay mineral species disperse sedimentary soils, soaking the constant external load and adding further weight through soil strain. In Krasnodar, particularly in the plains regions, these processes develop and are usually associated with loess. Most of the typical subsidence loess – covering the vast flat watersheds, their slopes, the high terrace surface, the flood plains and the lower slopes of drawdown – are absent at present. The loess material found in the region is principally derived from the first type of subsidence. Hence, it is characterized by soil conditions that primarily reflect on the external load. Under these conditions, the subsidence weight usually does not exceed 5 cm. The document relates that this type of subsidence occurs almost everywhere in the Kuban Plain, the Zakubanskoy sloping terraced valleys and the Taman Peninsula.

Key words: loess-like loams,subsidence,geological engineering,zoning

Read