Contact information:
person: Dr. Hector R. Hinojosa, PG
website: www.cordillerageo.com
mobile: 737.207.2536
e-mail: [email protected]
Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://tinyurl.com/yxwpos5z

This short video explains how limestone might have voids in the subsurface and why it is super important to investigate and understand the subsurface for any construction project before construction begins. The video shows some small real caves in limestone located in an urban area (neighborhood), and explains how I help construction companies and land developers in the building process.

Urbanization modifies the landscape and the ground conditions, but sometimes, the ground conditions are inappropriate for development. Urbanization can occur on many surface conditions, including soft or hard soils, loose sediments, or weathered or massive rock. The fact is that #landdevelopers, #cityplanners, and #constructionengineers ought to know the subsurface conditions before urbanization can even begin.

Particularly, urbanization in overpopulated #karst terrains or regions is becoming common. Karst terrain is defined by its underground drainage and dissolution cavities and features. Karst terrain is a natural landscape where surface water or #groundwater slowly dissolves the exposed or underground rocks like #limestone, dolomite, marble, or gypsum, leaving #karstic features prone to become shallow site-specific #geohazards worldwide. These karstic features can include #caves, #caverns, #cavities, #voids, #sinkholes, and open #dissolution fractures, which might exist in urbanized, suburbanized, or unurbanized areas.

#Urban #karsts can hide these unknown #geohazards that are often discovered during #construction or #utility work, leading to unpredicted delays and additional expenses. Building in karst terrains can be challenging due to the variable and unpredictable ground conditions they present to construction engineers. However, it is possible to detect unknown karstic features and evaluate geohazard risk before and during the infrastructure design or construction phases using geological and geophysical methods.

Cordillera Geo-Services provides both geological and geophysical professional services.