Engineering problems in karst: Three case history

Abstract

The study of engineering problems in karst is a rather complex subject involving rock masses characterized by patterns of large karst development and different fields of engineering-geology. This work analyzes this important issue multidisciplinary issue in 3 aspects: the interactions between the excavation of underground works and karst aquifers, the consequences of extraordinary floods in karst, the high vulnerability to pollution of karst aquifers. These issues will be examined through the analysis of three case studies located in the Piedmont, relative to a karst in the Messinian gypsum (Moncalvo d’Asti), and to a system located in the carbonate karst succession of the Triassic-Cretaceous in southern Piedmont (Bossea system).