Geological Hazards of Housing Development of a Pliocene Terrace Land Plot in the City of Rostov-on-Don

Abstract

Introduction. In Rostov-on-Don the industrial and civil construction is carried out under a number of geological hazards: soils subsiding deformations, landslides, underfloodings, suffusions. Building up the new urban districts has always led to the groundwater surge. The Pliocene terrace building conditions in the eastern part of the city are characterised by the high risk of underflooding due to the shallow groundwater, low hydraulic gradients and water permeability of soils. The data on the present state of the groundwater level is not published in the media. Based on the materials on the territory geological structure and hydrogeological conditions, as well as on the numerical hydrogeological modeling, the present paper aims to investigate the groundwater balance determining factors and to develop the geofiltration monitoring recommendations for constraining the underflooding.Materials and methods. The geological structure and hydrogeological conditions of the territory were analysed using the published reading and graphical materials, as well as the engineering and geological survey results. The aquifers’ geometrical parameters analysis and the spatial data visualisation were made by means of the QGIS geographic information system. For creating and analysing the numerical geofiltration models, the Visual Modflow software product of Aquaveo company was used.Research results. The natural and technogenic geofiltration state of the territory under investigation had been forming for many years. The study of the designed numerical hydrogeological model indicates on the high risk of local underflooding as well as defines the conditions of its spreading throughout the entire territory. The role of the ravine-gully system that drains the aquifer and constrains the underflooding has been assessed. To control the territory groundwater balance and to specify the aquifers’ parameters, the layout of the observational hydrogeological wells network has been developed. Discussion and conclusion. The existing groundwater balance is vulnerable. Building up the territory is highly likely to cause additional infiltration of technogenic water and to lead to underflooding. The territory development project should envisage the geofiltration process monitoring and groundwater draining solutions.