Электронный журнал «ГеоИнфо» - GeoInfo. Vol. VII, No. 1 (2025)

Abstract: This article discusses modern methods of cleaning away oil pollution from geological environment along oil pipeline routes, including in the Siberian and cryolithozone conditions. A rational scheme for cleaning grounds off oil pollution is given. The analyzed methods can be considered as general for solving similar problems not only in Russia, but also in the Chinese People's Republic. And they should be taken into account during engineering-environmental surveys and studies in polluted areas, too.

Keywords: geological environment; ground cleaning methods; oil pollution, oil pipeline routes

Abstract: The paper considers the development of the layer-by-layer summation method, which makes it possible to calculate settlements taking into account nonlinear deformation without using numerical methods. This method is based on the proposal of Z.G. Ter-Martirosyan on taking into account the shear and volumetric components of deformation using, respectively, the shear modulus and the volumetric compression modulus for the calculation by the layer-by-layer summation method.

The volumetric and shear components of settlements for loaded areas of various configurations were calculated on the basis of an analytical solution of the problem of stress components distribution in a soil mass. The obtained solution was compared with previously known analytical solutions with the use of various deformation models.

Сomparing the results of using the proposed calculation method and the analytical solution was shown that the proposed method brings the obtained solution closer to the exact Shleikher-Pol'shin solution. The comparison with the solution obtained using the finite element method (FEM) on the basis of various elastoplastic models showed that the consideration of shear deformation brings the solution by the layer-by-layer summation method closer to the numerical solution without introducing additional correlation coefficients.

The use of the proposed nonlinear solution makes it possible to obtain results that are comparable to the results of numerical modeling when calculating the simplest problems of foundation engineering using fewer assumptions. Further development of the method can make more precise the linear solutions that are currently prescribed by regulatory documents.

Key words: settlement calculation; layer-by-layer summation method; Love's problem; stiffness; mean stress; nonlinear soil stiffness

Abstract: The density and sizes of surface manifestations of karst, karst-suffusion and suffusion (not related to karst) processes are the necessary information for zoning territories according to hazard categories. For natural areas, that are little affected by human activities, the task is only to find depressions. In a territory, which is characterized by a rich history and lack of modern construction and agricultural activities, it is relevant to determine the origin of the detected drainless depressions, because people have greatly change the landscape over the centuries of their residence (not always peaceful). At the same time, determining the origin of a relief form on the basis of morphometric analysis is not always effective.

This paper considers examples of determining the origin of local relief depressions found in areas that are free from modern development and agricultural activities in the the Troitsk and Novomoskovsk administrative districts (TiNAO) of Moscow. The technique is based on the retrospective study of anthropogenic development of the territory and includes studying of archival topographic and military maps, aerial photographs, information on underground mining of construction materials and archaeological works carried out in the territory.

Key words: dangerous geological processes; karst; sinkholes; genesis; quarries

Abstract: North-Eastern Transbaikalia is a vast mid-mountain region situated in the southern part of Siberia to the north and east of Lake Baikal. This region is located at the junction of two large lithospheric structures (the Baikal rift system and the Siberian craton) and is characterized by high tectonic activity and seismicity (with magnitudes up to 8.0) and by contrasting relief. The climate of the region is sharply continental with severe long winters and moderately warm summers. The location of mountain ranges contributes to the penetration of cold arctic air masses. Regarding geology, the territory under consideration is located within the Angara-Vitim granitoid arealpluton.  The severity climate, heigh and dissected relief, variegated composition and fracturing of soils and rocks, vertical and horizontal mobility of blocks of the Earth crust in the region have caused intensive development of processes of old and modern weathering (the last has been both areal and linear along faults and fracture zones). Intensive weathering as a characteristic feature of the region leads to the fact that the granitoids masses decompose into gruss and sand at once, without giving intermediate products of destruction such as blocks and crushed stone.  This article presents the results of studying granitoids masses in the NorthEastern Transbaikalia. 

Keywords: granitoids; North-Eastern Transbaikalia; weathering; faults

Abstract: We present a slightly abridged and adapted translation of the long paper “Modelling and mapping climate change impacts on permafrost at high spatial resolution for a region with complex terrain” written by a group of Canadian and Chineze researchers (Zhang et al., 2013). It was published in 2013 in the “The Cryosphere” journal. It is an open access paper under the CC BY 3.0 license that allows it to be distributed, translated, adapted, and supplemented, provided that the types of changes are noted and the original source is referred to. In our case, the full reference to the original paper (Zhang et al., 2013), which was used for the presented translation, is given in the end.

Most spatial modelling of climate change impacts on permafrost has been conducted at half-degree latitude/longitude or coarser spatial resolution. At such coarse resolution, topographic effects on insolation cannot be considered accurately and the results are not suitable for landuse planning and ecological assessment. Here the authors mapped climate change impacts on permafrost from 1968 to 2100 at 10 m resolution using a process-based model for Ivvavik National Park (an Arctic region with complex terrain in northern Yukon, Canada). Soil and drainage conditions were defined based on ecosystem types, which were mapped using SPOT imagery. Leaf area indices were mapped using Landsat imagery and the ecosystem map. Climate distribution was estimated based on elevation and station observations, and the effects of topography on insolation were calculated based on slope, aspect and viewshed. To reduce computation time, the authors clustered climate distribution and topographic effects on insolation into discrete types. `-

The modelled active-layer thickness and permafrost distribution were comparable with field observations and other studies. The map portrayed large variations in active-layer thickness, with ecosystem types being the most important controlling variable, followed by climate, including topographic effects on insolation.

The results show deepening in active-layer thickness and progressive degradation of permafrost, although permafrost will persist in most of the park during the 21st century. This study also shows that ground conditions and climate scenarios are the major sources of uncertainty for high-resolution permafrost mapping.

Keywords: permafrost; climate; climate change; topography; ground conditions; soil conditions; active layer; modeling; mapping

Abstract: We present a slightly abridged and adapted translation of the paper “Key technologies for improving resilience of super-large diameter shield tunnel affected by large variable loads underneath the Yellow River” by Jiang Chen, Chinese geotechnician (Chen, 2024). It was published in 2024 in the journal “Earth and Environmental Science” by the publishing company of the British scientific society “Institute of Physics” (IOP) that is now virtually international. It is an open access paper under the CC BY 3.0 license that allows it to be distributed, translated, adapted, and supplemented, provided that the types of changes are noted and the original source is referred to. In our case, the full reference to the original paper (Chen, 2024), which was used for the presented translation, is given in the end.

Environmental conditions may have a significant impact on the construction and operation of underground works, and sudden changes in environmental conditions may lead to underground engineering damage. Considering the Yellow River crossing tunnel on Huanggang Road in Jinan as an example, this paper analyzes the mechanical performance of the lining of the shield tunnel with an external diameter of 16.8 m, which faces the challenge of large variable loads in the operation stage, such as deep riverbed erosion and deposition, large-scale heightening of the river embankments, seasonal changes in the groundwater level, and key technologies for improving the resilience of tunnel structure are proposed accordingly. The results can not only assist in the construction of the super-large-diameter shield tunnel project in Jinan City but also provide some technical support for other shield tunnel projects crossing rivers, lakes, and seas.

Key words: road tunnel; shield tunnelling; overloading; variable loads; tunnel stability; tunnel lining; deformation control; steel-fiber-reinforced concrete; reinforced joints; Yellow River; Jinan City

Abstract: We have long been concerned about the question: is it really economical to build facilities (including ones financed by the state budget), maximally reducing all the production cycles in attempts to outpace inflation? Is it possible to implement a project effectively without taking into account the opinions of engineering geologists and ecologists? In our opinion (that is supported by the experience of specialists), it is impossible. Ignoring (and often just non-acquaintance and misunderstanding) of the costs of geological, environmental and engineering-geological risks inevitably prolongs the implementation period of a project, violating the very idea of maximal reduction of construction time. Facilities built in this way inevitably bring problems instead of satisfaction. Landslides, avalanches, mudflows occur on the roads; the roads become covered with in bumps and holes; houses, bridge supports and overpasses become tilted. As a result, money from the federal budget is not only spent on correcting the situation, but also labor forces are restrained instead of being involved in some new construction, and not to mention the general disappointment of the population. And it is all aggravated by the fact that the engineering survey industry (which employs up to half a million people) has not yet been officially recognized as an independent industry (for it, there has not yet been a separate code according to the All-Russian Classifier of Economic Activities), so it is so underfunded that it is getting closer and closer to the brink of extinction.

Today, we propose our thoughts on this issue on the basis of specialists’ comments and on the study of materials from open sources. And we will be very glad if there is an open discussion on this pressing problem.

Keywords: construction; engineering surveys; inflation; risks; economic efficiency; safety; deadlines acceleration; costs rise; false economy.

Abstract: In January 2025, Ayrat Islamgalievich Latypov, scientific director of “KazGeoLab” LLC, was awarded the scientific degree of Doctor of Science (Geology and Mineralogy) in the specialty “Engineering Geology, Geocryology and Soil Science”. His scientific work was devoted to the structure and engineering-geological features of eluvial soil strata in Eastern Trans-Kama (Tatarstan). This is a dynamically developing industrial region that at the same time is characterized by difficult engineering-geological conditions and is poorly studied in geotechnical terms.

We talked to Ayrat Islamgalievich to find out what difficulties geotechnical engineers, designers and builders working in Eastern Trans-Kama face, how scientific-technical support helps them, and what opportunities there are to minimize construction risks in this area.

Keywords: Tatarstan; Eastern Trans-Kama; scientific-technical support; engineering surveys; regional experience; Regional Engineering Geology; integrated approach; integrated investigations; soil laboratories

Abstract: This paper is devoted to the consideration of various geophysical methods used in engineering-geological surveys, as well as to the features of interpreting their results and their influence on the choice of design solutions.

In practice, geophysical methods can significantly increase the efficiency and accuracy of engineering-geological and geotechnical assessments, but the correct application of them is associated with many nuances (from the choice of a technique for specific geological conditions to competent analysis of the obtained data and coordinating them with the results of engineering-geological drilling and laboratory studies of soil samples.

Keywords: engineering survey; engineering-geological survey; geotechnical survey; geophysical methods; integrated approach; joint interpretation

Abstract: Recently, the journal “Geoinfo ” published an adapted translation of a very voluminous review “Recommendations for the quantitative analysis of landslide risk” by an international group of researchers. The original review was published in the journal “Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment” in 2014. More than ten years have passed since 2014, but since then we have not seen such a capacious and detailed review intended for using by engineering geologists working in the direction of assessing landslide risks for reduction or prevention of them. However, in the footsteps of that review, many papers by various authors have been written and are being written. For example, in 2019, the Colombian journal “DYNA” published paper by Latin American specialists “Landslide risk assessment in slopes and hillsides. Methodology and application in a real case” [3]. After a short but quite remarkable review of the literature on the relevant topic, the authors of the paper proposed a general technique for assessing landslide risks on the basis of an integrated approach, and then they considered a specific case of its application in practice. Here we will give a brief overview of the materials of that paper.

This review was carried out with the support of the “PETROMODELING” group of companies and Alexey Bershov.

Keywords: landslide risk; landslide hazard; quantitative analysis; stability; vulnerability; exposure; susceptibility