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ROSES

Risk of Subsidence due to Evaporite Solution

(A European Prediction and Management Scheme)

Background

Land subsidence due to hydrological changes in the subsurface is a world-wide phenomenon, which annually results in millions of Euros worth of damage to property, i can also lead to human injuries or even fatalities. ROSES is addressing an under appreciated Europe-wide cause of such problems.

There are four main settings in which land subsidence is commonly induced by subsurface hydrogeological changes:

In areas underlain by unconsolidated clastic rocks where ground fluids have been withdrawn
In areas underlain by karstified limestones
In areas which have been subjected to underground mining
In areas underlain by evaporite rocks (comprising the highly soluble minerals gypsum, anhydrite, halite etc.)

The first three settings are well characterised from a risk assessment and management point of view but there is an absence of guidelines for predicting and managing subsidence risk in areas underlain by evaporites. This is felt particularly in Europe where there are many large and densely populated areas that are subject to evaporite-related subsidence.

Note: The ROSES project is concentrating on gypsum as the main evaporite mineral because of its widespread distribution and the numerous associated subsidence problems.

Cyprus

France

Germany

Italy

Lithuania

Poland

Romania

Russia

Spain

Switzerland

Turkey

UK

Ukraine

ROSES OBJECTIVES

ROSES is tackling the issue of evaporite-related subsidence by pursuing three broad objectives:

Developing a process-based understanding of evaporite dissolution (karstification)

Devising management techniques for preventing subsidence in areas of evporite karst
- compendium practical epxerience of engineering repsonses to karstified ground
- reveiw of existing management subsidence techniques

Developing risk assessment and zonation criteria for evaporite karst hazard mapping

ROSES Partners

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