The occurrence of groundwater in South Africa is to a very large degree limited to a surficial zone of weathered and fractured hard rock formations. Primary aquifers include narrow strips of alluvium along certain river stretches and to Cenozoic coastal deposits. Coupled with a rainfall that is well below the world average, South Africa is therefore poorly endowed with large springs. These are almost totally confined to karst areas. 相似文献
Arid karst landscapes that have been degraded by human activities provide a challenge for rehabilitation and an opportunity
to test ideas about the stability and resilience of limestone ecosystems. The Nullarbor Plain is the largest arid karst area
in Australia (220 000 km2) and is divided into extensive closed karstic depressions separated by low rocky ridges, while the dominant vegetation is
chenopod shrubland. Since European settlement there has been considerable change in the vegetation, with significant reduction
in shrub and grass cover over large areas of the plain. These changes are related to a state and transition model of vegetation
dynamics which incorporates climatic variability, fire history and grazing pressure from sheep, kangaroos and rabbits. A partial
sediment budget using 137Cs inventories reveals local and regional patterns of soil redistribution within this arid karst landscape. Rehabilitation
of eroded soil in pastoral lands has been accomplished at several sites but is labour intensive and vulnerable to climatic
fluctuations. Given the low stock numbers, limited number of people involved, and poor economic returns, it would be sensible
to make pastoral activities on the Nullarbor secondary to conservation priorities. This would necessitate a change in land
ethic to stewardship, with emphasis on rehabilitation and control of feral animals. Management of increased numbers of visitors
to the caves and karst also requires that resource inventories and management plans for each area be drawn up and used.
Received: 1 June 1995 · Accepted: 4 December 1995 相似文献
Paleocollapse structure is a rock collapse, resulting from the failure in the geological history of the bedrock overlying
karstified limestone. Depending on the present hydrogeological conditions within the area of paleocollapse and the internal
properties of these structures, they can provide a means to facilitate groundwater flow and contaminant transport. Inactive
paleocollapse structures can be reactivated by human activities such as dam construction, mining underground minerals, pumping
groundwater, and development of landfills. They can also be reactivated by natural events such as earthquakes and neotectonic
movements. In the mines of northern China, sudden inflow of karst water from Ordovician limestone into drifts and mining stopes
through paleocollapse structures has caused significant economic loss. Water pumping tests and accompanied dye traces are
effective approaches of locating water-conducting paleocollapse structures. Grouting is probably the best means of preventing
them from becoming geohazards.
Received: 26 November 1996 · Accepted: 17 June 1997 相似文献
Environmental impacts on karst settings are common as they are more sensitive than those of other rock terrains. Regulatory
procedures that are effective in other rock terrains are not necessarily applicable to karst settings. Development and exploitation
by man that affect the karst hydrology regime can trigger catastrophic events and result in numerous legal actions where the
effects of changes go beyond property boundaries. A great variety of regulations and examples of litigation exist for karst
areas.
Received: 25 October 1994 · Accepted: 17 October 1995 相似文献
Karstification-based land subsidence was found in the Upper Tigris Basin with dimensions not seen anywhere else in Turkey. The area of land subsidence, where there are secondary and tertiary subsidence developments, reaches 140 km2. Subsidence depth ranges between 40 and 70 m. The subsidence was formed as a result of subsurface gypsum dissolution in Lower Miocene formation. Although there are limestones together with gypsum and Eocene limestone below them in the area, a subsidence with such a large area is indicative of karstification in the gypsum. The stratigraphical cross-sections taken from the wells and the water analyses also verify this fact. The Lower Miocene gypsum, which shows confined aquifer features, was completely dissolved by the aggressive waters injected from the top and discharged through by Zellek Fault. This resulted in the development of subsidence and formation of caprock dolines on loosely textured Upper Miocene–Pliocene cover formations. The Tigris River runs through the subsidence area between Batman and Bismil. There are four terrace levels as T1 (40 m), T2 (30 m), T3 (10 m) and T4 (4–5 m) in the Tigris River valley. It was also found that there were some movements of the levels of the terraces in the valley by subsidence. The subsidence developed gradually throughout the Quaternary; however no terrace was formed purely because of subsidence. 相似文献
This paper presents the findings from a study on gravity-induced slope deformations along the northern slope of Mt. Nuria (Rieti-Italy). The slope extends from the village of Pendenza to the San Vittorino plain and hosts the Peschiera River springs, i.e. the most important springs of the Central Apennines (average discharge: about 18 m3/s).
Detailed geological-geomorphological and geomechanical surveys, supported by a site stress-strain monitoring system and laboratory tests, led us to define the main evolutionary features of the studied phenomena. Based on the collected data, a “geological-evolutionary model” was developed with a view to identifying a spatio-temporal correlation between relief forms, jointing of the rock mass and its stress conditions. The geological-evolutionary model was expected to improve numerical simulations and to test our assumptions.
The numerical model also allowed us to simulate changes in the stress-strain conditions of the rock mass and correlate them with jointing, seepage, as well as with site-detected and site-monitored forms and deformations. In particular, significant relations between seepage, tensile stresses within the rock mass, karst solution and collapse of cavities were identified. 相似文献
The resistivity method is often used in cave prospecting. In this paper the pole–dipole array ability to detect cavities at different depths and with different water contents is investigated. The research was performed using analogical and numerical modelling. According to the results, empty caves at a depth less than four times its diameter can be easily detected. The ability of the pole–dipole array to detect water-filled caves reaches a minimum at filling percentages of 30–50%. Overburden effects research shows that low resistivity overburden reduces the resolution capability of the array. This study shows that equivalent results can be obtained by modelling the empty caves as infinite resistivity bodies or, alternatively, as very high resistivity ones. The analysis of field data acquired in the Maciço Calcário Estremenho (Portugal) shows the practical importance of the pole–dipole array in cavities prospecting. 相似文献