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Characterization and correlation of engineering properties of basalts

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Abstract

Basalts are a common lithology found beneath Lisbon and are the predominant rocks of the Volcanic Complex of Lisbon (CVL) (72 Myr). These basalts exhibit variable texture and composition. Given the vast extent of the CVL, which encompasses Lisbon and its surroundings, and the establishment of several present and future engineering works upon this rock mass, the geotechnical study of the CVL is relevant. This type of information is scarce in comparison to petrographic and geochemical studies already available. From this perspective, a study of the intact rock was carried out, involving a total of 349 specimens of seven samples of basalts collected at five distinct locations and displaying different grades of weathering and fracture spacing. Non-destructive and destructive tests were conducted to characterize the physical, mechanical, and dynamic properties of the intact rock. The test results are in agreement with those established for basalts around the world. However, the correlations for basalts presented in the literature cannot be applied to the CVL materials due to several variations in its texture and structure and therefore on the mechanical, physical, and dynamic properties. Consequently, some new correlations of index, strength, and deformational properties of intact rocks are presented. These are intended to be applied in future studies involving basalts of this complex or similar rocks.

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Data availability

The data in the present document is a summary of the data available in http://hdl.handle.net/10362/59491.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge and thank Dr. Nuno Leal (Earth Sciences Department, NOVA University of Lisbon) for special insights during the micropetrographical description, as well as the Lisbon Metro for providing the core samples used in this research.

Funding

The research was developed for a master thesis, mainly done in the Earth Sciences Department of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University NOVA of Lisbon. This publication is also supported by FCT - project GeoBioTec/NOVA UIDP/GEO/04035/2020 and Instituto Dom Luiz UIDP/GEO/50019/2020.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ciências da Terra, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal

    Maria Luísa Pereira & Paula F. da Silva

  2. GeoBioTec, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal

    Paula F. da Silva

  3. Faculdade de Ciências, Instituto Dom Luiz (IDL), Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal

    Isabel Fernandes

  4. CERIS and Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal

    Carlos Chastre

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  1. Maria Luísa Pereira
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  2. Paula F. da Silva
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  4. Carlos Chastre
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Contributions

All the authors contributed to the research and design of the present work. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Maria Luísa Pereira. The manuscript was written by Maria Luísa Pereira and all authors commented on it and reviewed it. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Maria Luísa Pereira.

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The work described in the present article has not been published previously, it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere and its publication is approved by all authors. If accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, including electronically without the written consent of the copyright-holder.

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Pereira, M.L., F. da Silva, P., Fernandes, I. et al. Characterization and correlation of engineering properties of basalts. Bull Eng Geol Environ 80, 2889–2910 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-021-02107-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-021-02107-7

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