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Procedia Engineering 189 (2017) 500 – 504

Transportation Geotechnics and Geoecology, TGG 2017, 17-19 May 2017, Saint Petersburg,
Russia

The influence of hazardous geological processes on the transport

infrastructure within the river valley of Aurgasa (Bashkortostan,
Russia)
Zerkal O.V.a, Samarin E.N.a, Averin I.V.b*
a
Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119899, Russia
b
“Engineering Geology” Ltd Company, Moscow, 123290, Russia

Abstract

The article analyses an example of the impact of hazardous geological processes (landslides, karst) on the highway Ufa-Orenburg
region. Activity of hazardous geological phenomena, presumably, is caused by tectonic factors. The article emphasizes that in the
designing, construction and reconstruction of transport infrastructure one have to take into account engineering-geological
features of the areas.
© 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
© 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International conference on Transportation Geotechnics and
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Geoecology.
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International conference on Transportation Geotechnics and Geoecology

Keywords: highway, landslide, karst

1. Introduction

Guaranteeing of projecting, construction and safety exploitation of transport infrastructure objects needs fair and
reliable information on the development of hazardous geological phenomena influencing technogenous entities. The
highway Ufa-Orenburg at the crossing of the river Aurgazy valley (in the vicinity of the N. Kal`chir settlement) has
been influenced by the complex natural and technogenic induced determined geological processes impeding its

* Corresponding O.V.Zerkal. Tel.: +7-495-939-2568; fax: +7-499-256-3131.

E-mail address:igzov@mail.ru

1877-7058 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International conference on Transportation Geotechnics and Geoecology
doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2017.05.080
 O.V. Zerkal et al. / Procedia Engineering 189 (2017) 500 – 504 501

exploitation. In the article, the results of investigation of hazardous geological processes and their effect on the
highway Ufa-Orenburg part are considered.

2. General provisions

At present, the geological risks associated with activity of karsts and landslides refer to specific types of
geological impacts on made-mane objects [1]. However, in the guidance documents (Standards, Guidelines, and
Codes) regulating the practice of site investigations for construction, the study of karsts and landslides phenomena
carried out separately [2, 3, 4, 5]. Along with that, the mutual influence of different geological hazards (karst,
landslides) is not taken into account. On the other hand, there is a need for a re-examination of dangerous geological
processes activation (e.g. the influence of tectonic faults or some other geological criteria re-evaluation). Also, it not
researched the possibility of joint negative impact of the processes mentioned on man-made objects (in particular, on
objects of a transport infrastructure). As a result, in the design and construction of transport infrastructure, some
mistakes can happen and maintenance of roads is broken.

3. Geomorphological conditions and geological setting peculiar features

The territory under investigation is situated within the Aurgazinsky region of the Bashkortostan (Russia). The
examined area is located at the right (northern) side of the river Aurgazy valley. The river Aurgazy is in its turn the
right tributary of the river Urshak. The river Aurgazy valley at the examined area is characterized by asymmetrical
structure: its right side has an erosion character and has a form of a ledge eroded in the "uplifted" surface formed by
the bedrock sediments. The left side of the river Aurgazy valley is formed by Quaternary sediments and obviously
looks like the accumulative structure. The peculiar feature of the river Aurgazy valley left side is connected with its
ruggedness by a network of gullies and ravine cuttings. The level difference between the near water shed surface
sand river valley bed at the examined area accounts for about 110-130 meters.
The highway Ufa-Orenburg intersects the river Aurgazy valley from the north to the south. Just at the entrance in
to the river Aurgazy valley (from the side of its high right board), the highway is built onto a high embankment
gently sloping into a southerly direction. The upper part of the geological cross-section at the territory under
investigation is composed of terrigenous-carbonate-sulphate Lower-Permian sediments belonging to the Ufimsky
stage (P1u1). According to the drilling data (obtained from the «Bashkirdortransproject»), these sediments consist of
the dusty argillite-like clays and dusty aleurites, light-grey, grey, greyish-brown, reddish-brown hard with inter
layers (up to 0,3-0,5 meter thickness) of grey and light-grey marls and gypsums destroyed in separate intervals by
karst processes up to rubble and gravel. The general thickness of the Ufimsky sediments revealed by drilling
accounts for more than 17 meters. The Ufimsky stage sediments are underlined by the sediments of the Irensky suite
of the Kungursky stage (P1k). Within the structure of the Irensky suite one may outline three carbonate and four
sulphate members. The Irensky suite stratum is opened in the bed part of the river Aurgazy valley and is intensively
karst effected [6].
The granulometric composition of the clayey sediments of the lower part of the Ufimsky stage is characterized by
the following quantity of particles: clay dimension particles varying from 15-18% up to 26-28%, silts dimension
particles varying from 38-44% up to 51-53%, coarse sand dimension particles not exceeding 2%. The Ufimsky stage
sediments are characterized by the following physico-mechanical properties: density - from 1,83 g/cm3 up to 2,04
g/cm3, natural water content – from 17% up to 26%, plasticity index – from 13-15 up to 21, cohesion – 0,032-0,044
MPa, angle of internal friction – 18-27o.
At separate parts the Ufimsky stage sediments are deposited in there deposited state, and forming the Holocene
stratigraphy-genetical complexes, up to 4-5 meter thick, and up to 6-8 meter thick or even more. The formation of
the Holocene sediments is connected firstly with the development of landslide processes. As for these sediments,
they are characterized by lowered values of physico-mechanical properties: density - from 1,67 g/cm3 up to 1,82
g/cm3, natural water content – from 31% up to 40%, and plasticity index – 24-25.
The upper part of the Irensky suite stratum consists of the sulphate member.
502 O.V. Zerkal et al. / Procedia Engineering 189 (2017) 500 – 504

4. Natural hazardous geological processes

The territory under investigation is characterized by a numerous occurrences of natural hazardous geological
processes – karst, landslide and erosion (Fig. 1).
The river Aurgazy valley is one of the most karst effected territories of the Bashkortostan. Occurrences of the
karst processes in the form of separate sinkholes and their groups (up to 3-5 sinkholes, rarely–up to 10 and more
sinkholes) has been observed during the investigations at the uplifted surface of the near river "plateau" as well as
just within the limits of the river Aurgazy valley, and also in the boards and thalwegs of gullies and ravine cuttings
developing within the right side of the river valley. Karst sinkholes occurring at the "uplifted" surface have
dimensions ranging from 3-4 meters in diameter, and rarely reach up to 5-6 meters size. Sinkholes timed to gullies
and ravine cuttings appeared to be shallower and have a diameter up to 1-2 meters. Numerous small rounded or oval-
shaped lakes ranging in diameter from 9-10 meters up to 25-30 meters occur within the near-bed river Aurgazy
valley obviously are the submerged karst forms. In general, at the territory under investigation one may observe
diagonally oriented belt of karst sinkholes thickening about 300-350 meters in width and stretching within the right
board of the valley parallel to the river Aurgazy bed at the distance of about 700 meters - 1 kilometer from the river
(Fig. 1). The formation of the examined linear belt of karst sinkholes thickening intersected by the route of the
highway Ufa-Orenburg is likely to be a result of tectonic factors.

Fig. 1. Development of the hazardous geological processes at the area of intersection of the river Aurgazy valley by the highway Ufa-Orenburg.
 O.V. Zerkal et al. / Procedia Engineering 189 (2017) 500 – 504 503

Fig. 2. The landslide which existed before the construction of the highway.

Natural slope`s deformations at the territory under investigation are represented by the landslide massif formed
within the right (western) board of a large gully with a small stream – right tributary of the river Aurgazy (Fig. 2).
The landslide extent along the axis of displacement reaches 600 meters with a maximum width of the landslide body
reaching up to 220-240 meters. The displacement mechanism of the landslide massif may be characterized as a
complicated one. The head part of the landslide is a block landslide. During the displacement the disintegration of
blocks occurred, and the landslide in its lower part has been transformed into a flow landslide. The general volume
of the landslide massif one may estimate in more than 1,2 million m3 (according to the SP 11-105-97 [7], the scale of
a slope deformations is "very large"). It is ought to note that during the landslide development within its tongue part
(at the area where the landslide`s tongue reaches the gully`s bottom) we may observe the change of the displacement
direction of the landslide`s massif into the river valley bottom sloping. Such changes are typical for displacement of
significantly water-saturated ground masses occurring in the viscoplastic state. It is also ought to note that the head
part of the investigated landslide is located in the vicinity of the above described linear zone of karst processes
thickening (Fig. 1). The activity of the landslide`s deformations at the examined area during the second half of
the ХХ century has been proved by the questioning of local community conducted during the investigation.

5. Technogenic induced geological processes

Active development of technogenic induced geological processes induced by the economic activity is directly
connected with the significant anthropogenic influence accompanying the construction of the highway Ufa-Orenburg
at the territory under investigation. The highway Ufa-Orenburg route descending to the near river up lifted surface
has been built in the concavity transiting into an embankment (with a height in its highest part reaching up to 30
meters) while drawing closer to the river Aurgazy valley. It`s ought to note that the embankment constructed has
been oriented diagonally in relation to the gully within the right side of the river Aurgazy valley. That hindered the
surface waters drainage, and its turn it has resulted in watering of the ground massif the embankment made up.
Besides that, the embankment (along which the highway Ufa-Orenburg has been built) has been constructed at the
tongue part of the existing unstable landslide massif (Fig. 1, 2), and it should be considered as a serious mistake.
On the period of conducting of the investigations, within the eastern slope of the embankment the development of
landslide deformations has been observed at two areas (Fig. 1 and 3). The first landslide area stretching for more
than 240 meters is spreading the embankment at its entire height. More than 300 thousand m 3 of ground are involved
into the displacement that allows to estimate the scale of the slope deformations (according to the SP 11-105-97 [7])
as a "large". The displacement mechanism of the landslide massif is complicated. The head upper part of the
landslide consists of the slipping landslide, and the lower its part has a character of the extrusion landslide. The
second landslide area representing itself the small-scale block landslide stretches along up to 30 meters, and spreads
only through the upper part of the embankment.
All the noticed landslide deformations have led the examined part of the highway route Ufa-Orenburg in
disrepair.
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Fig. 3. The crown of the active landslide on the eastern slope of the embankment

6. Conclusion

The conducted investigations has shown that the part of the highway Ufa-Orenburg being in disrepair (at the
crossing of the river Aurgazy valley in the vicinity of the N. Kal`chir settlement) was connected with an active
development of hazardous geological processes that has not been considered while its construction. The examined
area of the highway has been built without arrangements on the engineering defense within the zone of active
hazardous geological processes effect. Thickening of hazardous geological phenomena at the territory under
investigation is due to the tectonic factors (presence of a fault), peculiar features of the geological setting (presence
of karst effected sediment strata), and complicated geomorphological conditions (significant height differential).
While the reconstruction of the examined area of the highway it is necessary to take into account the revealed
engineering-geological peculiar features of the territory.

References

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