The loss of geological memory of past catastrophes: the case of Pompeii

In 79 A.D. Vesuvius buried entire cities in a few days under a blanket of pumice and ashes. It was a sudden event, which occurred after centuries of inactivity, heralded only by earthquakes that repeated periodically, for many years, creating addiction rather than alarm. After the event, the vegetation covered the volcanic products, and the memory of the disaster was lost. The first excavations began in Herculaneum in 1738 and in Pompeii ten years later, in times when archeology still did not exist. Much was destroyed, given away, thrown away. Almost intact buildings emerged, with all their contents, with many inhabitants caught on the run. The arduous process of recovering the sites has had important and not always happy stages, accompanied by continuous progress in the excavation methods. Volcanology has drawn from those experiences as much as it could, setting itself the goal of reconstructing the story of an explosive eruption, the first in the world to be described, by Pliny the Younger, the one that most left its mark on buildings, vegetation, animals and humans. Without the eruption, Pompeii and Herculaneum would have disappeared. The details on how the romans lost their lives in the tragedy is an important component to be offered to Pompeii’s visitors and that is at present largely imperfect. Knowing it and reconstructing its impact on people and the territory, going beyond the archaeological site, is an experience of the past and a warning for today and for the future.

Long-term degradation, damage and fracture in deep rock tunnels: A review on the effect of excavation methods

Rocks are frequently host materials for underground structures, particularly for deep Tunnels. Their behavior plays a fundamental role in the overall stability of these structures. In fact, the erection of deep tunnels imposes rocks excavations around the defined routes. These excavations are generally carried out by various methods of which the most used are Drill-and-Blast (DB) and Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM). However, regardless of the tunnelling method used, the impacts such as the perturbation of the initial stress field in rocks and the release of the stored energy are always significant. The impacts produce damage, fractures and deformations which are generally time-dependent and influence the long-term stability of deep tunnels built in rocks. Thus, by considering the aforementioned excavation methods, this paper identifies, reviews and describes the relevant factors generated during and after rock excavations. Interestingly, such factors directly or indirectly influence the long-term stability and therefore the structural integrity of deep rock tunnels. In addition, some recommendations and proposals for future works are presented. This paper can provide useful references in understanding the degradations, damage and fractures generated by tunnelling methods and facilitate suitable actions to ensure long-term stability of deep underground structures.

Pivot burrowing of scarab beetle (Trypoxylus dichotomus) larva

Many organisms live in the soil but only a little is known about their ecology especially movement style. Scarab beetle larvae do not have appendages to shovel soil and their trunk is thick compared to their body length. Hence, their movement through the soil is perplexing. Here, we established the observation and analysis system of larval movement and found that the last larval instars of Trypoxylus dichotomus burrow in two different ways, depending on the hardness of the soil. If the soil is soft, the larvae keep their body in a straight line and use longitudinal expansion and contraction; if the soil is hard, they flex and rotate their body. It is thought that the larvae adapt to diverse soil conditions using two different excavation methods. These results are important for understanding the soil ecology and pose a challenge to engineer of newer excavation technology.

Effect of Foundation Pit With Different Support and Excavation Methods on Adjacent Buried Hydrogen Pipe

Support and excavation methods have a great effect on the supporting role of the foundation pit. To investigate the effect of foundation pit with different support and excavation methods on adjacent buried hydrogen pipe, a pipe–soil coupling model was established. Deformation, strain, and stress of the pipe near the foundation pit with different support and excavation methods were analyzed. The results show that stress concentration appears on the upper and lower surfaces of the middle part of the pipe after the foundation pit excavation. The high stress areas on the upper and lower surfaces are distributed symmetrically about the pipe center. Upper surface of the pipe's middle section is pressed and the lower surface is pulled, but the strain distribution of the pipe at the pit edge is opposite. Vertical displacement of the pipe is bigger than its horizontal displacement. The underground continuous wall as the most common support structure can effectively reduce the pipe deformation. Supporting methods have different effects on buried pipe's mechanical behavior. Lateral reinforcement, inner support, and bolt support can effectively reduce the pipe deformation, but the mitigating effect of lateral reinforcement is less than inner support and bolt support. The pipe is also affected by time and space of the foundation pit excavation. The slope excavation can greatly reduce the pipe deformation, but the effects of island excavation and basin excavation are not obvious. Those results can provide references for pipe safety assessment and protection.

Pivot burrowing of scarab beetle (Trypoxylus dichotomus) larva

Many organisms live in the soil but only a little is known about their ecology especially movement style. Scarab beetle larvae do not have appendages to shovel soil and their trunk is thick compared to their body length. Hence, their movement through the soil is perplexing. Here, we established the observation and analysis system of larval movement and found that the last larval instars of Trypoxylus dichotomus burrow in two different ways, depending on the hardness of the soil. If the soil is soft, the larvae keep their body in a straight line and use longitudinal expansion and contraction; if the soil is hard, they flex and rotate their body. It is thought that the larvae adapt to diverse soil conditions using two different excavation methods. These results are important for understanding the soil ecology and pose a challenge to engineer of newer excavation technology.

Influence of Foundation Pit Excavation and Precipitation on Settlement of Surrounding Buildings

With the large-scale development of urban underground space, foundation pit engineering has become one of the important geotechnical engineering topics in urban construction. In this paper, the effects of foundation pit excavation and precipitation on adjacent buildings are studied in detail. The main research work includes the following aspects: summarizing and analyzing the soil consolidation theory, foundation pit excavation, and precipitation process; the influencing factors of the adjacent soil layer displacement; the influence mechanism and influence types of foundation pit excavation and precipitation on adjacent buildings. The finite element model considering the whole process of foundation pit excavation is established, and the variation law of the upper layer displacement around the foundation pit is analyzed. The deformation law of the retaining structure, the calculation results of precipitation and nonprecipitation, and different excavation methods will be analyzed and compared. The calculation results show that the displacement of the soil layer around the foundation pit is also different between different excavation methods. As the distance between the foundation pits increases, the lateral displacement of the underground continuous wall near the frame structure gradually decreases. The distance from the foundation pit wall is 30 m. The maximum value of the lateral shift is reduced by 4.7% compared with 5 m. The foundation pit is studied, as well as the law of internal force variation of adjacent buildings caused by digging and precipitation, and checking the safety and adaptability of structural members. The calculation results show that a large additional internal force will be generated on the bottom floor of the adjacent building, and some structural members will be damaged by the bearing capacity.