IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i15p7080-d1717668.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Geomechanical Characterization of Unwelded Volcanic Bimrock Materials for Sustainable Slopes: Application to Road Instability Problems in the Western Cordillera of Ecuador

Author

Listed:
  • Marlon Ponce-Zambrano

    (Facultad de Ingeniería en Geología, Minas, Petróleos y Ambiental (FIGEMPA), Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito 175000, Ecuador)

  • Julio Garzón-Roca

    (Department of Geodynamics, Stratigraphy and Paleontology (GEODESPAL), Faculty of Geology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain)

  • Francisco J. Torrijo

    (Department of Transport and Geotechnical Engineering, Research Centre PEGASO, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera S/N, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

  • Olegario Alonso-Pandavenes

    (Facultad de Ingeniería en Geología, Minas, Petróleos y Ambiental (FIGEMPA), Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito 175000, Ecuador)

Abstract

This paper presents a geomechanical characterization for unwelded volcanic bimrock materials. Bimrocks are geological materials consisting of blocks of rock of different sizes embedded in a finer matrix. Many volcanic deposits and outcrops can be classified as bimrocks, and some of them correspond to unwelded bimrocks, i.e., with the absence of strong bonds between blocks of rock and matrix. The geomechanical characterization proposed is oriented towards bimrocks slopes, their stability and landslide hazard occurrence. It consists of five steps which includes the material description, the volcanic deposit classification, the definition of block size range, the computation of the volumetric block percentage, the geotechnical characterization of the blocks of rock, and the geological and geotechnical analysis of the matrix that surrounds the blocks. The geomechanical characterization proposed is applied to four slopes at the Western Cordillera of Ecuador, where slopes instabilities are common. Results show that the geomechanical characterization sets a reliable framework for geotechnically describing bimrocks materials, explaining the actual stability state of the slopes. It also enables taking appropriate and optimum decisions in the design and management of volcanic slopes, thus contributing to a sustainable approach of landslide mitigation.

Suggested Citation

  • Marlon Ponce-Zambrano & Julio Garzón-Roca & Francisco J. Torrijo & Olegario Alonso-Pandavenes, 2025. "Geomechanical Characterization of Unwelded Volcanic Bimrock Materials for Sustainable Slopes: Application to Road Instability Problems in the Western Cordillera of Ecuador," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-20, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:15:p:7080-:d:1717668
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/15/7080/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/15/7080/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Francisco Javier Torrijo & Santiago Álvarez & Julio Garzón-Roca, 2024. "A Case Study of a Macro-Landslide in the High Mountain Areas of the Ecuadorian Andes: “La Cría” at the Azuay Province (Ecuador)," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-23, November.
    2. Simone Mineo & Giovanna Pappalardo & Michele Mangiameli & Santo Campolo & Giuseppe Mussumeci, 2018. "Rockfall Analysis for Preliminary Hazard Assessment of the Cliff of Taormina Saracen Castle (Sicily)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-18, February.
    3. Simone Mineo & Giovanna Pappalardo & Salvatore Onorato, 2021. "Geomechanical Characterization of a Rock Cliff Hosting a Cultural Heritage through Ground and UAV Rock Mass Surveys for Its Sustainable Fruition," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-16, January.
    4. Azadi, Hossein & Petrescu, Dacinia Crina & Petrescu-Mag, Ruxandra Malina & Ozunu, Alexandru, 2020. "Special issue: Environmental risk mitigation for sustainable land use development," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    5. Olegario Alonso-Pandavenes & Francisco Javier Torrijo Echarri & Julio Garzón-Roca, 2024. "Sustainable Management of Landslides in Ecuador: Leveraging Geophysical Surveys for Effective Risk Reduction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-20, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sajid Ali & Rashid Haider & Wahid Abbas & Muhammad Basharat & Klaus Reicherter, 2021. "Empirical assessment of rockfall and debris flow risk along the Karakoram Highway, Pakistan," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 106(3), pages 2437-2460, April.
    2. Giovanna Pappalardo & Simone Mineo & Serafina Carbone & Carmelo Monaco & Domenico Catalano & Giovanni Signorello, 2021. "Preliminary Recognition of Geohazards at the Natural Reserve “Lachea Islet and Cyclop Rocks” (Southern Italy)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-14, January.
    3. Hewa, Samindi Ishara & Mala, Rajni & Chen, Jinhua & Dumay, John, 2025. "Climate related disclosures and investor behaviour: An Australian study," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    4. Simone Mineo & Giovanna Pappalardo, 2019. "Sustainable Fruition of Cultural Heritage in Areas Affected by Rockfalls," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-17, December.
    5. Krajewska, Małgorzata & Szopińska, Kinga & Siemińska, Ewa, 2021. "Value of land properties in the context of planning conditions risk on the example of the suburban zone of a Polish city," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    6. Simone Mineo, 2023. "Natural Events Threatening the Cultural Heritage: Characterization, Prevention and Risk Management for a Sustainable Fruition," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-4, January.
    7. Simone Mineo & Giovanna Pappalardo & Salvatore Onorato, 2021. "Geomechanical Characterization of a Rock Cliff Hosting a Cultural Heritage through Ground and UAV Rock Mass Surveys for Its Sustainable Fruition," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-16, January.
    8. Zhong-Min Ji & Tian-Li Chen & Fa-Quan Wu & Zhen-Hua Li & Qing-He Niu & Ke-Yi Wang, 2023. "Assessment and prevention on the potential rockfall hazard of high-steep rock slope: a case study of Zhongyuntai mountain in Lianyungang, China," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 115(3), pages 2117-2139, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:15:p:7080-:d:1717668. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.