Papers by claudio margottini
GEOSTRATA Magazine, 2018
For millennia, civilizations have built monuments to honor their gods, leaders, or founding princ... more For millennia, civilizations have built monuments to honor their gods, leaders, or founding principles, and with time those monuments that still exist have become revered treasures. Take, for example, the Buddha status and niches in Bamiyan, Afghanistan. These incredible treasures were tragically destroyed early in this century, but they should interest geos because the huge status and the niches that enclosed them were carved out of in-situ sedimentary rock in the central part of the country about 200 km northwest of Kabul. This is a short story about their location, destruction, and hopefully resurrection.
Landslides, 2016
The present paper reports on the activities conducted since 2008, within the International Progra... more The present paper reports on the activities conducted since 2008, within the International Programme on Landslides (IPL), for the realisation of the Geological and Landslides Museum of Civita di Bagnoregio (Central Italy) (IPL project 106-1). The town of Civita di Bagnoregio (Latium Region, Central Italy), located at the border of the ancient Volsini volcano and placed on a high tuff peak that rests on fragile clay, is a stunning case where the human presence has tried for centuries to hinder the natural degradation of the cliff. It is a paradigm of the men who tries to survive in a hostile environment with an incomparable beauty and nature that wants to take its course dismantling and eroding all reliefs. The Geological and Landslides Museum is a scientific institution introducing visitors to the fundamentals of landslide science, describing the site evolution through the relationship between human being and geomorphological processes in the last millennium and, finally, introducing to the Breal museum^that are the ongoing landslides on the cliff and valleys. The visitors will find in the museum many scenic spots that are describing the evolution of territory but, in the meantime, they are encouraged to visit the site and to touch by hand the various geomorphological features of the site. The museum also seeks to develop a culture of resilience to landslide disasters, promoting the site as a Bgeomorphological park^to study and test innovative monitoring tools, for the benefit of scientific community.
Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering
This study assesses the static stability of the artificial Sabereebi Cave Monastery southeast of ... more This study assesses the static stability of the artificial Sabereebi Cave Monastery southeast of Georgia's capital, Tbilisi. The cliff into which these Georgian-Orthodox caverns, chapels, and churches were carved consists of a five-layered sequence of weak sedimentary rock—all of which bear a considerable failure potential and, consequently, pose the challenge of preservation to geologists, engineers, and archaeologists. In the first part of this study, we present a strategy to process point cloud data from drone photogrammetry as well as from laser scanners acquired in- and outside the caves into high-resolution CAD objects that can be used for numerical modeling ranging from macro- to micro-scale. In the second part, we explore four distinct series of static elasto-plastic finite element stability models featuring different levels of detail, each of which focuses on specific geomechanical scenarios such as classic landsliding due to overburden, deformation of architectural fea...
Advancing Culture of Living with Landslides, 2017
The Future of the Bamiyan Buddha Statues, 2020
The present proposal have been developed by taking into consideration the need of an integrated a... more The present proposal have been developed by taking into consideration the need of an integrated and sustainable development of the whole Country as well as of the local Bamiyan community. In this view, the revitalization of Bamiyan valley must be integrated in a wider perspective, defined “downstream approach”, that has been starting from the southern branch of the Silk Road, including Jam, Band-i-Amir, Bamiyan and Shar-i-Zohak. The present proposal(s) are then a first step in cultural development of the country, where the Silk Road is the ideal and physical backbone of such model. The proposal is composed by an overall/modular approach with fixed elements (mitigation of soil erosion in Shahr-e-Zohak, rehabilitation of the many minor sites in Kakrak, reconstruction of the bazaar in front of the Great Western Buddha, revitalization of Shahr-e Gholghola, removal of fragments of the Statues still in front to the niche, little museums in front to each niche) and four alternative solutio...
Understanding and Reducing Landslide Disaster Risk, 2020
Procedia Earth and Planetary Science, 2016
Rupestrian settlements were among the first man-made works in the history of humanity. The most r... more Rupestrian settlements were among the first man-made works in the history of humanity. The most relevant masterpieces of such human history have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. These sites and remains are not always in equilibrium with the environment. They are continuously impacted and weathered by several internal and external factors, both natural and human-induced, with rapid and/or slow onset. These include major sudden natural hazards, such as earthquakes or extreme meteorological events, but also slow, cumulative processes such the erosion of rocks, compounded by the effect of climate change, without disregarding the role of humans, especially in conflict situations. Many rupestrian sites have been carved into soft rock, generally with UCS<25 MPa (ISRM, 1981), in vertical cliffs, and showmajor conservation issues in the domain of rock slope stability and rock weathering. The present paper reports the experience of rock fall investigation and monitoring in rupestrian sites, mainly from the UNESCO World Heritage List (Bamiyan in Afghanistan; Lalibela in Ethiopia; Petra in Jordan and Vardzia in Georgia). The general approach, implemented in the activities, include an interdisciplinary study with advanced methodologies and technologies, with the objective to understand degradation processes and causative factors, followed by low impact, but highly effective, rock slope monitoring.
Landslides
The village of Craco (Basilicata, Italy), is being affected by severe landslide phenomena mainly ... more The village of Craco (Basilicata, Italy), is being affected by severe landslide phenomena mainly due to the geological and geomorphological setting of the area. The village has been interested by a progressive abandon of the population after the occurrence in the time of landslides and earthquakes that caused the disruption of large portions of the urban settlement. Several landslide typologies can be recognized in the area: rock-falls in the upper part of the hill, rotational and translational earth slides, earth-flows, rock lateral spreading. The main purpose of the paper is to reconstruct the evolution of the geological and morphological dynamics acting on the southern slope of Craco, where the largest landslides occurred in the past. The analysis of deep landslide phenomena has been carried out with a multi-temporal geomorphological approach using analogical and digital photogrammetry on 4 different set of aerial photos (1954-1999). The analysis has stressed a progressive retrogression of the crown area in the upper portions of the hill that caused, in the recent past, the degradation or, in some cases, the complete disruption of part of the historical village, where most of cultural heritage was located. The reconstruction of the landslide evolution acting in this area can be very useful as model to transfer in other areas characterized by similar geological and morphological setting that may result in large landslide phenomena. The suggestion of correct mitigation strategies may help to prevent environmental and, consequently, social degradation of the territory.
Engineering Geology for Society and Territory - Volume 8, 2014
The paper summarizes field survey results and analysis in the framework of a UNESCO project (Siq ... more The paper summarizes field survey results and analysis in the framework of a UNESCO project (Siq Stability Project) for the implementation of remote and field integrated monitoring systems aimed at the detection and control of active deformation of the Siq slopes (Petra, Jordan). Petra is located on the eastern side of the Dead Sea-Wadi Araba tectonic depression, in SW Jordan. The Siq is a 1.2 km long natural deep gorge in the sandstone mountains that connects the urban area of Wadi Musa with the monumental area of Petra. Since Nabataean times, the Siq is the main narrow entrance for some thousands tourists that access the archaeological area every day. Discontinuities of various type (bedding, joints, faults), mainly related to stratigraphic setting, tectonic activity and geomorphological evolution of the slope can be recognized. Rock-fall potential activity can be catastrophic according to evolution of the movement (extremely rapid) and involved rock mass volumes. Slope instability, acceleration of crack deformation and consequent increasing of rock-fall hazard conditions could threaten the safety of people walking through the Siq.
Geomorphology, 2015
ABSTRACT The archaeological remains of Shahr-e Zohak are part of the Bamiyan valley, which has be... more ABSTRACT The archaeological remains of Shahr-e Zohak are part of the Bamiyan valley, which has been recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage and is famous for hosting the main heritage of the Buddhist culture in Afghanistan. The site comprises the remains of the Zohak fortress, which is placed on a steep hill at the confluence of the Bamiyan and Kalu rivers. The fortress is protected by ramparts, built along the steep cliffs bounding the site, which are equipped with several watchtowers. The citadel is protected by three more orders of walls and is located on the topmost part of the hill. All the structures are made of mudbricks placed on top of stony foundations. Due to the prolonged exposure to weathering, the lack of conservation measures and the misuse during war periods, many constructions collapsed or are prone to collapse.
Landslide Science and Practice, 2013
The present paper reports a multidisciplinary team work, involving professionals, research instit... more The present paper reports a multidisciplinary team work, involving professionals, research institutes and public administration, for defining and applying lowimpact techniques for risk assessment and mitigation of landslide areas. A study area located at Lugnano in Teverina (Umbria Region, Italy) and interested by landslides triggered by heavy rainfall and affecting important railway and road networks, was considered. A geological field survey has been carried out (including in situ and laboratory tests) in order to define strength parameters to be used in the stability analysis, for the detection of the most active area (residual risk) and implementation of preliminary design. In order to identify landslide surface and estimate the involved volumes, 3D laser scanner acquisition has been performed at different times. The obtained results stress the importance of performing different analysis in the light of reducing the impact of landslides on critical infrastructures by promoting low-environmental and sustainable solutions.
Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series
The Scenario project has set a rather ambitious and even risky goal: to lay down a roadmap for fu... more The Scenario project has set a rather ambitious and even risky goal: to lay down a roadmap for future research in natural risks and mitigation policy in the European Union, drawing on ten years of research on natural hazards, mainly funded under the V (1998–2002) and VI (2002–2006) Framework Programmes. The goal is not only ambitious, but could be easily labelled as unrealistic and even arrogant. Initial meetings of the project set the stage for harsh discussions on methodology, specific steps and basic definitions to be followed by the research teams. Despite initial differences, many of which persist, between diverse hazard communities, and between climate change and natural hazards scholars, it is interesting to note that it was possible to achieve some commonalities and convergence points.
Journal of Maps
The city of Antananarivo is located in the central highlands of Madagascar, and is the largest ur... more The city of Antananarivo is located in the central highlands of Madagascar, and is the largest urban center of the island. Considering the frequent heavy cyclonic rains frequently affecting the area, its geomorphological context is particularly prone to geo-hydrological hazards, such as landslides and flash floods, as recently proved during the disastrous events of the winters of 2015 and 2018. Field data and high-resolution remote sensing data interpretation (DEMs and satellite orthophotos) were combined in order to produce detailed hydrographic and geomorphological maps. The aim was to understand the processes acting in the Analamanga hill area, with special regards to the effect of human activity in modeling the natural landforms and exacerbating the geo-hydrological hazards. The obtained maps will provide management-planning tools to be used as a first step towards a risk reduction strategy in the Antananarivo historical urban center.
Protection of cultural heritage from landslide is a science at the border between Engineering Geo... more Protection of cultural heritage from landslide is a science at the border between Engineering Geology and Conservation of Cultural Heritage. It needs both a highly qualified know-how and funds, due to the importance of the site to protect and the possibly additional difficulties during the works execution. Cultural Heritage protection requires also an integrated approach among different disciplines, including restoration, and very deep investigation in each different sector of knowledge. Since a limited knowledge in a single step of the process may affect the entire process. In detail, when dealing with Cultural Heritage, there is the need of a correct geological and geotechnical model and relationship with slope stability. Data collecting do have to emphasize the requested need. Simplified approach can lead to a misunderstanding of processes and then to a wrong mitigation measurement.
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Papers by claudio margottini