Estudio geotécnico in Almería

In the municipality of Almería, formations of slates and schists predominate, followed by limestones, dolomites and marbles, with occasional occurrences of gypsum, anhydrite and salts. These strata, of fundamentally rocky nature and low permeability, generally favour good bearing capacities, making them suitable for direct or semi-direct foundations, except in areas with gypsum and salts, where there is a significant risk of dissolution and particular care must be taken to avoid differential settlements or sudden undermining. Detrital materials such as gravels, sands and silts are present only very marginally and would require detailed analysis only in very specific locations.

The area shows high seismic activity, with more than 150 events over 30 years and a maximum magnitude equal to 4.6, which means that the structural design of the foundations must explicitly take into account the current earthquake-resistant code. On the other hand, the significant presence of carbonate materials implies a risk of karstification, so it is essential to check for cavities before establishing any level of support. The absence of an argillaceous substrate rules out expansivity problems, placing the interaction between seismicity and karst as the main geotechnical factors to be assessed during the geotechnical study in Almería.