Estudio geotécnico in Figaró-Montmany

In Figaró-Montmany, limestone, dolomite and marble formations predominate, occurring in around 38% of the area, accompanied by slates, schists and, to a lesser extent, granite, gneiss and igneous rocks. The soils show generally low permeability, although there is potential for the presence of shallow aquifers. Bearing capacity is usually favourable in carbonate and rocky ground, allowing direct foundations on competent strata, but always assessing locally the integrity and compactness of the subsoil, especially in the more schistose or fractured areas.

The municipality’s seismicity is very low, with only two events in the last thirty years and a maximum magnitude of 1.5, so this parameter has hardly any effect on structural design. However, the presence of carbonate formations implies the possibility of karst processes, which must be carefully verified before any foundation work, as they may give rise to underground cavities or localised instability. There is no risk of expansivity, since the subsoil does not contain expansive clays. Thus, karst control is the essential constraint in the geotechnical study in Figaró-Montmany.