Geotechnical study in Cuevas de San Marcos

In Cuevas de San Marcos, the most common geological materials are limestones, dolomites and marbles, accompanied by frequent sandstones and conglomerates. These types of substrate provide a high bearing capacity, which makes it possible to propose conventional shallow foundations in most cases, provided that areas with occasional water or muds are avoided, as these could compromise the stability of the support. The marginal presence of compact gravels improves the bearing capacity locally, whereas the hard clays, although in the minority, do not present significant problems in the municipality-wide context.

The setting is characterised by very low seismicity (9 events in 30 years, Mmax 2.4), which minimises the need to consider special measures for seismic risk in structural design. As there are no relevant karst formations and no dominant presence of expansive soils, and since the substrate is not clayey, the risk of expansivity is ruled out as a conditioning factor. The main requirement will be to assess the impermeability conditions and the possible presence of shallow groundwater table levels, which may affect the choice of foundation type.