Geotechnical study in Cunit

In Cunit, the subsoil is mainly made up of limestones, dolomites and marbles, which account for 62.5% of the lithology, forming a competent substrate and with good bearing-capacity conditions for standard building. The areas where soft materials such as deltaic muds and peats appear (18.75%) require specific assessment, as they are not suitable as a direct bearing level for foundations. The layers of compact gravels and sands, although they make up only 12.5% of the total, can provide localised points with higher bearing capacity, whereas sandstones and conglomerates are less frequent.

The seismicity in Cunit can be considered moderate, with 30 events in the last 30 years and an Mmax of 2.5, which implies limited design requirements for the structural design due to this factor. Given that the predominant substrate is formed by carbonate rocks, there is the possibility of karst-related phenomena developing; it is essential to check for the existence of voids before carrying out the foundation works in order to avoid future differential settlements. Once the presence of expansive clay soils has been ruled out, the main conditioning factor in the geotechnical study is the assessment of any potential karst voids and the exclusion of the mud and peat zones as a structural base.