Geotechnical study in Llombai

In Llombai, calcareous materials, dolomites and marbles predominate, representing more than half of the substrate, which provides generally high bearing capacity for foundations. These soils usually offer good conditions for stability, although there are occasional proportions of compact gravels and sands, as well as gypsum, anhydrite and salts, which may entail some degree of risk of dissolution associated with chemical processes in the presence of water. Fine-grained soils (silty sands, clays and hard marls) are infrequent and, in general, do not modify the overall behaviour of the ground with respect to foundations.

From the seismic point of view, Llombai presents very low activity, with a maximum low magnitude (Mmax 1.9), and therefore does not represent a relevant constraint for structural design. However, the documented presence of karstic phenomena requires thoroughly verifying the existence of cavities or underground instabilities before carrying out the foundations. In addition, the non-clayey substrate rules out the risk of expansivity, identifying potential karst as the main factor to be assessed in the geotechnical studies for the area.