Geotechnical study in Peleas Cutting

The municipality of Corte de Peleas presents as its dominant base material sandstone, conglomerates and flysch, occupying most of the municipal subsoil. These materials usually confer good bearing capacity, suitable for shallow foundations in most cases, although the minor presence of fine sands and silts may highlight the need for more detailed compaction studies where they occur. Compact gravels and sands, although infrequent, locally improve the stability of the ground, and limestones, dolomites and marbles may show favourable consolidation. However, areas with overconsolidated clays and marls must be assessed particularly, as the presence of expansive clays can pose a risk to the durability of the foundations.

Seismic activity in Corte de Peleas is very low, with only 2 events in 30 years and a maximum magnitude of 2, which rules out seismicity as a relevant constraint in structural design. No karst-related phenomena have been identified, and the low frequency of clayey areas suggests that the risk of expansivity is localised to specific zones, especially where expansive clays have been detected, which represent the main geotechnical conditioning factor to be analysed. Therefore, when preparing the approach to the geotechnical study, it is recommended to characterise the local clayey areas specifically in order to prevent expansion and shrinkage problems that could affect the stability of buildings.