Mass movements in the loja basin–ecuador, south america

Abstract:

The Loja Basin comprises a north-south orientated, elongate valley, bounded by the Cordilleras Real and Occidental of the Ecuadorian Andes. Most of the area is inhabited, and includes the city of Loja. Geologically it comprises metamorphic rocks from Paleozoic age overlied by sedimentary rocks, from Miocene/Pliocene age, in faulted and discordant contact. The Loja Basin is subject to mass movement processes with different mechanisms, volumes and movement rates. The biggest landslides involve almost the entire margins of the city. They are complex, extremely slow and are continuously active. The grade of instability may have increased by the construction of infrastructure like houses, roads and irrigation channels. Considering the hazard and vulnerability grade of the zone, the Multinational Andean Project-Geosciences for the Andean Communities MAP-GAC chose the ciudadela Reinaldo Espinosa as a Pilot Area for developing a detailed investigation, which is being carried out by the Direccion Nacional de Geologia DINAGE in cooperation with the Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja UTPL and the Programa Regional de Desarrollo del Sur PREDESUR. This investigation comprises detailed topographic and geological mapping, control and monitoring using differential GPS, geophysical surveys and geotechnical analysis.

Año de publicación:

2005

Keywords:

Fuente:

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