Karst Hazard Assessment of Eastern Saudi Arabia

Authors: AMIN A.A.; BANKHER K.A.

Source: Natural Hazards, Volume 15, Number 1, January 1997 , pp. 21-30(10)

Publisher: Springer

Abstract:

Karst phenomena exist in areas in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia, forming solution features such as sinkholes, collapsed dolines and solution caverns, as a result of the chemical leaching of the carbonate and evaporite formations by percolating water. The instability of these karst phenomena could produce land subsidence problems. This paper reviews the geology of documented karstic rock units in Saudi Arabia and proposes a simple engineering classification of the solution features characteristic of limestone. Two case histories in the Dhahran area, eastern Saudi Arabia, will be used as examples for the application of a modified engineering classification.

Keywords: karst; sinkhole; collapsed dolines; cavern; swallowhole; shaft; geographic area

Language: English

Document Type: Regular paper

Affiliations: 1: Faculty of Earth Sciences, King Abdul Aziz University, P.O. Box 1744, Jeddah 21441, Saudi Arabia

Publication date: 1997-01-01

• In this: publication
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• In this Subject: Geography ,  Geology ,  Social & Public Welfare
• By this author: AMIN A.A. ;  BANKHER K.A.

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