Geomechanical Characterization of Unwelded Volcanic Bimrock Materials for Sustainable Slopes: Application to Road Instability Problems in the Western Cordillera of Ecuador

Marlon Ponce-Zambrano (), Julio Garzón-Roca, Francisco J. Torrijo and Olegario Alonso-Pandavenes
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Marlon Ponce-Zambrano: Facultad de Ingeniería en Geología, Minas, Petróleos y Ambiental (FIGEMPA), Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito 175000, Ecuador
Julio Garzón-Roca: Department of Geodynamics, Stratigraphy and Paleontology (GEODESPAL), Faculty of Geology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Francisco J. Torrijo: Department of Transport and Geotechnical Engineering, Research Centre PEGASO, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera S/N, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Olegario Alonso-Pandavenes: Facultad de Ingeniería en Geología, Minas, Petróleos y Ambiental (FIGEMPA), Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito 175000, Ecuador

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-20

Abstract: This paper presents a geomechanical characterization for unwelded volcanic bimrock materials. Bimrocks are geological materials consisting of blocks of rock of different sizes embedded in a finer matrix. Many volcanic deposits and outcrops can be classified as bimrocks, and some of them correspond to unwelded bimrocks, i.e., with the absence of strong bonds between blocks of rock and matrix. The geomechanical characterization proposed is oriented towards bimrocks slopes, their stability and landslide hazard occurrence. It consists of five steps which includes the material description, the volcanic deposit classification, the definition of block size range, the computation of the volumetric block percentage, the geotechnical characterization of the blocks of rock, and the geological and geotechnical analysis of the matrix that surrounds the blocks. The geomechanical characterization proposed is applied to four slopes at the Western Cordillera of Ecuador, where slopes instabilities are common. Results show that the geomechanical characterization sets a reliable framework for geotechnically describing bimrocks materials, explaining the actual stability state of the slopes. It also enables taking appropriate and optimum decisions in the design and management of volcanic slopes, thus contributing to a sustainable approach of landslide mitigation.

Keywords: geomechanical characterization; bimrock; volcanic deposit; landslides; Western Cordillera of Ecuador; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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