Scholarly record

EARLY OBSERVATIONS FROM MULTI-METHOD MONITORING OF GROUND INSTABILITY IN A SALT-KARST URBAN AREA

Dragos Tataru, Eduard Nastase, Bogdan Grecu, Alexandru Tiganescu, Alexandra Gerea

Abstract

Urban areas built above salt deposits are especially vulnerable to ground instability caused by dissolution, suffosion, and human activities. Monitoring these environments is difficult due to the complex subsurface structures and dense infrastructure constraints. Understanding the dynamics of these processes requires combining multiple investigation and monitoring methods to capture both underground conditions and surface movements. This paper shares initial findings from an ongoing multi-method monitoring project in Slanic Prahova, Romania, a town impacted by active salt-karst processes. The strategy combines geophysical surveys, geodetic measurements, and remote sensing techniques to better detect and interpret ground instability in a complex urban setting. The approach employs complementary methods such as electrical resistivity tomography, seismic studies, microgravity measurements, UAV-based LiDAR and photogrammetry, terrestrial laser scanning, GNSS, and satellite observations. These datasets offer various spatial and temporal views of ground deformation and subsurface changes. Early results show localized deformation patterns and subsurface anomalies, indicating active processes affecting both natural formations and man-made structures. Simultaneously, combining multiple datasets reveals important methodological challenges related to data collection, interpretation, and the influence of urban infrastructure on measurements. The findings represent a first step toward a deeper understanding of ground instability in urban salt-karst areas and lay the groundwork for more monitoring, method development, and hazard assessment. This work was supported by the GEOMONITOR project (contract no. 28Sol(T28)/2025), funded by the Ministry of Education and Research through UEFISCDI within PNCDI IV.

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