Identificación de riesgos geoambientales y su valoración en la zona de hundimiento del buque Prestige

• Autores: Grupo Prestige
• Localización: Geotemas (Madrid), ISSN 1576-5172, Nº. 6, 5, 2004 (Ejemplar dedicado a: VI CONGRESO GEOLÓGICO DE ESPAÑA, ZARAGOZA, 12-15 JULIO, 2004), págs. 251-254
• Idioma: español
• Enlaces
  • Texto Completo Ejemplar
• Resumen

  • Potential geological hazard assessment has been carried out in the area where the Prestige vesselwas sunk using a broad database that comprises: multibeam, high and ultra-high resolution seismicprofiles, gravity cores, onland seismicity stations and Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBS). The mainresults of this study indicate that among the geologic factors that can be considered as potentialhazards, four main categories can be differentiated based on their origin: morphologic, sedimentary, tectonic, and seismicity. Hazards of morphologic origin include steep gradients; the morphologic features suggest the occurrence of mass-wasting instabilities. Hazards of sedimentary originalso includes the occurrence of slope instability processes in form of single slides and a greatvariety of erosive and depositional gravity flows (debris and turbidity flows). Hazards of tectonicand seismic origin are important because the sinking area straddles the Calida Bank which is astructural seamount with a moderate tectonic activity that results in a latent seismicity of low tomoderate magnitude. The interaction of these factors leads to consider to the risk as medium, andthe degree of exposure of the bow and stern as high.Several general and specific recommendations are made in order to increase the geological andgeophysics knowledgement in the Prestige sinking area and Spanish continental margins and deepsea areas. These recommendations also should be used to elaborate the options for reducing thehazard and loss.