Next Article in Journal
Publication Performance and Trends in Mangrove Forests: A Bibliometric Analysis
Next Article in Special Issue
Assessment of Land Use and Land Cover Changes on Soil Erosion Using Remote Sensing, GIS and RUSLE Model: A Case Study of Battambang Province, Cambodia
Previous Article in Journal
Simulation of Possible Fire and Explosion Hazards of Clean Fuel Vehicles in Garages
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Sustainability
Volume 13
Issue 22
10.3390/su132212538
sustainability-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Stability Assessment and Geomorphological Evolution of Sea Natural Arches by Geophysical Measurement: The Case Study of Wied Il-Mielah Window (Gozo, Malta)

by
Giovanni Leucci
1,
Raffaele Persico
2,
Lara De Giorgi
1,
Maurizio Lazzari
3,*,
Emanuele Colica
4,
Salvatore Martino
5,
Roberto Iannucci
5,
Luciano Galone
4 and
Sebastiano D’Amico
4
1
CNR ISPC, Campus Universitario, Via Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy
2
Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Ambiente e del Territorio, University of Calabria, Arcavacata, 87036 Rende, Italy
3
CNR ISPC, C/da S. Loja Zona Industriale, Tito Scalo, 85050 Potenza, Italy
4
Department of Geosciences, University of Malta, MSD2080 Msida, Malta
5
Centro di Ricerca per i Rischi Geologici CERI, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2021, 13(22), 12538; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212538
Submission received: 6 September 2021 / Revised: 4 November 2021 / Accepted: 7 November 2021 / Published: 12 November 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Frontiers in Geomorphological and Historical Landscape Changes, Sustainable Landscape Planning and Soil Erosion Assessment)
Browse Figures
Versions Notes

Abstract

The Wied il-Mielaħ Window (Gozo–Malta) is a limestone natural arch on the north-western coast of the island of Gozo in Malta. It is located at the end of the Wied il-Mielaħ valley north of the village of Għarb. This natural arch is less well known than the Azure Window, which collapsed in March 2017 following a heavy storm, but notwithstanding, it is an imposing and important natural monument too. In the past, the Wied il-Mielah valley was responsible for discharging wastewater from the surrounding localities to the Mediterranean directly at the Wied il-Mielah Window. The sewage flag was often clearly visible underneath the archway into the open sea. The natural features of the arch provide an outstanding touristic attraction. To avoid what happened to the Azure Window, a methodology for the evaluation of the collapse hazard, combining passive seismic, ground penetrating radar (GPR), geological/geomorphological surveys and mine engineering methods, is here proposed. In this study, a methodological approach was applied, based on the following: (i) passive seismic method to study the physical–mechanical characteristics of the rock mass that constitutes the window; (ii) GPR method in order to demonstrate the conservation state (i.e., the intensity of fracturing); (iii) geological/geomorphological surveys in order to obtain a crack pattern; and (iv) scaled span empirical analysis in order to evaluate the stability of the arch. The calculation of the safety factor, with a static method, gave a value equal to 3.75 with a probability of collapse of the marine arch within 50 and 100 years.
Keywords: Wied il-Mielaħ Window; Gozo; geophysics; coastal geomorphology; stability analysis; safety factor Wied il-Mielaħ Window; Gozo; geophysics; coastal geomorphology; stability analysis; safety factor

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Leucci, G.; Persico, R.; De Giorgi, L.; Lazzari, M.; Colica, E.; Martino, S.; Iannucci, R.; Galone, L.; D’Amico, S. Stability Assessment and Geomorphological Evolution of Sea Natural Arches by Geophysical Measurement: The Case Study of Wied Il-Mielah Window (Gozo, Malta). Sustainability 2021, 13, 12538. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212538

AMA Style

Leucci G, Persico R, De Giorgi L, Lazzari M, Colica E, Martino S, Iannucci R, Galone L, D’Amico S. Stability Assessment and Geomorphological Evolution of Sea Natural Arches by Geophysical Measurement: The Case Study of Wied Il-Mielah Window (Gozo, Malta). Sustainability. 2021; 13(22):12538. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212538

Chicago/Turabian Style

Leucci, Giovanni, Raffaele Persico, Lara De Giorgi, Maurizio Lazzari, Emanuele Colica, Salvatore Martino, Roberto Iannucci, Luciano Galone, and Sebastiano D’Amico. 2021. "Stability Assessment and Geomorphological Evolution of Sea Natural Arches by Geophysical Measurement: The Case Study of Wied Il-Mielah Window (Gozo, Malta)" Sustainability 13, no. 22: 12538. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212538

APA Style

Leucci, G., Persico, R., De Giorgi, L., Lazzari, M., Colica, E., Martino, S., Iannucci, R., Galone, L., & D’Amico, S. (2021). Stability Assessment and Geomorphological Evolution of Sea Natural Arches by Geophysical Measurement: The Case Study of Wied Il-Mielah Window (Gozo, Malta). Sustainability, 13(22), 12538. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212538

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop