Instability of the urbanized flank of £1 Peñón del Marques volcanic edifice and its relation to land subsidence in Mexico City

摘要

We integrate the available information, field cartography, measurement of physical attributes of materials, and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) profiles, to obtain a high definition image of the sliding flanks of the Peñón del Marques volcanic edifice, fractures, and land subsidence. In particular, we present multi-frequency GPR profiles (using antennae of 100, 200, and 400 MHz) that allowed an accurate interpretation of the shallow fracture geometry in the upper 15 m and how they affect the civil infrastructure. The morphology of the unstable flanks is characterized from the upper to the lower part by two or three concentric major fracture zones, a steeped fractured flank, a concave-up depression embaying locally the volcanic edifice, and a frontal bench that reflects uplift and a small inverse displacement at the base of the edifice.