Forensic analysis of the evolution of damages to buildings constructed in a mining area (Part II)

This study is framed within a larger project in which the goal is to conduct a detailed forensic analysis of the evolution over time of the damage caused to a number of buildings in an industrial area located just outside of La Unión (Murcia, Spain), following a land failure that occurred in 1998. First, a detailed mapping of the cracks that appeared in the affected buildings was carried out, determining their most representative characteristics and their evolution over time (López Gayarre et al. [1]). This article describes the work performed in the second phase of the study in which the evolution of the most significant cracks found in the buildings during the first phase is quantified using biaxial extensometric units and inclinometers.An analysis was performed, comparing the data obtained in June 2005 with that obtained in November 2008. The data recorded annually was also analyzed. In addition, we started the studies by calculating the most significant absolute values in an effort to determine the area inside which there is still some activity in the subsoil. The objective of this article is to quantify the analysis of the major cracks in the buildings affected by ground subsidence.The results obtained confirm the findings established during the first phase of this study. The damages are a result of constructing the buildings on a potentially hazardous area in which a sinking of the ground takes place due to a mining subsidence phenomenon.