Riesgo de hundimiento en la Laguna de Santos Morcillo (Lagunas de Ruidera)

Abstract

The Ruidera Lakes are located along the Guadiana Valley, forming a fluvial network developed with a predominant NW-SE drainage direction on a great Mesozoic plain with quite homogeneous lithology. The lakes are the result of the precipitation of tuffaceous barriers. This paper presents a study carried out since the appearance in January 2007 of a series of cracks of metric length in St. Morcillo Lake, which have been analyzed by topographic, bathymetric, geophysical and hydrogeological surveys, carried out from 2007 to 2011. As a result, we have monitored the expansion of existing cracks and the appearance of new cracks. The study also shows the presence of large underground cavities in the northeast of St. Morcillo Lake, as well as a linear structure (a possible fault) in the central area of the lake with the same direction as the cracks. These results suggest the existence of an intense active process, with a clear potential collapse hazard in the margin of the lake, which could even affect the barrier that closes it