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Beatriz Benjumea

Beatriz Benjumea
Instituto Geológico y Minero de España-CSIC

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85
Publications
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Publications

Publications (85)
Article
Full-text available
Urban resilience is critical to allow cities to withstand the challenges of the 21st Century. One factor that is often overlooked in such assessments is the role of the subsurface. A novel methodology called the Urban Geo-climate Footprint (UGF) has been developed to classify cities quickly and comprehensively from geological and climatic perspecti...
Article
El objetivo principal del proyecto ALGEMAR (PID2021-123825OB) es mejorar el conocimiento de los depósitos marinos profundos, concretamente aquellos generados por la interacción de procesos sedimentarios gravitacionales y por corrientes de fondo. El estudio de estos depósitos es un tema de gran actualidad tanto en el mundo académico, ya que su regis...
Preprint
Full-text available
Manuscript under review submitted to "Cities" Journal related to the Urban Geo-climate Footprint tool.
Article
Full-text available
We analyze the internal structure of two polythermal glaciers, Hurd and Johnsons, located on Livingston Island, Antarctica, using 200 and 750 MHz GPR data collected in 2003/04, 2008/09 and 2016/17 field campaigns. Based on the different permittivities of snow and ice, we determined the thickness distribution of the end-of winter snow cover and of t...
Article
Full-text available
A broad understanding of the subsoil characteristics is required to deal with uncertainty in the infrastructure planning phase or even in the diagnosis of infrastructure damage. In this work, electrical resistivity and seismic methods have been employed for lithological characterization and geomechanical parameters assessment. The study area is cha...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Recently, there has been increased interest in deep sedimentary systems such as along-slope bottom currents (contourite systems) and their interaction with gravitational sedimentary processes (mixed systems) due to the high reservoir potential of the resulting deposits. In particular, the Contourite Depositional System (CDS) of the Gulf of Cádiz in...
Article
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Lower to Middle Eocene organic-rich deep-water limestones of the ∼335-m-thick (1100 ft) Radwany (Thebes-equivalent) Formation represent a source rock and a potential reservoir unit at the October Oil Field in the Gulf of Suez. However, in spite of recent exploration advances, the pore system and diagenetic history of the formation are still poorly...
Article
Full-text available
One of the main challenges facing geological storage is to identify cost-effective methodological workflows for characterizing and monitoring geological storage sites. In the framework of the ALGECO2 project, led by the IGME (Geological and Mining Institute, Spain), a preliminary study of the Lopín site in the NE of Spain indicated conditions were...
Article
Full-text available
The time-averaged shear-wave velocity in the upper 30 m of the ground, VS30, is a key soil descriptor for estimating site response despite its recognized limitations. It is employed in both, site-specific probabilistic hazard assessments (PSHAs) and regional seismic codes. This work presents a model for estimating VS30 in the Iberian Peninsula as a...
Article
Full-text available
In this work, we present new Bouguer and residual Bouguer anomaly maps of the Central Pyrenees calculated from 3590 stations, of which 1141 are new observations acquired from surveys performed between 2018 and 2019. The most prominent feature of the Bouguer anomaly is the long wavelength elongated minimum in its central part that continues to the W...
Article
Surface electrical resistivity tomography is a non-invasive and highly competitive technique that can be used to effectively characterize subsurface sediments for different purposes: geological, geotechnical, hydrogeological or subsidence problems. However, due to the strong effect of salinity on resistivity, sediments characterization in deltas (c...
Article
Identification of undercover karst areas can be essential for engineering or hydrogeological studies. Geological reconnaissance of karst areas can be challenging due to their complex and highly heterogeneous internal structure. Herein, we present a case study carried out at the carbonate coastal Montgrí Massif in Costa Brava (Spain), which, in the...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
This century is the “century of the cities”, where rapid urbanization and greater global connection present unprecedented urban challenges and concentrates risk in urban areas making them increasingly vulnerable (Coaffee & Lee, 2016). The need arises for urban planning must be asked to fully incorporate an understanding of the sub-surface into the...
Article
The integration of geophysical methods, together with the previous information of the Vallès basin area, has resulted in the creation of a new conceptual model that explains La Garriga-Samalús geothermal system. The integration of complementary geophysical methods seems to be a good option for the preliminary stages of a geothermal system explorati...
Article
Carbonate reservoirs are characterized by strong permeability heterogeneity mainly linked to the predominant pore type. In this work, we present a case study focused on a shallow borehole (160 m depth) located at the eastern end of the Betic Cordillera, SE of Spain. This borehole sampled a marly seal (deep marine marls rich in planktonic organisms...
Article
Amplitude level, duration, and spectral content of earthquake ground motions are strongly influenced by local soil conditions. Reliable estimation of site effects is, therefore, crucial in order to avoid damage to infrastructures and mitigate other losses. Traditional geophysical exploration techniques are restricted in urban environments due to th...
Article
In this work we have done a 3D joint interpretation of magnetotelluric and seismic tomography models. Previously we have described different techniques to infer the inner structure of the Earth. We have focused on volcanic regions, specifically on Tenerife Island volcano (Canary Islands, Spain). In this area, magnetotelluric and seismic tomography...
Conference Paper
Within the framework of Alertes-RIM (Regional and on-site earthquake early warning system for the Ibero-Maghrebian region) project twenty five seismic stations located in this region have been characterized. The aim of this work is the application of a methodology based on combination of active and passive seismic techniques in order to study poten...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
The Ebro Delta (Spain) faces anthropogenic and climate changes that can cause a significant decrease on its subaerial surface. One of the causes of this reduction is subsidence that take place due to the compacting of the sediments. In order to identify zones vulnerable to subsidence, we have defined several targets such as: characterization of Hol...
Article
Full-text available
The structure of Cerdanya Basin (north-east of Iberian Peninsula) is partly known from geological cross sections, geological maps and vintage geophysical data. However, these data do not have the necessary resolution to characterize some parts of Cerdanya Basin such as the thickness of soft soil, geometry of bedrock or geometry of geological units...
Article
Full-text available
Hontomín (N of Spain) hosts the first Spanish CO2 storage pilot plant. The subsurface characterization of the site included the acquisition of a 3-D seismic reflection and a circumscribed 3-D magnetotelluric (MT) survey. This paper addresses the combination of the seismic and MT results, together with the available well-log data, in order to achiev...
Article
Full-text available
We combine geophysical well logging and passive seismic measurements to characterize the near-surface geology of an area located in Hontomin, Burgos (Spain). This area has some near-surface challenges for a geophysical study. The irregular topography is characterized by limestone outcrops and unconsolidated sediments areas. Additionally, the near-s...
Article
Full-text available
We combine geophysical well logging and passive seismic measurements to characterize the near surface geology of an area located in Hontomin, Burgos (Spain). This area has some near-surface challenges for a geophysical study. The irregular topography is characterized by limestone outcrops and unconsolidated sediments areas. Additionally, the near s...
Article
Full-text available
Hontomín (N of Spain) hosts the first Spanish CO2 storage pilot plant. The subsurface characterisation of the site included the acquisition of a 3D seismic reflection and a circumscribed 3D magnetotelluric (MT) survey. This paper addresses the combination of the seismic and MT results, together with the available well-log data, in order to achieve...
Conference Paper
The purpose of this work is the application of a dynamic methodology developed by the Institut Cartografic i Geologic de Catalunya which uses diverse geophysical techniques to study five seismic station of the Catalonia Seismic Network. This methodology changes depending on a priori geological knowledge and the dimensions of area. The method adapts...
Conference Paper
This work shows the potential of reprocessing land seismic vintage data acquired for oil exploration to increase knowledge of near-surface geological structure in a Neogene Basin. The study area is the Emporda Basin, located in NE Spain. The objective is to reveal main contacts in the Neogene sequence and bedrock geometry. The methodology encompass...
Article
In the last two decades, the horizontal-to-vertical (H/V) spectral ratio of seismic noise technique has been widely used for site-effect estimation and geophysical exploration through the soil fundamental frequency. Usually, only one peak is observed in the H/V spectral ratio, but in some cases, a second peak can also be obtained. Nevertheless, to...
Conference Paper
This study reveals the importance of reprocessing vintage seismic data, originally focused on deep targets, in order to retrieve near-surface velocity model and structure. This information can be verified and complemented using cost-effective geophysical methods (passive seismic and audio-magnetotelluric - AMT data technique). This methodology has...
Article
Full-text available
A sedimentary Tertiary basin filled with unconsolidated sediments located in eastern Pyrenees has been subjected to a combine passive geophysical survey in order to increase knowledge of bedrock geometry and sediment properties. The methodology consists of combining and integrating both seismic noise techniques (H/V and array) and audio-magnetotell...
Article
Urban geological mapping is a key to assist management of new developed areas, conversion of current urban areas or assessment of urban geological hazards. Geophysics can have a pivotal role to yield subsurface information in urban areas provided that geophysical methods are capable of dealing with challenges related to these scenarios (e.g., low s...
Article
Full-text available
This study is focused on the characterization of seismic local effects in Lorca city. This aspect fits to one of the interesting points of a field survey for a post-seismic inspection organized by Institut Geològic of Catalonia (IGC), the Universitat Politècnica of Catalonia (UPC), the Spanish Association of Seismic Engineering (AEIS) together with...
Article
Tunnel construction in urban areas has recently become a topic of interest and has increased the use of tunnel boring machines. Monitoring subsurface effects due to tunnel building in urban areas with conventional surface geophysical techniques is not an easy task because of space constraints. Taking advantage of the construction of a new metro lin...
Article
Coastal aquifer formations located in Northeast of Spain affected by saline intrusion has been the focus for a multi-technique geophysical study. Two aquifers are present: A shallow aquifer in the quaternary sediments and a deeper karstic aquifer. The objectives were: (1) estimate quaternary sediment thickness and characterize weathered/fractured r...
Article
Full-text available
Magnetic exploration applied to Archaeology has some specific characteristics that affect the operability and work methodology. In this article an assessment is made of the existing conditions and their influence on the design of the exploration (e.g. treatment of superficial remains, distances between stations) and the study of optimum positions o...
Article
Groundwater management needs detailed aquifer characterization, especially in semiarid costal aquifer systems that are under hydrological pressure. Our study area is in the Tordera delta, northeastern coast of Spain, where a detrital fluvio-deltaic aquifer system has been developed above granitic basement. The main purpose of this study is to chara...
Article
Mapping bedrock structure beneath overburden is crucial for understanding geological and hydrogeological processes. Acquiring this information is generally done using well drilling or geophysical surveys; but these studies are expensive and require large periods of acquisition and processing time. In addition, geophysical data acquisition can be lo...
Conference Paper
We present a geophysical study where different geophysical techniques are combined to support an urban geological mapping project in NE of Spain. The study has been carried out at two different scales. Seismic and electrical resistivity tomography methods have provided a subsoil image up to 30/40 m depth supported by surface-wave and H/V microtremo...
Article
As local site effects have a drastic influence on seismic hazard, it is a major issue to characterize them in vulnerable areas such as highly urbanized zones, like Barcelona city. The aim of this work is to improve the knowledge of geophysical characteristics of Barcelona in the perspective of a seismic microzonation that takes into account site ef...
Article
Full-text available
This study uses one-dimensional convolution seismic models to better understand which features of slope turbidite systems can (or cannot) be observed on real seismic data, aiming to improve subsurface seismic interpretation. Synthetic seismic sections and cubes were built from reservoir-scale three-dimensional facies models of the outcropping Ainsa...
Conference Paper
The application of traditional geophysical techniques such as seismic or electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) in broad areas requires large period of time. In this work a methodology is proposed in order to optimize the data acquisition time in the determination of the weathered materials thickness overlaying the unaltered rock in a large area....
Article
Full-text available
Seismic techniques have been used to supplement geological and geophysical borehole data for assessing earthquake hazard in the Ottawa Valley near Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The methodology Used to obtain critical parameters for site effect studies (depths of major contacts, shear-wave velocity-depth function) is presented ill this paper. Bedrock dep...
Article
The Catalan Potasic Basin (Northeast of Spain) has been associated with subsidence and structural failures due to sinkholes influenced by salt mining activities. The study area contains three visible sinkholes developed in 60s, 2000 and 2002. Questions regarding the subsoil extension of the collapse/drainage zone and the mechanism of sinkhole forma...
Article
The new MARCONI-3 deep seismic profile allows recognition of the upper crustal structure of the eastern part of the Bay of Biscay and the main features of its Alpine geodynamic evolution. It denotes that the easternmost part of the Bay of Biscay consists of a thick wedge of uppermost Cretaceous to Cenozoic synorogenic sediments lying unconformably...
Article
Full-text available
Profile interpretation of MARCONI seismic profiles show that two domains exist in the Bay of Biscay with a different Pyrenean and north-foreland structure: the eastern, Basque-Parentis and the western, Cantabrian domains. In the eastern one, the North Pyrenean front is located close to the Spanish coast and the northern foreland of the Pyrenees is...
Article
Full-text available
The MARCONI-3 profile denotes that the structure of the North Pyrenean foreland at the western part of the Parentis Basin consists of a wedge of uppermost Cretaceous to Cenozoic synorogenic sediments lying on the top of a thinned continental crust with a major Mesozoic Basin to the north, the Parentis Basin, and a coeval structural high to the sout...
Conference Paper
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El Golfo de Vizcaya se formó durante el Cretácico como consecuencia de la apertura del Océano Atlántico. La convergencia entre las placas Euroasiática e Ibérica durante el Cenozoico dio lugar al levantamiento de la cordillera pirenaico-cantábrica y al cierre parcial del Golfo de Vizcaya. La mayor parte de esta deformación tiene lugar en el margen N...
Article
Full-text available
The Quaternary sediments of previously unstudied buried valleys and sections near Montréal are analyzed and other sites are revisited to further develop the stratigraphic framework of the St. Lawrence Lowland and to establish regional glacial and deglacial models. The southwest-trending buried valleys were investigated by stratigraphic drilling and...
Article
Full-text available
The tanker Prestige sank off NW Iberia on the 19th November 2002. The stern and bow of the Prestige wreck are located on the southwestern edge of the Galicia Bank, at 3565 m and 3830 m water depths, respectively. This bank is a structural high controlled by major faults with predominant N–S, NNE–SSW, and NNW–SEE trends. It is characterized by moder...
Article
SUMMARY Near-surface seismic characterization (100 or 200 m) has an important role in hydrogeological and natural hazards studies among others. P-wave seismic methods can provide useful information in those cases where high-frequency signals (>100 Hz) can be generated, transmitted and registered. Favourable near-surface conditions in soft sediments...
Article
Full-text available
The Ainsa turbiditic deposits (central Pyrenees, Spain) are an analog on surface of a petroliferous reservoir. There different units can be identified, among them two are of interest: the stratified and the chaotic ones. To characterize their boundary a ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey was performed, which allowed obtaining a 3D image of it. I...
Conference Paper
Groundwater research and management requires the understanding of the subsurface properties to constrain multiscale heterogeneities. This work presents a multidisciplinary study focused on the characterization of hydrogeological parameters and processes of a porous aquifer system using geophysical methods sensitive to structures, lithologies, and p...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
The stern and bow of the Prestige are located on the southwestern edge of the Galicia Bank (Atlantic NW Iberian continental margin) at 3,565 m and 3,830 m water depths respectively. High resolution acoustic and sedimentological data allowed us mapping of the seabed geomorphology and near-surface sediments of the sinking area. This area is character...
Article
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The capabilities of seismic and radar methods for the study of ice sheets have been analysed by other authors in the past. The joint use of both techniques has allowed the comparison of information, such as ice thickness, retrieved from both sources. Though these methods, specially the radar sounding, have also been widely used for the study of pol...
Conference Paper
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The Bay of Biscay formed during the Cretaceous as a consequence of the opening of the North Atlantic. The convergence between the Iberian and Eurasian plates during the Tertiary resulted in the building of the Pyrenean-Cantabrian Mountains on land, and the partial closure of the Bay of Biscay. The main part of this deformation and shortening concen...
Article
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High-resolution seismic surveys, including P- and S-wave studies, have been conducted in an area of the Ottawa River valley located 80 km east of Ottawa (Canada). Based on dating of paleolandslides, the existence of paleoearthquake activity has been postulated in this area. The target zone for the seismic survey is characterized by surface disturba...
Article
Full-text available
Radio-wave velocity measurements in temperate and polythermal glaciers, combined with dielectric mixture formulae by Looyenga or Paren, have been used during the last decade to estimate the water content in temperate ice. We have used a similar mixture formula by Riznichenko, but based on elastic properties of the material, to estimate the water co...
Article
Full-text available
Shear wave velocity–depth information is required for predicting the ground motion response to earthquakes in areas where significant soil cover exists over firm bedrock. Rather than estimating this critical parameter, it can be reliably measured using a suite of surface (non-invasive) and downhole (invasive) seismic methods. Shear wave velocities...
Article
Full-text available
Obtaining information at an archaeological site by means of geophysical methods can reduce the need for intensive excavation. This paper addresses the use of seismic methods to reveal details in a non-destructive manner at the archaeological site of Los Millares (Almerı́a, Spain). The seismic refraction method provides information on the low freque...
Article
During two Antarctic summers (1996-1997 and 1997-1998), five seismic refraction and two reflection profiles were acquired on the Johnsons Glacier (Livingston Island, Antarctica) in order to obtain information about the structure of the ice, characteristics of the ice-bed contact and basement topography. An innovative technique has been used for the...