QUICKMAP - Interrogating Quick Clays: Direct Characterization with Fiber-Optic Sensing Solutions

Landslides occurring at quick-clay sites represent one of the most significant geohazards across the Nordic countries, including Sweden.

They have caused fatalities and severe damages in the environment and infrastructure, and with climate change and severe weather events foreseen in the near future, landslide effects are predicted to increase.

QUICKMAP aims to contribute to the ongoing collaborative efforts to obtain early warnings for possible quick-clay landslides and take measures to avoid accidents.

The project will develop geophysical seismic methods for quick-clay site characterization, using fast and efficient fiber-optic sensing techniques.

Fiber optics are a promising solution for seismic data recording due to their low costs and accessibility, and can be used to scan wide areas and estimate their vulnerability.

To make the most of the data, research on the soil conditions that might be connected to geotechnical hazards will be conducted through laboratory measurements. The tests will reveal which thresholds of seismic properties can be considered risky.

To scan larger areas, a data-processing toolbox for direct estimation of the site vulnerability from the fiber-optic data will be developed.

The new knowledge and developed methods will provide a solution for the estimation of landslide risk faster and with higher accuracy than previous attempts, and will be shared openly for future studies of possibly vulnerable areas.