An analytical review of studies on the influence of the composition and concentration of aqueous solutions of various salts on the seepage properties of clay soils is presented. It is shown that, depending on the mineral type of clays, mineralization and composition of filterable aqueous solutions of salts and absorbed cations, the permeability and filtration coefficients of clays can vary several times or even by several decimal orders, which must be taken into account when constructing protective dams with clay cores, sludge reservoirs, and tailing dumps.

In the process of engineering-geological surveys, specialists daily face difficulties in the interpretation of the existing normative-technical documents, inconsistencies between various standards or the insufficiency of the requirements stated in them. The paper considers these problems and provides some proposals for updating the regulatory base aimed at solving them.

It is not earthquakes themselves that often lead to the destruction of buildings and structures, but their secondary effects such as tsunamis, flooding, seismogenic displacements along faults, soil liquefaction, landslides (including collapses), avalanches, etc. It is well known that in the design and construction of buildings and structures in seismically hazardous land areas, it is necessary to assess the hazards of such seismogenic processes and phenomena. This paper provides a brief overview of the problem of taking into account the secondary consequences of earthquakes in detailed seismic zoning and microzoning of land and water areas in regulatory and methodological documents. Particular attention is paid to assessing the seismic hazards of water areas, including to the need for more detailed studies of the still poorly studied eruption dynamics of marine mud volcanoes and for revealing the relationship between the eruption dynamics and earthquakes.

We present to the readers of the Geoinfo journal an adapted and slightly abridged translation of the paper “Rockfall susceptibility and network-ranked susceptibility along the Italian railway” [1], which was published by the Elsevier publisher in 2021 in English in the Engineering Geology journal and is in open access (online) under the CC-BY-4.0 license. This license allows to copy, adapt, alter and use the material for any purpose (even commercial) provided that the types of changes are noted and the original source is referred to. In our case, the full reference to the original source [1] is given at the end of the translation. The authors of this article are specialists from the Research Institute of Hydrogeological Protection of the National Research Council of Italy. They are: Massimiliano Alvioli, Michele Santangelo, Federica Fiorucci, Mauro Cardinali, Ivan Marchesini, Paola Reichenbach, Mauro Rossi, Fausto Guzzetti, Silvia Peruccacci. Rockfalls pose a substantial threat to ground transportation, due to their rapidity, destructive potential and high probability of occurrence on steep topographies, often found along roads and railway routes. Approaches for the assessment of rockfall susceptibility range from purely phenomenological methods and statistical methods, suitable for modeling large areas, to purely deterministic ones, usually easier to use in local analyses. A common requirement is the need to locate potential detachment points, often found uphill on cliffs, and the subsequent assessment of the runout areas of rockfalls stemming from such points. The authors of the original paper [1] performed a physically based analysis of the susceptibility to rockfalls of the Italian railway network in an area of 25,400 km2. A sample of rockfall sources, which had been mapped by experts, helped to develop a probabilistic identification of potential sources based on a digital elevation model and angles of inclination of the surface. The location of the sources was a key information for three-dimensional modeling of rockfall transit zones from any possible source in the STONE program. The segments of the railway network were divided into classes according to rockfall susceptibility and into classes according to their significance for the operation of the entire network. As a result, a joint classification of the segments (and a corresponding map) was developed both on the basis of rockfall susceptibility and on the basis of significance of each segment in the network. These maps can be useful for further risk assessment and prioritization of improving the safety of the Italian railways on a national scale. The translation of the paper was prepared with the support of the “MACCAFERRI GABIONS CIS” company, which is a partner and one of the general sponsors of the “Geolnfo” journal.

We are continuing to familiarize the readers with the use of software products of the South Korean company “MIDAS IT” founded in 2000 in Seoul. The programs developed in this company are used in 136 countries of the world for modeling, integrated design and analysis in the field of transport, geotechnical, industrial and civil construction. They ensure the safety, efficiency and competitiveness of engineering projects. Among other things, the famous Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai (UAE) and the beautiful three- kilometer cable-stayed Russian Bridge in Russian Vladivostok were designed with the help of MIDAS IT products. In 2013, the Russian representative office of this company was opened (LLC “MIDAS”). Three MIDAS IT finite element software products adapted to meet the requirements of the Russian regulatory documents are currently presented in the territory of the Russian Federation. They are midas GTS NX, midas Civil, and midas FEA NX. The midas GTS NX program is designed for geotechnical calculations, modeling and analysis of the behavior of soils and their interactions with engineering structures. Today, we offer to the attention of the readers a slightly abridged and adapted translation (from English into Russian) of the report [1] on the influence of excavation of a close-range foundation pit on an existing tunnel. It was made at the 4th International Conference on Applied Materials and Manufacturing Technology in 2018. The authors of the report are Chinese researchers from the Jinan University and some Chinese site investigation and geotechnical companies. They are Chen Yang Liu, Jun Yan Liu, Yong Zhen Wu, and Yong Liu. In the same year their report was published by IOP Publishing Ltd (at its website in open access) that is one of the world’s largest publishers of proceedings of prestigious scientific conferences in the fields of engineering and natural sciences. IOP Publishing Ltd is a subsidiary of the British scientific society named IOP (Institute of Physics – “Institute of Physics”), which has become transnational. This report is in open access under the CC BY 3.0 license, which allows it to be copied, distributed, adapted, transformed and used (including for commercial purposes) with indication a reference to the original source and types of changes. In our case, the reference is provided at the end of the translation. The development of underground space has resulted in a number of construction projects that require soil excavation in the vicinity of existing metro tunnels, which is very risky. This report [1] discusses a constructed foundation pit and an existing subway tunnel running askew under the pit in the city of Jinan (Shandong Province, China). The minimal vertical distance between the bottom of the foundation pit and the tunnel top is only 1.8 m, and the angle between their directions is 15°. The authors of the report [1] carried out numerical simulations with the use of the midas GTS NX finite element software to investigate the displacement and stress fields of the tunnel under the conditions of the foundation pit excavation. On this basis, they studied some measures of soil reinforcement and further analyzed the results of that. At the same time, the authors used monitoring data to confirm the effect of the reinforcement. According to the results of the preliminary analysis, the foundation pit excavation influenced the horizontal displacements of the tunnel insignificantly and impacted its vertical displacements greatly. Without the soil reinforcement measures, the maximal upward displacement of the tunnel reached 23.11 mm, which exceeded the permissible one. As a result of grouting the soil around the tunnel and loading the bottom of it, the rise of the tunnel decreased and became 4.86 mm, which was consistent with the monitoring measurements. The effect of the protective measures turned out to be remarkable.

The paper describes the possibilities of the “CREDO GEOTECHNICS” computer program developed by “CREDO-DIALOGUE” company. It is designed to determine the stability of a natural or artificial slope on the basis of the physical-mechanical characteristics of grounds. The initial data for performing calculations in this software are a digital topographic base and a model of the geological structure of the studied area.

The past year 2022 has become not just a difficult one for everyone in our country, but a real challenge year. The tasks that it set for people and for business were often unique, but at the same time they required quick and adequate solutions. We talked about this with Ivan Anatolyevich Korolev, Financial Director of the JSC “IEPI” [JSC “Institute for Environmental Design and Surveys”].

The geotechnical laboratory of JSC “MOSTDORGEOTREST” often makes bright statements reconsidering the traditional ideas that have been well established in engineering geology and geotechnics. So today, our interlocutor Oleg Rostislavovich Ozmidov (president and scientific director of this laboratory) said that the well-known deformation modulus (E) is determined with the use of the Mohr-Coulomb model without taking into account a number of soil features. The consequences of this are huge economic losses when constructing the foundations of buildings and structures. In this regard, the laboratory of JSC “MOSTDORGEOTREST” has developed a new formula for calculating soil resistance in order to obtain a reliable value of the elastic deformation modulus (E), which can give a significant economic effect.

The reform of control and supervisory activities in construction is aimed at reducing the pressure of the administrative burden on entrepreneurs and at establishing understandable and transparent rules for conducting inspections. And the Federal Service for Environmental, Technological and Nuclear Supervision (Rostechnadzor), as a state construction supervision body, is still faced with the task of qualitatively and reliably preventing, detecting and deterring violations, including during the construction of nuclear energy facilities in accordance with the changed legislation. What key changes have taken place in the field of supervisory activities recently? This paper was first published in 2022 of № 4 of the journal "Vestnik gosudarstvennoy ekspertisy" ("Bulletin of State Expertise"). It is publishing in "Geolnfo" with the permission of the editorial board of the above-mentioned journal.