Sustainability Issue #3 June 2010

Geosciences are forgotten, in spite of the fact that they concern us all, says Lars Persson. They are to do with tunnels, rock caverns, metals in computers, jet engines, cars, TV sets, mobile telephones, gravel, sand and clay, energy, groundwater … Everything!

The National Committee for Geology under the direction of the Royal Academy of Science is working to ensure that geosciences are made part of the curriculum.

- We have not yet been successful in this, although progress has been made in Norway, and the subject is also part of physical geography in Danish secondary schools, says Lars Persson.

SGU and the other geoscientists in Sweden are nevertheless endeavouring to have contact with the schools by inviting the public, decision makers, teachers and pupils to Geology Day every year. And during the SGU research days in April 2010 there will be discussions of Swedish geoscientific research, associated, inter alia, with infrastructure investments.

Do not learn from our mistakes

Active zones with earthquakes and volcanic action occur along the tectonic plate boundaries. When Haiti and Chile were hit by earthquakes, it was evident how differently cities were built to stand up to a disaster.

- Destruction was extensive in Haiti where the capital is built on soft  rocks which "wrinkle" more easily when the earth moves, explains Lars Persson.

But the economy and politics of the countries are also important. There is a great  risk of earthquakes and landslides in Canada, USA and Japan also, but building regulations there are more stringent and there are greater opportunities to enforce compliance. Lars Persson further expands the global perspective:

- One great problem is that population growth is so rapid. By 2030 approximately 60 per cent of the world’s population will live in cities. In the global urbanisation, an increasing number of megacities are built, and these may be more or less vulnerable because they are often situated in geologically less favourable places.

- We in Sweden are lucky because we live on a stable rock shield, he continues. But even though we do not suffer from earthquakes, flooding, landslides and drought to the same extent as other countries, incidents occur even here.

Along certain lines in Sweden – such as the Norrland coast opposite the river Torne älv, near lakes Vänern and Vättern and in a zone right across Skåne, small scale eartquakes do occur. We have also had major flooding in recent years, when even the underground station in the Old Town of Stockholm was a hair’s breadth away from being filled with the waters of Lake Mälaren. We have areas prone to landslides in several places in Sweden, and the slides along the Göta River have caused both human and economc losses.

Parts of Lars Persson’s home town, Kristianstad, are only a few metres above sea level.

- It is all right after all, as long as we have foresight and take the proper measures, he says. But those who put up new buildings must not build in areas that are prone to landslides or flooding.

Do we learn from our mistakes, I wonder.

- No, we definitely do not, answers Lars Persosn.

Total knowledge in several dimensions

Lars Persson is a geologist and his thesis dealt with igneous and granitic rocks in Småland. When he started at SGU, the focus was on mapping the country’s geology. But work now is more community oriented and demand controlled.

- Today, we deal with issues relating to the environment, health, energy, infrastructure and natural resources, including groundwater. Contaminated ground is also an issue we deal with. We are also studying how rock material can be used for different purposes such as roads, railways and concrete, all with the intention to reduce waste of materials, energy and transport.

Land use must be planned much more carefully. Lars Persson knows what is needed:

- In all urban areas, we ought to have total knowledge of all the geology below us – about the rock, rock properties, fractrures, zones of movement, soil strata, soil properties, metals, water and water quality. We also need geotechnical information from core samples and drillings in order to contruct 3D or 5D models.

- Such total knowledge of what we call “transparent underground” makes conditions easier for future infrastructure projects and can save a lot of money, says Lars Persson.

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