Effect of Fault on the Physical Properties of the Ain Tabi Member: A Case Study of Al-Qwasim Mountain Road Slopes

Abstract

In 1983, the slopes of Al-Qwasim (Abu Ghaylan) were excavated to extend the mountain road leading to the Al-Qawasim city which resulted in the exposure of rock formations, including the Ain Tabi rock member characterized by the presence of fractures and joints, as well as a normal fault. The main research problem arose with the primary question: What is the effect of the fault on the stability of Ain Tabi rocks? Another question was whether the fault affects the engineering properties of the fracture and joint surfaces. The objective of answering these questions was to analyze the stability of the Ain Tabi rock slope. To achieve this objective, a field study was conducted, focusing on analysing the physical properties of the fracture and joint surfaces. The results indicated that the location affected by the fault contributed to the weakening of the slope, with a Rock Quality Designation value of 10%, indicating a state of severe weakness in the slope. On the other hand, the RQD value in the unaffected location was 91% and it had two fracture systems (S2, S1), unlike the fault-affected location, which had four systems. The study recommends removing unstable rocks at the location (L-R-A-23).