Abstract
Beneath most of Inner Copenhagen, the top of the Danian Limestone is situated between 10 and 15 m below the surface. For underground works, or indeed any form of construction that requires a deep foundation, a detailed knowledge of the character and variation in the quality of the limestone is therefore very important. The Copenhagen area has been covered by thick glaciers a number of times during at least four glacial stages in the Quaternary period. The Danian Limestone is therefore overlain by till deposits and meltwater deposits above which is a substantial layer of fill. The paper describes the bedrock and Quaternary geology and man's activities over the last 900 years. This has contributed to the development of the city, much of which is constructed on placed fill. The growing town expanded by filling areas formerly covered by the sea. A knowledge of the history of the city is therefore considered essential information for the engineering geologist/geotechnical engineer when designing the investigation for projects to be undertaken in the area of the old city.
Résumé
Sous la partie centrale de Copenhague, le sommet du Calcaire danois se trouve entre 10 et 15 m de profondeur. Pour les travaux souterrains, et tout type de construction qui nécessite des fondations profondes, une connaissance détaillée des caractéristiques du calcaire et de leur variabilité est de ce fait très importante. La région de Copenhague a été couverte par d'épais glaciers à plusieurs reprises pendant au moins quatre périodes glaciaires au Quaternaire. Le Calcaire danois est ainsi recouvert par des dépôts morainiques et des dépôts fluvio-glaciaires au-dessus desquels un niveau de remblais est présent. L'article décrit le substratum et les dépôts quaternaires, ainsi que les activités anthropiques durant les 900 dernières années. Celles-ci ont conduit au développement de la ville, dont la plupart des édifices sont construits sur des remblais rapportés. L'extension de la ville s'est réalisée en remblayant des surfaces anciennement occupées par la mer. La connaissance du développement historique de la ville est ainsi essentielle pour les ingénieurs-géologues et géotechniciens qui doivent définir les méthodes de reconnaissance du sous-sol nécessaires aux projets conduits dans la vieille ville.
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Acknowledgements
The authors want to express their gratitude to Henning Kryger Hansen for valuable discussions and suggestions for improvement of the text.
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Frederiksen, J.K., Brendstrup, J., Eriksen, F.S. et al. Engineering geology of Copenhagen. Bull Eng Geol Environ 62, 189–206 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-003-0189-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-003-0189-2