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The Archaeological Site of Delphi, Greece: a Site Vulnerable to Earthquakes, Rockfalls and Landslides

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Landslides

Abstract

Seismotectonic activity and slope instability are a permanent threat to the archaeological site of Delphi and the nearby Arachova Center of winter sports in central Greece. In this paper the geological conditions as well as the major active faults of the broader area are presented and discussed, with emphasis on the stability of the limestone cliffs above the Delphi archaeological site. The archaeological site is located in a complicated geological environment, while the steep rock slopes overhanging the Delphi monuments are intensively fractured. These unfavorable conditions cause deformation, displacements, rotations and partial destruction of the monuments, triggered mainly by seismic events. Protection measures are proposed, taking in to account that any construction must not disturb the view of the site. Any intervention must be preceded by detailed mapping of the rock joints and discontinuity planes as well as study of free and underground water drainage.

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Correspondence to Paul Marinos .

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© 2005 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Marinos, P., Rondoyanni, T. (2005). The Archaeological Site of Delphi, Greece: a Site Vulnerable to Earthquakes, Rockfalls and Landslides. In: Sassa, K., Fukuoka, H., Wang, F., Wang, G. (eds) Landslides. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-28680-2_31

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