About the project
Urban development involves an increase in subsurface usage. Space is a limited commodity, especially in and near city centres, and suburban areas are often regulated as farmland and protected areas. As a consequence, infrastructure is made underground. In cities with limited sediment cover, the subsurface developments are characterised by extracting, transporting, and depositing a variety of rock types. Depending on their composition, these rocks are classified as anything from toxic waste to a resource that can be used in further construction work. In addition, near surface rocks are commonly full of fractures, causing problems related to water flow and fracture sealing.
Our main aim is to combine our expertise on geological processes to improve the sustainability of subsurface exploration and development. We use the Oslo area as a case study due to the unusual high scale of ongoing and future subsurface projects (e.g., water tunnels and railroad projects), and the need for combining basic research and sustainable development.
The project will contribute to UN sustainability goal 6 (“Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”), goal 9 (“Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”), goal 11 (“Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”), and goal 13 (“Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”).
Sustainable development goals (SDGs) adressed in this project
Objectives
The project will focus on two main themes that have implications for sustainability and urban development: Alum shale toxicity and improved geological understanding of fractures and water leakage in complex geological formations. Better geological understanding of various rocks such as lavas and black shale can improve local and regional sustainability of infrastructure development like tunnels for cars or trains.
We will collaborate closely with several of the main agencies in the field, and ensure sustainability-relevant knowledge transfer between academia and students, and planning and construction agencies like The Oslo municipality and agencies for building and construction.
Background
The 'Conquering the subsurface' project is part of the The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences’, University of Oslo' initiative on sustainability research. The research takes place within a broader thematic focus on volcanic and geological processes in the Oslo Rift, hosted by the Crustal processes section, Department of Geosciences.
The research on the project is mainly carried out by a Postdoc and one PhD. However, the project team consist of researchers from the Department of Geosciences and the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo.
Financing
The full name of the project is "Conquering the Sub-surface: The role of urban geology in sustainable development". The project is funded by The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo for 4 years, with project leader Henrik Svensen.
The project started in August 2023 with duration to August 2026.
Cooperation
The project is carried out with researchers from the Department of Geosciences and the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo in collaboration with geoscientists in these companies and public agencies:
- Statens vegvesen
- Nye veier
- Oslo kommune
- Skanska
- The Norwegian Institute for Water Research – NIVA
- Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo