Rocks Fall in the Cape Aokas (Bsjaia): Geological Study Contribution and Reinforcement of the Rocky Slope

Abstract

The Cape Aokas situated in the oriental coastal region of Béjaïa city (Algeria). The cape takes its origin from the babor mountain chain to the Mediterranean Sea along the Aokas city. Its relief is characterized by abrupt slopes. On May 9th, 2005 rocks fall in large mass (20,000 to 30,000m3) from one of the walls constituting the cape, blocked traffic on a busy road (RN° 9) at the entrance of Aokas city. The excavation work of fallen rocks was quickly undertaken by the authorities: 23 days after the rock fall, the road was reopened to traffic. The topometric monitoring was be implemented between April and September 2014 during the summer. The reflection was started to find the best way to strength permanently the rocky slope. In this paper, we present a comparison between the stabilizing system applied to the rocky slope and an optimization proposal in both following cases: without earthquake and under reference earthquake solicitation.