Geology and surveying

26 November 2000
A rock and a hard place
A rock and a hard place

The various rock formations pose major challenges for the tunnel builders. In 2005 they run into hard gneiss in the Gotthard Base Tunnel near Faido. (2005, Alptransit Gotthard Ltd)

Precise knowledge of mountain structure and the qualities of rock are key to tunnel building. Geological findings influence the route the line takes, the driving operations, and ultimately the success of a project. At the Gotthard the steeply angled rock formations, mostly gneiss and granite, make things particularly difficult. Exploratory boring is carried out to investigate the more unstable Clavaniev zone and, especially, the Piora basin. The rock also needs to be continually analysed as the tunnel is being driven forwards. The results feed into geological models that are constantly updated.

« In general, the rocks are moderately favourable for tunnelling, the Triassic zones much less so. »

Federal Office of Transport, Preliminary geological report on the Splügen railway, p. 32, 28.02.1975

Drill your way through 57 kilometers of the Gotthard massif

Text: Dominik Osswald; Graphics: Michael Treuhardt; Programming: Ruedi Lüthi and Kaspar Manz , 2017 (Tages-Anzeiger)

Drill your way through 57 kilometers of the Gotthard massif

Text: Dominik Osswald; Graphics: Michael Treuhardt; Programming: Ruedi Lüthi and Kaspar Manz , 2017 (Tages-Anzeiger)

Drill your way through 57 kilometers of the Gotthard massif

Text: Dominik Osswald; Graphics: Michael Treuhardt; Programming: Ruedi Lüthi and Kaspar Manz , 2017 (Tages-Anzeiger)

6 metres

thickness of the rock above the Gotthard Base Tunnel at its thinnest point.

2300 metres

thickness of the rock above the Gotthard Base Tunnel at its thickest point.

90 geological fault zones

traversed by the Gotthard Base Tunnel.

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