Geological Hazards Research Team

In Hokkaido, there have been many rock slope failures such as Toyohama Tunnel in 1996 and Erimo Slope in 2004, threatening the life and property of residents and obstructing traffic and economic activities. In this situation, the team conducts research with a special focus on rock ground deterioration and the histories of collapses on rock slopes, which are outstanding issues for evaluating rock slope failures appropriately and taking effective countermeasures.

Recently, natural hazardous heavy metals such as arsenic and lead exceeding the environmental limits have been increasingly detected at construction sites for tunnel construction, etc. Appropriate evaluation and countermeasures are urgently needed. In this situation, the team conducts research to develop technologies for long-term hazards evaluation of heavy metals and highly accurate risk assessment technologies, in order to resolve the outstanding issues in evaluating and taking measures against these natural heavy metals.