Warning system stone quarry Spitz

Task

Over decades in the former stone quarry Fehringer at Spitz in Lower Austria blue-grey to light-grey silicate marble was quarried. Wind, weather and freeze-thaw lead to regular release of rock chips at destabilised tear-off edges and therefore endanger the below lying traffic routes, road, railroad and bicycle track. To grant security to the public and to protect the traffic routes measures to defend those dangers have to be taken.

Solution

The protection measures against the yearly stone falls and smaller rock falls include:

• Raising and reinforcing of the existing security dam with a three meters high stone fall security fence (alarm fence)
• Creating new space for falling rocks by clearing of the existing rock-fall space
• Establishing of an alarm system for long-term dangers

Implementation

An alarm system is installed, which consists of three geophones, three fissurometers and an alarm fence with geophone. With the central data management, the collected measuring data are saved and can be retrieved from the responsible geologist via remote data transmission. In case of alarm the traffic light system is set to red light, the central fire brigade and the district police force are alarmed.

Further impressions