The city of Agrinion in Western Greece is subjected to a high seismic risk due to the seismotectonic regime of the broader area, which adjoins to the convergence boundary of the African and Eurasian plates. The recent detailed geological survey revealed that the city is located on the northern border of a graben striking E-W, characterized by the presence of normal faults within the urban region. The broader area of the municipality of Agrinion consists of:
flysch formation including alternating layers of mainly sandstones and siltstones,
moderately cemented to loose conglomerates-breccia,
alluvial deposits and fans,
terrace deposits and
swamp deposits.
The geological program included the execution and the evaluation of the data of thirty boreholes, cone penetration tests (CPT), two cross-hole tests, standard penetration tests and laboratory testing. Based on the results of the above investigations, six geotechnical units were determined. According to the results of cross-hole tests, the seismic bedrock coincides with the flysch formation, exhibiting shear wave velocities greater than 700 m/sec. Finally the shear strength and deformability parameters of different geotechnical units were estimated, as well as the bearing capacity and settlement of shallow and deep foundations (piles) for these units were assessed.
The city of Agrinion is located in Western Greece being 160 km2 in extent and moderately populated with 50.000 inhabitants. The south-southwestern part of the city is a flat plain area, while the northern is a hilly or semi-mountainous one. Regarding the seismicity, the broader area of western Greece is characterized by high seismic activity, as it adjoins to the convergence boundary of the African and Eurasian lithospheric plates. In the context of seismic hazard mitigation of the area, a detailed study was carried out including geological, neotectonic, geotechnical and urban planning investigations.
