Determination of Susceptibility to the Generation of Discontinuities Related to Land Subsidence Using the Frequency Ratio Method in the City of Aguascalientes, Mexico

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The article provides a comprehensive and detailed method for determining the susceptibility of an area to the generation of fractures related to land subsidence, specifically in the city of Aguascalientes in Mexico. The method uses the frequency ratio (FR) technique and variables associated with the formation of fractures, including the depth of the basement, subsidence rate, subsidence gradient, and groundwater level drawdown. your manuscript presents an interesting and valuable contribution to the study of land subsidence and fracture susceptibility. The paper requires to go through a minor revision before publication. I invite the authors to modify their manuscript according to the below comments.

 

①    While the method for determining the susceptibility of an area to the generation of fractures related to land subsidence using the FR technique and variables associated with the formation of fractures appears to be sound, I have concerns about the limited number of variables used in the analysis. Have you considered the inclusion of other variables, such as geological characteristics and rock properties?

 

 

②    I would like to see more discussion and justification for the choice to create only three categories of susceptibility instead of the commonly used five categories. 

Minor editing of English language required

Author Response

Response to Reviewer 1 Comments

Reviewer 1, thank you very much for your review of this work. Below, we will address the comments you made

Point 1: While the method for determining the susceptibility of an area to the generation of fractures related to land subsidence using the FR technique and variables associated with the formation of fractures appears to be sound, I have concerns about the limited number of variables used in the analysis. Have you considered the inclusion of other variables, such as geological characteristics and rock properties?

 

Response 1: You express concern about only including four variables in the analysis. The four variables considered are the main ones involved in the cracking due to subsidence process, which is why only those were included. On the other hand, your comment regarding the inclusion of more variables such as geological characteristics and rock properties is also important. However, in this study, those variables were not included because the study area is located on the same material, so there are no variations to consider. The text explaining this can be found starting from line 151 to 153 on page 4. (“Changes in lithology, which is also an important variable for the formation of discontinuities, were not considered in this research as there is only one type of material within the study área”)

Point 2: I would like to see more discussion and justification for the choice to create only three categories of susceptibility instead of the commonly used five categories.

 

Response 2: You express your interest in seeing more about the decision to create only 3 classes instead of the common 5. The decision to consider 3 categories (moderate, high, and very high) was based on the fact that the study area is entirely located on a single type of deformable material. You can find this explanation on page 8, starting from line 245 to 249. (The zoning for susceptibility to cracking in this research coincides with the zoning for subsidence hazard proposed by Pacheco-Martínez et al. in 2015 [34]. This is because the study area falls within the moderate and high zones proposed by Pacheco-Martínez. In addition, the study explains that areas with zero hazard are only found in locations where there are no materials with consolidation potential.)

Reviewer 2 Report

The work submitted to me for evaluation is interesting and has publication potential. However, authors should correct the manuscript before its eventual publication. I would like to ask, first of all, what is the novelty in the presented work, in relation to previous findings? The literature review and the introduction to the problem in relation to other regions are weak. The subject of damage to infrastructure as a result of land subsidence caused by hard coal mining was raised, for example, in several areas in Europe or Asia. E.g.

Solarski, M., Machowski, R., Rzetala, M. et al. Hypsometric changes in urban areas resulting from multiple years of mining activity. Sci Rep. 12, 2982 (2022).

Nadudvari, Adam. "Using radar interferometry and SBAS technique to detect surface subsidence relating to coal mining in Upper Silesia from 1993-2000 and 2003-2010" Environmental & Socio-economic Studies, vol.4, no.1, 2016, pp.24-34.

Wang, H. M., Wang, Y., Jiao, X. & Qian, G. R. Risk management of land subsidence in Shanghai. Desalin. Water Treat. 52(4–6), 1122–1129.

Chaussard, E., Amelung, F., Abidin, H. & Hong, S. H. Sinking Cities in Indonesia: ALOS-PALSAR detects rapid subsidence due to groundwater and gas extraction. Remote Sens. Environ. 128, 150–161.

The introduction should be supplemented and the literature review enriched.

With minor fixes it is missing a keyword relating to the geolocation of the study area.

Author Response

Thank you very much for your comments. I would like to clarify the observations made.

Point 1: The work submitted to me for evaluation is interesting and has publication potential. However, authors should correct the manuscript before its eventual publication. I would like to ask, first of all, what is the novelty in the presented work, in relation to previous findings? The literature review and the introduction to the problem in relation to other regions are weak. The subject of damage to infrastructure as a result of land subsidence caused by hard coal mining was raised, for example, in several areas in Europe or Asia. E.g.

 

• Solarski, M., Machowski, R., Rzetala, M. et al. Hypsometric changes in urban areas resulting from multiple years of mining activity. Sci Rep. 12, 2982 (2022).
• Nadudvari, Adam. "Using radar interferometry and SBAS technique to detect surface subsidence relating to coal mining in Upper Silesia from 1993-2000 and 2003-2010" Environmental & Socio-economic Studies, vol.4, no.1, 2016, pp.24-34.
• Wang, H. M., Wang, Y., Jiao, X. & Qian, G. R. Risk management of land subsidence in Shanghai. Desalin. Water Treat. 52(4–6), 1122–1129.
• Chaussard, E., Amelung, F., Abidin, H. & Hong, S. H. Sinking Cities in Indonesia: ALOS-PALSAR detects rapid subsidence due to groundwater and gas extraction. Remote Sens. Environ. 128, 150–161.

The introduction should be supplemented and the literature review enriched.

With minor fixes, it is missing a keyword relating to the geolocation of the study area.

 

Response 1: The importance of this study lies in the application of a methodology for creating maps of terrain cracking susceptibility due to overexploitation of groundwater. Nowadays, there are no maps available for mitigating risks associated with this danger. As you mentioned, there is a great deal of research on susceptibility to subsidence, but there is little to no research available on cracking due to overexploitation of groundwater.

Regarding the literature you recommended, we could not include it in this study as it focuses on subsidence caused by mining extraction, which is not the case being studied in this research.

Reviewer 3 Report

Dear editor,

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to revise the manuscript entitled “Determination of susceptibility to the generation of discontinuities related to land subsidence using the frequency ratio method in the City of Aguascalientes, Mexico” by Hugo Luna-Villavicencio and his/her colleagues that was submitted to “Remote sensing”.

This paper proposes a model that can be used to predict the probability of surface cracking due to land subsidence. The prediction model is based on frequency ratio method, and it is a targeted prediction model based on the prediction of land fractures in the City of Aguascalientes, México. The model was built using data from 2010 and successfully predicted the distribution of fracture zone sensitivity in 2022.

In general, it is an interesting work with certain academic values. In addition, this work is of great value to the local urban development and planning. However, there are still some problems need to be revised before manuscript being accepted.

Comments 1:

The language of this manuscript needs further revision. It is recommended to reduce lengthy subordinate clauses. It is recommended to use clear and concise expressions, which will make the reader read more smoothly

 

Comments 2:

Line 130: It was mentioned in line 130 that variables’ value was divided into classes to simplify the analysis. What criteria did you use to classify the values of the variables? What is the reason for this classification?

 

Comments 3:

Line 174: The names in Figure 3-a are inconsistent (Line174 and Line176). Consistency is recommended.

 

Comments 4:

Line 192: The text mentioned that groundwater variables are classified into 4 classes, but the classification of groundwater variables in Figure 3-d was 3 classes. Please check and be consistent.

In addition, does the level of detail of the classification for the same variable have an impact on the prediction accuracy of the model? If so, how do you consider the balance between simplified calculations and prediction accuracy?

 

Comments 5:

 

Line 197: It was mentioned that the red line represents the Aguascalientes Valley. However, this is not consistent with what is represented in the figure 4. Please check and revised.

The language of this manuscript needs further revision. It is recommended to reduce lengthy subordinate clauses. It is recommended to use clear and concise expressions, which will make the reader read more smoothly.

Author Response

Thank you very much for your comments. I will respond to the comments you have made.

Point 1: The language of this manuscript needs further revision. It is recommended to reduce lengthy subordinate clauses. It is recommended to use clear and concise expressions, which will make the reader read more smoothly

Response 1: We have reviewed the text and have been able to make improvements. We hope you like them.

Point 2: Line 130: It was mentioned in line 130 that variables’ value was divided into classes to simplify the analysis. What criteria did you use to classify the values of the variables? What is the reason for this classification?

Response 2: We mentioned that the analysis was divided into classes to simplify the analysis. It was clear that the text was not clear enough, so we decided to add a more extensive explanation. For all variables, we tried with different numbers of classes to find a relationship between the frequency ratio and the classes. For this study, the variables were divided into 3 and 4 classes, which can be found on page 4, line 133 to 136. (We determined the number of classes into which each variable was divided by testing different numbers of classes and attempting to find a trend between the classes and RF. For this study, we divided the variables into 3 to 4 classes.)

Point 3: Line 174: The names in Figure 3-a are inconsistent (Line 174 and Line 176). Consistency is recommended.

Response 3: we corrected the inconsistency between the figures' legend and the text. We reviewed the figures to avoid this type of error. Which can be found on page 5, line 184. (Bedrock depth)

Point 4: Line 192: The text mentioned that groundwater variables are classified into 4 classes, but the classification of groundwater variables in Figure 3-d was 3 classes. Please check and be consistent.

In addition, does the level of detail of the classification for the same variable have an impact on the prediction accuracy of the model? If so, how do you consider the balance between simplified calculations and prediction accuracy?

Response 4: you referred to an error regarding an inconsistency between figure 3-d and the text. We have corrected it, and it can be found on page 6, line 200. Additionally, you asked if the level of detail for the variable classification has an impact on the prediction accuracy of the model. This is one of the future challenges for the implementation of this methodology. The better the data, the better the results. This was explained on page 13, line 390 to 397. To try to eliminate inaccuracies in the variables, we considered the limits resulting from an analysis of the data distribution shown on page 7, from line 219 to 227.

Point 5: Line 197: It was mentioned that the red line represents the Aguascalientes Valley. However, this is not consistent with what is represented in the figure 4. Please check and revised.

Response 5: You pointed out an error in the symbology of figure 5. We have modified this figure by adding more information in the symbology. We have also modified the text on page 6, from line 205.

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

The authors ignored my comments regarding the enrichment of the literature review, so I maintain my opinion about the need to make major corrections (apart from rejecting the items I proposed regarding subsidence in mining areas).

Regards

Author Response

Thank you very much for your comments. We have reviewed the manuscript, and you are right about the recommendations. We have implemented the suggested changes.

Ponit 1:

The work submitted to me for evaluation is interesting and has publication potential. However, authors should correct the manuscript before its eventual publication. I would like to ask, first of all, what is the novelty in the presented work, in relation to previous findings? The literature review and the introduction to the problem in relation to other regions are weak. The subject of damage to infrastructure as a result of land subsidence caused by hard coal mining was raised, for example, in several areas in Europe or Asia. E.g.

• Solarski, M., Machowski, R., Rzetala, M. et al. Hypsometric changes in urban areas resulting from multiple years of mining activity. Sci Rep. 12, 2982 (2022).
• Nadudvari, Adam. "Using radar interferometry and SBAS technique to detect surface subsidence relating to coal mining in Upper Silesia from 1993-2000 and 2003-2010" Environmental & Socio-economic Studies, vol.4, no.1, 2016, pp.24-34.
• Wang, H. M., Wang, Y., Jiao, X. & Qian, G. R. Risk management of land subsidence in Shanghai. Desalin. Water Treat. 52(4–6), 1122–1129.
• Chaussard, E., Amelung, F., Abidin, H. & Hong, S. H. Sinking Cities in Indonesia: ALOS-PALSAR detects rapid subsidence due to groundwater and gas extraction. Remote Sens. Environ. 128, 150–161.

The introduction should be supplemented and the literature review enriched.

Response 1:

We carefully review the contributions of the articles:

• Solarski, M., Machowski, R., Rzetala, M. et al. Hypsometric changes in urban areas resulting from multiple years of mining activity. Sci Rep. 12, 2982 (2022).
• Nadudvari, Adam. "Using radar interferometry and SBAS technique to detect surface subsidence relating to coal mining in Upper Silesia from 1993-2000 and 2003-2010" Environmental & Socio-economic Studies, vol.4, no.1, 2016, pp.24-34.
• Chaussard, E., Amelung, F., Abidin, H. & Hong, S. H. Sinking Cities in Indonesia: ALOS-PALSAR detects rapid subsidence due to groundwater and gas extraction. Remote Sens. Environ. 128, 150–161

These articles address the issue of subsidence caused by mining.

The first article provides a detailed description of changes in land elevation due to mining, primarily coal mining.

The second article describes the application of remote sensing techniques for identifying areas of subsidence caused by coal extraction.

The third article uses remote sensing techniques to identify areas with subsidence associated with gas extraction.

 

None of these three articles address the issue of defining susceptibility or hazard maps for subsidence. Additionally, the mechanism of solid mining is different from the mechanism of subsidence caused by groundwater extraction, so we did not consider them in the review of the literature presented in the introduction.

 

The article:

 

• Wang, H. M., Wang, Y., Jiao, X., & Qian, G. R. Risk management of land subsidence in Shanghai. Desalin. Water Treat. 52(4–6), 1122–1129.

 

Describes a methodology for developing a risk map for land subsidence due to groundwater extraction. The assessment of risk involves the use of two factors, one related to hazards and another related to vulnerability.

 

In the manuscript, we have included this reference as one of the previous works that have contributed knowledge in generating hazard maps for land subsidence (page 2 line 55). Additionally, we have enriched the introduction by adding other articles that we were aware of, which have previously addressed the issue of defining subsidence maps, but were left out in the initial version of the manuscript (page 2 line 54).

Point 2:

With minor fixes it is missing a keyword relating to the geolocation of the study area.

 

Response 2:

The keyword "Aguascalientes Valley" was added to increase the search results when looking for topics related to the study area. Page 1 line 31-32.

Reviewer 3 Report

I am satisfied with the revised version. This research work is of great practical significance. It is hoped that the author can obtain better data to improve the current model, so as to better apply it to the prediction of discontinuities generation.

Author Response

Thank you very much for your review¡