The construction of new cities on greenfield sites is one option to addressing pressures of population growth in developing countries. Amaravati is one of the planned capitals of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and is being built on the banks of the Krishna River in eastern India.
Fieldwork in Amaravati. BGS © UKRI.
Building a new city provides an opportunity to gather detailed geological data before urbanisation, giving planners tools to understand how infrastructure will interact with soils and rocks and allowing us to capture baseline data to monitor environmental change.
BGS scientists have been working with the government of Andhra Pradesh to capture geological data from boreholes and excavations, using rapid geophysical reconnaissance techniques to help build up a detailed 3D understanding of the proposed city’s geology.
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