Research interests
Geohazards – landslides, sinkholes, landslides, collapses, etc. determination of distribution patterns, monitoring using remote sensing methods. Geohazard modelling and forecasting.
Annotation of the dissertation
The aim: Determine factors influencing the development of the karst process
Tasks:
1. Karstological (geophysical and remote surveys, tracers, etc.) studies of the karst region of Northern Lithuania;
2. Patterns of formation of karst collapses and determination of karst phenomena using remote and geophysical methods;
3. Anthropogenic factors causing the karst process;
4. The development of the karst under changing climate conditions;
5. Recommendations for sustainable land use in the karst area;
6. Parameterization of karst voids, volumetrics.
The karst region of Northern Lithuania is the territory in the municipalities of Biržai and Pasvalis districts and the northern and eastern parts of Panevėžys district and Radviliškis district municipalities. Sulphate karst processes are common in this area. Characteristic forms of karst are developed (sinkholes, collapses, fissures in rocks, etc.). Sulphate karst is related to the rocks of the Upper Devonian Tatula Formation that are laying near the surface. These rocks – gypsum, significantly less dolomite – are relatively water-soluble rocks. Due to the action of groundwater, these rocks (mainly gypsum) dissolve and form cavities. Over time, the top of the cavity, made up of Quaternary layers, collapses, forming a karst sinkhole.
Karst processes in the karst region of Northern Lithuania can cause a lot of damage: damaging engineering infrastructure, damaging structures or cause problems in various agricultural activities.
Main applied research methods:
1. Remote survey methods: LiDAR, drone photography, photogrammetry
2. Geophysical research: electrical resistivity tomography
3. Monitoring of karst phenomena.
- Satkūnas J., Gregorauskienė V., Kanopienė R., Mikulėnas V., Minkevičius V., Šačkus V., Šlauteris A. 2011. Man-made formations and geopollution: state of knowledge in Lithuania = Geologija. -. – Vol. 53, No. 1(73). – P. 36-44
- Čyžienė J., Minkevičius V., Mikulėnas V., Satkūnas J. 2012. Results of persistent scatterer interferometry of the new planned Visaginas Nuclear Power Plant area, Lithuania. Geologija. – – Vol. 54, No. 4 (80). – P. 136-154
- Graniczny M., Čyžienė J., van Leijen F., Minkevičius V., Mikulėnas V., Satkūnas J., Przylucka M., Kowalski Z., Uścinowicz S., Jegliński W., Hanssen R. 2015. Vertical ground movements in the Polish and Lithuanian Baltic coastal area as measured by satellite interferometry. Baltica. – Vol. 28, No. 2. – P. 65-80
- Auflič, M. J., Herrera, G., Mateos, R. M., Poyiadji, E., Quental, L., Severine, B., Peternel, T., Podolszki, L., Calcaterra, S., Kociu, A., Warmuz, B., Jelének, J., Hadjicharalambous, K., Becher, G. P., Dashwood, C., Ondrus, P., Minkevičius, V., Todorović, S., Møller, J. J., & Marturia, J. 2023. Landslide monitoring techniques in the Geological Surveys of Europe. Landslides. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-022-02007-1
- Milkulėnas, V., Minkevičius, V., & Satkūnas, J. (2017). Gediminas’s Castle Hill (in Vilnius) Case: Slopes Failure Through Historical Times Until Present BT – Advancing Culture of Living with Landslides (M. Mikoš, V. Vilímek, Y. Yin, & K. Sassa (eds.); pp. 69–76). Springer International Publishing.
- Taminskas, J., Mikulenas, V., Satkunas, J. and Minkevicius, V. Trends of development of karstic landscape due to climate factors – case of Lithuania. In Börner, A., Hüneke, H., Lorenz, S. (Eds.) (2019): Field Symposium of the INQUA PeriBaltic Working Group “From Weichselian ice-sheet dynamics to holocene land use development in Western Pomerania and Mecklenburg”: abstract volume, (Scientific Technical Report; 19/01), International Field Symposium of the INQUA PeriBaltic Working Group (Greifswald 2019), Potsdam : GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences. DOI: http://doi.org/10.2312/GFZ.b103-19012
Minkevičius V., Lozovskis, S., Mikulėnas, V., Satkūnas, J. (2021). Tracer tests and Electrical Resistivity Tomography for Karst Investigation in North Lithuania. 79th International Scientific Conference of the University of Latvia. https://www.konference79.lu.lv/ - Minkevičius V., Taminskas J., Mikulėnas V., Satkūnas J. & Danielius S. 2022. Karst development intensity – the case of the North Lithuania. Geosciences for a sustainable future. CONGRESSO SGI-SIMP 2022. Torino. Abstract book.
Danielius S., Minkevičius V., Mikulėnas V., Satkūnas J. 2022. Application of airborne photogrammetry for the monitoring of the karst phenomena. Quaternary of the Eastern Baltic Region. Excursion guide and abstracts of international field symposium, 10-15 September 2022, Vilnius, Lithuania / Eds: V. Šeirienė and A. Bitinas. Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, 2022. - Satkūnas J., Minkevičius V., Guobytė R., Baubinienė A., Linkevičienė, R. Taminskas J. 2022. Terrain ruggedness index (TRI) and slope angles (SA) of landforms of insular and marginal morainic highlands (based on the lidar data) of the Last and Pre-last glaciations, case of Lithuania. Quaternary of the Eastern Baltic Region. Excursion guide and abstracts of international field symposium, 10-15 September 2022, Vilnius, Lithuania / Eds: V. Šeirienė and A. Bitinas. Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, 2022.
- Minkevičius V., Danielius S., Mikulėnas V., Satkūnas J. (2023). Semi-automatic karst sinkhole detection from digital elevation or surface models. 81st International Scientific Conference of the University of Latvia. https://www.konference81.lu.lv/