Examples of the economic influence of preglacial weathering and planation in Finland

Abstract

Mainly referring to his former studies, the writer discusses the significance of preglacial weathering and planation from the point of view of economic

utilization. The economic effects of weathering and planation are classified into six different categories: the formation of mineral raw materials, the decrease of the ore value, drawbacks in construction, the influence by way of topography on the feasibility of construction and on the occurrence of water, and the influence on geologic field‑study methods. In the case of the Päijänne‑Helsinki water‑conveyance tunnel, 120 km in length – the world's

longest tunnel in crystalline bedrock – the economic significance of the occurrence of preglacial weathered fracture zones is calculated to amount to at least several tens of millions of Finnish marks.