ALBERT

Description: Nitrate is a common pollutant in surface water and groundwater of agricultural areas. It is essential to monitor this pollutant in groundwater, especially when it is used for drinking purposes without treatment. The present study was carried out in an intensively irrigated area which forms a part of Nalgonda district, Andhra Pradesh, India where groundwater meets all the water needs of the rural population living in this area. The objective was to assess the spatiotemporal variation in the concentration of nitrate in groundwater and soil. Based on the analysis of 496 groundwater samples collected from 45 wells over a period of 2 years from March 2008 to January 2010 by sampling every 2 months, it was observed that groundwater in 242 km 2 of the total 724 km 2 area had nitrate above the maximum permissible limit of 45 mg/l for drinking purposes. Nitrate concentration in groundwater showed a positive relation with potassium, chloride, and sulfate, indicating their source from fertilizers. Reasons for the high concentration of nitrate in domestic areas were the dumping of animal wastes and leakage from septic tanks. The pH of the soil samples showed that most of the area had basic soil. Apart from pH, organic carbon, available phosphorous, available potassium, ammoniacal nitrogen, and nitrate nitrogen were also analyzed in the 97 soil samples.

Description: Nearly 108-km lengths of Mersin shores are composed of natural beaches. The region is located between major tourist centers. In the future, this region is thought to be built with a great number of tourist facilities. Turkey’s largest seaport, Ataş refinery (Mersin International Port) is located in Mersin. Recently, Mersin is becoming of great importance to Turkey as the latter plans to construct its second nuclear power plant in the region. Therefore, as nuclear power plants are built to withstand environmental hazards, it is very important to analyze the seismic risk of the areas where the nuclear power plant will be constructed. The region is located between the East Anatolian Fault Zone and Center Anatolian Fault Zone. Based on the Turkey Earthquake Regions Map, Mersin is divided into second-, third-, and fourth-degree earthquake regions. In this study, we sampled earthquakes of magnitude of 4.0 or greater between 01 Jan 1900 and 31 Dec 2010 in the area; seismic hazard of Mersin province was estimated with probabilistic and statistical methods. The study area was selected as the coordinates between 36.03° and 37.42° North and 32.57° and 35.16° East. On the study area, different scaled magnitude values in the last 110 years converted to a common scale (Mw) and earthquake catalog was re-compiled and also seismic sources that may affect the area was determined. In this study, the seismic hazards of the region were obtained using the methods of probability and statistics. This study used three different attenuation relationships. Using the attenuation relationships suggested by Boore et al. (Seismol Res Lett 68(1):128–153, 1997 ) and Kalkan and Gülkan (Earthquake Spectra 20:1111–1138, 2004 ), the largest ground acceleration which corresponds to a recurrence period of 475 years was found as 0.08–0.09 g and Akkar and Çağnan (Bull Seismol Soc Am 100 6:2978–2995, 2010 ), 0.04 g for bedrock at the central district. When computing for seismic hazard curves, Mut district appears to have a greater seismic hazard compared with other districts. Moreover, according to the attenuation relationships, seismic hazard curves corresponding to a recurrence period of 475 years were obtained for the Mersin Central, Mut, Erdemli, Çamlıyayla, and Tarsus districts.

Description: This research work has an objective to determine the effective variables in socioeconomic category of Integrated Water Resources Management for Saf-Saf river basin characterized by fast growing demand of urban and rural populations and the demand of economic sectors including industry and agriculture. In this paper, the artificial neural network models were used to model and predict the relationship between water resources mobilization and socioeconomic variables in the Saf-Saf river basin. The study area chosen is Saf-Saf river basin and real data were collected from 30 municipalities for reference year 2010. The results indicate that the feed-forward multilayer perceptron models with back-propagation are useful tools to define and prioritize the most effective variable on water resources mobilization and use. The model evaluation shows that the correlation coefficients are more than 94 % for training, verification, and testing data. The model aims to link the water resources mobilization and driving forces variables with the objective to strengthen the Integrated Water Resources Management approach.

Description: Gazestan phosphate ore deposit (Central Iran) is an apatite deposit which is instrumental in selecting the method of excavation. The position of fault systems and the condition of rock quality also play a role in the method used for mineral resources and ore reserves estimation. Conversely, the Rock Quality Designation (RQD) is a parameter that provides a quantitative judgment of rock mass quality obtained from drill cores. This factor can be applied to detect the fractured zones which occur due to fault systems. Additionally, the faulted areas can be determined by surface geological map and a few by core drilling. Some of the faulted areas are not distinguishable in the surface and are covered by soils, especially within 3D modeling and visualization. In this study, an attempt has been made to establish a relationship between the RQD percentages which were geostatistically simulated and faulted areas through the region. In comparison, the results showed that low RQD domains (RQD 〈20 %) can be interpreted as fault zones; high RQD domains (RQD 〉50 %) correspond to less fractured areas, and the contact between high and low RQD domain is gradual. Therefore, this categorization of RQD domains can be incorporated to detect the faulted zones in 3D models for mine design. Based on the categorization, the uncertainty within the area was calculated to introduce two new core drilling points for the completion of this phase of exploratory grid from the fault structural viewpoint, in order to have a proper model of ore reserve to estimate. It was concluded that this procedure can be utilized for conceptual comprehension of fault trends in 3D modeling for the method selection of excavation and complete the estimation procedure phase.

Description: Morphometric analysis using remote sensing (RS) and geographical information system (GIS), in the recent study, has become an efficient method in the assessment of groundwater potential of a river basin. The present study focused on the morphometric analysis of Araniar river basin using RS and GIS techniques in the identification of groundwater potential zones for effective planning and management of groundwater resources of the basin. The study area was divided into six subbasins for the purpose of micro-level morphometric analysis. The main stream of the basin is of fifth order and drainage patterns of subbasins are mostly of dendritic and parallel type. Based on the linear, areal and relief parameters of subbasins, the groundwater potential zones of the basin were identified and the results substantiated with geomorphology map derived from RS data. The elongated shape, favourable drainage network, permeable geologic formation and low relief of the subbasins WS3, WS5 and WS6 make them the promising groundwater potential zones of Araniar river basin. The statistical analysis and overlay analysis of the morphometric parameters also indicated the subbasins WS3, WS5 and WS6 as high groundwater potential zones. The groundwater potential zone map when overlaid with groundwater fluctuation map indicated the suitable sites for artificial recharge structures.

Description: Soil erosion is one of the most serious land degradation problems and the primary environmental issue in Mediterranean regions. Estimation of soil erosion loss in these regions is often difficult due to the complex interplay of many factors such as climate, land uses, topography, and human activities. The purpose of this study is to apply the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to predict surface runoff generation patterns and soil erosion hazard and to prioritize most degraded sub-catchment in order to adopt the appropriate management intervention. The study area is the Sarrath river catchment (1,491 km 2 ), north of Tunisia. Based on the estimated soil loss rates, the catchment was divided into four priority categories for conservation intervention. Results showed that a larger part of the watershed (90 %) fell under low and moderate soil erosion risk and only 10 % of the watershed was vulnerable to soil erosion with an estimated sediment loss exceeding 10 t ha −1  year −1 . Results indicated that spatial differences in erosion rates within the Sarrath catchment are mainly caused by differences in land cover type and gradient slope. Application of the SWAT model demonstrated that the model provides a useful tool to predict surface runoff and soil erosion hazard and can successfully be used for prioritization of vulnerable areas over semi-arid catchments.

Description: The Makran accretionary wedge has a much larger number of mud volcanoes then those reported earlier. Using high-resolution satellite images, over 70 active mud volcanoes were identified. These mud volcanoes occur within a well-defined zone; we call it the Makran zone of active mud volcanoes (MZAMV), which is parallel to the regional trend of the accretionary wedge. Mud volcanoes within the zone occur as clusters, which form linear belts parallel to the regional thrusts associated with anticlines. The MZAMV zone also includes the offshore mud volcanoes occurring in the shallow shelf area, including the recurrently emerging mud islands. Several occurrences of thick deposits of old mud volcanoes (Pleistocene or even older) are also present within this zone, which also display recognizable features that are characteristic of the fossil mud volcanoes. We propose that the MZAMV developed and evolved in response to the continued compression within the Makran accretionary wedge, which in turn, is a response of the subduction process. Mud diapirism has been an ongoing phenomena since Pleistocene or even earlier. The events of enhanced mud extrusion in mud volcanoes and/or emergence of island(s) have relevance with seismic phenomena and, therefore, may be closely monitored.

Description: Recently, new theories on underground geophysical and geochemical interactions which had been reported to occur during the preparation stages of earthquakes and the remotely measurable variations have been put to test and some warning factors were suggested as earthquake precursors. Data vendors are providing daily basis information from the earth's surface by combining remote sensing data and in situ observations. In this paper, we analyze atmospheric, oceanic, and surface changes in the ocean, coast, and land lying near the epicenters of two recent major earthquakes. The changes are studied in terms of the regional fault locations which have been reported by the U.S. Geological Survey as the shake triggering geological structures. Our detailed analyses showed anomalous increases of surface latent heat flux (SLHF) for both the earthquakes. Meaningfully limited to the geographical extents of the regional active faults, the SLHF variation patterns suggest pre-seismic activity 2–3 weeks before the main events. The agreement of these variations with abnormalities in other climatic and surface factors like relative humidity and temperature represents an unusual situation during the same period as well. Spatiotemporal variations of chlorophyll- a was also studied as another earthquake indicator. Abnormal rises in these factors are possibly caused by the formation of micro-cracks, heat production, evaporation, ionization, and upwelling of nutrient-rich water produced by pre-seismic activity prior to the main events.

Description: A complete and homogeneous magnitude earthquake catalogue spanning the period 1900 to 2010 was created. The catalogue covers the area 29° to 37.5° N and 39° to 48° E. Entries in the new earthquake catalogue were cross checked and additions made from various sources of earthquake records to ensure that repetitions are not included in this analysis. Events were considered duplicates if they had a time difference of 10 s or less and space origin difference of 0.5° or less. In a given set of duplicate events, an event, which had a magnitude and International Seismological Center source, was retained as the record of the event. The unified magnitude scale, the moment magnitude ( M w ), was applied throughout the catalogue. The M w for 18 events was reported. The M w for other events was estimated using empirical relations between m b , M s , M L , and M w . Magnitude of completeness, M c , was estimated using the maximum curvature. It was 4.3 M w . Finally, a list of 213 events from 1900 to 2010 with M w  ≥ 4.3 is presented. The list is considered complete for the period from 1962 to 2010.

Description: Dammam Dome is an oval-shaped structure that covers an area of about 500 km 2 and encompasses Al Khobar, Al Dhahran and part of Ad Dammam cities, east of Saudi Arabia. The dome characterizes by the presence of well developed fractures system that exposes at its apex and extends to its peripheries. Based on their size, trend and extent, fractures within Dammam Dome are divided into three types: regional (major) fractures, local (minor) fractures and very small size-localized fractures. This study discusses the criteria used in classifying those fractures, and the relationship of the regional (major) ones to the doming process. A model for the trends pattern of fracture is suggested for those fractures, and examined with the concentric and radial fracture pattern associated normally with dome structures. The suggested model is compatible and concordant with the dome model, which proves that the major fractures in the area are related to the dome emplacement and process. Outcomes and findings of this study are crucial for understanding the behavior and distribution of fractures associated with domes. Additionally, the suggested model of fractures and their trend pattern is important model in similar setting for hydrocarbon exploration and for any urban development and major constructions within the Dome vicinities.

Description: For studying recent crustal movements and their relation to earthquake occurrence in large scales, the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG), Helwan, Cairo, Egypt started in 2006 the establishment of the Egyptian Permanent GPS Network (EPGN). Beginning with 4 stations in 2007, 15 stations were operational at the end of 2011. In addition, a station in Alexandria of the French “Centre d'Études Alexandrines” (CEALX) was added as station to the EPGN. Nowadays, 16 stations are operational and an extension to 20 in the near future is expected. The collected EPGN data of the last 6 years are used in this work to throw light upon the present state of recent crustal movement of the whole of Egypt. Bernese software V. 5.0 was used for processing the collected data according to the IGS standards. In addition, selected IGS, AFREF, and EPN sites are processed for reference frame definition. In this first comprehensive analysis of the permanent network, a complete and consistent evaluation resulted in the first estimates of present day horizontal velocities and coordinate time series.

Description: The organic matter content of the Paleocene Aaliji Formation has been studied from the Qm-1 well in the Qumar Oil Field, NE Iraq. A palynofacies analysis revealed the obvious domination of amorphous organic matter (AOM) in the samples studied in addition to the different ratios of palynomorphs, phytoclasts and opaque organic material. The deposition of the various percentages of organic matter components and types of palynomorphs appear to have occurred in a proximal suboxic–anoxic basinal environment. The samples analysed showed relatively low percentages of total organic carbon, indicating a generally poor source rock. The thermal alteration index for the palynomorphs (dinoflagellates) observed and identified ranged between 2, 2+ and 3−, indicating an immature to early stage of maturity for the section studied. No clear differentiation between the stages of maturity within the section was identified. The reflectance measured for a few vitrinite particles at a depth of 2,900 m showed uncertainly of 0.46 % Ro, indicating a still thermally immature stage. The values obtained from pyrolysis analysis also supported the formation being in the early stages of maturity, i.e. an immature condition, with T max values between 416 and 435 °C. The quality of the organic matter examined and analysed appeared to be mostly type III gas-prone kerogen, as discerned from the hydrogen index, oxygen index and other pyrolysis parameters. The parameters obtained and calculated from gas chromatography analysis performed on a sample at a depth of 2,900 m found marginally mature marine source organic matter.

Description: As a direct consequence of multiple periods of stress applied on areas with tectonic superposition, the multiple-periods fractures have complex abutting relationships, and the field study of fractures is usually restricted by outcrop conditions, such as section direction. Therefore, previous studies of superposed stress fields based on fractures have been generally performed in areas with proper observation conditions and clear abutting relationships. In contrast, in many other areas, the identification of fracture development period based on field observation is often infeasible. Compared to abutting relationships, fracture fabrics obtained from field measurement are not affected by the restriction of outcrops and consequently are more representative of the fractures. According to the analysis of fracture fabrics and fracture features, this paper has separated and extracted the superposed fracture sets and identified the fracture development period in the area without available abutting relationships. Taking the southern segment of the Longmen Mountain thrust belt as an example, fractures of two development periods are identified and timed in the tectonic superposition area between two adjacent fold belts. The analysis of stress direction in each period suggests that the structural boundaries, consisting of such pre-existing structures as faults and anticlines, could have induced directional rotation in the subsequent stress. An equivalent result was achieved using a finite element simulation of the stress field. Based on the stress analysis of the field sites and the stress field simulation, the stress variation in the tectonic superposition area is well modeled.

Description: Dust storm is one of the most important environmental problems in the west of Iran. To indicate the environmental impact of these phenomena, the characterization of dust storm loads is vital. The objective of this study is to identify the mineralogical and chemical composition, trace elements, and microorganisms of dust particles deposited during a springtime dust storm event over the west of Iran to obtain total suspended particulate. Dust samples were collected from four cities in the west of Iran during dust storms in two spring seasons of 2011 and 2012. In addition to determining the sources of dust samples on the dates of sampling, synthetic approaches including remote sensing technique of dust detection, physical–meteorological model called HYSPLIT, and analysis of weather map were used. XRD analyses of airborne dust samples indicate that the mineralogy of airborne dusts is dominated by calcite and quartz; additionally, gypsum, albeit, muscovite, clinochlore, and dolomite are other minerals in springtime dust storm. XRF analyses indicate that the most important chemical components of airborne dusts are SiO 2 , CaO, Al 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 , and MgO. The Atomic Absorption analysis was performed to determine the concentration of heavy metals including Fe, Cr, Pb, Zn, Cd, Co, Cu, and Ni. Concentration of heavy metals was Fe 〉 Zn 〉 Cr 〉 Ni 〉 Pb 〉 Cu 〉 Co 〉 Cd, respectively, and average concentration of heavy metals on Middle East springtime dust storm (MESDS) occurrences were higher than values proposed by the World Health Organization. Microorganism analysis shows that the Bacillus species (41.25 %) is dominant, then Micrococcus (10.3 %), Staphylococcus sp. (7.61 %), Klebsiella (4 %), Escherichia coli (2.7 %), and Enterobacter sp. (1.8 %); Aspergillus sp. (21.07 %), Candida albicans (5.7 %), Rhizopus (2.24 %), Penicillium sp. (1.04 %), and Mucor (0.89 %) genera were fungal species that were isolated in the (MESDS). Basic sources for scattering of dust in the west and southwest of Iran are Iraqi desert, desert lands in the north and northeast of Arabian Peninsula, east and southeast of Syria, also occasionally Sahara desert and Khuzestan province in southwestern of Iran.

Description: The present study provides assessment of wasteland development in Bihar State based on satellite data. Wasteland covers 6.90 % (6,501 km 2 ) of the state area and exhibits dominance of waterlogged areas in North Bihar (25.28 %) and scrubland (26.61 %) in South Bihar. The waterlogged areas in the state are dominantly associated with northern Bihar plains (94 %) with minor development (6 %) in southern Bihar plains. Such unequal distribution of waterlogged land areas in northern and southern Bihar plains is largely governed by high cumulative discharge generated in the large catchment area in Himalayan mountain ranges in the upland areas of northern Bihar plains in contrast to low cumulative discharge generated within small catchments in the Chota Nagpur Plateau in the southern Bihar plains. It is evaluated that the relief and groundwater level define the primary controlling factors, whereas rainfall, watershed area, and upland/plain ratio exert secondary control. Lower relief areas with high rainfall exhibit high soil moisture thereby inducing conditions of waterlogging. The study signifies the potential of satellite image-based evaluation of waterlogging through the use of Digital Elevation Model, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission-based rainfall measurement, and temporal waterlogging assessment together with other terrain parameters for conceptual understanding of waterlogging in northern Bihar plains.

Description: The present work focuses on the evaluation of the groundwater quality by chemical and bacteriological analyses to ensure its suitability for drinking and irrigation. Twenty groundwater samples were collected and analyzed from Manfalut district, Assiut, Egypt. Several water quality parameters were determined; the results show higher concentration of total dissolved solids (50 %), electrical conductivity (55 %), chloride (20 %), total hardness (20 %), and bicarbonate (55 %). This indicates signs of deterioration regarding drinking and domestic uses. Salinity hazard, sodium absorption ratio, sodium (Na) percentage, and residual Na carbonate were used to evaluate groundwater quality for irrigation. The values of electrical conductivity and SAR of groundwater samples were estimated illustrating that the most dominant classes are C2S1 (45 %; medium-salinity-low SAR), C3S1 (50 %; high-salinity-low SAR), and C4S1 (5 %; very high-salinity-low SAR). Bacteriological analysis was also conducted for 20 groundwater wells from December 2011 to May 2012. Seven samples (35 %) are contaminated by bacteria (total and fecal coliforms); these wells are not suitable for drinking. The analysis exhibits that bacterial contamination was the maximum in wells located at the center of the study area; this may be due to using the residential septic tanks. It was also discovered that the quality of groundwater is suitable for irrigation in the target aquifer except in a few locations. As for drinking, about 55 % of the samples are not suitable. However, the groundwater wells which are located in the center of the study area are suitable for drinking according to the hydochemical analysis. It was found that some of these wells are not suitable based on bacteriological analysis.

Description: The purpose of this study is to investigate the performance of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) model in the estimation of the deformation modulus of rock mass. ANFIS is a powerful processing tool which is used for the modeling of complex problems where the relationship between the model variables is unknown. For this reason, this model seems to be suited for the estimation of deformation modulus. In this paper, the ANFIS model was constructed and compared with empirical relation that was suggested for indirect estimation of this parameter. In the ANFIS model, five parameters, including depth, uniaxial compressive strength of intact rock, RQD, spacing of discontinuities, and the condition of discontinuities are considered. These parameters are the most effective parameters in the estimation of deformation modulus. Employing the ANFIS model for the estimation of rock mass deformation modulus shows a reliable performance. The values of correlation coefficient, variance accounted for, and root mean square error of the results for ANFIS model is obtained as 0.86, 85.3%, and 2.73, respectively, which indicates precise and correlate results.

Description: Satellite images from 2000 to 2010 were used to identify major dust trajectories within seven major deserts in the world. The fallen dust from these trajectories were collected and analyzed. The fallen dust rates tend to be lower downwind. The average samples of the world's fallen dust are negatively skewed trimodal with dominancy of silt size fractions (61 %). Most of the fallen dust within major dust trajectories is fining downwind. The fallen dust from the eastern zones (Taklimakan, Gobi, and Australian deserts) are characterized by higher percentages of feldspars and clay minerals, low carbonate content, and grain surface area in comparison to the Western zones (Sahara and Arabian deserts). The Western Sahara Desert dust is differentiated by the highest depositional rates and average quartz percentage (66 %). The dust samples in this zone contain low carbonates and grain surface area compared to dust from the Eastern Sahara Desert. The dust samples within Northern Arabia and Ethiopian-south Arabia zones show the highest average of carbonate amounts and grain surface area.

Description: In the present study, the two-dimensional blast model has been simulated using finite element software Abaqus/CAE. The John–Wilkins–Lee equation of state has been used to calculate the pressure caused by the release of the chemical energy of the explosive. Detonation point from center of hole has been defined for the traveling path of explosive energy. Elastoplastic dynamic failure constitutive with kinematic hardening model was adopted for rock mass responses under high explosive pressure to understand the mechanism of blast phenomena. In this model, it is assumed that failure of rock occurs under tensile failure when yield plastic stress exceeded to its static tensile strength. The hydrostatic pressure was used as a failure measure to model dynamic spall or a pressure cut off. Variation of detonation velocity has been measured in terms of simulation blast output energies index results.

Description: The presence of geological units with different grade characteristics mostly leads to problems during the grade modeling process. In special cases, if the area under study has units with small thickness and low grade with respect to the dominant unit of the area, it is difficult to reproduce different grade contents in these units in the simulated grade models because of the low thickness and lack of data in these units. In this study, the local moment constraints method, based on the definition of soft conditioning data reflecting geological knowledge, is investigated for improving simulated grade models under the mentioned conditions. This method is applied for grade simulation at the 1,750 m level of Sungun porphyry copper mine. The studied area is divided into two rock type domains: Sungun porphyry and Dyke. The Sungun porphyry unit is the dominant rock type in the considered area and has, on average, a higher copper grade, while dykes discontinue Sungun porphyry rock units sporadically and most of them are barren of mineralization. It is demonstrated that the use of soft conditioning data makes the simulated grade model closer to reality and improves the reproduction of grade contents considering the rock type units in the area. In the next step, the results obtained from conditional simulation are used for mineral resources classification. To this end, the conditional coefficient of variation is chosen as a criterion for measuring uncertainty and for defining the resources classes. Then, it is shown that uncertainty can be considerably reduced in the prepared models if soft data are considered; as a result, an increase in measured resource classification is observed.

Description: Phenol is one of the aromatic hydrocarbons. Phenol and its derivatives are highly toxic. These pollutants can be observed in the effluents of many industries. This research investigates the removal of phenol by the use of activated sludge in a batch system. The effects of influencing factors on biodegradation efficiency have been evaluated. The main factors considered in this study were the volume of acclimatized activated sludge inoculation, pH, temperature, and initial concentration of phenol. The inoculation volumes of 1, 3, and 5 mL of acclimatized activated sludge were taken into account. Different pH values of 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 were examined. The experiments were conducted for temperatures of 25, 30, 35, and 40 °C and initial phenol concentrations of 400, 800, 1,000, and 1,500 ppm. The results show that the acclimatized activated sludge has a high capacity for the removal of phenol. From a 100-mL aqueous solution was removed 1,500 ppm of phenol after 80 h. Furthermore, maximum phenol removal was observed for an inoculation volume of 5 mL for three different phenol concentrations of 100, 400, and 800 ppm. The best pH was 7 for the biodegradation process, and the optimum temperature was 30 °C. It was further found that an increase in the phenol concentration increased its removal time. Moreover, the activated sludge could effectively remove about 99.9 % of phenol from a synthetic aqueous solution in a batch system.

Description: Representative sandstone samples were collected from the surface-type section of the Shajara Formation of the Permo-Carboniferous Unayzah Group for reservoir characterization through fractal dimension investigation. Two models based on mercury intrusion technique were employed to represent the pores characteristics of these sandstones. The results show that realistic dimensions and outstanding fractal features of porous structures in Shajara sandstones, when these materials are correlated by thermodynamic model and 3-D fractal model of mercury intrusion. On the basis of sub-Unayzah unconformity, sub-Middle Shajara local unconformity, mudstone of the Middle Shajara and sub-Khuff unconformity, the three porous and permeable sandstone units of Shajara Formation were treated separately and classified here into three fractal dimension units. The units from base to top are: Lower Shajara Fractal Dimension Unit, Middle Shajara Fractal Dimension Unit, and Upper Shajara Fractal Dimension Unit. The thermodynamic model and 3-D fractal model were effectively used to characterize the porous structures of Shajara sandstones in logical and quantitative way.

Description: The present work deals with the geologic setting and mineralogical and geochemical study of Late Precambrian magmatic rocks especially the felsic dike swarms of northeast Aqaba complex in South Jordan. The northeast Aqaba complex represents one of the most significant regions in the South Jordan basement. The basement rocks in the studied region are composed of schists, gneisses, migmatites, met gabbros, diorite, and granite. It is invaded by post-orogenic dike swarms. The post-orogenic dike swarms have been recognized as felsic dikes of dacite, rhyodacite, and rhyolite composition. They are composed of plagioclase, K-feldspar, quartz, biotite, and hornblenble with a porphyritic texture. Chemically, they are enriched in compatible elements especially in the large ion lithophile elements such as K, Rb, and Ba. The values of A/NK are more than A/CNK, indicating that dacitic dike swarms have metaluminous nature. Meanwhile, the values of A/NK are less than A/CNK in rhyodacitic and rhyolitic dike swarms of prealuminous nature. This felsic dike can be related to an intercontinental setting that was accompanied by a chemical evolution of the extensional movements and is formed by partial melting of crustal rocks, which are already known from other areas in the northeast portion of the Arabian-Nubian Shield.

Description: The research site is the whole landmass of the Federal College of Education, Zaria, seated on basement complex of north-central Nigeria. Direct current resistivity geophysical method was employed to characterise parameters such as the basement depth and topography, aquifer depth and thickness, weathered basement distribution as well as mapping of orientations of fractures and faults present in the premises using radial sounding technique. The conventional vertical electrical sounding (VES) Schlumberger array was carried out at 40 stations, and eight of which were radial stations. Radial sounding was used to establish resistivity anisotropy which gives clue for the choice of consistent VES profile direction used throughout the fieldwork. Results from the resistivity interpretation suggest three layers in most parts of the premises with some minor occurrence of two and four layers. The first layer (topsoil) has its thickness ranging between 3.5 and 14.0 m; second layer (weathered basement) thickness ranges between 9.0 and 36.5 m, while the third layer (fresh basement) is deepest (40.1 m) towards the eastern corner of the area. The aquifer depth ranges from 1.5 to 4.0 m with a thickness range of 5.0 to 14.0 m. The thickest aquifer occurs around the centre to the west in the area. Results from radial sounding show presence of resistivity anisotropy, an insight to fracturing and faulting; this is more pronounced around the west-central part of the premises.

Description: Ras Banas Peninsula is a large triangular tract of land jutting out into the Red Sea. It extends about 40 km eastward out of the general trend of the Red Sea coast of Egypt, covering an area of about 600 km 2 . Three sandy spits are jutting out from the main body of the peninsula into the Red Sea, possibly representing relics of structural trends, two of which are located at the western part and the third one is extending from the eastern edge forming a further seaward extension of the main body. A series of isometric and contour maps of the whole area under investigation are provided in digitized visual form of geomorphologic features, landforms and slope configuration. According to difference in relief, the study area can be subdivided into three topographic divisions, namely coastal plain (〈50 m), medium-height land (50–150 m) and hinterland (〉150 m). Drainage and lineament maps of the drainage networks were prepared from the topographic map and satellite images of the area. The prepared lineament map shows four main trends that control the configuration of the drainage system in the study area. These trends are Aqaba trend (NE–SW to NNE–SSW), Red Sea trend (NW–SE to NNW–SSE), Nubian trend (N–S), and Tethyan trend (E–W). It is clear that the structural trends, lithology and general slope are the main controls of developing parallel and dendritic drainage patterns in the area. Both geomorphology and drainage system configuration have great influences on the land use and natural hazards affecting the peninsula especially torrential floods and sea level fluctuations.

Description: The most appropriate method in designing the adsorption systems and assessing the performance of the adsorption systems is to have an idea on adsorption isotherms. Comparison analysis of linear least square method and nonlinear method for estimating the isotherm parameters was made using the experimental equilibrium data of Zn(II) and Cu(II) onto kaolinite. Equilibrium data were fitted to Freundlich, Langmuir, and Redlich–Peterson isotherm equations. In order to confirm the best-fit isotherms for the adsorption system, the data set using the chi-square ( χ 2 ), combined with the values of the determined coefficient ( r 2 ) was analyzed. Nonlinear method was found to be a more appropriate method for estimating the isotherm parameters. The best fitting isotherm was the Langmuir and Redlich–Peterson isotherm. The Redlich–Peterson is a special case of Langmuir when the Redlich–Peterson isotherm constant g was unity. The sorption capacity of kaolinite to uptake metal ions in the increasing order was given by Cu (4.2721 mg/g) 〈 Zn (4.6710 mg/g).

Description: This study was based on the results of geochemical analysis of 332 core and 10 cutting rock samples from Triassic Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Triassic age, in addition to seismic sections, logs, initial drilling results, final reports of oil wells, and previous studies. Constructing models from these data are to assess new oil reservoirs, evaluation, and development of the existing oil reservoirs and hydrocarbon potential, and suggesting petroleum systems in order to reduce exploration risk and develop simple risk assessment of oil fields in the studied area. In general, Abu-Jir fault zone divides the studied area into two petroleum provinces: Mesopotamian Foredeep Basin and Widyan Basin–Interior Platform. The Mesopotamian Fordeep basin are thick stratigraphic sequences with no exploration for oil or gas source rock intervals within the Paleozoic sequence. while the Mesozoic sequence offers the best potential. The transitional sequence of the Triassic period is expected to contain occasional fair to good quantity of oil source rock intervals. The Widyan Basin–Interior Platform is an area with possible deployment of low to moderate risk of Paleozoic play and Lower Mesozoic plays with fair Triassic and Mesozoic objectives. Oil has generated and expelled into traps in the studied area during two phases; the first is during Early Palaeogene that accumulated in traps of the Cretaceous structural deformation, while the second is during Late Neogene.

Description: The recent development of digital representation has stimulated the development of automatic extraction of topographic and hydrologic information from digital elevation model input, using geographic information system (GIS) and hydrologic models that integrate multiple databases within a minimal time. The objective of this investigation is to compare the drainage extracted from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data with the drainage digitized from topographic data (1:50,000) and also to draw attention to the functions of an add-on tool in ArcGIS 9.2 (Arc Hydro v.2) of Kuttiyadi River basin. The analysis reveals that the watershed extracted from the SRTM digital elevation model (DEM) (90 m resolution) is having an area of 668 km 2 and that from toposheet is 676 km 2 . The river mouth in the drainage network from the SRTM DEM is found to be shifted to the northern side from where it actually exists. The drainage network from SRTM DEM at stream threshold 15 (0.0002 % of maximum flow accumulation) is delivering best results than the other threshold value in comparison with the drainage pattern derived from toposheets. The study reveals the importance, reliability, and quaintness of drainage network and watershed derived from the SRTM using the Arc Hydro Tool, an extension for Environmental Systems Research Institute ArcGIS. The advantage of the Arc Hydro Tool is that it would help a novice with little GIS knowledge to run the model to obtain watershed and drainage network.

Description: The objective of this paper is to derive and analyze the present and future climate projections over the region of wheat production over Iran. In addition, the projected future climate fluctuation results will be used to assist the maximum performance of wheat and to be used as the main basis for planning changes in the farming calendar in Iran. Observed climate (temperature and degree day) changes during the period (1951–2009) will be discussed. Projected future changes up to 2100 based on the MAGICC/SCENGEN 5.3 compound model was utilized. Furthermore, 18 scenarios were used to derive a single GCM model referred to as the United Kingdom Hadley Center Global Environment Model, which will be used to select the worst, best, and average scenario.

Description: Petrographical and geochemical studies of Silurian Niur sandstones, Derenjal Mountains, Central Iran, were carried out to infer their provenance and tectonic setting. Modal analysis data of 37 medium sand size and well-sorted samples revealed that most quartz is composed of monocrystalline grains with straight to slightly undulos extinction and about 3 % polycrystalline quartz has inclusions, such as rutile needles. The sandstones are classified as quartzarenite, sublitharenite, and subarkose types based on framework composition and geochemistry. Petrographic studies reveal that these sandstones contain quartz, feldspars, and fragments of sedimentary rocks. The detrital modes of these sandstones indicate that they were derived from recycled orogen and stable cratonic source. Major and trace element contents of them are generally depleted (except SiO 2 ) relative to upper continental crust which is mainly due to the presence of quartz and absence of Al-bearing minerals. Modal composition (e.g., quartz, feldspar, and lithic fragments) and discrimination diagrams based on major elements, trace elements (Ti, La, Th, Sc, and Zr), and also such ratios as La/Sc, Th/Sc, La/Co, and Th/Co, in sandstones suggest a felsic igneous source rock and quartzose polycyclic sedimentary provenance in a passive continental margin setting. Furthermore, high Zr/Sc values in these sandstones are considered as a sign of recycling. We indicated paleo-weathering conditions by modal compositions, the CIA index and Al 2 O 3  + K 2 O + Na 2 O% vs. SiO 2 % bivariate for these sandstones. Based on these results, although recycling is important to increase the maturity of the Niur sandstones, humid climate conditions in the source area have played a decisive role.

Description: The pattern of local seismicity (110 events) and the source parameters of 26 local events (1.0 ≤ Mw ≤ 2.5) that occurred during May 2008 to April 2009 in Bilaspur region of Himachal Lesser Himalaya were determined. The digital records available from one station have been used to compute the source parameters and f max based on the Brune source model (1970) and a high-frequency diminution factor (Boore 1983 ) above f max . The epicentral distribution of events within 30 km of local network is broadly divided into three clusters of seismic activity: (1) a cluster located to the south of the Jamthal (JAMT) station and falls to the north of the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) which seems to reflect the contemporary local seismicity of the segment of the MBT, (2) an elongated zone of local seismicity NE–SW trending, delineated NE of JAMT station that falls in the Lesser Himalaya between the MBT and the Main Central Thrust, and (3) NE–SW trending zone of local seismic activity located at about 10 km east of NHRI station and about 15 km northeast of NERI station and extending over a distance of about 20 km. Majority of events occur at shallow depths up to 20 km, and the maximum number of events occurs in the focal depth range between 10 and 15 km. The entire seismic activity is confined to the crust between 5 and 45 km. The average values of these source parameters range from 3.29 × 10 17 to 3.73 × 10 19  dyne-cm for seismic moment, 0.1 to 9.7 bars for stress drops, and 111.78 to 558.92 m for source radii. The average value of f max for these events varies from 7 to 18 Hz and seems to be source dependent.

Description: The Al-Hada highway that descends towards the west of the city of At-Taif is a major connecting highway in the western part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is one of the series of descending roads connecting the holy city of Makkah and the city of Jeddah with the city of At-Taif and the cities farther south along the escarpment. The length of the Al-Hada highways is about 22 km. The Al-Hada highway has been historically exposed to landslides and other geohazards since the day it was opened to public some 60 years ago. The road has been reconstructed and many slope instabilities have been remediated and the road has been expanded to two lanes in each direction. Heavy rainfalls occurred on the 14th of April 2012 in the province of At-Taif, causing huge debris flows in two places along the Al-Hada highway. As a result of that, these debris flows closed all four lanes of the highway for 2 weeks in order to remove the debris. The current research deals with mapping of all debris flows along Al-Hada highway and determining their volumes and their impact on the road. Finally, suitable solutions have been suggested to address these critical sites to minimize and/or avoid the debris flow hazards in the future.

Description: Studying the mechanical characteristics of weak sedimentary rocks is a burning issue in civil and mining engineering designs and analysis since obtaining rock mechanical properties of these has always faced lots of problems and uncertainties due to the structural weaknesses. One of the main causes of these problems is the difficulty of preparing high-quality core specimens recommended by testing standards or suggested methods for uniaxial compressive strength (UCS). For resolving this issue, in this study, common methods for indirect estimation of UCS of weak rocks were initially studied, their merits and demerits were analyzed, and then, in light of their positive and negative points, a new modified device was designed with a different mechanical structure and force exertion system, which could be practically used to present a new method for indirect estimation of UCS. Thus, in this study, we initially had a general view of the new dynamic needle penetrometer and its modified parts and their capabilities. After introduction, as the first phase of the practical studies on this, dynamic needle penetration resistance (DNPR) was measured, as the dynamic needle penetrometer test result, from 65 specimens collected from three different projects. Then, the relationships between DNPR and UCS of the rock specimens and the regressions of correlations were statistically analyzed. Finally, a linear equation with considerable accuracy resulted from analysis, and using this led to solving the main problem of this research by proposing a developed method for indirect estimation of uniaxial compressive strength of weak rocks.

Description: The development of limestone mining activities in Katni, Madhya Pradesh becomes necessary to increase the depth of exploration to produce ore. Increase in the exploration depth means that mining pits were subjected to water inrush. A hydrological and a hydrogeological model for the Katni area have been developed using USGS flow code, MODFLOW 2000. Collected GIS-based information was synthesized in a finite difference numerical model. The regional steady flow was calibrated under pre-development conditions assuming an equivalent porous medium approach. Water budget calculations show that the total groundwater flow into the aquifer system due to interaction with river amounts to 14,783 m 3 /day. Infiltration from precipitation provides 1,600 m 3 /day of the groundwater supply, while 1,446 m 3 /day comes from lateral inflow and the remaining. The inflows into mine pit area amounts to 15,725 m 3 /day. Although the karstic nature of the limestone aquifer the equivalent porous medium flow model is appropriate to represent hydraulic heads and recharge/discharge relationships on a regional scale. The results of this study can be used to predict the required amounts of pumping and the possible locations to dewater the groundwater in the mining pits.

Description: Baghdad City is characterized by high population density and wide variation in land use. It is covered by Quaternary flood plain deposits of variable nature where silt is the predominant component. The shallow aquifer is unconfined to semi-confined at some locations. The hydraulic properties of the aquifer are highly variable in the study area. A study of this groundwater shallow aquifer and the hydrochemical relation with the Tigris River were conducted using geochemical modeling approach. Baghdad Meteoric Water Line (BMWL) was also constructed using data of stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrochemical parameters of the Tigris River show significant differences at high and low flow conditions, and there are clear difference among the selected stations. Groundwater parameters show also significant spatial and temporal variations in major and minor elements concentrations. Geochemical modeling results indicate that dissolution of dolomite, gypsum, chlorite, siderite, chalcedony, cation exchange of Ca 2+ /Na + and precipitation of calcite, illite, kaolinite, and hematite are the main chemical reactions in the Rasafa side, whereas no specific reactions can be shown in the Karkh side. Mixing models of the shallow groundwater and Tigris River water show various patterns affected by other factors such as the aquifer recharge and evaporation, especially at the most shallow parts. The BMWL has been defined by the equation $ {\delta^2}\mathrm{H} = 8.6\ {\delta^{18}}\mathrm{O} + 17.48 $ and the stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen reveal different signatures in the Karkh and Rasafa sides, where clear zonation at Rasafa can be observed. We conclude that recharge water undergoes significant evaporation through its transit to the aquifer.

Description: Al-Wehda dam is an impoundment on the Yarmouk River basin north of Jordan, which came recently into operation. The reservoir is designated to provide water for agricultural, domestic, and industrial uses. Evaluation of seasonal trends in water quality of Al-Wehda dam over the year 2010 showed strong influences by weathering and leaching of geologic units along with discharge of effluents from the adjacent agricultural lands. Seasonal trends in TDS level showed slight variations, though its concentrations have been affected by events of rainfall and evaporation. The presence of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) promoted the development of photosynthetic algae. Temporal fluctuations in TN, TP, chlorophyll a , COD, and BOD have been observed with peaks occurred in spring season. TN to TP ratios varied seasonally with a minimum ratio observed in spring concurrent with algal bloom. Eutrophication tends to occur throughout the year, though its intensity increased in springtime. A variety of water quality parameters has been used to evaluate water for irrigation use during summer time when the water demand for irrigation increased. Of all parameters evaluated, Na% and TH indicated that the reservoir water is not suitable for irrigation purposes.

Description: Ten samples from the Upper Jurassic Naokelekan and Barsarin Formations in an outcrop section near Sargelu Village were studied to evaluate their thermal maturity using vitrinite reflectance method. The studied beds appeared to be mature and within the oil generation window (0.79–1.25 % vitrinite reflectance in immersion oil (Ro)). Some of the reflectance histograms showed bimodal distribution indicating existence of nonindigenous populations which were all ignored during the measurements of the mean value of Ro. Comparison between the results obtained from vitrinite reflectance method and some other methods like pyrolysis and gas chromatography showed variations which finally more reality believed to be for the vitrinite reflectance method.

Description: Specific energy (SE) measurements of circular saws were conducted on 12 different carbonate rocks. Rock samples were collected from the factories for laboratory tests. Bulk density, apparent porosity, uniaxial compressive strength, Brazilian tensile strength, flexural strength, Schmidt rebound hardness, Shore hardness, point load strength index, Los Angeles abrasion values, and P-wave velocity values were determined in the laboratory. SE and rock properties were evaluated using simple regression analysis and empirical equations were developed. The equations were verified by statistical tests. Regression analysis showed that high correlations exist between SE and uniaxial compressive strength, Shore and Schmidt hardness, bulk density, apparent porosity, and flexural strength. It was found that the SE value of rocks in cutting process was highest for those rocks having the high density, compressive strength, flexural strength, Schmidt and Shore hardness, point load strength index, and P-wave velocity values.

Description: Estimation of rock load is a very important issue because the selection of a support system is highly related to this parameter. Several methods are used to estimate this parameter such as experimental, empirical, and numerical methods. This study propose a new empirical method to estimate the rock load in squeezing ground condition using actual collapses data of Emamzade Hashem tunnel of Iran based on the ration of the post-failure residual strain energy to the pre-failure stored strain energy. Prediction of squeezing ground condition in this study is performed based on Jethwa, Singh, and Hoek criterions. Results show that some sections in shale and sandstone of the Shemshak formation are prone to squeezing. Finally, the relation between the rock load and the ratio of the post-failure residual strain energy to the pre-failure stored strain energy, Ψ , in squeezing ground condition is estimated. Based on the statistical analysis, the maximum correlation between both parameters is achieved when Alejano’s equations are used to estimate the drop modulus. As the rock mass behavior changes from elastic–plastic to elastic–brittle, the drop modulus changes from 0 to infinite. The reason is that by increasing the quality of rock mass and reducing the minimum principal stresses, the ratio of post-failure residual strain energy to pre-failure stored strain energy and rock load height ( H p ) reduce. So, regression analysis is used to investigate the relation between the rock load height and the ratio of post-failure residual strain energy to pre-failure stored strain energy, and finally, a formulation is presented to determine rock load height based on power function.

Description: Estimation of floods in a hydrological basin is essential for efficient flood management and development planning. Several approaches have been proposed to estimate flood peak discharge based on topographic and morphometric characteristics of ungauged hydrological basins. Two global approaches, namely the rational and the curve number methods, along with four national regression models have been compared over Makkah metropolitan area, Saudi Arabia. The curve number methodology has been taken as the basis of comparison due to its precision and wide utilization. Results show that the rational method produces differences equal to 44% in terms of peak discharges. Moreover, the best national regression model gives difference in the order of 18% with respect to the curve number results. Other national models give results very far away from those of the curve number (up to 95%), which can be considered as measures for their awful accuracy. Hence, the curve number is recommended as an optimum methodology for flood estimation, in Makkah city, in case of availability of geological, metrological, land use, and topographic datasets. Otherwise, a specific national regression model (Al-Subai) may be utilized in a simple way.

Description: The study is carried out to detect the subsurface structures that have geological and economic importance by interpreting the available seismic reflection data of an area estimated to be about 1,752 km 2 . The study comprises of the Kalar–Khanaqin and surrounding area, which is located at Zagros folded zone. Twenty-five seismic sections had been interpreted. The total length of all the seismic lines is about 650.4 km. Interpretation of the seismic data is focused on two reflectors, lower Fars and Jeribe formation. The lower Fars reflector picked at the two-way time ranging from 0.1 to 2.6 second, while the Jeribe reflector picked at the two-way time ranging from 1.0 to 2.7 second. The constructed maps denote to the existence of many closed and nose structures, in addition, to numerous fault types. All these features were detected in the area having the NW–SE trend. The depth of the lower Fars formation is ranging from 100.0 to 4,800.0 m, while the depth of the Jeribe formation is ranging from 1,700.0 to 5,000.0 m. The depth maps for the two formations also refer to the similarity of the major geological structures. These structures appear in both formations with existence of slight variation in dimensions. The closed structure no. (1) is located at the north of the study area. The nose structure no. (2) is located at the south of the area. At the west of the area, the elongated structure no. (3). The longitudinal reveres fault intersects the SW limb of the structure. The SW limb of elongated structure no. (4), intersect by longitudinal reveres fault, is located at the east of the area. There is also the semi-closed structure no. (5), which appears at the west of the area around the Qr-1 well. Most of detected faults are of reverse and thrust types having a variable amount of throws and horizontal displacements. Some seismic sections explained the existence of the decollement surface within lower Fars formation, which caused the thrusting and faulting of the overlaying beds.

Description: Geochemical mobilization of heavy metals in water has been cited as an important factor in many diseases of Sohag Governorate, Egypt. Forty-two groundwater samples were collected from the Quaternary aquifer and eight samples from surface water of Sohag governorate. The results recorded high contamination with cadmium and lead. Besides, about 50 % of samples are contaminated with iron and manganese at an alert level. All the metals under study exhibited an asymmetric statistical distribution in the investigated area. The study identified positive relationship between contaminated water (surface and groundwater) of Sohag with Cd ( r s  = 0.43) as well as Pb ( r s  = 0.21) and renal failure rate (R.F.R. = 26 patients/10 5 capita). The spatial distribution of these two metals (Cd and Pb) showed that they accumulated in the southern part of Sohag Governorate around Albalina District and in the northwestern part at Gehina District, which have the highest R.F.R. This study highlighted the need for more detailed research to assess the different pollutants and their relation to chronic diseases.

Description: The source process and parameters for a moderate earthquake of magnitude Ml 4.1 that occurred on the Kalabsha fault at the Aswan area are analyzed. The derived focal mechanisms of this event and other two aftershocks using polarities of P, SV, and SH waves show strike-slip fault with minor vertical movement of normal type. The solutions give two nodal planes trending ENE–WSW and NNW–SSE in close agreement with the surface traces of the faults crossing the area. The movement is right lateral along the first plane while left lateral along the second one. The rupture process characterization of this event has been investigated by using the empirical Green’s function deconvolution method. By inversion only for the P wave part of the records of these three events (main and other two aftershocks), the source time function for the master events and the azimuthally variations in the (RSTF) pulse amplitude are retrieved for estimating the rupture directivities. The estimated rupture direction is combined with the P-wave focal mechanisms for the three events to identify the fault plane solution for these earthquakes. Based on the width, amplitudes, and numbers of the isolated source time functions, a complex bi-lateral rupture of the studied earthquake is delineated. The source parameters of the master event is calculated and the derived corner frequencies f o for P-wave spectra show a value of 6.6 Hz; the seismic moment ( M o ) is 4.2 × 10 22  Nm; the average displacement ( U ) is 0.5 m; fault radius ( r ) 40 m; the average value of the stress drops ( Δσ ) is 0.6 Mpa, and the moment magnitude ( M w ) is 4.4.

Description: Precise calculation of statistical characteristics of Cu- and Mo-grade datasets was performed and results were interpreted geologically. The nature of Cu and Mo distributions were initially identified and the distributions were normalized through statistical treatment. Subsequently, the variograms were calculated for each exploration borehole and showed that both Cu and Mo geochemical variates have a spatial correlation, the result upon which the k-means clustering analysis for the whole Cu- and Mo-grade values in the area (see the text) became feasible. Based on the different geochemical behaviors of Mo and Cu, pervasive secondary hydrothermal activity which may exist for long periods, can remobilize Cu from deep parts of mineralization to the shallower levels while Mo is not remobilized significantly. However, in this paper, statistical analysis suggested that hydrothermal activity associated with secondary waters in Parkam was not effective enough to remobilize and enrich Cu. Yet the lower variation (variance) of Cu may indicate some sort of remobilization and enrichment of this element in the system (compared to Mo with higher variance); however, the process did not make the system evolve economically.

Description: The caves that are present within the Injana Formation (Upper Miocene–Pliocene) which sometimes extend to be hosted within the Dibdibba Formation (Pliocene–Pleistocene) in the Tar Al-Najaf and Tar Al-Sayyed within the Najaf–Karbala district have been studied. The study aims to assess the genesis of caves and diagnose the factors affecting the building and the destruction of these caves through geologic time. For this reasons, intensive fieldwork as well as the mineralogical composition and microscopic interpretation were achieved to facilitate the investigation of cave-forming factors. Calcite, quartz, feldspar, dolomite, as well as clay minerals are the constituents of Injana Formation in the study area. The amount of insoluble residue is usually higher in weathered carbonates and in some other cases in fresh carbonate, which is not very common but it may occur. Caves appear to be hosted within the claystone beds and concentrated within Injana Formation, whereas the Dibdibba Formation seems to form the roof of the caves. The mechanism of building caves starts by microdissolution forming microfractures. Then with time, they have developed to be vertical joints. These joints were gradually enlarged as a result of claystone exfoliation along joint planes. Chemical weathering, physical weathering, and sedimentary structure (mud balls) play a key role in the processes of cave evolution. Some caves appear to be irregular, but others tend to be regular with rectangular shape, enough for hosting human beings. These caves may have been used as homes for the ancient human for his protection and improvement of his life. At the same time as the caves were formed, there were other natural factors working continuously that destroy the cave. These factors are dissolution, soil creep, and mass sliding. This work highly recommends for further contributions in terms of the archaeological investigation on these caves to discover the ancient civilization in this area, if any.

Description: The Pol Dokhtar section of southern Lorestan, faulted Zagros range of southwestern Iran, contains one of the most complete Early Campanian to Danian sequences. The lack of a good fundamental paleontological study is a strong motivation for investigating calcareous nannofossils in southwestern Iran. The majority of the section is made of shale, marl, and partly of marly limestone and clay limestone, respectively. As a result of this study, 24 genera and 45 species of nannofossils have been identified and presented for the first time. This confirms the existence of biozone CC18 of zonation scheme of Sissingh (Geologie en Minjbouw 56:37–65, 1977 ) to NP1 of zonation of Martini, which suggests the age of Early Campanian to Danian. All Early Campanian to Danian calcareous nannofossil biozones from CC18 (equivalent to the Aspidolithus parcus zone) to NP1 (equivalent to the Markalius inversus zone) are discussed. Also, the zonal subdivision of this section based on calcareous nannofossils has shown continuity in Cretaceous/Paleocene boundary in south part of Lorestan Province. We can also learn about the predominant conditions of the studied sedimentary basin that was in fact part of the Neotethys basin with the existence of indexed species calcareous nannofossils that indicate warm climate and high water depths of the basin in low latitudes.

Description: The separation of residual gravity anomaly from regional gravity has considerably been studied for many years in gravity explorations. In addition, it is considered as a critical step in gravity data inversion. Some techniques have been developed for regional–residual anomaly separation both in space and frequency domains. One of these techniques for computing the regional anomaly is nonlinear filtering. In this paper, some techniques such as low-pass filtering, Butterworth, upward continuation, and nonlinear filtering are used to on synthetic gravity data in present of random noise and noise free for the purpose of residual–regional anomaly separation. The obtained results of techniques are compared with each other. The results have shown that separation methods are so efficient where synthetic models are located in shallow depth. Moreover, it is found that in comparison with other separation techniques, nonlinear filtering is more efficient in residual–regional anomaly separation and upward continuation technique is more efficient than Butterworth filter and low-pass filter. In addition, all of the obtained results have shown that Butterworth and low-pass filters are the same.

Description: The present comparative study is multi-temporal in nature. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), remote sensing, and GIS were used to model the soil loss estimation for soil conservation and vegetation rehabilitation in Nun Nadi watershed for the years 2000 and 2009. The estimated mean soil loss for the year 2000 and 2009 is 3,283.11 and 1,419.39 Mg ha −1  year −1 , respectively. The study finds that about 80 % area has low or least risk of erosion and about 7 % is exposed to high or very high risk which indicates the improvement in terms of soil loss if we compare the data of both the time periods. The findings show that the rainfall, LULC change, and elevation are the main responsible factors for the soil loss in Nun Nadi watershed. Conservation measures have been adopted; however, the problem still remains serious and demands urgent attention.

Description: Nowadays, self-compacting concrete is used in reinforced concrete structure with heavy bars. This type of concrete is widely accepted throughout the world; therefore, it can be used as an attractive solution for inner lining of tunnels. Regarding the effect of fibers in improving the concrete properties the effect of using polypropylene fiber on the behavior of arch specimens are investigated in laboratory. Therefore, specimens with dimensions of 1 m diameter, 0.5 m width, and 10 cm thickness with various reinforcing bars in arch forms were prepared and their flexural strength was investigated. The results show high ability of self-compacting concrete for the inner coverage of tunnels and its increasing strength is due to use of fibers. In addition, the results indicate that by adding fibers in the amount of 0.1 % of cement weight and reinforcing bars of size number 10, the required flexural strength would be obtained.

Description: In this study, the hydrodynamics of lower Ganges basin in India has been monitored using radar altimetry data from environmental satellite (ENVISAT) mission and microgravity data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission. River stage time series have been constructed for different virtual stations on the lower Ganges. Time series for the integrated water volume changes from microgravity measurements have also been constructed to characterize the seasonal and interannual fluctuation patterns in water storage and flux. The ENVISAT dataset indicates an average seasonal river stage fluctuation of 8 m in the lower Ganges River. The GRACE dataset reveals a seasonal fluctuation ranging from 0.18 to 0.40 m in the vertically integrated total water storage in the lower Ganges basin. The two independent datasets show broad similarity in the lower Ganges basin and outline the importance of space-based techniques for monitoring continental water resources.

Description: Organic geochemical analysis and palynological studies of the organic matters of subsurface Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous Formations for two wells in Ajeel oil field, north Iraq showed evidences for hydrocarbon generation potential especially for the most prolific source rocks Chia Gara and Sargelu Formations. These analyses include age assessment of Upper Jurassic (Tithonian) to Lower Cretaceous (Berriasian) age and Middle Jurassic (Bathonian–Tithonian) age for Chia Gara and Sargelu Formations, respectively, based on assemblages of mainly dinoflagellate cyst constituents. Rock-Eval pyrolysis have indicated high total organic carbon (TOC) content of up to 18.5 wt%, kerogen type II with hydrogen index of up to 415 mg HC/g TOC, petroleum potential of 0.70–55.56 kg hydrocarbon from each ton of rocks and mature organic matter of maximum temperature reached (T max ) range between 430 and 440 °C for Chia Gara Formation, while Sargelu Formation are of TOC up to 16 wt% TOC, Kerogen type II with hydrogen index of 386 mg HC/g TOC, petroleum potential of 1.0–50.90 kg hydrocarbon from each ton of rocks, and mature organic matter of T max range between 430 and 450 °C. Qualitative studies are done in this study by textural microscopy used in assessing amorphous organic matter for palynofacies type belonging to kerogen type A which contain brazinophyte algae, Tasmanites , and foraminifera test linings, as well as the dinoflagellate cysts and spores, deposited in dysoxic–anoxic environment for Chia Gara Formation and similar organic constituents deposited in distal suboxic–anoxic environment for Sargelu Formation. The palynomorphs are of dark orange and light brown, on the spore species Cyathidites australis , that indicate mature organic matters with thermal alteration index of 2.7–3.0 for the Chia Gara Formation and 2.9–3.1 for the Sargelu Formation by Staplin's scale. These characters have rated the succession as a source rock for very high efficiency for generation and expulsion of oil with ordinate gas that charged mainly oil fields of Baghdad, Dyala (Bۥaquba), and Salahuddin (Tikrit) Governorates. Oil charge the Cretaceous-Tertiary total petroleum system (TPS) are mainly from Chia Gara Formation, because most oil from Sargelu Formation was prevented passing to this TPS by the regional seal Gotnia Formation. This case study of mainly Chia Gara oil source is confirmed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis for oil from reservoirs lying stratigraphically above the Chia Gara Formation in Ajeel and Hamrine oil fields, while oil toward the north with no Gotnia seal could be of mainly Sargelu Formation source.

Description: Farsesh barite in the central part of Iranian Sanandaj-Sirjan zone is a sample of epigenetic hydrothermal mineralization in dolomitized limestone, which provides appropriate chemicophysical conditions making the passage of mineral-bearing fluids possible. Barite veins may range from a few centimeters to 2 m in thickness that increases downward. The microthermometry measurements obtained from more than 30 fluid inclusions show relative homogenization temperatures ranging from 125 to 200 °C with an average of 110 °C for Farsesh barite deposits. The mean salinity measured proves 16 times as much as weight percentage of NaCl for barite. Coexistence of liquid- and vapor-rich fluid inclusions in barite minerals may provide an evidence of boiling in ore veins. Moreover, occurrence of bladed calcite, high-grade ore zones, and presence of hydrothermal breccia are all consistent with boiling. Thermometric studies indicate that homogenization temperatures (Th) for primary and pseudosecondary fluid inclusions in barite range from 125 to 200 °C with an average of 1,100 °C. The δ 34 S values of barite also lie between 8.88 and 16.6 %. The relatively narrow spread in δ 34 S values may suggest uniform environmental conditions throughout the mineralization field. Thus, δ 34 S values are lower than those of contemporaneous seawater, which indicates a contribution of magmatic sulfur to the ore-forming solution. Barite is marked by total amounts of rare Earth elements (REEs) (6.25–17.39 ppm). Moreover, chondrite-normalized REE patterns of barite indicate a fractionation of light REEs (i.e., LREEs) from La to Sm, similar to those for barite from different origins. The La CN /Lu CN ratios and chondrite-normalized REE patterns reveal that barite in Farsesh deposit is enriched in LREEs compared with heavy rare Earth elements (HREEs). Similarity between Ce/La ratios in barite samples and those found in deep-sea barite supports its marine origin. Lanthanum and Gd exhibit positive anomalies, which are common features of chemical marine sediments. Cerium shows a negative anomaly in most samples inherited from the negative Ce anomaly of hydrothermal fluid that is mixed with seawater at barite precipitation. The available data including tectonic setting, host rock characteristics, REE geochemistry, and sulfur isotopic compositions may support a hydrothermal submarine origin for Farsesh barite deposit.

Description: The Late-Cenomanian–Early-Turronian Mishrif multi-carbonates in the North-Rumaila oil field has undergone into reservoir-scale high-resolution sequence stratigraphic investigation. Five-carbonate sequences (M4, M5, M6, M7, and M8) are established, comprised by (fifth-order high-frequency lithofacies cycles). The chrono-surfaces (CS5, CS6, and CS7) have screened a particular construction of Rudistid-bioaccumulated-bank/shoal buildups across the North Rumaila field. The CS6 marker has clarified two main evolutionary stages of the bank structure. The first case indicates the bank buildup crossed by the CS6 marker, whereas the second case signifies a stage the marker terminating the bank by well-developed lagoonal facies. The recognized single high-frequency lithofacies cycle expresses a well developed shallowing-upward progression of mud-to-grain-dominated bioclastic wackestone/packstone facies as (non/semi-TMF characters) to coated grain (bioclastic)/peloidal grainstone facies as TMF grade. Four-chronostratigraphically based reservoir units are structured: reservoir cycle sets (M8a), (M7a), (M6a) and cycle set (M5b). Two chronostratigraphic cross sections based on CS6-flattening surface represent south-north alignment of the studied wells illustrates the bank buildup pre-to-post CS6 time, defining a new approach of the vertical stacking/lateral continuity pattern of the depositional cycles. This new approach clarifies a new Mishrif reservoir architecture in the field, highly foremost, and controls the reservoir dynamics. Accordingly, four sectional Rudist bank/shoal/lagoonal buildups are introduced, covered 25 NR wells (12 representative + 13 involved). For safe production from Mishrif carbonates, a proposed sequence stratigraphic philosophy with water injection consideration is submitted.

Description: Karst groundwater is the major source of water supply for economic development and drinking water in Liulin spring area, north China. Thus, karst groundwater quality and its variation have aroused wide public concern. The primary hydrogeochemical processes that dominate karst groundwater quality, including dissolution of carbonate rocks and evaporite, mixing, and dedolomitization, are analyzed by hydrogeochemical method in combination with multivariate statistical theory and computer simulation technology. The results show that the redox state of groundwater environment transforms gradually from oxidation state to reducing state with increasing temperature and total dissolved solids (TDS) and decreasing pH value along flow path. The hydrogeochemical types of groundwater range from HCO 3 -Ca·Mg to Cl·SO 4 -Na. The Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , and HCO 3 − in karst groundwater mainly originate from dissolution of calcite and dolomite. Dissolution of calcite occurs in infiltration of rainfall into soils and unsaturated zones and then reaches to saturation before arriving groundwater level. Though saturation index of dolomite (SI D ) is greater than 0 in most of the samples, dolomite still dissolves along flow path due to the dedolomitization. The SO 4 2− derives basically from the dissolution of gypsum rather than oxidation of pyrite. The dissolution of gypsum causes dedolomitization that increases the concentrations of Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , and SO 4 2− while the concentration of HCO 3 − has smaller changes. The concentrations of Na + and Cl − are mainly controlled by dissolution of halite. The enrichment of Na + relative to Cl − in most samples may result from leakage of surface water enriched Na + and dissolution of mirabilte fragments.

Description:    El Shalal-Kema area is located east of Aswan town and Nile River. The Quaternary sediments (unconsolidated material of sands, gravels, and clays intercalation) represent the main aquifer in the studied area. Its water is under unconfined condition, and the water table is shallow (vary from 7.5 to 16.3 m). The concerned aquifer is recharged mainly from Aswan Dam Lake, from the excess irrigation water and from septic tanks, where the area is not served by sewage system. The direction of the groundwater movement is generally from south to north. The transmissivity values of the Quaternary aquifer (from three pumping tests) are relatively high (vary from 1,996 to 3,029 m 2 /day). The exploitation of groundwater is carried out where there is continuous withdrawal for industrial and domestic uses with a total average quantity of groundwater of 71,304 m 3 per day (25.67 million m 3 per year). The hydrochemical characteristics of the Quaternary aquifer is studied based on the chemical analysis of 29 groundwater and four surface water samples collected from different sites. The chemical composition of the groundwater is dominated by calcium Ca 2+ from the cations and bicarbonate (HCO 3 − ) from the anions, and the order of cation abundance is Ca 2+ 〉 Na + 〉 Mg 2+ 〉 K + and HCO 3 − 〉 SO 4 2− 〉 Cl − among the anions. The groundwater types are normal chloride water, normal sulfate water, and normal carbonate water. The hypothetical salt combination revealed the presence of different salts arranged in terms of their predominant as Ca(HCO 3 ) 2 , Mg(HCO 3 ) 2 , NaCl, Na 2 SO 4 , MgSO 4 , KCL, NaHCO 3 , MgCl 2 , CaSO 4 , and K 2 SO 4 . The analytical measurements to the NO 2 and NH 3 reveal that their values decrease in summer and increase in winter due to the stoppage of pumping which leads to the increase of the wastewater quantities that reach the groundwater. The chemical and microbiological analyses show that the aquifer in this area is contaminated with fecal and disease-causing bacteria. The main cause of this contamination is the outflow from the septic tanks; therefore, the construction of sewage network is a vital solution. Chlorination is important to disinfect the groundwater at the tanks before its distribution to the houses. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-22 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0363-y Authors Ali Mohamed Ali Hamdan, Geology Department, Faculty of Science in Aswan, South Valley University, Aswan, Egypt Ahmed Ragab Abdel Rady, Chemistry Department, Aswan Water and Sanitation Company, Aswan, Egypt Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    Paleozoic successions in Saudi Arabia are exposed around and bordering the south, north, and northeastern edge of the Arabian shield. They are represented by the Wajid group in the south and by the Taymah, Tabuk, Qalibah, Huj, and Buraydah groups in the north and northeast. The Wajid group includes Dibsiyah, Sanamah, Khusayyan, and Juwayl formations. The Taymah group includes Siq, Amai’er, Quweira, Saq, and Qasim formations. The Tabuk group includes Zarqa, Sara, and Hawban formations. The Qalibah group includes Baq’a, Qusaiba, and Sharawra formations. The Huj group includes Tawil, Jauf, and Jubah formations. The Buraydah group includes Berwath, Unayzah, and Khuff formations. The Wajid group form one block in the south and the other groups form another block in the north, and they can be correlated. There are similarities between the northern belt which consists of the Cambro-Ordovician formations of the Tayma and Tabuk groups and the southern belt which consists of the Dibsiyah and Sanama formations of the Wajid group. Similarities include sandstone composition, sedimentary environment, paleocurrent directions, unconformities, tectonic events, and influence of Gondwana glaciations. These formations and probably some or all the rest of the Paleozoic formations used to form one block but later separated after erosion caused by gradual tectonic growth, uplift, and prominence of the Arabian shield. During early Paleozoic time, the process started by poststabilization then sedimentation and at a later stage the growth and uplift of the shield occurred gradually. Growth of shields is a fact and it is the only way to explain the exposure of the Wajid sandstone on top of the highest mountain of the shield which exceeds 3,000 m in As Sawdah in Asir area in southwestern Saudi Arabia. The sandstone sediments of these outcrops were deposited on a low lying basin before been raised to this elevation. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0368-6 Authors Mohammad Eesa Al-Dabbagh, Department of Geology and Geophysics, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    Several studies demonstrate that North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) has dominant influence on the variability of climate over Southwest Asia. We deconstruct the NAO into its two components, the Azores High and the Icelandic Low. Regional circulations are influenced by changes not only in the pressure but also the positions of the Azores High and the Icelandic Low. The results presented in this paper exhibit that significantly great portions of interannual variance of winter precipitation over Indo-Pak Region (consists of Northeast Pakistan and Northwest India) can be explained by including the contributions of the Icelandic Low pressure in addition to ENSO and AO. This contribution also explains the physical mechanisms to establish the relationships between the COA and regional climate by examining composite maps of large-scale circulation fields using NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0355-y Authors Muhammad Jawed Iqbal, Department of Mathematics, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270 Pakistan Kashif Ilyas, Institute of Space and Planetary Astrophysics, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270 Pakistan Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    The new global gravity models represented by global spherical harmonics like EGM2008 require a high degree and order in their coefficients to resolve the gravity field in local areas; therefore, there are interests to represent the regional or local field by less parameters and to develop a parameter transformation from the global model to a local kind of spherical harmonic model. The authors use local spherical cap harmonics for the regional gravity potential representation related to a local pole and a local spherical coordinate system. This allows to model regional gravity potential with less parameters and less memory requirements in computation and storage. From different kinds of representations of spherical cap harmonics, we have selected the so-called adjusted spherical cap harmonics (ASCH). This is the most appropriate for the presented mathematical model of deriving its coefficients from global gravity models. In that way, the global gravity models can fully be exploited and mapped to regional ASCH, in particular with respect to the computation of regional geoid models with improved solution. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0352-1 Authors Ghadi K. A. Younis, Institute of Applied Research (IAF), Hochschule Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany Reiner Jäger, Research Group Geomatics (FFG), Institute of Applied Research (IAF), Hochschule Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany Matthias Becker, Institute of Physical Geodesy (IPGD), Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    A hydrogeochemical investigation was conducted in a coastal region of Cuddalore district to identify the influence of saltwater intrusion and suitability of groundwater for domestic and agricultural purposes. The geology of the study area comprises of sandstone, clay, alluvium, and laterite soils of Tertiary and Quaternary age. A total of 18 groundwater samples were analyzed for 14 different water quality parameters and the result indicates higher concentrations of ions like Cl (3,509 mg/l), Na (3,123 mg/l), and HCO 3 (998 mg/l) when compared with WHO, BIS, and ISI standards. A positive correlation ( r 2  = 0.82) was observed between Na and Cl, indicating its sources from salt water intrusion. Three factors were extracted with a total variance of 64% which indicates the sources of salinization, cation exchange, and anthropogenic impact to the groundwater. The Piper trilinear diagram indicates both Na–Cl and mixed Na–HCO 3 –Cl-type, indicating that groundwater was strongly affected by anthropogenic activities. The plot of (Ca + Mg)/(K + Na) indicates evidences of cation exchange and salt water intrusion. The (Ca–0.33*HCO 3 )/ SO 4 plot indicates salt water intrusion for elevated SO 4 levels rather than gypsum dissolution. The spatial distribution of total dissolved solid indicates the saline water encroachment along the SW part of the study area. As per sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), 50% of the samples with 〈10 SAR are suitable for irrigation and 〉10 SAR indicates that water is unsuitable for irrigation purposes. The residual sodium carbonate classification indicates that 50% of the samples fall in safe and 50% of the samples fall in bad zones and prolonged usage of this water will affect the crop yield. The Chloro Alkaline Index of water indicates disequilibrium due to a higher ratio of Cl 〉 Na–K, indicating the influence of salt water intrusion. The Permeability Index of the groundwater indicates that the groundwater from the study area is moderate to good for irrigation purposes. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-14 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0351-2 Authors K. Srinivasamoorthy, Department of Earth Sciences, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, 605 104 India M. Vasanthavigar, Department of Earth Sciences, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, 608 002 Tamilnadu, India K. Vijayaraghavan, Department of Earth Sciences, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, 608 002 Tamilnadu, India R. Sarathidasan, Department of Earth Sciences, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, 608 002 Tamilnadu, India S. Gopinath, Department of Earth Sciences, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, 608 002 Tamilnadu, India Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    The crucial and difficult task in landslide susceptibility analysis is estimating the probability of occurrence of future landslides in a study area under a specific set of geomorphic and topographic conditions. This task is addressed with a data-driven probabilistic model using likelihood ratio or frequency ratio and is applied to assess the occurrence of landslides in the Tevankarai Ar sub-watershed, Kodaikkanal, South India. The landslides in the study area are triggered by heavy rainfall. Landslide-related factors—relief, slope, aspect, plan curvature, profile curvature, land use, soil, and topographic wetness index proximity to roads and proximity to lineaments—are considered for the study. A geospatial database of the related landslide factors is constructed using Arcmap in GIS environment. Landslide inventory of the area is produced by detailed field investigation and analysis of the topographical maps. The results are validated using temporal data of known landslide locations. The area under the curve shows that the accuracy of the model is 85.83%. In the reclassified final landslide susceptibility map, 14.48% of the area is critical in nature, falling under the very high hazard zone, and 67.86% of the total validation dataset landslides fall in this zone. This landslide susceptibility map is a vital tool for town planning, land use, and land cover planning and to reduce risks caused by landslides. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-12 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0356-x Authors E. Ramani Sujatha, SASTRA University, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India Victor Rajamanickam, SASTRA University, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India P. Kumaravel, SASTRA University, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India E. Saranathan, SASTRA University, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    This experimental study deals with the effect of the overconsolidation ratio on the monotonic undrained shear behavior of silty sand. The study is based on the undrained monotonic triaxial tests for the overconsolidation ratios (OCR = 1, 2, 4, and 8), with different silt contents ranging from 0% to 40%. The laboratory tests were carried out at an initial relative density of Dr = 50%. The paper is composed of two parts. The first one presents the tested soils; the second one gives an analysis of the test results and discusses the influence of the overconsolidation ratio on the shear strength of the soil. The test results indicate that the shear strength of the soil increases with the increase of the overconsolidation ratio resulting in an increase of soil dilatancy. The increase in the amount of fines from 0% to 40% increases the phase of the contractancy and consequently reducing the phase of dilatancy of the tested material Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0365-9 Authors Ahmed Djafar Henni, Civil Engineering Department, University of Chlef, Route de Sendjas, BP 151, 02000 Chlef, Algeria Ahmed Arab, Civil Engineering Department, University of Chlef, Route de Sendjas, BP 151, 02000 Chlef, Algeria Mostefa Belkhatir, Civil Engineering Department, University of Chlef, Route de Sendjas, BP 151, 02000 Chlef, Algeria A. Saaed Hamoudi, Civil Engineering Department, University of Chlef, Route de Sendjas, BP 151, 02000 Chlef, Algeria Hamid Khelafi, Civil Engineering Department, University of Sciences and Technology, BP 1505, El-Menouar Oran, Algeria Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    To properly understand seismic wave propagation in unconsolidated sand layers, it is important to estimate the parameters of their continuous velocity–depth functions. This study proposes a procedure to estimate the V 0 and k parameters of a specific velocity function, where V 0 is the direct P-wave velocity at the ground surface and k is the velocity gradient. The V 0 and k parameters are generally independent of each other. However, it is possible to relate them numerically because both depend strongly on the porosity (ϕ) and water saturation ( S w ). The proposed procedure starts by tabulating V 0 and k for 0.05 ≤ ϕ ≤ 0.5 sampled at Δϕ = 0.05 and S w  = 0.6, so that only V 0 is needed for fitting. Then, time–distance (T-X) type curves of the direct arrival are calculated for the corresponding values of V 0 and k parameters values. The type curves are fitted then to the observed shot gather through a modification of the classic semblance velocity analysis method. Once the best-fit V 0 value is found, the corresponding k , ϕ, and S w values are picked from a V 0 – k –ϕ lookup table. The procedure is applied on synthetic shot gathers with various amounts of additive Gaussian random noise. Results show that the method is robust and tolerant to low to moderate amounts of noise. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0296-5 Authors Abdullatif A. Al-Shuhail, Earth Sciences Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, KFUPM Box 5070, Dhahran, 31261 Saudi Arabia Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    Water quality data are required in order to compare chemical water analyses and identify water masses. R-mode factor analysis, a popular multivariate statistical tool, has been effectively used for groundwater quality studies. In this paper, the R-mode factor analysis was applied to 50 groundwater samples collected from pumping wells in the Sangan-Khaf basin which is located in the southeast of Mashhad, northeast Iran. The groundwater samples were analysed for chemical parameters. The factor analysis was then performed on the chemical data set. It can be suggested that four factors in R-mode analysis explain more than 94.31% of the total variance. The contribution of each factor at sample points, factor score, was calculated. The spatial distribution of the factor scores for each factor was mapped separately. Since the Sangan iron mine south of the study area probably affects groundwater aquifer, therefore, such studies can be used to manage the groundwater quality in the study area. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0367-7 Authors Ahmad Aryafar, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mining Engineering, Birjand University, P.O. Box 97175-376, Birjand, Iran Faramarz Doulati Ardejani, Faculty of Mining, Petroleum and Geophysics, Shahrood University of Technology, P.O. Box 36155-316, Shahrood, Iran Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    Agriculture sector by using 80% of freshwater is the greatest water consumer in Iran. Excessive use of agricultural fertilizers in last decade, caused accumulation of enormous amounts of salts and subsequence declined the physical properties of soil. In desert and dry regions such as Rafsanjan plain, use of the groundwater resources is more than the surface water resources. Therefore, information about the quality of these resources remains a necessary task for optimum management, protection of water resources, and stopping the future damages. In this study, the groundwater quantity and quality of Rafsanjan plain was investigated by MODFLOW and MT3DMS. The presented quantitative model for this aquifer was compared by observed data and calibrated. This model was used to predict a 10-year period. Results show that water elevation decreases approximately 15 m for 10 years to come in this plain. Qualitative model results show that most quality parameters will increase. Electrical conductivity will increase more than other parameters. As values of this parameter will reach 16,000 µs/l for next 5 years. Therefore, we suggest that exploitation of water from these resources should be reduced and discharge from some of agricultural wells stop; also we suggested that recharge to groundwater resources should be increased and agricultural activities should be limited or improved using of modern irrigation systems in this plain. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-12 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0364-x Authors Mohammad Bagher Rahnama, Water Engineering Department, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, 22 Bahman Blv., Kerman, Iran Abbas Zamzam, Water Engineering Department, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, 22 Bahman Blv., Kerman, Iran Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    A total of 212 sand samples were collected from aeolian surface sediments in a major dune corridor, northwestern Kuwait. Five main physical properties were taken into consideration in analyzing aeolian samples, namely color, shape, roundness, particle morphometry, and surface area. The analysis of quartz particles by the scanning electron microscope shows the influence of transportation on the microfeatures of individual particles. The surface deposits are dominantly unimodal and occasionally bimodal. It is obvious that coarse and medium sand are the dominant size fractions within aeolian deposits. The results according to the Munsell color system between downwind and upwind values show no variations. Also, the average percentages of roundness subclasses for upwind and downwind samples are similar (6.7%). The average values (area, equivalent diameter, perimeter, and elongation) for aeolian samples in downwind are slightly higher than in upwind and Al-Dibdibba Formation samples, but the values overlap at 1 standard deviation. The interrelationship diagrams show that the shapes of the particles within samples in the three groups are running in the same trend. In general, the northwestern (upwind) particles show more mechanical and chemical features compared with southeastern particles (downwind). The slight variation between aeolian (upwind and downwind) samples is attributed to the transportation effect of these particles. This led to a conclusion, based on the overall results of physical properties, that the coarse and medium particles (about 80% of the whole aeolian sample) are dominantly derived from local sources. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0353-0 Authors Ali M. Al-Dousari, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 24885, Safat, 13109 Kuwait Abdusalam Al-Hazza, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 24885, Safat, 13109 Kuwait Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description: Dynamic movement within strata overlying coal mines and the distribution of the movement boundary are keenly investigated topics but are hampered by the difficulties of obtaining reliable monitoring data of movement within rock masses. The work presented in this paper combines physical experiments with a digital photogrammetry method to investigate these two topics. Two similar material model experiments were conducted, and a high-precision, close-range digital photogrammetry method was employed to observe movement in the model. The results, including dynamic movement tracking of targeted points, indicate the presence of six different movement areas in the overlying strata in the model. Based on motion vector directions determined for the model, the overlying strata were divided into three zones: (1) a zone with the movement vector oriented vertically downward, (2) a zone with the movement vector oriented towards the goaf center, and (3) a zone with the movement vector oriented towards the coal pillar. Dynamic movement tracking shows that all zones experienced an initial, active, and decline stage, but the timing, duration, and movement tracks are different for each zone. The overall analysis reveals that the movement boundary in the strata overlying the rock mass is not a straight line, but an S-shaped curve, in contrast to the traditional findings with respect to the movement boundary. These findings may prove significance in guiding better prediction of movement and deformation inside a given rock mass and related improvements in protecting engineered infrastructure.

Description: Nowadays, with the increasing population of large cities, the need to expand public transportation, especially metro systems, is greatly increasing in urban areas. Therefore, excavation of new tunnels near the existing ones or other excavations located nearby has become inevitable. Excavation of such tunnels in urban areas should be done by considering the effects of these tunnels on buildings and other urban structures. Significant factors affecting interaction between tunnels, as well as the characteristics of surface settlement, are the existence of mixed ground (soil-rock) at tunnel faces or fault zones in the direction of tunnel excavation which have not been clearly investigated by researchers. These parameters have a great effect on the amount of maximum surface settlement and shape of surface settlement curve. Although several studies aim to analyse the interaction between newly excavated and existing tunnels and its effects on surface settlements, this subject certainly needs further investigation. This study mainly focuses on the effects of the interaction between twin tunnels mainly opened in fault zones and mixed ground on the basis of surface settlement measurements by using Earth Pressure Balance Machine (EPBM). Both numerical and empirical methods are used in this study. Observed data are used to test the validity of the results obtained from three-dimensional numerical modelling. The results from numerical methods were in good agreement with the real data. The results of this study reveal that the amount of maximum surface settlement and shape of surface settlement curve are strongly related to spacing between tunnels, fault zone thickness and type of tunnel face material. The interaction factor is almost zero when spacing is larger than 4 D ( D is tunnel diameter). Independent of fault zone thickness, the effects of the fault on longitudinal surface settlement continue 25 m from both sides of the fault centre.

Description: Nine oil samples of four production wells from Halfaya oil field are selected in this study from the reservoirs of Khasib, Mishrif, and Nahr Umr Formations. They are analyzed chemically for their crude oil characterization as well as isotopes and biomarkers to assess their source rock affinities. Oil biomarkers and isotope values of the analyzed samples from the Nahr Umr, Mishrif, and Khasib Formation reservoirs of Albian, Upper Cenomanian, and Lower Coniacian ages, respectively, from four selected production wells are plotted on sterane triangle, hopane diagram, tricyclic terpane diagram, pristane to phytane ratio with canonian variables, δ 13 C saturated and aromatic, and pristane/phytane diagrams. They have indicated source environment and lithology of marine algal type II that are nonbiodegraded and deposited in anoxic environments of carbonate and shale. Source maturation at the time of the oil generation are assessed by plots of oil analyzed values on the pristine/phytane diagram. Mature oil are also shown with T max equivalent of 435–440 C based on plots of methyldibenzothiophene ratio (MDR) and vitrinite reflectance of R o  = 0.70–0.85 based on methylphenothrene ratio (MPI). Source age assessment are taken from δ 13 C (%) and the calculated C 28 /C 29 sterane ratio which indicate Middle Jurassic age. Two structural contour maps and two seismic sections are used in this study for assessing source reservoir relations, oil migration paths from the Middle Jurassic Sargelu Formation and accumulation sites in mainly Cretaceous reservoirs. Accordingly, suggestion for risk assessments of drilling sites for hydrocarbon production could be given on the seismic section.

Description: The purpose of this research is to determine the capability of (and the factors which affect the performance of) an enlarged base pier in resisting uplift capacity. Experiments were conducted in the reinforced bin box of an enlarged base pier with a shaft diameter ranging from 30 to 50 mm, base diameters between 75 and 150 mm and base angles of α  = 30 ° , α  = 45 ° and α  = 60 ° . Tests were conducted in both loose and dense sand packing. A failure mechanism was studied in a glass box for loose and dense sand packing. A dry sand with a unit weight of γ d  = 14.80 kN/m 3 and γ d  = 17. 0 kN/m 3 was achieved for loose and dense packing, respectively. Increasing the bell angle and shaft diameter would result in a decrease of the net uplift capacity and failure displacement. This is due to the reduction in the amount of the sand column above the bell that resists the uplift of the pile. Failure displacements at a constant base diameter generally increased considerably with the increase of the embedment ratio but decreased with the increment of the sand density. It is thus apparent that the shaft diameter, bell diameter and bell angle are geometric factors which, together with the embedment ratio and the sand density, should be taken into account in the design of enlarged base piers.

Description:    The Precambrian basement rocks between Mudiyah and Mukalla, Yemen are lithostratigraphically divided into the Ahwar and Gharish supergroups and the Tha’lab and Ghabar groups. The age of the basement rocks range from Paleoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic. The late Archean–Paleoproterozoic Ahwar supergroup comprises the Khashab and Barak groups, which were metamorphosed to the upper amphibolite facies and folded within the ‘Irqah phase. It was representing old crystalline zone, marked by monotonous lithological succession, and shows irregular folding and boudinage. The Gharish supergroup is of Meso- to Neoproterozoic age and displays a broad range of metamorphic assemblages from upper amphibolite to greenschist facies. It comprises the Fahman, the Al-Aswad, and the Hatib groups and was subjected to monoclinal and sigmoidal folding. The lithologic succession of the Gharish supergroup reflects a young crystalline zone, punctuated by episodes of orogenic tectonism among the Mahfid, Ludiyah, and ‘Awarid phases. The Tha’lab and Ghabar groups represent the uppermost lithostratigraphical units of Neoproterozoic to Early Cambrian age and formed by low to non-metamaorphic volcanics of the Tha’lab group and by anchi-metamorphic sediments of the Ghabar group. The Tha’lab group contains the youngest volcanic rocks of the basement complex, which were formed after the ‘Awarid main folding phase. The Ghabar group consists of molasse-like deposits formed within small late orogenic basin. It represents a transitional stage between Proterozoic basement and sedimentary platform development, which faulted, folded and partly cleaved within the Ghabar folding phase. The geological and structural evolution of the intrusive rocks recognized that the granitoids can generally divided into the following stages; the anatectic stage of the Ahwar supergroup, the syntectonic stage of the Gharish supergroup, the posttectonic stage of the Tha’lab group and the late orogenic stage of the Ghabar group. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-24 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0295-6 Authors Mustafa A. As-Saruri, Yemen Stratigraphic Commission, Ministry of Oil and Minerals, San’a, Yemen Heinz Wiefel, Coppanz No. 24, 07751 Bucha, Germany Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    The performance of pile foundations in liquefiable soil subjected to earthquake loading is a very complex process. The strength and stiffness of the soil decrease due to the increase in pore pressure. The pile can be seriously destroyed by the soil liquefaction during strong earthquakes. This paper presents the response of vertical piles in liquefiable soil under seismic loads. A finite difference model, known as fast Lagrangian analysis of continua, is used to study the pile behavior considering a nonlinear constitutive model for soil liquefaction and pile–soil interaction. The maximum lateral displacement and maximum pile bending moment are obtained for different pile diameters, earthquake predominant frequencies, Arias intensities, and peak accelerations. It is found that the maximum lateral displacement and the maximum pile bending moment increase when the predominant earthquake frequency value decreases for a given peak acceleration value. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0291-x Authors Asskar Janalizade Choobbasti, Department of Civil Engineering, Babol University of Technology, P.O. Box 484, Babol, Iran Meysam Saadati, Department of Civil Engineering, Babol University of Technology, P.O. Box 484, Babol, Iran Hamid Reza Tavakoli, Department of Civil Engineering, Babol University of Technology, P.O. Box 484, Babol, Iran Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    In the Jemmel–Zéramdine region, the combined analysis of petroleum well data, seismic reflection profiles, and gravity data show the presence of the Zéramdine fault corridor, which was activated in the Neogene period. Both tectonic activity and fluvio-deltaic sedimentation are the origin of the lithologic and hydrodynamic heterogeneities. Thus, the Zéramdine fault corridor constitutes a limit between two hydraulic systems formed by Miocene sandy reservoir layers. These reservoirs have not been exploited yet and could be new water resources which can extremely benefit the region; only the upper one is exploited in the Jemmel–Bembla and Zéramdine–Béni Hassen deep aquifers. The wire line logging, seismic reflection, and gravity interpretations show the distribution of the Miocene layers which formed the Sahel Miocene deep aquifers. The Zéramdine fault corridor leads to a spatial variability in number, distribution, depths, and thicknesses of these reservoir layers. In the northern part of the Zéramdine fault corridor, seven layers were highlighted; their thicknesses range between 15 and 105 m. However, in the southern part, only four strata were deposited: their thicknesses vary between 45 and 53 m. The total porosity of the studied aquifers is about 30%. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0298-3 Authors Fethi Lachaal, Georessources Laboratory, Water Researches and Technologies Centre, Borj Cedria Ecopark, PO Box 273, Soliman, 8020 Tunisia Hakim Gabtni, Georessources Laboratory, Water Researches and Technologies Centre, Borj Cedria Ecopark, PO Box 273, Soliman, 8020 Tunisia Mourad Bédir, Georessources Laboratory, Water Researches and Technologies Centre, Borj Cedria Ecopark, PO Box 273, Soliman, 8020 Tunisia Jamila Tarhouni, Water Sciences and Technique Laboratory, National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia, 43 Avenue Charles Nicolle, Mahrajène, Tunis, 1082 Tunisia Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    Grade estimation is very important in designing open pits. In the process of grade estimation, underestimation can result in loss of economic ore, whereas overestimation would unnecessarily increase stripping ratio. Normally, kriging method, which suffers from underestimation and/or overestimation due to smoothing effect, is used for grade estimation. To overcome drawbacks of the kriging method, more efficient techniques such as conditional simulation can be applied. In this paper, utilizing sequential Gaussian conditional simulation, grade models were constructed for Sungun copper deposit situated in the North West of Iran. According to the obtained results, it was observed that conditional simulation can effectively cope with the weakness of kriging method. Also, it was observed that as compared to the kriging method, grade distribution, resulted from the conditional simulation, is almost identical to that of the real exploration data. Accordingly, using conditional simulation, the amount of mineable ore was significantly increased, and also, average net present value as the mines’ most important economic indicator was improved by 40%. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0293-8 Authors Masoud Monjezi, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran Majid Rajabalizadeh Kashani, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran Mohammad Ataei, Shahroud University of Technology, Shahroud, Iran Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    In general, landslides in Malaysia mostly occurred during northeast and southwest periods, two monsoonal systems that bring heavy rain. As the consequence, most landslide occurrences were induced by rainfall. This paper reports the effect of monsoonal-related geospatial data in landslide hazard modeling in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia, using Geographic Information System (GIS). Land surface temperature (LST) data was selected as the monsoonal rainfall footprints on the land surface. Four LST maps were derived from Landsat 7 thermal band acquired at peaks of dry and rainy seasons in 2001. The landslide factors chosen from topography map were slope, slope aspect, curvature, elevation, land use, proximity to road, and river/lake; while from geology map were lithology and proximity to lineament. Landslide characteristics were extracted by crossing between the landslide sites of Cameron Highlands and landslide factors. Using which, the weighting system was derived. Each landslide factors were divided into five subcategories. The highest weight values were assigned to those having the highest number of landslide occurrences. Weighted overlay was used as GIS operator to generate landslide hazard maps. GIS analysis was performed in two modes: (1) static mode, using all factors except LST data; (2) dynamic mode, using all factors including multi-temporal LST data. The effect of addition of LST maps was evaluated. The final landslide hazard maps were divided into five categories: very high risk, high risk, moderate, low risk, and very low risk. From verification process using landslide map, the landslide model can predict back about 13–16% very high risk sites and 70–93% of very high risk and high risk combined together. It was observed however that inclusion of LST maps does not necessarily increase the accuracy of the landslide model to predict landslide sites. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-16 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0309-4 Authors Abd Nasir Matori, Department of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Tronoh, 31750 Malaysia Abdul Basith, Department of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Tronoh, 31750 Malaysia Indra Sati Hamonangan Harahap, Department of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Tronoh, 31750 Malaysia Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    The use of rubber pavement technology, also known as ecological pavement, offers a solution to a problem of worldwide dimensions. The rubber-modified asphalt becomes an excellent alternative compared to conventional asphalt. A series of laboratory tests was conducted to evaluate the effect of tire rubber addition on the performance of asphalt and asphalt concrete produced in Syria. The paper is composed of three parts: the first part includes a literature review on asphalt aging and the use of modified rubber asphalt in pavement road applications. The second part emphasizes rheological properties of two types of Syrian asphalt hard and soft and analyzes the influence of short-term aging on each type of asphalt. The last part presents a comparison of properties obtained for both cases of nonmodified asphalt and crumb rubber-modified asphalt that have been subjected to short-term aging. Results show an improvement of the resistance to short-term aging for the crumb rubber-modified asphalt. It also demonstrates that adding tire rubber to asphalt improves the performance of asphalt concrete by increasing its stability and reducing permanent deformations. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0342-3 Authors Bassem Ali, Civil Engineering department, Arab International University, Damascus, Syria Marwan Sadek, Laboratoire de génie Civil et géoEnvironnement LGCgE, University of Lille, Polytech’Lille, 59655 Villeneuve d’Ascq, Cedex, France Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    At this paper, we studied about the rock quality of Shirinrud dam site by engineering seismology. Shirinrud dam site is located 80 km far from Kerman and 18 km far from Hojadk village. The dam and its constructions are established in the Bidu Formation which consists of seven rock units, and the refraction profiles were surveyed on Jb 3/2 , Jb 4 , and Jb 5 rock units. To evaluate the rock mass quality and basement topography at this site, nine refraction seismic profiles by primary waves and two refraction seismic profiles by secondary waves were surveyed. We used some methods such as Palmer method, the reciprocal method, plus–minus method, etc. to process and interpret data. Based on investigations, primary wave velocity in unit Jb 3/2 varies between 2,100 and 2,200 m/s, in unit Jb 4 is between 2,100 and 4,200 m/s, and in unit Jb 5 is between 2,500 and 3,000 m/s. The Q values on these three units are 0.05, 1.2, and 1.9, and the rock mass rating (RMR) values are 27.1, 40.5, and 33.5, respectively. With respect to wave velocity, Q , and RMR values, the units Jb 3/2 , Jb 4 , and Jb 5 are evaluated as very weak, intermediate, and weak, respectively. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0322-7 Authors Yousef Ghanbari, Department of Mining Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hesarak Blvd, Poonak Sq, Tehran, Iran Hamid Reza Ramazi, Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran Kaveh Pazand, Department of Mining Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hesarak Blvd, Poonak Sq, Tehran, Iran Nooshin Madani, Department of Computer Engineering, Zanjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zanjan, Iran Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    This study was conducted in the tropical moist deciduous forest in Bangladesh to describe the species composition, diversity, and the forest structure. There were three plots established in Ranishonkoil, Ruhia, and Baliadangi forest beat in Thakurgaon. A total of 126 tree species, 1,991 stems (663 ha −1 ) of ≥10-cm girth were listed. Tree communities in these forest region differed in dominance, composition, diversity, and structure; and tree stand density varied from 651 to 685 ha −1 . Species diversity (H 1 ) ranges from 3.11 to 3.48. Meliaceae, Myrtaceae, and Rubiaceae were the most abundant families within the three plot area. Study site 2 is more diverse at spatial scale and taxonomic levels due to high rainfall and favorable edaphic condition. This study will help the foresters as baseline information for monitoring and sustaining diversity of tropical moist deciduous forests in Bangladesh. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s12517-010-0235-x Authors Sourovi Zaman, Forest Science Department, Forest Measurement and Planning Laboratory, Agriculture Faculty, Shinshu University, 8304, Minami-minowa, Kami-ina, Nagano, 399-4598 Japan Salah Uddin Siddiquee, Entomology Department, Insect Ecology Laboratory, Agriculture Faculty, Shinshu University, 8304, Minami-minowa, Kami-ina, Nagano, 399-4598 Japan Masato Katoh, Forest Science Department, Forest Measurement and Planning Laboratory, Agriculture Faculty, Shinshu University, 8304, Minami-minowa, Kami-ina, Nagano, 399-4598 Japan Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    In recent years, remote-sensing data have increasingly been used for the interpretation of objects and mapping in various applications of engineering geology. Digital elevation model (DEM) is very useful for detection, delineation, and interpretation of geological and structural features. The use of image elements for interpretation is a common method to extract structural features. In this paper, linear features were extracted from the Landsat ETM satellite image and then DEM was used to enhance those objects using digital-image-processing filtering techniques. The extraction procedures of the linear objects are performed in a semi-automated way. Photographic elements and geotechnical elements are used as main keys to extract the information from the satellite image data. This paper emphasizes on the application of DEM and usage of various filtering techniques with different convolution kernel size applied on the DEM. Additionally, this paper discusses about the usefulness of DEM and satellite digital data for extraction of structural features in SW of Zagros mountain, Iran. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0361-0 Authors Saied Pirasteh, Institute of Advanced Technology, Spatial Numerical Modeling Laboratory, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Malaysia Biswajeet Pradhan, Institute of Advanced Technology, Spatial Numerical Modeling Laboratory, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Malaysia Hojjat O. Safari, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Golestan University, Sari, Iran Mohammad Firuz Ramli, Faculty of Environmental Studies, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Malaysia Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    Municipal solid waste compost and cattle manure are used as organic fertilizers in agriculture and horticulture. These wastes, however, may also have some negative effects on the agricultural environment. This study investigates the effects of municipal solid waste compost of Kerman (MSC) and cattle manure (CM) on availability of the heavy metal in calcareous soil (extractable with EDTA) in greenhouse conditions. The MSC and CM were mixed thoroughly with soil at rates of 0%, 2%, and 4% of dry matter. After 90 days of incubation, the soil samples were analyzed. Addition of levels of each two organic wastes into soil significantly decreased the soil pH and increased the soil EC as compared with control (unamended soil).The available contents (EDTA-extractable) of Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, and Cu in the soil samples were increased because of each two organic treatments applied. The heavy metal contents in the soil samples amended with MSC were more than CM. The heavy metal contents of organic wastes were well below the maximum allowed by USEPA. It is recommended that in Iran, the legal maximum permissible limit for heavy elements in organic wastes must be determined. Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0328-1 Authors Majid Fekri, Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran Soheila Kaveh, Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    Groundwater is of a paramount importance in arid areas, as it represents the main water resource to satisfy the different needs of the various sectors. Nevertheless, coastal aquifers are generally subjected to seawater intrusion and groundwater quality degradation. In this study, the groundwater quality of the coastal Jeffara aquifer (southeastern Tunisia) is evaluated to check its suitability for irrigation purposes. A total of 74 groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for various physical and chemical parameters, such as, electrical conductivity, pH, dissolved solids (TDS), Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cl, HCO 3 , and SO 4 . Sodium adsorption ratio, magnesium adsorption ratio, Sodium percentage, and permeability index were calculated based on the analytical results. The analytical results obtained show a strong mineralization of the water in the studied aquifer. TDS concentrations range from 3.40 to 18.84 g L −1 . Groundwater salinity was shown to be mainly controlled by sodium and chloride. The dominant hydrochemical facieses are Na–Cl–Ca–SO 4 , mainly as a result of mineral dissolution (halite and gypsum), infiltration of saline surface water, and seawater intrusion. Assessment of the groundwater quality of the different samples by various methods indicated that only 7% of the water, in the northwest of the study area, is considered suitable for irrigation purposes while 93% are characterized by fair to poor quality, and are therefore just suitable or unsuitable for irrigation purposes. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0409-1 Authors Belgacem Agoubi, Higher Institute of Water Sciences and Techniques, University of Gabes, Cité Erryadh, 6072 Gabes, Tunisia Adel Kharroubi, Higher Institute of Water Sciences and Techniques, University of Gabes, Cité Erryadh, 6072 Gabes, Tunisia Habib Abida, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Sfax, B.P. 1171, 3000 Sfax, Tunisia Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    Spatial pattern of geomorphometric parameters of two sub-watersheds in the Attapady valley, Kerala, is evaluated using the Geographical Information System. Both the aspatial and spatial morphometric and hypsometric measurements of the sub-watershed are compared. The analysis of geomorphometric parameters coupled with DEM and GIS suggests that the two sub-watersheds are structurally complex with high relief and the denuded hills are undergoing severe soil erosion. Terrain analysis enables evaluation of landform changes in the two sub-watersheds which indicate differences in the denudational history of adjoining watersheds. It is demonstrated that the domainal variations in the lithology and structural complexity are reflected in differences in the denudational history which in turn is manifested in the geomorphic parameters. The study also helps in developing functional relationships between geomorphometric parameters and hydrological variables. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0408-2 Authors V. Prasannakumar, Centre for Geoinformation Science and Technology, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India 695 581 H. Vijith, Centre for Geoinformation Science and Technology, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India 695 581 N. Geetha, Centre for Geoinformation Science and Technology, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India 695 581 Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    In Algeria, water and soil, vital resources of production, are currently experiencing degradation in terms of quantity and quality. The deficit of rainfall, the frequency and intensity of droughts, and torrential rains exacerbate growing water stress and erosion phenomenon. These conditions involve adaptation strategies and the development of management techniques for the scarcity of excess water. The strategies for the conservation and management of water and soil (WSC) will be one option, among others, to reduce the risks and impacts of climate change. In this sense and to highlight the strategies of WSC, we identified the different techniques of conservation of water and soil; we evaluated their effectiveness and suitability and identified some trends in these techniques. This evaluation has shown the positive role of these techniques in controlling water and conserving natural environments and suitability to the harsh conditions of semi-arid and arid areas. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0412-6 Authors Mohammed Habi, Maître de conférences, Faculté de Technologie, Département d’Hydraulique, Université de Tlemcen, B.P. 230, Tlemcen, 13000 Algeria Boutkhil Morsli, Chargé de Recherche, INRF, BP. 88, Mansourah, Tlemcen, 13000 Algeria Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    Specific energy (SE) measurements of circular saws were conducted on 12 different carbonate rocks. Rock samples were collected from the factories for laboratory tests. Bulk density, apparent porosity, uniaxial compressive strength, Brazilian tensile strength, flexural strength, Schmidt rebound hardness, Shore hardness, point load strength index, Los Angeles abrasion values, and P-wave velocity values were determined in the laboratory. SE and rock properties were evaluated using simple regression analysis and empirical equations were developed. The equations were verified by statistical tests. Regression analysis showed that high correlations exist between SE and uniaxial compressive strength, Shore and Schmidt hardness, bulk density, apparent porosity, and flexural strength. It was found that the SE value of rocks in cutting process was highest for those rocks having the high density, compressive strength, flexural strength, Schmidt and Shore hardness, point load strength index, and P-wave velocity values. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0429-x Authors N. Sengun, Department of Mining Engineering, Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta, 32260 Turkey R. Altindag, Department of Mining Engineering, Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta, 32260 Turkey Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    This study presents data on the mineralogy and the metal content of dust deposited in Al Ain and Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. The mineralogical compositions of the dust were determined using X-ray diffraction, and the results revealed that quartz is the dominant mineral, whereas calcite, dolomite, plagioclase, and serpentine were minor minerals. Two sampling sites were chosen from both Al Ain and Ras Al Khaimah. The concentrations of Fe, Zn, Cu, Cr, Pb, Cd, Ni, and Co in the sedimentation dusts samples of these sites were determined using inductively coupled plasma. The levels of most of heavy metal were generally below those determined in the other cities in the Middle East. The air enrichment factors for all the samples were analyzed, and the results indicated that Cd, Zn, Co, and Ni were highly enriched relative to their crustal ratios (to Fe) and correspond to substantial contribution of anthropogenic source of these metals. These metals mainly originate from the traffic emissions and industrial activities with contribution from natural sources. The average rates of deposition in Al Ain and Ras Al Khaimah were 193 and 972 mg m −2  day −1 , respectively. These rates were higher than those of other regions. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0420-6 Authors Habes A. Ghrefat, Department of Geology and Geophysics, Faculty of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Fares M. Howari, Environmental Science Program, College of Art and Science, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    The groundwater in Wadi Queh exists in two main hydrogeological units; fractured Precambrian basement and sedimentary rocks with high contribution for groundwater recharge. To study the impacts of phosphate mining activities on the groundwater quality in the area, three groundwater samples that represent all water wells in the area were collected and analysed for major ions and some heavy metals. In addition, three bulk samples representing the phosphatic sediments collected from upstream and downstream of the drainage basin were collected and analysed to understand the source of groundwater contamination. The total concentrations of dissolved solids suggest that the groundwater in the area grades from fresh to brackish water (961–1,580 mg/l), and is characterized by sodium–calcium–sulphate–chloride and sodium–magnesium–sulphate–chloride chemical types. The results showed high concentrations of the heavy metals in well nos. 1 and 2 in downstream parts compared to well no. 3 in upstream part reflecting their influence by the mining activities. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0426-0 Authors Fathy A. Abdalla, Geology Department, Faculty of Science, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt Ibrahim H. Khalifa, Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    The analysis of gamma ray measurements provides valuable information about the basement’s lithospherical model and the radioactive elements contained in the subsurface. To be exploited, the raw data need pre-processing operations which consist of corrections of the Compton effect, altimetry and the aircraft background, and 2D interpolations. These transformations may modify the data’s stochastic component which reflects heterogeneities of the investigated medium. In this study, a fractal analysis is carried out on airborne gamma ray data measured in the Hoggar’s area (Algeria). First, it is shown that the analyzed data exhibit fractal properties. Due to the dependence of the latter on the spatial location of the measures, the data can be considered as paths of multifractional Brownian motions. Another result worth noting is that the fractal nature of the raw data is not modified by the pre-processing operations. The fractal analysis can be then performed on the raw spectrometric measurements without submitting them to any pre-processing; thus, the stochastic component of the measurements is kept intact. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0407-3 Authors S. Gaci, Geophysics Department—FSTGAT, University of Sciences and Technology Houari Boumediene (USTHB), BP 32 El Alia, 16111 Algiers, Algeria N. Zaourar, Geophysics Department—FSTGAT, University of Sciences and Technology Houari Boumediene (USTHB), BP 32 El Alia, 16111 Algiers, Algeria L. Briqueu, Laboratoire Géosciences, Université Montpellier 2, 34095 Montpellier, France M. Djeddi, Geophysics Department—FSTGAT, University of Sciences and Technology Houari Boumediene (USTHB), BP 32 El Alia, 16111 Algiers, Algeria Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    Estimation of floods in a hydrological basin is essential for efficient flood management and development planning. Several approaches have been proposed to estimate flood peak discharge based on topographic and morphometric characteristics of ungauged hydrological basins. Two global approaches, namely the rational and the curve number methods, along with four national regression models have been compared over Makkah metropolitan area, Saudi Arabia. The curve number methodology has been taken as the basis of comparison due to its precision and wide utilization. Results show that the rational method produces differences equal to 44% in terms of peak discharges. Moreover, the best national regression model gives difference in the order of 18% with respect to the curve number results. Other national models give results very far away from those of the curve number (up to 95%), which can be considered as measures for their awful accuracy. Hence, the curve number is recommended as an optimum methodology for flood estimation, in Makkah city, in case of availability of geological, metrological, land use, and topographic datasets. Otherwise, a specific national regression model (Al-Subai) may be utilized in a simple way. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0405-5 Authors Gomaa M. Dawod, Survey Research Institute, Giza, Egypt Meraj N. Mirza, Center of Research Excellence in Hajj and Omrah, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia Khalid A. Al-Ghamdi, Geography Department, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    The Abu-Dabbab area is characterized by high seismicity and complex tectonic setting; for these facts, a local geodetic network consisting of 11 geodetic benchmarks has been established. The crustal deformation data in this area are collected using the GPS techniques. Five campaigns of GPS measurements have been collected, processed, and adjusted to get the more accurate positions of the GPS stations. The horizontal velocity vectors, the dilatational, the maximum shear strains, and the principal strain rates were estimated. The horizontal velocity varies in average between 3 and 6 mm per year across the network. The results of the deformation analysis indicate a significant contraction and extension across the southern central part of the study area which is characterized by high seismic activity represented by the clustering shape of the microearthquakes that trending ENE. The north and northeastern parts are characterized by small strain rates. This study is an attempt to provide valuable information about the present state of the crustal deformation and its relationship to seismic activity and tectonic setting at the Abu-Dabbab area. The present study is the first work demonstrating crustal deformation monitoring at the Abu-Dabbab area. The time interval is relatively short. Actually, these results are preliminary results. So, the continuity of GPS measurements is needed for providing more information about the recent crustal deformation in that area. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0425-1 Authors Abdel-Monem S. Mohamed, National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, Helwan, Egypt M. Saleh, National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, Helwan, Egypt S. Mahmoud, National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, Helwan, Egypt A. Teleab, National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, Helwan, Egypt A. A. Othman, Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt Diaa Hamed, Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    Estimation of rock load is a very important issue because the selection of a support system is highly related to this parameter. Several methods are used to estimate this parameter such as experimental, empirical, and numerical methods. This study propose a new empirical method to estimate the rock load in squeezing ground condition using actual collapses data of Emamzade Hashem tunnel of Iran based on the ration of the post-failure residual strain energy to the pre-failure stored strain energy. Prediction of squeezing ground condition in this study is performed based on Jethwa, Singh, and Hoek criterions. Results show that some sections in shale and sandstone of the Shemshak formation are prone to squeezing. Finally, the relation between the rock load and the ratio of the post-failure residual strain energy to the pre-failure stored strain energy, Ψ , in squeezing ground condition is estimated. Based on the statistical analysis, the maximum correlation between both parameters is achieved when Alejano’s equations are used to estimate the drop modulus. As the rock mass behavior changes from elastic–plastic to elastic–brittle, the drop modulus changes from 0 to infinite. The reason is that by increasing the quality of rock mass and reducing the minimum principal stresses, the ratio of post-failure residual strain energy to pre-failure stored strain energy and rock load height ( H p ) reduce. So, regression analysis is used to investigate the relation between the rock load height and the ratio of post-failure residual strain energy to pre-failure stored strain energy, and finally, a formulation is presented to determine rock load height based on power function. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0417-1 Authors M. Soleiman Dehkordi, Department of Mining, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran K. Shahriar, Department of Mining and Metallurgy Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran P. Moarefvand, Department of Mining and Metallurgy Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran M. Gharouninik, School of Railway Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    Mount Ablah is a mining prospect, hosted by a dioritic igneous body that is bound to the east by greenschist grade metamorphic rocks and to the west by Ablah group volcano–sedimentary rocks. Rock units of Mount Ablah area were remapped through field investigations, petrological studies, and analysis of enhanced TM Landsat data. Ablah group rocks were divided into lower tuffaceous and upper epiclastic units. The epiclastic unit was divided into three subunits. During remapping, a sliver of serpentinite was discovered, which occurs between the dioritic igneous body and Ablah group rocks. The greenschist grade metamorphic rocks were intruded by Late Proterozoic quartz diorite prior to deposition of Ablah group rocks. The epiclastic unit is an infracambrian molassic unit that filled a graben, known as the Ablah graben. The Mount Ablah area was intruded by post-tectonic granitic rocks and affected by two superimposed F1-F2 folding events, associated with thrust and dextral faults, respectively. The first folding event involved N–S folding and thrusting. Simultaneously, stress partitioning at E–W accommodations zones produced E–W minor folds (F2) and associated E–W dextral faults. The F1–F2 folding events are contemporaneous with the Pan African deformation event, also known as the East African Orogeny (EAO). The EAO is infracambrian in age and culminated in development of the Najd sinistral fault system. The E–W dextral faults were probably reactivated during Cenozoic Red Sea rifting. The Ablah graben's infracambrian sedimentary rocks, such as siltstone, sandstone, and limestone that are mainly bound within the Ablah graben were not deformed prior to F1–F2 folding. Thus, the upper epiclastic unit of the Ablah group rocks is rheologically different from the surrounding greenschist rocks, responded to the late E–W compression in a more ductile manner than the surrounding greenschist rocks. Therefore, the Ablah graben was inverted, refolded, and crosscut by E–W dextral faults during the infracambrian EAO event, prior to development of Najd sinistral fault system, which are evident in Asir Terrane and crosscut Ablah graben. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0490-5 Authors Abdullah O. Bamousa, Taibah University, Madinah, P.O. Box 30002, Saudi Arabia Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    An earthquake of magnitude 6.5 Mb occurred on 29 October 2008 near Chiltan hills, Balochistan Province, in Pakistan with a foreshock of magnitude 5.0 Mb. Depths of events were 15 and 12 km, respectively. The intensity of the mainshock was VIII in and around the Ziarat–Pashin areas while the Peak Ground Acceleration recorded at Quetta area (60 km from the epicenter) was 0.17 m/s 2 (horizontal component) and 0.06 m/s 2 (vertical component). For this study, 1,185 aftershocks ranging from 2.2 to 4.8 Mb were recorded till end of January 2009 using four portable instruments (1 s) installed in a radius of 40 km around the epicenter. As no surface rupture was found, the source mechanism and aftershocks were only tools for finding fault dimensions. The source mechanism was found to be strike slip for both events, and aftershock trend was NW–SE suggesting the strike slip nature of the fault. These results disagreed with the existing description of the fault system in the area which was previously thought to be thrust in nature. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0485-2 Authors Zahid Rafi, National Seismic Monitoring Center, Pakistan Meteorological Department, Islamabad, Pakistan Najeeb Ahmed, National Seismic Monitoring Center, Pakistan Meteorological Department, Islamabad, Pakistan Shafiq Ur-Rehman, National Seismic Monitoring Center, Pakistan Meteorological Department, Islamabad, Pakistan Tahir Azeem, National Seismic Monitoring Center, Pakistan Meteorological Department, Islamabad, Pakistan Abd el-aziz Khairy Abd el-aal, National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, Helwan, Cairo, Egypt Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    Although previous literature have considered Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), Indian Dipole, and SST as the major teleconnection patterns to explain the variability of summer monsoon rainfall over India. South Asia low pressure and Indian Ocean high are the centers of action that dominates atmospheric circulations in Indian continent. This paper examines the possible impact of South Asian low pressure distribution on the variability of summer monsoon rainfall of India using centers of action approach. Our analysis demonstrates that the explanation of summer monsoon rainfall variability over Central India is improved significantly if the SOI is replaced by South Asian low heat. This contribution also explains the physical mechanisms to establish the relationships between the South Asian low heat and regional climate by examining composite maps of large-scale circulation fields using NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis data. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0458-5 Authors Muhammad Jawed Iqbal, Department of Mathematics, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan Mirza Jawwad Baig, Institute of Space and Planetary Astrophysics, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan Saba Naz, Department of Mathematics, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    Preparing high-quality samples, which can fulfill testing standards, from weak and block-in-matrix conglomerate for laboratory tests, is a big challenge in engineering projects. Hence, using indirect methods seems to be indispensable for determination uniaxial compressive strength (UCS). The main objective of this study is to estimate the relation between sonic velocity (Vp), Schmidt hammer rebound number (SCH) and UCS. For this reason, some samples of weak conglomeratic rock were collected from two different sites of dam in Iran (Bakhtiari and Hezardareh Formations). In order to evaluate the correlation, the measured and predicted values utilizing simple and multivariate regression techniques were examined. To control the performance of the proposed equation, root mean square error (RMSE) and value accounts for (VAF%) were determined. The VAF% and RMSE indices were computed as 94.34 and 1.56 for the relation between Vp and UCS from simple regression model. These were 94.39 and 1.6 between SCH and UCS, while these were 97.24 and 1.34 for uniaxial compressive strengths obtained from multivariate regression model. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s12517-011-0460-y Authors Behnaz Minaeian, Department of Engineering Geology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Kaveh Ahangari, Department of Mining Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Toward Hesarak, End of Ashrafi Esfahani, Poonak Square, 14515/775 and 14155/4933, 1477893855 Tehran, Iran Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    The Gulf of Suez is characterized by the presence of many hot springs and deep thermal wells scattered around its coastal areas. So it is considered one of the promised geothermal areas in Egypt. In this study, the main emphasis is to investigate the geothermal potential around the Gulf of Suez using the available logging and geothermometer datasets. The temperature profiles and well logging data of some hot springs and deep wells around or within the coastal area of the Gulf of Suez are used in this study. The temperature profiles are analyzed and some important thermophysical properties are estimated (geothermal gradient, thermal conductivity, heat flow, and specific heat capacity). Such analysis revealed that a medium to high geothermal gradient (22.0–30°C/Km) is given for the Gulf of Suez as a whole, with some spots of much higher gradient in the order of 35.0–44°C/Km (Ras Fanar and Hammam Faraun areas). The compiled thermal plots show that the thick evaporites and rock salt lithology, which is a major constituent in this area, attain the highest thermal conductivity (〉3.10 W/m/K) and heat flow (〉90 mW/m 2 ) and the lowest specific heat capacity (〈0.30 J/kg/K). The available gamma ray and the natural gamma ray spectroscopy logs are used to conduct a radioactive-based heat generation study using the characteristic radioactive nature of some elements like; 238 U, 235 U, 232 Th, and of the isotope of 40 K. A good linearity is observed between the heat production ( A in microwatt per cubic meter) and the gamma ray (API) along a wide range of datasets (0–150 API) in all wells. The heat production factor increases in the carbonate lithology (up to 3.20  μ W/m 3 ) and is proportional to the shale volume. A geothermometer-based study is used to estimate the subsurface formation temperature and heat flow from the geochemical analysis of some water samples collected from the studied hot springs. The estimated thermal parameters are in harmony with the regional thermal regime concluded form logging data. A thermal basin growth study, in relation to the clay diagenesis is conducted concerning the thermal effects that take place with depth giving rise to another clay mineral (illite). Furthermore, a number of 2D thermal–burial history diagrams are constructed for the complied sections of some of the studied areas to show the vertical distribution of the estimated petrothermal properties. A reserve evaluation study is carried out to estimate the economic geothermal capacity of these hot springs to be used as alternative clean source for possible energy production (electricity) and other low-temperature purposes. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-22 DOI 10.1007/s12517-012-0543-4 Authors Aref Lashin, Faculty of Science, Geology and Geophysics Department, King Saud University, P. O. Box 2455, Riyadh, 11451 Saudi Arabia Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    Compound broad-crested weir is a typical hydraulic structure that provides flow control and measurements at different flow depths. Compound broad-crested weir mainly consists of two sections; first, relatively small inner rectangular section for measuring low flows, and a wide rectangular section at higher flow depths. In this paper, series of laboratory experiments was performed to investigate the potential effects of length of crest in flow direction, and step height of broad-crested weir of rectangular compound cross-section on the discharge coefficient. For this purpose, 15 different physical models of broad-crested weirs with rectangular compound cross-sections were tested for a wide range of discharge values. The results of examination for computing discharge coefficient were yielded by using multiple regression equations based on the dimensional analysis. Then, the results obtained were also compared with genetic programming (GP) and artificial neural network (ANN) techniques to investigate the applicability, ability, and accuracy of these procedures. Comparison of results from the GP and ANN procedures clearly indicates that the ANN technique is less efficient in comparison with the GP algorithm, for the determination of discharge coefficient. To examine the accuracy of the results yielded from the GP and ANN procedures, two performance indicators (determination coefficient ( R 2 ) and root mean square error (RMSE)) were used. The comparison test of results clearly shows that the implementation of GP technique sound satisfactory regarding the performance indicators ( R 2  = 0.952 and RMSE = 0.065) with less deviation from the numerical values. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s12517-012-0540-7 Authors Farzin Salmasi, Department of Water Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran Gürol Yıldırım, Civil Engineering Department, Hydraulics Division, Engineering Faculty, Aksaray University, 68100 Aksaray, Turkey Azam Masoodi, Department of Water Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran Parastoo Parsamehr, Department of Water Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    The correct measurement of velocities in rivers is important for the true determination of discharge, erosion, scouring, and sediment transport processes. With the goal of increased accuracy, the use of acoustic Doppler velocimeters (ADVs) is increasing in hydrological measurements in rivers, lakes, and laboratories. ADVs are extensively used in the USA. ADVs have advantages when compared with classical measurement devices; however, one must be careful while using an ADV because their sampling approach creates a large number of extreme values by sending signals into the flow, measuring the velocities of particles moving with the water and assuming that these particles move with same velocity as the water. To calculate unbiased statistical properties, outliers must be removed from the time series. This study explains the methods used to filter velocity time series collected with ADVs and investigates the effects of these filters on the statistical characteristics of the filtered time series. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-7 DOI 10.1007/s12517-012-0523-8 Authors Ömer Köse, Aksaray University Civil Engineering Department, Aksaray, Turkey Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    In this study we investigate the radiological hazard of naturally occurring radioactive material in Tunisian and Algerian phosphorite deposits. Eight samples of phosphorite were collected from the phosphorite mines. The Tunisian and Algerian phosphorites occur in the Late Paleocene and Lower Eocene (Ypresian-Lutetian) in age (Béji Sassi 1984 and Zaïer 1999 ). Activity concentrations in all the samples were measured by alpha spectrometry and gamma spectrometry. Alpha spectrometry analyses show that the specific activity values of 238 U, 234 U and 235 U in the samples of Tunisian phosphorite were 327 ± 7 (321–327), 326 ± 6 (325–331) and 14.50 ± 0.72 (13.90–15.57) Bq kg −1 , respectively. Specific activity measured by gamma spectrometry in the samples of the Tunisian and Algerian phosphorite shows a small difference. Specific activity levels of 40 K, 226 Ra, 232 Th, 235 U and 238 U in the phosphorite samples from Tunisia were, respectively, 71.10 ± 3.80, 391.54 ± 9.39, 60.38 ± 3.74, 12.72 ± 0.54 and 527.42 ± 49.57 Bq kg −1 and Algeria were 15.72 ± 1.73, 989.65 ± 12.52, 12.08 ± 1.20, 47.50 ± 1.52 and 1,148.78 ± 7.30 Bq kg −1 , respectively. The measured value of specific activity of 232 Th and 40 K in the Tunisian phosphorite samples is relatively higher than that found in the samples of Algerian phosphorite. The measured activity of uranium ( 238 U) in the Tunisian phosphorite (527 ± 49) Bq kg −1 is lower than in Algerian phosphorite. The measured activity of 238 U in the Tunisian phosphorite samples was (527–1,315 ± 65) 238 U Bq kg −1 which is higher than its maximum background value of 110 Bq kg −1 in soils of the various countries of the world ( Tufail et al. Radiat Meas 41:443–451, 2006 ). Different geological origins of phosphorites deposits are the main reason for the large spread in worldwide specific activities. The obtained results of uranium concentrations in phosphorites of different types (Algerian and Tunisian) demonstrate that the uranium concentrations are mainly governed by the phosphatic material. The present study reveals that phosphorite deposits contain natural radioactivity higher than background level. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s12517-012-0536-3 Authors Jaloul Bejaoui, UR-MDTN, Centre National des Sciences et Technologies Nucléaires, Tunis, Tunisia Mohamed Samaali, UR-MDTN, Centre National des Sciences et Technologies Nucléaires, Tunis, Tunisia Souad Baccouche, UR-MDTN, Centre National des Sciences et Technologies Nucléaires, Tunis, Tunisia Nafaa Regugui, UR-MDTN, Centre National des Sciences et Technologies Nucléaires, Tunis, Tunisia Mohamed Fethi Ben Hamouda, UR-MDTN, Centre National des Sciences et Technologies Nucléaires, Tunis, Tunisia Zohra Azzouz, UR-MDTN, Centre National des Sciences et Technologies Nucléaires, Tunis, Tunisia Adel Trabelsi, UR-MDTN, Centre National des Sciences et Technologies Nucléaires, Tunis, Tunisia Salah Bouhlel, Lab Biotechnologie & Valorisation des Bio-Géo Ressources, Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Sidi Thabet, Université de la Manouba, Ariana, 2020 Tunisia Boulamia Salim, Département de géologie et d’Aménagement, Faculté des sciences et sciences de la nature et de la vie, Université de Tébessa, Tébessa, Algeria Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    The main goal of this study was to investigate the application of the weights-of-evidence and certainty factor approaches for producing landslide susceptibility maps of a landslide-prone area (Haraz) in Iran. For this purpose, the input layers of the landslide conditioning factors were prepared in the first stage. The landslide conditioning factors considered for the study area were slope gradient, slope aspect, altitude, lithology, land use, distance from streams, distance from roads, distance from faults, topographic wetness index, stream power index, stream transport index and plan curvature. For validation of the produced landslide susceptibility maps, the results of the analyses were compared with the field-verified landslide locations. Additionally, the receiver operating characteristic curves for all the landslide susceptibility models were constructed and the areas under the curves were calculated. The landslide locations were used to validate results of the landslide susceptibility maps. The verification results showed that the weights-of-evidence model (79.87%) performed better than certainty factor (72.02%) model with a standard error of 0.0663 and 0.0756, respectively. According to the results of the area under curve evaluation, the map produced by weights-of-evidence exhibits satisfactory properties. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-15 DOI 10.1007/s12517-012-0532-7 Authors Hamid Reza Pourghasemi, Department of Watershed Management Engineering, College of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University International Campus, Noor, Iran Biswajeet Pradhan, Institute of Advanced Technology, Spatial and Numerical Modelling Laboratory, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia Candan Gokceoglu, Applied Geology Division, Department of Geological Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey Majid Mohammadi, Department of Watershed Management Engineering, College of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University International Campus, Noor, Iran Hamid Reza Moradi, Department of Watershed Management Engineering, College of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University International Campus, Noor, Iran Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511

Description:    Time domain electromagnetic (TDEM) response of a conductive permeable sphere is a main topic for good understanding and in developing past studies for detection and discrimination of buried metallic objects. Stochastic differential equation model is a valuable tool for stimulating real experience. In this paper, according to an Itô integral, we have obtained a weak approximation of stochastic TDEM response of permeable and nonpermeable sphere. We have used the deterministic solution of TDEM response of conductive permeable sphere by changing one of the variables that have been obtained from the boundary conditions of problem to random variable. By adding white noise to random variable and using stochastic integral, we have displayed stochastic time domain response of conductive permeable sphere. The Itô integral includes a factor that shows infirmity and intensity of noise which has been simply considered constant. Accordingly, we have showed the effect of noise for magnetic and nonmagnetic spheres. Numerical results from step and impulse response of TDEM have shown that the amount of this factor is different for the two types of spheres. Content Type Journal Article Category Original Paper Pages 1-9 DOI 10.1007/s12517-012-0546-1 Authors Hossein Molhem, Department of Geophysics, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Mirsattar Meshinchi-Asl, Department of Geophysics, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Mohammad Ali Jafarizadeh, Department of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, 51664 Iran Journal Arabian Journal of Geosciences Online ISSN 1866-7538 Print ISSN 1866-7511