ALBERT

Description: We analysed the surface microtextures well-preserved on stable to ultra-stable heavy minerals such as zircon, tourmaline and rutile from the Devonian siliciclastic rocks which are cropping in northeastern and northwestern Iran by a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) techniques to provide useful provenance information on various sedimentary stages, and to reconstruct their sedimentary history. Different surface mechanical and chemical corrosive features point to more detritus sources, and above all on few evolution stages in different environments. The microtexture similarity between the studied Ilanqareh and Padeha deposits indicates that they could have experienced the resembled environmental conditions – from aeolian to subaqueous (fluvial and/or marine) processes. Nature of heavy minerals points to a multi-cyclic character of the sediments, and in addition to previously published ideas about the Arabian-Nubian Shield source, the presence of local source(s) partly supplied the Ilanqareh basin may be assumed.

Description: The study focuses on the upper Miocene colluvial to alluvial fan deposits of the Modrová Mb., which accumulated on the marginal blocks of the Považský Inovec Mts., transitional to surrounding depressions of the Danube Basin. These blocks are delimited tectonically according to the geophysical evidence, and the late Miocene normal faulting produced fault scarps causing rapid sediment supply. However, the supply of coarse clastics composed mostly of Mesozoic dolomites was of intensity sufficient only to fill the accommodation of the marginal blocks. The sediment input to the surrounding Danube Basin is on the both sides of the Považský Inovec Mts. not traceable, probably due to an overwhelming alluvial redistribution. Facies analysis of the Modrová Mb. implies an environment of colluvial fans with prevalence of cohesive debris flow deposition, associated with less frequent rockfall, grain flow and sheetwash processes on the western side of the mountains in the area of Modrová village. In contrary, the easterly situated area of Tesáre village exhibits dominance of debris flow deposition with more than one third of the succession deposited by channelized and unchannelized shallow traction currents, indicating sedimentary environment of an alluvial fan close to its transition to colluvial sediment-feeder system. Petrographical and geochemical study showed extremely low content of siliciclastic component in the colluvial deposits of the Modrová area. Dolomite clasts form a major part of the sediment and are covered by a coating of clay minerals. The coatings and sediment matrix contain iron oxides possibly derived by fersiallitic weathering and by oxidation of pyrite scattered within the matrix. Geochemistry of muddy layers in the Tesáre succession implies either cold or dry weathering conditions. However, weathering proxies are considered to be biased due to the rapid denudation in the colluvial to alluvial fan environment, since observed facies and published regional studies imply rather warm and humid climate. Several examples of simultaneous comparable depositional settings in the broader region imply, that these colluvial to alluvial fan successions could be related to a mild phase of regional tectonic activity at ~8 Ma.

Description: 〈div〉〈p〉〈em〉A Geographic Information System (GIS) includes of a hardware and software which are used for purposes such as to capture, store, evaluate, administer and distribute spatial data. GIS has a vast array of spatial analysis tools such as GIS viewer, Geodatabase, mapping tools, modelling tools etc. At present GIS is broadly used in conjunction with multi criteria decision analysis method to perform infrastructure studies and transportation studies such as road and rail. Multi criteria decision analysis can be applied in vehicle routing, site selection, scenario evaluation, land suitability, impact assessment, and location allocation for different sectors. According to majority of the literature, main factors considered in designing railway with GIS are land use, slope, drainage and soil. When multi criteria decision analysis is combined with GIS, it considers different geographical data models, spatial dimension of the evaluating criteria and decision alternatives in those criteria. The best route out of various alternate alignments has been designed using GIS thematic maps and network analysis in ArcGIS as a base. As a conclusion, this review study proves that multi criteria decision analysis combined with GIS plays a major role in modern railroad construction. 〈strong〉 〈/strong〉〈/em〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉〈em〉Air pollution is mainly due to the release of pollutants into the atmosphere which are detrimental to the planet and human health in particular〈/em〉〈em〉.〈/em〉〈em〉 Monitoring for the air quality parameters is important because it may lead to the adverse effects on the environment. The quantitative analysis of the air pollution spreads over the Bangalore city is carried out using two different data sources, one from ground monitoring stations and the other from the satellite derived data. Ambient Air Quality data for Bangalore region recorded by Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) for 2018–2020 were analysed in the open source GIS platform. Air quality parameters like aerosol optical depth (AOD), Nitrogen di-oxide (NO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) etc. were collected from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS) and Ozone monitoring instruments for spatial analysis. Data were analysed and compared and found that satellite based data of NO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 from the sensors provide a reliable values in ground-level exposure for a larger urban region.〈/em〉〈/p〉

Description: The application of protective coatings can significantly influence the essential physical properties of rocks used in building and decorative industries. This paper presents the results of laboratory tests demonstrating the positive effect of the protective coating Antipluviol S applied on a tuff from Tuscany in Italy, which is a weak volcanic rock of a very low strength and very high porosity. The efficiency of the coating was measured by absorption tests, standard uniaxial compressive strength tests and cyclic frost resistance tests. After the coating application, the water absorption decreased from 39.1% to 31.3% by total rock immersion at atmospheric pressure conditions. The water absorption only by capillary suction showed much higher efficiency of the coating. The change in the rock strength, resulting from the coating application, was less pronounced; the mean values rose from 5.8 to 6.8 MPa (17.2% increase). For all strength values are quite similar in both treated and untreated groups, as well as scattered within the groups, no relevance to the coating impact could be confirmed. But, even such a slight improvement of the monitored physical parameters has the effect of slowing down the rock's weathering. This was proven by the results of the frost resistance test. Coated samples withstood all the standard 25 freeze-thaw cycles, whereas untreated samples began to disintegrate after the 17th test cycle. These findings can help the maintenance of the famous historic architecture of picturesque tuff towns of Tuscany suffering from weathering, and contribute to the preservation of the cultural heritage. On the other hand, they showed how important such tests are when considering building stone import.

Description: Petroleum hydrocarbons are one of the most common contaminants. Paper presents current theoretical approaches in identification and evaluation of sites with LNAPL (Light Non-Aquaeous Phase Liquids). To compare them with field results outputs from the ongoing remediation in a former railyard are utilized. New information from drilling and sampling is evaluated, with focus on the spatial distribution and migration of total petroleum hydrocarbons in soil and groundwater. Samples of LNAPL (diesel) were collected and analyzed by gas chromatography - mass spectrometry, to obtain more information about the quality, degree of weathering and the approximate age of the spill. It’s a common problem to distinguish between old and new contamination, and the observation of weathering rate can help to evaluate all possible contamination sources. Weathering degree of analyzed diesel samples ranged from almost none (even light n-alkanes abundant) to complete removal of all n-alkanes, though the railyard is more than 10 years out of operation. Based on the results, new LNAPL sources were identified, possible migration pathways were discussed and the age of LNAPL in different parts if the railyard was estimated.

Description: 〈p〉〈em〉〈span〉The focus of this research is to distinguish between shifting land-use patterns and their geo-environmental implications in Simhadripuram Mandal, YSR Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh, India. While the terms Landuse and Landcover (LULC) are sometimes used interchangeably, they have distinct natural meanings. Landuse refers to the function of a piece of land, such as mining, agriculture, or habitation. Landcover refers to the ground's surface cover, which might include vegetation, water, barren soil, and so on. Landuse is a notion that has a lot of qualities. It refers to people's actions on land that are directly related to the land. Landcover, on the other hand, refers to the vegetation that covers the surface of the land. The changes in LULC in Simhadripuram Mandal during the last ten years were studied using satellite imageries. LULC changes have been mapped using remote sensing and GIS modeling. The study is characterized in to five classifications, they are vegetation, fallow land, barren land, waterbodies, and built-up-land. The results reveal from 2009–10 to 2019–20, waterbodies are slightly increased from 2010 to 2020, is 9.29 km〈sup〉2〈/sup〉. Vegetation is increased positively for the past decade to 25.16 Km〈sup〉2〈/sup〉. The unirrigated land has been decreased to 27.1 km〈sup〉2〈/sup〉. Built-up-land is increased from the last decade; it is noted as 22.77 km〈sup〉2〈/sup〉. Fallow land has been decreased to 30.12 km〈sup〉2〈/sup〉.〈/span〉〈/em〉〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉〈em〉B〈/em〉〈em〉iodiversity, or the vast diversity of life on Earth, is rapidly vanishing. In the last few decades, there has been a massive loss. Several animal and plant species have declined in recent decades. At an alarming rate, hundreds of thousands of acres of forests have been devastated. Several blue whales, polar bears, pandas, and other well-known animals starved to death. Many yet-to-be-discovered species are also in jeopardy. In recent years, there has been a significant decrease in the number of forests. Surviving species on the planet have a wide range of options for living in diverse settings, each with its own set of behaviors. So, biodiversity is crucial for us. We must preserve it. Humans should find ways to restore balance to our environment. We've identified several contributing factors to the decline in biodiversity, which we can divide into five categories: - land and sea use, pollution, overexploitation of species, changes in the climate, and diseases caused by invasive species. Conservation of diversity is a method for preserving species richness, species diversity, habitat diversity, ecological diversity, and genetic diversity. It maintains our health, prosperity, food, fuel, and services. It shows its vitality in supporting many aspects of development. Here are some innovative and creative ways to aid in the fight against biodiversity loss.〈/em〉〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉〈em〉The present study was carried out to identify of the groundwater potential zones (GWPZ) in the Mahanadi River delta of Odisha, India using Remote Sensing (RS), Geographical information system (GIS) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) approaches. In this study, various thematic maps categorized viz. geology, geomorphology (GM), lineament density (LD), slope, landuse/landcover (LULC), and soils for assessment of GWPZs, which is generated using RS and GIS approach. Further, the relative weights were allocated to various thematic maps using the AHP matrix method and the relative rank 〈/em〉〈em〉assigned to each sub-criterion based on expert advice. Finally, the GWPZ map was prepared by integrating into all these parameters and their respective weights in the GIS software and the study〈/em〉〈em〉 area were categorized into four GWPZs types, i.e. poor, moderate, good, and very good. 〈/em〉〈em〉About 7.12% of area is categorised in the class ‘poor’, 75.66% in ‘moderate’, 9.03% in ‘good’ and 8.19% in ‘very good’ category. The acquired outcomes were validated with the area under well data. The results show that there is a strong positive correlation between the GWPZs with 82% validation high performance and decreases to the low yield potential with poor areas. This study concludes that the AHP model will be a more reliable for the assessment of the GWP. 〈/em〉〈em〉Any groundwater management project carried out in these favourable regions would benefit the stack holders. 〈/em〉〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉〈em〉Drainage basin characteristics depends on various factors like geology of the area, soil type, hydrological setting of the area etc. Study of morphometric characters is helpful to know more about lithological structures, geomorphological features and conditions, lineaments and hydrological characteristics of the area which in turn throws light on ground water conditions and movement of the area. Study area is Pattankodoli Nala Basin, 〈/em〉〈em〉bounded by latitude 16°36'31'' N to 16°40'44'' N and longitude 74°18'37'' E to 74°22'39'' E in Survey of India (SIO) Toposheet numbers 47L/6 on the scale 1:50000. Morphometric analysis has been carried out and various morphometric aspects have been studied. On the basis of quantitative analysis of morphometric parameters, it found that the Pattankadoli Nala is 4〈sup〉th〈/sup〉 ordered and the whole river contains 50 streams. The low drainage density and low stream frequency indicates that the drainage nala has less runoff in the channel. The basin is having elongated shape and gentle slope. Both relief and drainage density are low to moderate. It is found that 〈/em〉〈em〉the South Western part of the basin has moderate to good ground water potential and is favorable for artificial recharge site construction.〈/em〉〈/p〉