Geochemistry and Sedimentology of Jhill Limestone of Gaj Formation,in Cape Monze and Adjoining Area,Karachi

Among several lithostratigraphic subdivisions of the Gaj Formation of Miocene age, the Jhill limestone is entirely different with respect to its colour, texture and structures. This limestone unit has been evaluated to elaborate its geochemical and sedimentological characteristics. The distribution of various elements in the acid-soluble fraction has been studied in order to determine their mineralogy, sedimentary environment, facies and diagenesis. Mineralogy, recrystallization and other diagenetic changes are the main factors affecting the distribution of trace elements and their mutual relationships in the limestones. Samples of the Jhill limestone show depletion in large-sized ions (Sr, Pb & K) and also in the ions that are not compatible with calcite space group. Elements (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu & Co) having distribution coefficient (D) above unity for natural calcites, are more enriched. Microscopic and X-ray studies revealed nearly complete conversion of aragonite into stable low-Mg calcite. An attempt has also been made to verify the reefal conditions for these limestones on the basis of geochemical studies. The plots of Sr and other facies-indicator elements show that the majority of the beds belong to forereef flank facies with some algal banks. Low Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios suggest that a phreatic diagenetic environment prevailed after the deposition. High concentrations of Cr, Ni, and Co in the Jhill limestone show a positive correlation with a higher amount of insoluble residue, which reflects a relatively high rate of influx of terrigenous material.     

巴基斯坦沿海地区地震危险性分析

通过确定性和概率性方法，对发展迅速的巴基斯坦沿海地区进行了地震危险性评估．根据该地区的地震构造和地质条件，确定了5个地震区域的11个断层作为该地区的潜在震源，计算了每个潜在震源的最大可能震级．根据与之相关震源的最大可信震级，计算了7个沿海城市的峰值加速度（PGA）．瓜达尔（Gwadar）和奥尔马腊（Ormara）的峰值加速度分别为0.21和0.25 g，处于地震危险性水平较高的地区；杜尔伯德（Turbat）和卡拉奇（Karachi）位于地震危险性水平较低的地区，峰值加速度小于0.1 g．同时，分别绘制了50年和100年超越概率为10％的PGA区划图，区划图的分区间隔为0.05 g．      

Biogeochemical Study of Tamarix Aphylla from Lasbela Area and Its Application in Prospecting of Ore Deposits

Biogeochemical investigation of Tamarix aphylla,a plant species, of the Las-bela area has been made.This area mainly consists of ophiolites associated with sed-imentary rocks of Jurassic and Cretaceous age .Quantitative estimations of important biogenic trace elements such as Fe,Mn,Pb,Zn,Cu,Cr,Ni, and Co have been carried out .Anomalous concentrations of these elements in plant species of certain regions can be used to locate possible occurrences of ore deposits in the area.The comparative strdy also reveals appreciable variations in the composition of trace elements in plants.The possible causes of variation in the constitrents of Tamarix aphylla from different localities have been discussed in the light of bed rock nature, mo-bility of element and average abundance in the plant.     

Evaluation of slurry settling rate using fuzzy rule-based modeling

The pressure acid leach process is the most widely used method of metal extraction from laterite ores. The self-weight settling rate of the ore slurries governs the throughput of the process and is improved by adding synthetic polymers. The charge density, molecular weight, and dosage of the polymers are the key factors influencing the settling rate of the slurries. This interdisciplinary paper uses the geotechnical understanding of hindered sedimentation for a mining engineering application. A conceptual fuzzy rule-based model was developed to evaluate the initial hydraulic conductivity of polymer-modified laterite ore slurries. Identification of control parameters and selection of the model architecture (fuzzy rule-base) were based on expert judgment. The developed model was trained and validated using bench-scale settling test data. The model reasonably predicts the initial hydraulic conductivity of polymer-added laterite ore slurry with a coefficient of determination of 0.75. Rank correlation coefficient-based sensitivity analyses indicated that charge density was the most significant polymer parameter followed by molecular weight and then by dosage. Charge density accounted for more than 97% of variability in the initial hydraulic conductivity estimates for both anionic and cationic polymers.     

Hydrogeochemistry of the Winder River and adjoining tributaries, Balochistan, Pakistan

Quantitative estimation of ground and stream waters draining through sedimentary rocks of the Pab and Mor ranges (Jurassic-Cretaceous) and the Bela ophiolite has been made. The degree of correspondence among cations and anions has been estimated in order to evaluate their mutual relationships. The abundance of major ions is interpreted to be related to bedrocks and climatic conditions, which may contribute to the genetic affiliation. The log TDS and Na/Na Ca ratio reflected supremacy of weathering of rocks with some influence of evaporation. Ionic relationship is exhibited in the form of Stiff diagrams. Patterns of ionic composition revealed high NaCl, medium Ca(HCO3)2 and low MgSO4. Piper diagram has been used to classify the hydrofacies. The important hydrogeochemical parameters have been estimated for assessment of groundwater quality for domestic purposes in accordance to WHO. Irrigation water qualities have been evaluated in terms of EC, SAR, RSC, ESP and pH.     

Hydrogeochemistry and groundwater quality assessment of the multilayered aquifer in Lower Kelantan Basin,Kelantan, Malaysia

Continual expansion of population density, urbanization, agriculture, and industry in most parts of the world has increased the generation of pollution, which contributes to the deterioration of surface water quality. This causes the dependence on groundwater sources for their daily needs to accumulate day by day, which raises concerns about their quality and hydrogeochemistry. This study was carried out to increase understanding of the geological setup and assess the groundwater hydrogeochemical characteristics of the multilayered aquifers in Lower Kelantan Basin. Based on lithological data correlation of exploration wells, the study area can be divided into three main aquifers: shallow, intermediate and deep aquifers. From these three aquifers, 101 groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for various parameters. The results showed that pH values in the shallow, intermediate and deep aquifers were generally acidic to slightly alkaline. The sequences of major cations and anions were Na⁺ > Ca²⁺ > Mg²⁺ > K⁺ and HCO₃^? > Cl^? > SO₄^2? > CO₃^2?, respectively. In the intermediate aquifer, the influence of ancient seawater was the primary factor that contributed to the elevated values of electrical conductivity (EC), Cl^? and total dissolved solids (TDS). The main facies in the shallow aquifer were Ca–HCO₃ and Na–HCO₃ water types. The water types were dominated by Na–Cl and Na–HCO₃ in the intermediate aquifer and by Na–HCO₃ in the deep aquifer. The Gibbs diagram reveals that the majority of groundwater samples belonged to the deep aquifer and fell in the rock dominance zone. Shallow aquifer samples mostly fell in the rainfall zone, suggesting that this aquifer is affected by anthropogenic activities. In contrast, the results suggest that the deep aquifer is heavily influenced by natural processes.     

Application of gravity and magnetic methods for the crustal study and delineating associated ores in the western limb of Hazara Kashmir Syntaxis,Northwest Himalayas,Pakistan

The present geophysical study deals with the ores and crustal demonstration of southeastern Hazara and its adjoining areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan, on the basis of terrestrial gravity and magnetic data. Tectonically, the study area lies in the Lesser Himalayas as well as to an extent in the sub-Himalaya, more specifically in the western limb of Hazara Kashmir Syntaxis. In this study, 567 gravity and 508 magnetic stations have been measured with CG-5 gravimeter and proton precession magnetometer, respectively. The collected data have been processed by applying standard corrections and then different types of maps were prepared. The ores in the area have been delineated by the qualitative interpretation of residual Bouguer anomaly and reduction to pole total magnetic intensity maps, whereas regional structures are demarcated by the Bouguer anomaly and regional Bouguer anomaly maps. The positive contour closures on the residual Bouguer anomaly map indicate the iron ore and phosphate, whereas negative contour closures are the effects of low-density material which consists of gypsum and soapstone. The pole-reduced total intensity map also shows the negative and positive contour closures almost in the same localities and confirms the residual Bouguer anomaly map. The geological model computed on the basis of Bouguer anomaly demarcated a series of faults between different rock units in the study area. The Kashmir Boundary Thrust cuts the western limb of Hazara Kashmir Syntaxis near the apex in the north of Muzaffarabad and marks the boundary between Murree Formation and carbonates of Abbottabad Formation. The gravity model also suggests that the thickness of the crust increases towards the northeast.     

Analysis of historical drought and flood characteristics of Hengshui during the period 1649–2018: a typical city in North China

Natural Hazards - The objective of this study was to reconstruct the long-term drought and flood time series to analyze their changing characteristics in Hengshui City of North China. Disaster...     

Comparison of DSHA-based response spectrum with design response spectrum of building code of Pakistan (BCP-SP-2007) for a site in Muzaffargarh area,Pakistan

The building code of any country is considered to be a basic technical guidance document for the seismic design of structures. However, building codes are typically developed for the whole country, without considering site specific models that incorporate detailed site-specific data. Therefore, the adequacy of the design spectrum for building codes may sometimes be questionable. To study the sufficiency of the building codes of Pakistan (BCP-SP-2007), a deterministic seismic hazard analysis (DSHA) based spectrum was developed for a site in the Muzaffargarh area, Pakistan, using an updated earthquake catalogue, seismic source model, and a next generation attenuation model (NGA-WEST-2). Further, an International Building Code (IBC-2000) spectrum was developed for the study area to compare the results. The DSHA-based response spectrum resulted in a peak ground acceleration (PGA) value of 0.21 g for the Chaudwan fault. The evaluation of BCP-SP-2007 and IBC-2000 spectra provided a critical assessment for analyzing the associated margins. A comparison with the DSHA-based response spectrum showed that the BCP-SP-2007 design spectrum mostly overlapped with the DSHA spectrum unlike IBC-2000. However, special attention is needed for designing buildings in the study area when considering earthquake periods longer than 1 s, and the BCP-SP-2007 spectrum can be enhanced when considering a period range of 0.12–0.64 s. Finally, BCP-SP-2007 is based on a probabilistic approach and its comparison with deterministic results showed the significance of both methods in terms of design.     

Velocity and Structural Modeling of Mesozoic Chiltan Limestone and Goru Formation for Hydrocarbon Evaluation in the Bitrisim Area, Lower Indus Basin, Pakistan

The present study focuses on building a workflow for structural interpretation and velocity modeling and implementing to Jurassic-Cretaceous succession (Chiltan Limestone and Massive sand of the Lower Goru Formation). 2D-Migrated seismic sections of the area are used as data set and in order to confirm the presence of hydrocarbons in the study area, P and S-wave seismic velocities are estimated from single-component seismic data. Some specific issues in the use of seismic data for modeling and hydrocarbon evaluation need to deal with including distinguishing the reservoir and cap rocks, and the effects of faults, folds and presence of hydrocarbons on these rocks. This study has carried out the structural interpretation and modeling of the seismic data for the identification of traps. The results demonstrate existence of appropriate structural traps in the form of horst and grabens in the area. 2D and 3D velocity modeling of the horizons indicates the presence of high velocity zones in the eastern half of the study while relatively low velocity zones are encountered in the western half of the area. Two wells were drilled in the study area (i.e. Fateh-01 and Ichhri-01) and both are dry. Immature hydrocarbons migration is considered as a failure reason for Fateh-01 and Ichhri-01 well.