Efficacité des aménagements de lutte contre le ravinement: cas du bassin versant d’El Hnach (Tunisie)

Résumé

La lutte contre le ravinement a longtemps été un point clé des stratégies de lutte contre l’érosion en milieu méditerranéen. Cependant l’évaluation de l’efficacité des stratégies et pratiques d’aménagements fait défaut. Dans ce contexte, l’objectif du présent travail est de proposer et tester une méthode d’évaluation de l’efficacité d’aménagements réalisés pour limiter le ravinement. La démarche adoptée s’appuie sur l’interprétation de photographies aériennes de différentes dates. Elle est développée sur le bassin versant tunisien d’El Hnach (3,7 km²), partiellement aménagé vers 1989 avec diverses pratiques anti-érosives (plantations d’arbres, construction de banquettes, de seuils et de cordons de pierre). La comparaison entre zones aménagées et zones non aménagées est réalisée après correction des effets pente, lithologie et climat grâce à une normalisation par rapport au comportement de secteurs « témoins » non aménagés. La cartographie de l’évolution des longueurs de ravines entre 1952 et 2004 a permis de mesurer les dynamiques de ravinement et de mettre en évidence la grande variabilité de l’efficacité des aménagements selon le contexte de pente et de géologie.

Editeur Z.W. Kundzewicz; Editeur associé G. Mahé

Citation Rebai, H., Raclot, D., et Ben Ouezdou, H., 2013. Efficacité des aménagements de lutte contre le ravinement (cas du bassin versant d’El Hnach, Tunisie). Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (7), 1532–1541.     

Neotectonic and seismotectonic investigation of seismically active regions in Tunisia: a multidisciplinary approach

Due to its key position within the Africa–Europe convergence zone, Tunisia is marked by thrusting, folding, and faulting and has a major rupture zones associated with active faults. Consequently, most of Tunisian land is seismically active with significant active deformations, showing recent seismic events and their relative surface effects. This paper reports on several aspects of the seismotectonics, historical, and present-day seismicity and places them in the general tectonic and geodynamic framework of Tunisia. Field investigations, based on an integrated multidisciplinary approach, included (1) the identification of active faults, their motion and displacement, geomorphic aspects, and scarps and their relation with the general structural map of Tunisia and (2) an extensive analysis of brittle tectonic deformation affecting Quaternary deposits in several sites throughout Tunisia. The integration of field data within the existing data related to the seismic events that took place during the last decades allowed the establishment of an earthquake distribution map, as well as major seismic zones for better understanding of the seismicity database of Tunisia. To establish microzonation maps in seismic regions such as Gafsa and its surroundings, we have analyzed surface effects and secondary structures associated with active faults and correlated them with deformation rates, reconstructed for significant seismic events. Most faults exhibited typical left-stepping en-echelon with strike-slip component pattern suggesting that Tunisia is presently subjected to NNW–SSE compression. The focal mechanism of most Tunisia earthquakes combined with the existing tectonic and structural information and reconstruction of the Quaternary stress tensor allowed (a) better understanding of seismic zoning, (b) provided better assessment of the seismic hazard, and (c) facilitated the interpretation of the relationship between seismic zones and the geodynamic African–Eurasian plate boundary.     

DEM and GIS analysis of sub-watersheds to evaluate relative tectonic activity. A case study of the North–south axis (Central Tunisia)

Morphotectonic analysis using geomorphic indexes has been developed as a basic tool to identify recent tectonic deformation in specific areas.This study was undertaken to develop an integrated quantitative geomorphic analysis of tectonic activity in the North–south axis, central of Tunisia. Different geomorphic indexes, including elongation ratio (E), drainage basin asymmetry (Af), hypsometric integral (Hi), Valley floor width-to-height ratio (Vf), mountain front sinuosity (Smf), and stream length gradient index (SL) were calculated. The relationships between the calculated indexes, their correlations and their significance (based on p-values) were also investigated.. Using the hierarchical cluster analysis based on Ward’s method, these indexes were classified into three classes describing the relative, different effect of tectonics in each fault segment. The higher deformation is concentrated in the NE-SW Boudinar fault, followed, in order of decreasing activity, by Goubrar, Gouleb, and Majoura normal faults. This pattern of variation in the relative degree of tectonic activity is consistent with field evidence.     

GIS-based analysis of the Stream Length-Gradient Index for evaluating effects of active tectonics: a case study of Enfidha (North-East of Tunisia)

Our study aims at calculating morphometric indices through the recourse to the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and its attributes (hydrographic networks, watersheds, and reliefs). This quantitative measurement is used for the morphotectonical analysis of the Enfidha area (North-East of Tunisia) in the GIS environment and statistical platform. The Enfidha area is selected to analyze and identify neotectonic morphostructures on basis of the morphological evolution of the landscape. The coastal Enfidha plain is part of the Tunisian Sahel that is marked by its instability and frequent earthquakes that prove the presence of the recent deformation and active subsurface faults. This morphometric modeling in the geological investigation area reflects the morphotectonic spatial evolution in the Quaternary basins areas. Stream length (SL) proposed by Hack (1973) and denominated by Etchebehere et al. (2004) Revista do Instituto de Geociências USP, Série Científica, São Paulo 4(2):43–56 as the RDE index (Relation Declivity Extension) was used for application in the studies of neotectonic approach. RDE index is one of the morphotectonical indices that designates the tectonics anomalies in rivers. The variability in (RDE) values can indicate both a lithology resistance towards erosion and major active subsurface faults or low slope. Our geostatistical method is required to obtain RDE index maps based on lithological filtrations and value interpolations which are calculated in a drainage line network. This method calculates, measures, and validates spatial distribution of hack RDE index through a high statistical accuracy in a quantitative anomalies study. The RDE anomaly maps of the study area mirror the concurrence between anomaly zones, major active subsurface E-W faults, and local geological discontinuities related to neotectonical activities that affect the hydrographic network. This study proves that the RDE index can be especially used to detect the influence of active large-scale faults on the landscape evolution.     

Apport de la gravimétrie à l’étude des structures effondrées du Nord-Est de la Tunisie: implications hydrogéologiques

Résumé

Cette étude basée sur l’analyse des données gravimétriques a pour but d’améliorer la connaissance des structures effondrées du Nord-Est de la Tunisie. La carte de l’anomalie résiduelle a d’abord été calculée à partir de la carte de l’anomalie de Bouguer en enlevant un gradient régional. La résiduelle calculée fournit des informations sur la variation de la densité dans les bassins sédimentaires de l’Oued Chafrou-Khlidia, de Mornag et de Grombalia. Afin de mettre en évidence les différentes structures géologiques (failles, bassins, etc.) dans le secteur d’étude, différentes techniques (gradient vertical, gradient horizontal, prolongement vers le haut, déconvolution d’Euler) ont été appliquées à la carte gravimétrique des structures effondrées du Nord-Est de la Tunisie. Les résultats obtenus ont permis de dresser une carte structurale présentant le système de failles responsable de la structuration de la zone d’étude. Cette carte constitue un document très utile pour orienter les recherches hydrogéologiques futures qui seront menées dans ces plaines.

Editeur Z.W. Kundzewicz

Citation Ouerghi, S., Rebai, N., Gabtni, H., Farhat, B., et Bouaziz, S., 2013. Apport de la gravimétrie à l’étude des structures effondrées du Nord-Est de la Tunisie: implications hydrogéologiques. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (6), 1361–1373.     

Using a naive Bayes classifier to explore the factors driving the harmful dinoflagellate Karenia selliformis blooms in a southeastern Mediterranean lagoon

Ocean Dynamics - The blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia selliformis can be predicted with accuracy derived from knowledge of the main forcing variables. A naive Bayes classifier modeling...