Geochemical constraints on the genesis of the volcanic rocks in the southeast of Isfahan area, Iran

Late Miocene–Pliocene to Quaternary calc-alkaline lava flows and domes are exposed in southeast of Isfahan in the Urumieh Dokhtar magmatic belt in the Central Iran structural zone. These volcanic rocks have compositions ranging from basaltic andesites, andesites to dacites. Geochemical studies show these rocks are a medium to high K calc-alkaline suite and meta-aluminous. Major element variations are typical for calc-alkaline rocks. The volcanic rocks have SiO₂ contents ranging between 53.8% and 65.3%. Harker diagrams clearly show that the dacitic rocks did not form from the basaltic andesites by normal differentiation processes. They show large ion lithophile elements- and light rare earth elements (LREE)-enriched normalized multielement patterns and negative Nb, Ti, Ta, and P. Condrite-normalized REE patterns display a steep decrease from LREE to light rare earth elements without any Eu anomaly. These characteristics are consistent with ratios obtained from subduction-related volcanic rocks and in collision setting. The melting of a heterogeneous source is possible mechanism for their magma genesis, which was enriched in incompatible elements situated at the upper continental lithospheric mantle or lower crust. The geochemical characteristics of these volcanic rocks suggested that these volcanic rocks evolved by contamination of a parental magma derived from metasomatized upper lithospheric mantle and crustal melts.     

Evaluating the support vector machine for suspended sediment load forecasting based on gamma test

Due to the various influencing factors on river suspended sediment transportation, determining an appropriate input combination for developing the suspended sediment load forecasting model is very important for water resources management. The influence of pre-processing of input variables by Gamma Test (GT) was investigated on performance of Support Vector Machine (SVM) with two kernels; Radial Basis Function (RBF) and polynomial in order to forecast daily suspended sediment amount in the period between 1983 and 2014 at Korkorsar basin, northern Iran. The best input combination was identified using GT and correlation coefficient analysis. Then, the SVM model was developed and the suspended sediment amount was forecasted with RBF and polynomial kernels. The obtained results in testing phase showed that GT-SVM (RBF kernel) model can estimate suspended sediment more accurately with the lowest RMSE (14.045 ton/day), highest correlation coefficient (0.88) and highest NSEC coefficient (0.88) than SVM (RBF kernel) model (RMSE?=?18.36ton/day, \( {R}^2=0.79, \) \( NSEC=0.73 \)) and had a better performance than the other models. The results indicated that in forecasting the first nine maximum values of suspended sediment load, GT-SVM (RBF) had a higher capability than the other models and could provide a more accurate estimation from the maximum rate of suspended sediment. The results of this study showed the capability of identifying the priority of the input parameters can change GT to a useful and technical test for input variables pre-processing to forecast the amount of suspended sediments.     

Analytic network process for criteria selection in sustainable coastal land use planning

The coastal lands are very important boundaries in the natural system. But these areas are under pressure that has threatened their health by short-sighted planning policies. The management options have focused on economic production and human benefits rather than the natural systems that guaranty sustainability of them. Evaluation of sustainability in coastal lands needs some critical criteria and indicators. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate an innovative reliable method for identification of the most important criteria and indicators using multi criteria techniques, especially the Analytic Network Process (ANP). Analytic Network Process as a new approach has potential to be applied into the field of coastal land use development. This is the first time ANP has been used for criteria selection to ensure sustainability in coastal land use planning. The integration of social, economic and environmental criteria within the planning framework in this paper has provided a holistic approach for integrated coastal land use development.     

Assessment of heavy metal pollution in surface sediments of the Bayan Lepas area,Penang, Malaysia

This study aimed to evaluate the spatial and temporal distribution of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Co, Fe, Pb, Ni, V, and Zn) in the sediments of Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone of Penang, Malaysia. Ten sampling stations were selected and sediment samples were collected during low tide (2012 ? 2013). Metals were analyzed and the spatial distribution of metals were evaluated based on GIS mapping. According to interim sediment quality guidelines (ISQG), metal contents ranged from below low level to above high level at different stations. Based on the geoaccumulation index (I_geo) of sediment, sampling stations were categorized from unpolluted to strongly polluted. The enrichment factor (EF) of metals in the sediment varied between no enrichment to extremely high enrichment. The potential ecological risk index (RI) indicated Bayan Lepas FIZ was at low risk.