Using landforms of Saudi Arabia for scenic and recreational purposes (With special reference to the Riyadh area)

The landform of Saudi Arabia in general and the Riyadh area in particular have their own potentiality for scenic and recreational purposes. The higher lands or features which have well cemented material in some areas of Riyadh have been recommended for scenic use, while lower lands like wide natural lakes, sand dunes and others can be mostly used for recreational purposes. Such features and purposes found here may be extrapolated into other similar areas within Saudi Arabia and may be compared with other areas elsewhere in the world.     

Assessment of pollution sources in the southeastern of the Riyadh and its impact on the population/Saudi Arabia

The rapid growth of Riyadh—capital of Saudi Arabia—is pushing the area to more pollution and incentive for reorganization. The aim of this research is to assess air pollutants in southeast of Riyadh and detect opinion of the population about their environment. The assessment was done by analyzing 405 questionnaires, evaluating thermal band of Landsat 8, and spatial analyzing of particular matter and chemicals in 19 air samples by geostatistical tool in the ArcMap. Most of the inhabitants stated that they are suffering from bad odor, sewage leakage, and dust mainly from a cement factory. The thermal band of Landsat clarified the location of the pollution sources mainly the 1st industrial city, Yammama Cement Factory, and power plant in Farouq area. The ordinary kriging maps showed that the highest concentration of PM₁₀ (>403 μg/m³) lied to the northern and western side of the study area and caused a health issue to most inhabitants.     

Riyadh and its development

After World War II Saudi Arabia has experienced spectacular changes. Based on huge oil and gas revenues a particularly rapid growth of population and a spectacular urbanization took place. One of the most booming cities in the desert environment of the arabian peninsula is the Kingdoms capital city of Riyadh. With a built-up area of 3.5 km² only before 1950 the city's present-day expansion reaches more than 500 km². During the same period of time the population of Riyadh grew from less than 50,000 in 1945 to more than 1.4 Mio. in 1985. Such an explosive development can be documented best by a satellite image. In this paper the process of urbanization of Riyadh is presented by the interpretation of a MOMS image taken in 1984, documenting the geographic situation, urban structures, and the city's development.     

Skin friction behavior of pile fully embedded in limestone

Pile foundation system in limestone rock layers is commonly used in Riyadh area, Saudi Arabia, for high-rise building, bridges, and other structures. Especially in Riyadh region, bored piles are used for bridges and underpasses not only because of bearing capacity but mainly because of limited spaces for using shallow foundations. In addition, piles are used for bridges over wadis to avoid scouring effects. The loads are transferred by the pile from a superstructure to the rock strata through side friction and end-bearing resistance. However, there are no studies conducted in Riyadh area to quantify the skin friction capacity of pile embedded in limestone rock. Accordingly, this experimental study describes in details the behavior of load transfer mechanism through side friction only on a reinforced concrete pile (75 mm diameter and 150 mm long) constructed on hard limestone rock sample. Soft material (Styrofoam) was placed at the bottom of the pile to eliminate the effect of end-bearing resistance. Unconfined compression test was conducted on intact rock sample to find out the properties of the rock used. The result of the ultimate side friction obtained from the test was compared with values predicted by other researcher methods mentioned in the literature.     

混合类型地质变量亲近关系度量模型

矿产资源定量预测中,地质变量在时间域与空间域上存在着质与量的差别,无论在数据采集上或信息量的提取中都存在着不平衡性。地质变量的这种不平衡性是由地质背景中的庞大噪声体系及工作系统误差造成的,在一定程度上将影响地质定量预测模型的稳定性与效果。针对上述问题提出一种将传统地质变量与非传统地质变量进行语义融合的组合度量方法。该法主要通过模型区与预测区中的共有变量集合与独有变量集合筛选,确定传统变量与非传统变量的定义与赋值方法,再通过空间联系度混合游程检验与质检验确定母体归属关系,建立非传统地质变量的替代组合度量模型,解决模型区定量预测模型外推过程中的质量塌陷与信息丢失问题。最后通过实际案例计算证实了该方法的有效性。     

Tectono-geomorphic development of intra-continental Cenozoic depressions within Cretaceous rocks of the Interior Homocline,Central Arabia

Intra-continental depressions occurred in Central Arabia, within the evaporite-bearing Sulaiy Formation, and extends for over 550 km along N-S arcuate belt, passing through eastern Ar Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They mark Jurassic/Cretaceous contact within the Interior Homocline of Central Arabia, accommodating Neogene and Quaternary deposits. Two en echelon major depressional areas were discovered, the northern major depressional area and the southern major depressional area. The first depressional area occurs between Al Artawiyah and Ad Dilam towns, following the arcuate Jurassic/Cretaceous contact. It contains five depressions: N-S Al Artwaiyah depression; NW-SE Ath Thumamah depression, northeast of Riyadh; NW-SE Jinadriyah depression, east of Riyadh; E-W Al Kharj depression; and N-S Ad Dilam depression. All five depressions seems to be formed by tectonic and subsequent geomorphic events, except for Al Artawiyah and Jinadriyah depression, which developed mainly by tectonic events. Southern major depressional area steps over to southwest of Ad Dilam, and occurs from Hawtat bani tamim to Layla towns. This Hawtah-Layla major depression trends N-S, and Cretaceous units strike NNE, which is a slightly oblique relationship, suggesting expression of deep-seated structures. Tectonic features were part of the Alpine-Himalayan orogeny, developing during Eocene. They followed by a geomorphic event (karsts and subsequent collapse) that took place during Mid Pleistocene. Ad Dilam depression is a surface expression of three oil and gas fields, while the southern major depression between Hawtat Bani Tamim and Layla towns is a surface expression of four oil and gas fields. Yet, other several depressional areas are also accommodating Quaternary desert sediments, and they contain economic resources, which therefore, worth further detailed studies.     

镇江市矿山企业及其结构分析

着重介绍了镇江市矿山企业的经营现状,并对其矿业结构和所有制结构下的主要经济指标作了初步剖析,从而对全市的矿业特征有了更深层次的了解。     

Capital on the move: The changing relation between livestock and labor in Mali, West Africa

In dryland areas of the Africa, livestock play important economic roles as commodities, wealth stores, producers of products, and agents of environmental change. Conventional depictions of livestock economies in this region have focused (in support or against) on the need for greater engagement of livestock producers with markets supplying meat to urban areas. This paper argues this singular focus has led analysts to ignore two important aspects of livestock economies: livestock as a preferred store of wealth across a wide range of social groups and the need for specialized labor to manage these livestock across open pastures to maintain their productivity and limit their negative environmental impacts. In the West African Sahel, the capital-like nature of livestock wealth has become more clear with a growing fraction of the region’s livestock owned by investors with little connection to livestock husbandry. Livestock investments are maintained on a day-to-day basis by hired herders who facilitate access to ephemeral pastures and water. A particular concern is the changing geographies of livestock ownership and the herding labor in relationship to regional pastures (to economic and environmental ends). This relationship will be explored using the case study of the Maasina region of central Mali - a historically important livestock region, which is now undergoing significant labor emigration. Building from a long-term ethnographic engagement with local livestock owners and herders, the results of ownership surveys of livestock herds across a 14-year period and interviews of urban-based emigrants from the study area about investment decisions will be used to analyze the changing geographies of livestock investment and herding labor in the Maasina.     

The booming growth of the city of Riyadh and its effect on the housing market

The main objective of this study is to devise a method by which one can estimate the number of building units available for use, the purpose of using them and the percentage of vacant units in the city of Riyadh. The raw data for this research were obtained from the Saudi Consolidated Electric Company after being modified by the authorr for the purposes of this work. The analysis of the acquired data shows that Riyadh has witnessed a booming growth in the number of building units. As a result of this tremendous expansion in building and construction, the supply of building units exceeded that of the demand so that some 14% of the building units are left vacant. In the absence of a more recent population census the writer believes that this method may be used to study both land use and population growth and density not only in the city of Riyadh but also in other cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.     

Hydrochemical classification and multivariate statistical analysis of groundwater from Wadi Sahba area in central Saudi Arabia

The central region of Saudi Arabia is underlain by thick sedimentary formations belonging to the Mesozoic and Cenozoic era. These sedimentary formations form a prolific aquifer supplying groundwater for agricultural and domestic usage in and around Riyadh. The region south of Riyadh City is well known for agricultural activities. Wadi Sahba, which is an eastward extension of Wadi Nisah, has readily available groundwater resources in the Cretaceous Biyadh sandstone aquifer to sustain agricultural activities. The objective of the present study was the hydrochemical assessment of groundwater in the area to understand the main hydrological processes which influence groundwater chemistry. To achieve this objective, 20 groundwater samples were collected from agricultural farms in the Wadi Sahba in central Saudi Arabia, and the major physiochemical constituents were analyzed and interpreted. The average TDS value of the analyzed samples is 1578.05 mg/l, whereas the average EC concentration is 3220.05 μS/cm. Groundwater facies classification inferred from the Piper plot shows that groundwater in the study area belongs to the Ca-SO₄-Cl type and Ca-Na-SO₄-Cl type. The Ca-SO₄-Cl type of groundwater facies is influenced mainly by gypsum dissolution and base ion exchange, whereas the Ca-Na-SO₄-Cl type is influenced by gypsum and halite dissolution. All the groundwater samples are undersaturated with respect to these two principal mineral phases. The Q-mode cluster analysis results in two main groups of groundwater samples, mainly based on the TDS content. Cluster 1 has an average TDS value of 1980 mg/l, whereas cluster 2 has an average TDS of 1176 mg/l. The groundwater facies identified through the Piper plot reflects the major hydrological processes controlling groundwater chemistry in the area and was found to be more useful in this study as compared to cluster analysis.     

经济强村兼并弱村的实施与模式探讨——以文登市金岭山庄为例

在二元土地所有制下,中国城市市区的建设用地、农村和城市郊区依法征收后新增的建设用地,属于国家所有;城市市区以外以及法律规定由国家所有土地以外的农民宅基地和其他建设用地,属于农民集体所有。文登市金岭山庄被位于城区的经济强村西楼兼并后,土地资源得以高效利用,加速了城市化进程,成为城乡统筹发展的典范。     

基于综合变异系数的地基承载力可靠性分析

采用一次二阶矩法,考虑岩土参量变异系数的试验及历史数据,提出了基于综合变异系数的地基承载力简化可靠性与风险分析方法。利用提出的简化可靠性与风险分析方法,可在传统确定性分析的基础上,采用合理的变异系数,分别得到与地基承载力有关的可靠度、破坏概率和平均期望损失的最可能值及其变化范围,为提出优化的地基基础设计方案和工程决策奠定基础;相对于土重度和黏聚力,地基承载力可靠度对于内摩擦角的变化更加敏感;设计时可以综合考虑所需的安全系数、可靠度和破坏概率,确定合适的基础宽度或基底面积。当地基土的场地勘察统计结果的变异系数权重逐渐增加时,综合变异系数不断减小,其相应的地基承载力的可靠度逐渐增加,而相应的破坏概率逐渐减少。     

Estimation of the probability of success in petroleum exploration

A probabilistic model for oil exploration can be developed by assessing the conditional relationship between perceived geologic variables and the subsequent discovery of petroleum. Such a model includes two probabilistic components, the first reflecting the association between a geologic condition (structural closure, for example) and the occurrence of oil, and the second reflecting the uncertainty associated with the estimation of geologic variables in areas of limited control. Estimates of the conditional relationship between geologic variables and subsequent production can be found by analyzing the exploration history of a training area judged to be geologically similar to the exploration area. The geologic variables are assessed over the training area using an historical subset of the available data, whose density corresponds to the present control density in the exploration area. The success or failure of wells drilled in the training area subsequent to the time corresponding to the historical subset provides empirical estimates of the probability of success conditional upon geology. Uncertainty in perception of geological conditions may be estimated from the distribution of errors made in geologic assessment using the historical subset of control wells. These errors may be expressed as a linear function of distance from available control. Alternatively, the uncertainty may be found by calculating the semivariogram of the geologic variables used in the analysis: the two procedures will yield approximately equivalent results. The empirical probability functions may then be transferred to the exploration area and used to estimate the likelihood of success of specific exploration plays. These estimates will reflect both the conditional relationship between the geological variables used to guide exploration and the uncertainty resulting from lack of control. The technique is illustrated with case histories from the mid-Continent area of the U.S.A.This paper was presented at Symposium 116.3, Quantitative Strategy for Exploration, held as part of the 25th International Geological Congress, Sydney, Australia, August 1976.     

Spatial distribution of the probability of occurrence and the value of petroleum: Kansas, an example

This paper suggests a new formulation for exploration-decision models useful in predicting the economics of exploring for petroleum in the United States. The methods used to date have been based on the premise of exploring for entire deposits. This approach may be unrealistic if exploring for petroleum in the United States because land ownership has so fragmented the surface that there is only a small probability that an entire deposit will be contained in any land tract held by a single exploration interest. As a result, it is suggested here that petroleum exploration-decision models intended for use by a single exploration interest should be based on frequency distributions of the probability of occurrence and value of petroleum occurring within land tracts. To achieve this goal, these distributions have been investigated in a 69,120-sq mi area in Kansas.     

Organic compound tracers of fine soil and sand particles during summer in the metropolitan area of Riyadh,Saudi Arabia

Soil and sand fine particles, which may be resuspended as fine dust in the atmosphere, contain a variety of anthropogenic and natural organic components. Samples of fine soil and sand particles (sieved to <125 μM) were collected from the Riyadh area in the summer of 2003 and extracted with a mixture of dichloromethane and methanol (3:1, v:v). The derivatized total extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry in order to characterize the composition and sources of the organic components. Both anthropogenic and natural biogenic inputs were the major sources of the organic compounds in these extracts. Discarded plastics and vehicular emission products were the major anthropogenic sources in the fine particles from populated areas of the city. Their tracers were plasticizers, UCM, n-alkanes, hopanes and traces of steranes. Vegetation was the major natural source of organic compounds in samples from outside Riyadh and included n-alkanols, n-alkanoic acids, n-alkanes, methyl alkanoates, sterols and triterpenoids. Carbohydrates had high concentrations (42–54%) in all samples and indicate sources from decomposition of cellulose and/or the presence of viable microbiota such as bacteria and fungi. The results were also compared with the data obtained in winter 2002 and showed that anthropogenic inputs were higher in summer than in winter, whereas the opposite trend was observed for natural inputs.     

Estimating potential direct runoff for ungauged urban watersheds based on RST and GIS

Estimating the potential direct runoff for urban watersheds is essential for flood risk mitigation and rainwater harvesting. Thus, this study aims to estimate the potential runoff depth based on the natural resources conservation service (NRCS) method and delineation of the watersheds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. To accomplish this objective, the geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing technique (RST) data were integrated to save time and improve analysis accuracy. The employed data include the digital elevation model (DEM), soil map, geology map, satellite images, and daily precipitation records. Accordingly, the hydrologic soil groups (HSG), the land use/land cover (LULC), and curve number (CN) were determined for each watershed in the study area. The results of this analysis show that the study area can be delineated into 40 watersheds with a total area of 8500 km². Furthermore, the dominant HSG is group D, which represents about 71% of the total area. The LULC maps indicate four major land types in the entire study area: urban, barren land, agricultural land, and roads. The CN of the study area ranges from 64 to 98, while the weighted CN is 92 for the city. The rainfall-runoff analysis shows that the area has a high and very high daily runoff (35–50 and >?50 mm, respectively). Therefore, in this case, the runoff leads to flooding, especially in the urban area and agricultural lands.     

土工试验与城市建筑设计

城市建设工程中,往往出现土工试验与建筑设计脱节的问题。建立建设方、设计方、勘察方的立体结构关系,可使勘察、设计与构思者的意图达到合理的融合。其中土工试验设计模式在运行过程中,效果良好。     

鄂尔多斯盆地北缘地球化学大数据样本优选分析

众所周知,地球化学数据携带有众多地质噪音,这些噪音严重影响地球化学数据信息的客观性与可靠性;对于地球化学大数据融合分析而言,确定样品的有效性及变量优选是滤除地质噪音、建立最优样本集合的必要性工作,因而在地球化学大数据处理分析前需首先进行大样本优选,从而更加客观、真实的揭示地球化学大数据信息及相关地质意义。本文以鄂尔多斯盆地北缘1∶20万地球化学土壤测量数据为例,考虑元素之间的地球化学亲和力与组合匹配关系,建立非线性大样本优选模型。具体做法是基于优选后的样品矩阵,将39个元素变量分解成若干独立因子向量,将最优独立因子向量作为元素组合,其向量各分量作为元素变量的权重,依权重大小进行变量优选;优选后的样本集合可以作为该区地球化学数据分析与信息识别的有效地学信息集合,运用这种集合可以有效开展鄂尔多斯盆地外围铀地球化学分析,并为盆地铀资源预测奠定基础。     

Environmental assessment of soil,groundwater, and surface water quality in the south of the Riyadh,Saudi Arabia

To understand the impact of the influence of treated wastewater, a study was undertaken in the downstream side of Wadi Hanifa in the southern part of Riyadh City in Saudi Arabia. Chemical elements from 17 groundwater samples, 9 surface water samples (treated wastewater), and 14 soil samples were analyzed. Water facies analyses showed that both groundwater and surface water belong to the SO₄-Cl class. However, the groundwater is characterized by high salinity (average value of 3547 mg/l), which may be result of the greater rock-water interaction and limited rainfall recharge. The NO₃ values are also high in the groundwater samples (average value of 40 mg/l) and are mainly attributed to the agricultural practices in the study area. The surface water samples (treated wastewater from the plant) shows an average salinity value of 1232 mg/l and is better suited for irrigation purposes. Heavy elements analyzed in the soil samples show high concentrations of all the elements except Mn and Ni as compared to their background concentration. Enrichment factor and index of geoaccumulation calculated from the soil samples indicate that they are severely enriched with respect to Cd and Se. The spatial distribution maps were prepared based on kriging interpolation technique to estimate the concentrations of the analyzed elements at unknown locations. The treated wastewater in the study area is better suited for agricultural and domestic activities as compared to groundwater.     

Wealth and poverty in rural India

The main objectives of this paper are to identify and account for the regional variations in the rural household incomes and inequalities in income distribution between and within regions in India. Clearly, higher average incomes are concentrated in the W and NW regions, and very low incomes in the densely populated E and S. These differences have been analysed through the use of correlation and regression model, based on 15 variables. The results indicate that agricultural development (reflected in mechanization and irrigation), size of holdings, and family size have a positive influence on incomes, and landlessness negative. Further, a significant negative correlation between low caste population density and household incomes suggests that, at least, some of the impoverishment in the villages may be attributed to an unfair social structure that has developed and has been maintained over a long time in India. This conclusion is further reinforced by comparing income data from regions dominated by tribal social system and community ownership of land with those where Hindu caste system and private ownership of land are dominant.