DRAV model and its application in assessing groundwater vulnerability in arid area: a case study of pore phreatic water in Tarim Basin,Xinjiang, Northwest China

According to the characteristics of groundwater in arid area, this paper proposes DRAV model for groundwater vulnerability assessment, where D is groundwater depth, R is the net recharge of aquifer, A is the aquifer characteristics, and V is the lithology of vadose zone. As a case study, the paper assesses the vulnerability of pore phreatic water in Tarim Basin of Xinjiang, China by using the DRAV model. The results indicate that the areas of phreatic water with vulnerability index ranges of 2–4, 4–6, 6–8 and >8 accounting for 10.1, 80.4, 9.2 and 0.2% of the total plain area of the Tarim Basin respectively, and the areas with the latter two vulnerability ranges (6–8 and >8) are mainly located in the irrigation districts with thin soil layer (20–30 cm thick surface soil of vadose zone, mainly with underlying sandy gravel) and with silty and fine sand layer. Such vadose zone generally lacks sandy loam and clayey soil and has larger recharge by infiltration of irrigation water.     

An organic geochemical investigation on organic rich sediments from two Neogene formations in the Klias Peninsula area,West Sabah,Malaysia

Twenty organic rich outcrop samples from the Belait and Setap Shale formations in the Klias Peninsula area, West Sabah, were analysed by means of organic petrology and geochemical techniques. The aims of this study are to assess the type of organic matter, thermal maturity and established source rock characterization based primarily on Rock-Eval pyrolysis data. The shales of the Setap Shale Formation have TOC values varying from 0.6 wt%–1.54 wt% with a mean hydrogen index (HI) of 60.1 mg/g, whereas the shal...     

Organic tracers in sediments from the coastal zone of Ras Abu el-Darag,Gulf of Suez

Sediment samples from the coastal zone of the Gulf of Suez contain a variety of organic compounds from anthropogenic and natural sources. A total of 12 surface samples of bottom sediments were collected with an Ekman grab sampler along an off-shore transect south of Ras Abu el-Darag. The samples were extracted with a mixture of dichloromethane and methanol (3:1 v/v) after drying and sieving through 250 μm mesh. The extracts were derivatized and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry in order to characterize the chemical composition and sources of the organic components. Marine with minor terrestrial biota were the major natural sources of organic tracers and included n-alkanoic acids, sterols and saccharides (5.7–76.7%). Anthropogenic sources, from petroleum related activities, detergent usage for spill cleaning and littering, are indicated by the presence of n-alkanes with carbon preference index ≤1.0, hopanes, steranes, unresolved complex mixture of branched and cyclic hydrocarbons, alkyl nitriles, alkamides and plasticizers. Their total relative concentrations ranged from 23.3 to 97.3% of the total extracts. Petroleum residues from natural seepage may also be part of these hydrocarbons. The levels of anthropogenic inputs decrease from about 94% in coastal zone sediments to about 20% in sediments from the reef front.     

Geological sources of boron and fluoride anomalies in Silurian–Ordovician aquifer system,Estonia

The objective of this study was to examine the possible natural sources of fluorides and boron in Silurian–Ordovician (S–O) aquifer system, as the anomaly of these elements has been distinguished in groundwater of western Estonia. Water–rock interactions, such as dissolution and leaching of the host rock, are considered to be the main source of high fluoride and boron concentrations in groundwater. Altogether 91 rock samples were analysed to determine if high F⁻ and B levels in groundwater could be attributed to certain aquifer forming rock types. Fluorine and boron contents in limestones and dolomites vary from 100 to 500 mg/kg and 5 to 20 mg/kg, reaching up to 1,000 and 150 mg/kg in marlstones, respectively. K-bentonites, altered volcanic ash beds, are rich in fluorine (400–4,500 mg/kg) and boron (50–1,000 mg/kg). Thus, clay-rich sediments, providing ion-exchange and adsorption sites for F⁻ and B, are the probable sources of both elements in S–O aquifer system in western Estonia.     

Vertical Profiles of Major Organic Geochemical Constituents and Extracellular Enzymatic Activities in Sandy Sediments of Aransas and Copano Bays, TX

Vertical distribution patterns of organic geochemical constituents and the enzymes aminopeptidase and β-glucosidase provide insights about the nature and reactivity of sediment organic matter in the sandy sediments of two shallow “South Texas” estuaries. Sediment total organic carbon (TOC) δ¹³C values indicated that the organic matter (OM) was derived more from a mixture of seagrass and phytoplankton than from terrigenous OM. Down-core amounts of TOC and total nitrogen (TN) were <0.2% of dry weight, respectively. Enzyme activities were highest near surface and ranged from 25 to 1 μM/h for aminopeptidase as compared to 5 to 0.2 μM/h for glucosidase. In Aransas Bay, aminopeptidase activity correlated with sediment TN content (r _s = 0.30) and β-glucosidase with TOC content (r _s = 0.27). In Copano Bay, aminopeptidase correlated with TOC, TN, and carbohydrate content (r _s = 0.89, 0.90, and 0.83, respectively). Variations of glucosidase activity also related positively to TOC, TN, and total carbohydrate content (r _s = 0.68, 0.77, and 0.48, respectively). Overall, enzyme activities in these low OM, sandy sediments resembled those for other benthic marine environments.     

Long-term TNT and DNT contamination: 1-D modeling of natural attenuation in the vadose zone: case study,Portugal

The vadose zone of a trinitrotoluene (TNT) and dinitrotoluene (DNT) contaminated site was investigated to assess the mobility of those explosives under natural conditions. Located in the left margin of the River Tejo Basin, Portugal, the site is located on unconsolidated sediments. Wastewaters associated with the 50-year explosives production were disposed in excavated ponds, from where water would infiltrate and pollute the unsaturated and saturated parts of the local aquifers. Two boreholes were drilled to 9 m depth in such a former waste pond to investigate the contaminant’s fate in the vadose zone. Sediment samples were taken every 1–2 m for analysis of the poly-nitroaromatics (p-NACs) and organic volatile compounds, pH, organic carbon content, cation exchange capacity and grain size analysis. The main contaminant was TNT representing >70 % of the total p-NACs concentration that peaked approximately 7 mg/kg in one borehole, even if the median in both boreholes was of ~1 mg/kg. DNT was 4–30 % of the total p-NACs and nitrotoluene (NT), up to 5 %. No other (volatile) organic compound was detected. The predominance of TNT as the main contaminant implies that any natural mass reduction has been inefficient to clean the site. Several 1-D model simulations of p-NACs cleaning of the vadose zone under natural conditions indicated that the most probable scenario of combined advection and partitioning will only remove TNT after 10’s of years, whereas DNT and NT will hardly be removed. Such low concentrations and long times for the p-NACs removal, suggest that by now those compounds have been washed-out to a level below standard limits.     

Organic fraction of the total carbon burial flux deduced from carbon isotopes across the Permo-Triassic boundary at Meishan,Zhejiang Province,China

By combining the carbon cycle model with the records of carbonate and organic (kerogen) carbon isotope, this paper presents the calculation of the fraction of organic carbon burial (f _org) of beds 23–40 at the global boundary stratotype section and point (GSSP) of the Permian-Triassic boundary at Meishan, Zhejiang Province. The resulting calculation produces two episodes of f _org maxima observed to occur at beds 23–24 and 27–29, which respectively corresponds to the two episodic anoxic events indicated by the flourish of green sulfur bacteria. Two episodic f _org minima occurred at beds 25–26 and 32–34, generally coincident with the flourish of cyanobacteria (bed 26 and upper part of beds 29 to 34) as shown by the high value of 2-melthyhopnoanes. It appears that the f _org is related to the redox conditions, with greater f _org values observed under the reductive condition. The relationship between f _org and the total organic carbon (TOC) content was complex. The f _org value was low at some beds with a high TOC content (such as bed 26), while high observed at some beds with a low TOC content (e.g. bed 27). This association infers the important contribution of primary productivity to the TOC content. The original organic burial could be thus calculated through the configuration of the function of the primary productivity and f _org, which can be used to correct the residual TOC measured today. This investigation indicates that compiling the organic-inorganic carbon isotopes with the carbon cycle model favors to understand the fraction of organic carbon burial, providing information for the reconstruction of the coupling among biota, environments and organic burial. Journal of China University of Geosciences, 2007, 32(6): 767–773 [译自: 地球科学—中国地质大学学报]     

The application of δ13C and C/N ratios as indicators of organic carbon sources and paleoenvironmental change of the mangrove ecosystem from Ba Lat Estuary, Red River, Vietnam

In this study, two sediment cores (~70 cm) were collected from separate mangrove forests straddling the Ba Lat Estuary, Red River of northern Vietnam, to examine the origins of sedimentary organic carbon (SOC) and reconstruct the paleoenvironment. In addition, mangrove leaves and particulate organic matter were collected and measured for δ¹³C to trace the origins of SOC. The cores were analyzed by high-resolution sections for δ¹³C, TOC, C/N ratios, sediment grain size, water content, and porosity, with values of δ¹³C, TOC, and C/N ratios ranging from −28.19 to −22.5‰, 2.14–30.94 mg/g, and 10.29–18.32, respectively. The δ¹³C and TOC relationship indicated that there were some small residual effects of diagenetic processes on TOC and δ¹³C values in mangrove sediments. However, the shifts of δ¹³C and C/N ratios from the bottom to the surface sediment of the cores explained the change in organic matter sources, with values of C/N > 12 and δ¹³C < −25‰, and C/N < 12 and δ¹³C > −25‰ indicated terrestrial (e.g., mangrove litter) and marine phytoplankton sources, respectively. The covarying δ¹³C, C/N ratios, and sediment grain sizes during the past 100 years in sediment cores showed that the paleoenvironment may be reconstructed into three environments (subtidal, tidal flat, and intertidal mangrove). General trends in δ¹³C and C/N followed a gradual increase in the C/N ratio and a concomitant decrease in δ¹³C from the subtidal, through to tidal flat, and to the intertidal mangrove. δ¹³C and C/N ratios are therefore effective in measuring the continuum of environmental change in mangrove ecosystem.     

Preliminary evaluation of hydrochemistry of the Kalambaina Formation, Sokoto Basin, Nigeria

Hydrochemical investigations in the Kalambaina Formation have been initiated to determine potability and suitability of the shallow groundwater for domestic and agricultural uses. This limestone formation is an extensive aquifer supplying water to livestock and domestic wells in its outcrop areas. The aquifer is recharged by rainfall and discharges mainly into the Sokoto–Rima River system and lakes at Kware, Gwadabawa and Kalmalo in Nigeria. Because recharge to the aquifer is mainly from rainfall, the quality of the groundwater is controlled essentially by chemical processes in the vadose zone and locally by human activities. Water samples were taken at 11 sites comprising boreholes, dug wells and a spring and were chemically analysed for their major ion components. Hydrochemical results show water of fairly good quality. It is, however, hard and generally of moderate dissolved solids content. Concentration of the total dissolved solids is between 130 and 2,340 mg/l. Concentrations of ions vary widely but a high concentration of K⁺ is found in places. NO₃⁻ is on the higher side of the World Health Organization (WHO) permissible limits, indicating pollution in such areas. Groundwater chemistry is predominantly of two facies, namely the calcium–magnesium–bicarbonate and calcium–magnesium–sulphate–chloride facies. These facies probably evolved primarily as a result of dissolution of calcium and magnesium carbonates as well as some human/land-use activities.     

First evidence for the Cenomanian–Turonian oceanic anoxic event (OAE2, ‘Bonarelli’ event) from the Ionian Zone,western continental Greece

Integrated biostratigraphic (planktonic foraminifera, calcareous nannofossils), chemostratigraphic (bulk C and O isotopes) and compound-specific organic geochemical studies of a mid-Cretaceous pelagic carbonate—black shale succession of the Ionian Zone (western Greece), provide the first evidence for the Cenomanian–Turonian oceanic anoxic event (OAE2, ‘Bonarelli’ event) in mainland Greece. The event is manifested by the occurrence of a relatively thin (35 cm), yet exceptionally organic carbon-rich (44.5 wt% TOC), carbonate-free black shale, near the Cenomanian–Turonian boundary within the Vigla limestone formation (Berriasian–Turonian). Compared to the ‘Bonarelli’ black-shale interval from the type locality of OAE2 in Marche–Umbria, Italy, this black shale exhibits greatly reduced stratigraphic thickness, coupled with a considerable relative enrichment in TOC. Isotopically, enriched δ¹³C values for both bulk organic matter (−22.2‰) and specific organic compounds are up to 5‰ higher than those of underlying organic-rich strata of the Aptian-lower Albian Vigla Shale member, and thus compare very well with similar values of Cenomanian–Turonian black shale occurrences elsewhere. The relative predominance of bacterial hopanoids in the saturated, apolar lipid fraction of the OAE2 black shale of the Ionian Zone supports recent findings suggesting the abundance of N₂-fixing cyanobacteria in Cretaceous oceans during the Cenomanian–Turonian and early Aptian oceanic anoxic events.     

Study on the restitution coefficient of original total organic carbon for high mature marine source rocks

On the basis of the results of hydropyrolysis simulations for about 90 different types of immature to mature source rocks selected from about 5 000 marine source rocks in China, along with the natural thermal evolution profiles, the following conclusions were obtained. (1) Total organic carbon (TOC) content of excellent marine source rocks does not change obviously when Ro < 0.8% or Ro > 1.3%, and the residual TOC content is decreasing gradually with the maturity increase at 0.8% < Ro < 1.3%. (2) At the high-post mature stage (Ro > 1.3%), the decreased maximums of residual TOC content for the kerogen of sapropel (I), II₁, and II are usually 40%, 32% and 24%, respectively, and their TOC restitution coefficient is, respectively, 1.68, 1.48 and 1.32. (3) Both the TOC decreasing amplitude and the restitution coefficient decrease gradually with the decrease of TOC content for the source rocks with low organic matter abundance (usually 0.3% < TOC < 1.0%). The TOC restitution coefficients are, respectively, 1.20 and 1.0, when 0.3% < TOC < 0.5% and TOC < 0.3%. (4) TOC_res of solid bitumen and shale with high organic matter abundance (TOC > 30%) also require no restitution at the high mature stage. Such kind of TOC restitution is further supported by the coincidence of the decrease of residual TOC with the decreasing of S₁ + S₂ and the increasing of hydrocarbon quantity during the experimental simulation of hydrocarbon generation and expulsion for marine source rocks (0.3% < TOC < 30%) in natural thermal evolution profiles. __________ Translated from Earth Science—Journal of China University of Geosciences, 2007, 32(6): 853–860 [译自: 地球科学—中国地质大学学报]     

Compositions and sources of extractable organic matter in Mesopotamian marshland surface sediments of Iraq. I: aliphatic lipids

Shallow surface sediment samples from the Mesopotamian marshlands of Iraq were collected and analyzed to determine the distribution, concentrations and sources of aliphatic lipid compounds (n-alkanes, n-alkanols, n-alkanoic acids, and methyl n-alkanoates) and molecular markers of petroleum in these wetlands. The sediments were collected using a stainless steel sediment corer, dried, extracted with a dichloromethane/methanol mixture and then analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The aliphatic lipid compounds included n-alkanes, n-alkanoic acids, n-alkanols and methyl n-alkanoates with concentrations ranged from 6.8 to 31.1 μg/g, 4.1 to 5.0 μg/g, 5.9 to 7.7 μg/g and from 0.3 to 5.9 μg/g, respectively. The major sources of aliphatic lipids were natural from waxes of higher plants (24–30%) and microbial residues (42–30%), with a significant contribution from anthropogenic sources (27–30%, petroleum), based on the organic geochemical parameters and indices. Further studies are needed to characterize the rate, accumulation and transformation of various organic matter sources before and after re-flooding of these wetlands.     

Punctual and continuous estimation of transit time from dissolved organic matter fluorescence properties in karst aquifers,application to groundwaters of ‘Fontaine de Vaucluse’ experimental basin (SE France)

For about 10 years, environmental tracing development using dissolved organic matter (DOM) has been the subject of several studies. Particularly, the use of characterization techniques, like fluorescence emission–excitation matrices has enabled the identification of DOM sources and monitoring them within mainland or marine hydrosystems. Moreover, hydrogeologists have shown the significance of total organic carbon content used as a fast seepage tracer in karstic aquifers. The aim of this study consists in using DOM fluorescence signals to develop a transit time semi-quantitative tracer in heterogeneous hydrosystems. The Low-Noise Underground Laboratory (Vaucluse, France) cuts the network of Fontaine de Vaucluse (FV) karstic vadose zone randomly, and offers a special access to different unstructured dripwaters, with different hydrodynamic behaviour, inside its galleries, i.e. not hierarchical as in natural caves. Previous long-term hydrodynamic and hydrochemical studies allowed the understanding of their hydrogeological behaviour and the estimation of mean transit times. That is why this site is adequate to develop new transit time tracers. After identification of the different DOM sources (i.e. lithic and rendzic leptosols), fluorescence intensities monitoring from soil leachates and dripwaters, for certain excitation–emission wavelength pairs, allowed the development of punctual transit time tracing, by spotting infiltration periods of fluorescent compounds, and monitoring their transfer within a hydrosystem. A fluorescence index (humification index) and the mean transit time of each gallery groundwater, stemmed from previous hydrodynamic and hydrochemical studies, allowed the calibration of a logarithmic relationship. This one allows the development of a continuous transit time tracing method that estimates transit times without long-term studies. It has been tested on two springs of FV catchment basin, providing transit time estimations for karstic hydrosystems that do not present a mixture between recent and pluriannual waters.     

Probabilities for the occurrences of medium to large earthquakes in northeast India and adjoining region

The return periods and occurrence probabilities related to medium and large earthquakes (M _w 4.0–7.0) in four seismic zones in northeast India and adjoining region (20°–32°N and 87°–100°E) have been estimated with the help of well-known extreme value theory using three methods given by Gumbel (1958), Knopoff and Kagan (1977) and Bury (1999). In the present analysis, the return periods, the most probable maximum magnitude in a specified time period and probabilities of occurrences of earthquakes of magnitude M ≥ 4.0 have been computed using a homogeneous and complete earthquake catalogue prepared for the period between 1897 and 2007. The analysis indicates that the most probable largest annual earthquakes are close to 4.6, 5.1, 5.2, 5.5 and 5.8 in the four seismic zones, namely, the Shillong Plateau Zone, the Eastern Syntaxis Zone, the Himalayan Thrusts Zone, the Arakan-Yoma subduction zone and the whole region, respectively. The most probable largest earthquakes that may occur within different time periods have been also estimated and reported. The study reveals that the estimated mean return periods for the earthquake of magnitude M _w 6.5 are about 6–7 years, 9–10 years, 59–78 years, 72–115 years and 88–127 years in the whole region, the Arakan-Yoma subduction zone, the Himalayan Thrusts Zone, the Shillong Plateau Zone and the Eastern Syntaxis Zone, respectively. The study indicates that Arakan-Yoma subduction zone has the lowest mean return periods and high occurrence probability for the same earthquake magnitude in comparison to the other zones. The differences in the hazard parameters from zone to zone reveal the high crustal heterogeneity and seismotectonics complexity in northeast India and adjoining regions.     

Abundance and relationship of bacteria with transparent exopolymer particles during the 1996 summer monsoon in the Arabian Sea

Bacterial abundance and production, numbers, sizes and concentrations of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) and total organic carbon (TOC) were measured during the 1996 summer monsoon to understand the relationship between TEP, the most labile particulate organic carbon, and bacteria. While high regional variability in the vertical distribution of TOC was discernible, TEP concentrations were high in surface waters at 18–20°N along 64°E with concentrations well over 25 mg alginic acid equivalents I⁻¹ due to upwelling induced productivity. Their concentrations decreased with depth and were lower between 200 and 500 m. Bacterial concentrations were up to 1.99 × 10⁸ I^–1 in the surface waters and decreased by an order of magnitude or more at depths below 500 m. A better relationship has been found between bacterial abundance and concentrations of TEP than between bacteria and TOC, indicating that bacterial metabolism is fueled by availability of TEP in the Arabian Sea. Assuming a carbon assimilation of 33%, bacterial carbon demand (BCD) is estimated to be 1.017 to 4.035 g C m^–2 d^–1 in the surface waters. The observed TEP concentrations appear to be sufficient in meeting the surface and subsurface BCD in the northern Arabian Sea.     

Origin and transport of sedimentary organic matter in the Yalujiang estuary,North China

The biogeochemistry of organic matter (OM) in a macrotidal estuary, the Yalujiang River, was studied during two cruises: the flood season in August 1994 and the dry season in April 1996. Surface sediments were collected in the riverine zone (RZ), the turbidity maximum zone (TMZ), and the marine zone (MZ). The molecular distribution of the n-alkanes and fatty acid series and bulk sediment characteristics, such as C:N and δ¹³C, were used to assess differences in OM source and transport from the river upstream to the marine end member. Higher C:N values typical for terrestrial sources were observed at the upper reach for both seasons. The δ¹³C of OM in surface sediments varied from −27.3‰ to −21.6‰ in the flood season and from −26.8‰ to −31‰ in the dry season. The concentrations of n-alkanes varied between 0.3–21.4 μg g⁻¹ and the variation of fatty acids was 4.8–32.9 μg g⁻¹. The data showed mixing of terrestrial and autochthonous OM in the middle and lower reaches. The distribution of lipids (n-alkanes and Carbon Preference Index) encountered in this study confirmed the importance of terrestrial OM in the sediment samples from degraded soil material. The distribution of fatty acids suggested important phytoplankton, zooplankton, and microbial signals (short-chain and unsaturated acids; ≤C₂₀). Branched fatty acids, such as the iso- and anteiso-C₁₅ and C₁₇ compounds, relfect bacterial contributions. All samples were characterized by a high proportion of mixture inputs in both seasons. A slight decreasing trend was observed with increasing salinity except for the highest percentage of mixed fatty acids in the TMZ of the flood season. Terrestrial fatty acids were approximately 20% in the flood season and 27–46% in the dry season. Differences in hydrological conditions and primary production between the TMZ, RZ, and MZ resulted in different OM distributions, which are reflected in the sources and degree of diagenesis of the sedimentary OM. Seasonal variation may be strongly influenced by hydrological characteristics rather than primary productivity and anthropogenic activities in the Yalujiang region.     

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.     

Potential source rocks, organic geochemistry and thermal maturation in the southern depocenter (Kipourio–Grevena) of the Mesohellenic Basin, central Greece

The study area is the southern depocenter (depth > 4200 m) of the Mesohellenic Basin which extends between Kipourio and Grevena, central Greece. The Mesohellenic Basin is a Middle-Tertiary intramontane basin developed within the Hellenide orogen. Previous studies have focused on the depositional environments, configuration and hydrocarbon potential of the basin. In this paper we present additional geochemical and petrographic data from outcrop samples of the basin's southern depocenter, which is considered the most promising area, in terms of hydrocarbon prospectivity. A total number of thirty six samples were analysed: Rock-Eval pyrolysis, maceral analysis, vitrinite reflectance and thermal alteration index, bitumens extraction, liquid chromatography, and GC-MS. The samples were collected from deltaic deposits and submarine fan sediments of Late Eocene to Late Oligocene age. The TOC values of the analysed samples range between rich and very rich and the organic matter consists mainly of type III kerogen and the organic matter consider to be predominately gas prone. The thermal maturity assessed from T_max and vitrinite reflectance shows an immature stage of the organic matter along with the presence of layers having reached the very early mature stage. Vitrinite reflectance measurements and maturity calculations (applying the Lopatin modeling), reveal that the lower part of the depocenter sediments falls within the ‘oil window’. The extractable organic matter (EOM) (mg bitumens/g TOC) indicate the existence of samples (from deltaic deposits) with high ratio of transformation (EOM) (> 100 mg bitumen/g TOC). The GC and GC-MS analyses of the biomarkers indicate mainly the occurrence of terrestrial organic matter reflecting oxidizing conditions and both immature and very early mature stages. The results of the Rock-Eval pyrolysis and the distribution of the isoprenoids support the assumption of the input of an organic matter mixture.     

Assessment of organic pollutants in the offshore sediments of Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Fifteen stations (st) were selected along Dubai coastal region to delineate the distribution and the source of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH), total organic carbon (TOC), total Kjeldhal nitrogen (TKN), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls. The concentrations of TPH fluctuated between 2 μg g ⁻¹ and 48018 μg g ⁻¹ and the values of TOC were in the range of 0.16–5.9 wt%, while TPAHs ranged from 0.09 μg g ⁻¹ to 161.72 μg g ⁻¹. On the other hand, TPCBs showed values between 0.8 μg kg⁻¹ and 93.3 μg kg⁻¹ and TKN values varied from 218 μg g⁻¹ to 2457 μg g ⁻¹. Distribution of oil and organic compounds in Dubai sediments are safe compared with previous studies except for limited areas at the northeastern offshore. These readings are probably due to: (1) presence of commercial or industrial ports, dry docks and fishing harbours and (2) population centers mainly concentrated at the northern part of the study area. Results indicate that TOC can be used as indicator of oil pollution only in heavily oiled sediments. The highest values of TOC, TPH, TPAHs and TPCBs corresponded to the stations covered with fine sand, due to adsorption properties and larger surface area. The evaporation of low boiling point compounds from surface layers led to enrichment of sediments with the thick residual. Al-Hamriya St 3 exhibited the highest values of TPH, TOC, TPAHs and TPCBs and the second highest value of TKN.     

Fractal dimension and <Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>-value mapping in the Andaman-Sumatra subduction zone

The Andaman-Sumatra subduction zone is seismically one of the most active and complex subduction zones that produced the 26 December 2004 mega thrust earthquake (Mw 9.3) and large number of aftershocks. About 8,000 earthquakes, including more than 3,000 aftershocks (M ≥ 4.5) of the 2004 earthquake, recorded during the period 1964–2007, are relocated by the EHB method. We have analysed this large data set to map fractal correlation dimension (Dc) and frequency-magnitude relation (b-value) characteristics of the seismogenic structures of this ~3,000-km-long mega thrust subduction zone in south-east Asia. The maps revealed the seismic characteristics of the Andaman-Sumatra-Java trenches, West Andaman fault (WAF), Andaman Sea Ridge (ASR), Sumatra and Java fault systems. Prominent N–S to NW–SE to E–W trending fractal dimension contours all along the subduction zone with Dc between 0.6 and 1.4 indicate that the epicentres mostly follow linear features of the major seismogenic structures. Within these major contours, several pockets of close contours with Dc ~ 0.2 to 0.6 are identified as zones of epicentre clusters and are inferred to the fault intersections as well as asperity zones along the fault systems in the fore arc. A spatial variation in the b-value (1.2–1.5) is also observed along the subduction zone with several pockets of lower b-values (1.2–1.3). The smaller b-value zones are corroborated with lower Dc (0.5–0.9), implying a positive correlation. These zones are identified to be the zones of more stress or asperity where rupture nucleation of intermediate to strong magnitude earthquakes occurred.