3D electrical resistivity tomography survey for the basement of the Abeokuta terrain of Southwestern Nigeria

Geological structures are 3-Dimensional (3D) in nature, thus 1-Dimensional and 2-Dimensional surveys cannot adequately model them. However, sophisticated 3D survey equipment are very expensive. In this study, a singlechannel ABEM SAS 300B Terrameter was used to obtain 3D models of the subsurface. This survey was carried out at three different locations within Abeokuta, a basement complex terrain of southwestern Nigeria. The area falls within longitudes 3.35° and 3.38° East and latitudes 7.22° and 7.46° North respectively, with coordinates of 2550.0 m North and 1724.2 m East. A manual 4-electrode system was used in the Electrical Resistivity Tomography survey at the three locations. Each location was marked into 7 by 7 square grids with 1 m, 3 m and 5 m unit electrode spacings in succession. The pole-pole array was used with the two remote electrodes placed at distances of 23 m, 40 m and 65 m from the grids of 1 m, 3 m and 5 m unit electrode spacings respectively, to reduce their telluric effects on the measured apparent resistivity values. To reduce survey time consumption, the cross-diagonal survey method was adopted. The data obtained were analysed using a 3D inversion software called RES3DINV and 3-Dimensional models of the subsurface were also generated using Slicer Dicer graphics software. The study revealed layers extending to depths of 7.75 m, 23.2 m and 38.7 m for unit electrode spacings of 1 m, 3 m and 5 m respectively. It revealed resistivity values ranging from 7.3 Ωm to 300 Ωm for electrode spacing of 1.0 m; 13.8 Ωm to 200 Ωm for electrode spacing of 3 m and 3.9 Ωm to 200 Ωm for electrode spacing of 5 m at the first location. At the second location, it revealed resistivity values ranging from 0.53 Ωm to 120.0 Ωm for electrode spacing of 3 m and 0.30 Ωm to 100 Ωm for electrode spacing of 5 m. For electrode spacings of 1 m, 3 m and 5 m, resistivity values ranging from 6.1 Ωm to 600 Ωm, 12 Ωm to 600 Ωm and 0.85 Ωm to 1700 Ωm were obtained respectively at the third location. Generally, this study revealed lithologies composed of lateritic soil, sand, sandstone, sandyclay, clayeysand, weathered rock, fractured rock, clay and fresh basement; to a depth of about 39 m. Also, location 3 was discovered to have good groundwater prospects; though not as good as for locations 1 and 2.     

Subsolidus Emplacement of Mantle Peridotites during Incipient Oceanic Rifting and Opening of the Mesozoic Tethys (Voltri Massif, NW Italy)

The Erro–Tobbio (ET) peridotite (Voltri Massif, NW Italy)represents a fragment of subcontinental mantle, emplaced athigh crustal levels during rifting and opening of the Piemonte–Ligurianocean, the Alps–Apennine part of the Mesozoic Tethys.The ET peridotite is dominated by spinel-bearing lherzolites,with minor dunites, spinel websterites and plagioclase-bearinglherzolites. Granular spinel lherzolites in the ET peridotiteare transected by five generations of shear zone structures:porphyroclastic spinel-bearing tectonites, plagioclase-, hornblende-and chlorite-bearing peridotite mylonites, and serpentinitemylonites. There is a systematic correlation between the microstructuresand the composition of the constituent mineral phases. Thesecompositional trends are related to changing conditions of Pand T during the pertinent stages of syntectonic recrystallizationin the shear zones. Geothermobarometry shows that the shearzone structures developed at progressively lower P and T conditions.The P–T path obtained for the ET peridotite indicatessubsolidus uplift, from deep levels in the subcontinental mantletowards the ocean floor. Uplift is associated with limited ‘wet’partial melting. This subsolidus trajectory is particularlyconsistent with the thermal history expected for the footwallof a lithosphere-scale, dipping extensional shear zone, anddiffers from those of more oceanic peridotites showing an adiabaticuplift history at much higher temperatures presumably relatedto convective upwelling. The shear zone structures in the ETperidotites are therefore interpreted as fragments of an extensionaldetachment system. This interpretation is consistent with theoverall asymmetric architecture of the coeval passive marginsbordering the Piemonte–Ligurian ocean. It is suggestedthat the uplift of the ET peridotites occurred by tectonic denudation,in a slightly to strongly asymmetric oceanic rift. ^* Present address: Shell Int. Petroleum Maatschappij, P.O. Box 162, 2501 AN The Hague, Netherlands     

Rockfall hazard assessment along a road in the Sorrento Peninsula,Campania, southern Italy

Rockfalls are common in the steep and vertical slopes of the Campania carbonate massifs and ridges, and frequently represent the main threat to the anthropogenic environment, potentially damaging urban areas, scattered houses, roads, etc. Despite the generally limited volumes involved, the high velocity of movement (from few to tens of metres per second) poses rockfalls among the most dangerous natural hazards to man. Evaluating the rockfall hazard is not an easy task, due to the high number of involved factors, and particularly to the difficulty in determining the properties of the rock mass. In this paper, we illustrate the assessment of the rockfall hazard along a small area of the Sorrento Peninsula (Campania region, southern Italy). Choice of the site was determined by the presence of a road heavily frequented by vehicles. In the area, we have carried out detailed field surveys and software simulations that allow generating simple rockfall hazard maps. Over twenty measurement stations for geo-mechanical characterization of the rock mass have been distributed along a 400-m-long slope of Mount Vico Alvano. Following the internationally established standards for the acquisition of rock mass parameters, the main kinematics have been recognized, and the discontinuity families leading to the different failures identified. After carrying out field experiments by artificially releasing a number of unstable blocks on the rock cliff, the rockfall trajectories along the slope were modelled using 2-D and 3-D programs for rockfall analysis. The results were exploited to evaluate the rockfall hazard along the threatened element at risk.     

An approach for estimating sustainable yield of karst water in data sparse regions

This study presents an approach for transferring the qualitative analysis of groundwater sustainability for development to quantitative evaluation by an analogy of two similar regions. A concept of groundwater exploitation sustainability (GES), which is an evaluation index based on water supply capability, eco-geo-environment maintaining capability and the harmony between water and society, is put forward. The fuzzy analytic hierarchy process method is applied to calculate the GES for the Xiangshan and Dianchang karst groundwater sources in the Huaibei city, Anhui Province, China. The GES of the Xiangshan karst system was calculated to be 0.53 and represents medium exploitation sustainability, while that for the Dianchang is relatively high with a value of 0.70. These two karst systems are separate units but have similar hydrogeological conditions. The Dianchang area had limited groundwater observation data, while the Xiangshan area had long series of observation data, which enabled the computation of the sustainable yield. The sustainable yield of the Xiangshan karst area was used to calibrate the GES, and develop a linear equation between the GES and sustainable yield, which was used to calculate the sustainable yield of the Diangchang karst area as 40.4 million m³.     

Driftwood deposition from debris flows at slit-check dams and fans

Experience shows that debris flows containing large woody debris (driftwood) can be more damaging than debris flows without driftwood. In this study, the deposition process of debris flows carrying driftwood was investigated using numerical simulations and flume experiments. Debris-flow trapping due to driftwood jamming in a slit-check dam was also investigated. A numerical model was developed with an interacting combination of Eulerian expression of the debris flow and Lagrangian expression of the driftwood, in which the fluctuating coordinates and rotation of the driftwood were treated stochastically. The calculated shapes and thicknesses of a debris-flow fan and the positions and orientations of the deposited driftwood on a debris-flow fan were consistent with experimental flume results. The jamming of driftwood in a slit-check dam was evaluated based on geometry and probability. The simulated results of outflow discharge and the proportion of driftwood passed through the slit-check dam also agreed with the experimental results.     

Transient electromagnetic response due to a pair of horizontal conducting sheets in a loop field

The transient electromagnetic response due to a pair of horizontal conducting sheets induced by a loop field is obtained. The response characteristics in the three different regions (above the upper sheet, between the two sheets and below the lower sheet) are briefly discussed. In the first and second regions the composite response is characterised by an overburden response asymptote during early times and a target response asymptote during late times. The transition zones are characterised by shoulder-like bends. In the third region, the composite response increases in direct proportion to the induction number, eventually merging with the target response for large values of the induction number.     

An innovative micro-scale approach for vulnerability and flood risk assessment with the application to property-level protection adoptions

Economic damage assessment for flood risk estimation is established in many countries, but attentions have been focused on macro- or meso-scale approaches and less on micro-scale approaches. Whilst the macro- or meso-scale approaches of flood damage assessment are suitable for regional- or national-oriented studies, micro-scale approaches are more suitable for cost–benefit analysis of engineered protection measures. Furthermore, there remains lack of systematic and automated approaches to estimate economic flood damage for multiple flood scenarios for the purpose of flood risk assessment. Studies on flood risk have also been driven by the assumption of stationary characteristic of flood hazard, hence the stationary-oriented vulnerability assessment. This study proposes a novel approach to assess vulnerability and flood risk and accounts for adaptability of the approach to nonstationary conditions of flood hazard. The approach is innovative in which an automated concurrent estimation of economic flood damage for a range of flood events on the basis of a micro-scale flood risk assessment is made possible. It accounts for the heterogeneous distribution of residential buildings of a community exposed to flood hazard. The feasibility of the methodology was tested using real historical flow records and spatial information of Teddington, London. Vulnerability curves and residual risk associated with a number of alternative extents of property-level protection adoptions are estimated by the application of the proposed methodology. It is found that the methodology has the capacity to provide valuable information on vulnerability and flood risk that can be integrated in a practical decision-making process for a reliable cost–benefit analysis of flood risk reduction options.     

Geochemistry and geochronology of Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous intrusions related to some Au (Sb) deposits in southern Anhui: a case study and review

Some Au deposits in southern Anhui Province have recently been found to be closely associated with Late Mesozoic intrusions. Typical examples include the Huashan Au (Sb) deposit and Au deposits at Zhaojialing, Wuxi, and Liaojia. In order to understand the mechanisms that led the formation of these Au deposits, we make detailed reviews on the geological characteristics of these Au deposits. Specifically, we present new LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating, along with elemental and Hf isotopic data from the Huashan Au (Sb) deposit. Our data suggests that the Huashan ore-related intrusions were emplaced during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous periods (144–148 Ma). They are characterized by arc-magma features and high oxygen fugacity and are rich in inherited zircons. Zircon U–Pb ages and Lu–Hf isotopes from intrusions suggest that Proterozoic juvenile lithosphere is the main source of these intrusions. The regional geological history implies that lithosphere beneath southern Anhui was produced during a Proterozoic subduction and was fertilized with Au (Cu) in the process. Integrated with the results of previous studies, we inferred that Late Mesozoic intrusions formed by the remelting of the lithosphere could provide the metal endowment for the Au-rich deposits in southern Anhui.