Application of the non-seismic geophysical method in the deep geological structure study of Benxi-Huanren area

Based upon 1:200,000 regional gravity and aeromagnetic data, gravity and aeromagnetic slice maps were obtained through fast Fourier transformation (FFT) upward continuation. A comparison between gravity and aeromagnetic slice maps at different depths combined with regional geological data and Magneto-Telluric sounding reveals the deep geological structure of Benxi-Huanren area and provides important information for study of the deep geological evolution process of Benxi-Huanren area. Yanshanian granitic pluton is widely distributed in this area and tends to be continuous toward depth. Significant metallogenic areas, such as Dataigou and Nanfen areas, lie above the buried granitic pluton. The Paleoproterozoic strata distribution area and the Archean strata distribution area have similar characteristics in terms of gravity anomaly. The iron-bearing formation in Anshan area is Archean supracrustal rock which was not engulfed by Archean granite. The thickness of Liaoji paleo-rift can be up to 10 km, whose lower part was intruded by Yanshanian granites. The basement of the Liaoji rift was remelted during granite intrusion in Yanshanian period.     

Geological characteristics and origin of the Hadamengou gold deposit in Inner Mongolia,China

The Hadamengou gold deposit is located in the western segment of the northern margin of the North China Craton (NCC). It is hosted by Archean metamorphic rocks of the Wulashan Group. The main ore types include gold-bearing quartz vein type, gold-bearing quartz-potassic feldspar vein type, and gold-bearing altered rock type. Gold mineralization is closely related to K-feldspathization. Hydrogen and oxygen isotope data indicate that ore-forming fluids were dominated by magmatic water mixed with minor meteoric water. Sulfur and lead isotope data indicate that metallogenic materials were mainly supplied by the magmatic and Archean Wulashan Group. The gold mineralization was mainly formed during the Early Indosinian tectonic movement, which drove ore-forming fluids to the favorable depositional environment. The northern margin of the NCC is a prospective area for gold exploration. Gold deposits hosted by or related to alkaline intrusions have become one of the most important mineral exploration targets in northern China.     

A spatio-temporal three-dimensional conceptualization and simulation of Dera Ismail Khan alluvial aquifer in visual MODFLOW: a case study from Pakistan

Dera Ismail Khan (DIK) is situated in the Lower Indus Basin of Pakistan. The land use has been changed in the canal command area due to irrigation activities near the Indus River. To check the current status and predict the groundwater levels in the area, the unconfined aquifer has been simulated in Visual MODFLOW for a period of 35 years, i.e., from 1985 to 2020. The 2900-km² area has been modeled with a grid of 500 by 500 m and the depth set to 100 m. The aquifer in the study area has been divided vertically and laterally into three and ten zones, respectively, for the characterization. Water wells and streams were used as the sinks and hydrologic boundaries, respectively. The model was successfully calibrated in steady and the non-steady state. The simulation revealed that the whole simulation can be divided into two phases, i.e., before and after the construction of the Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC), whereas the results were summarized in the form of water table depth maps and groundwater budget calculations. To determine the groundwater sustainability, a conjunctive use scenario has been employed to simulate the aquifer dynamics till 2020. The simulation revealed incremental drawdowns till the end.     

Using inverse modeling and hierarchical cluster analysis for hydrochemical characterization of springs and Talkhab River in Tang-Bijar oilfield,Iran

Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and inverse modeling (PH REdox EQuilibrium (in C language) (PHREEQC)) were simultaneously useful approaches in interpreting surface water hydrochemistry within Talkhab River in the Tang-Bijar oilfield, Iran, where large uncertainties exist in the understanding of the water quality system. Q-mode HCA applied to the data revealed three major surface water associations distinguished on the basis of the major causes of variation in the hydrochemistry. The three water groups were classified as upstream waters (group 1: Ca–SO₄), intermediate waters (group 2: Ca–SO₄–Cl), and downstream waters (group 3: Na–Cl). Geochemical reaction models were constructed using PHREEQC to establish the reactions associated with the different mineral phases through inverse modeling. The hydrochemical compositions of the water groups and the mass balance calculations indicate that the dominant processes and reactions responsible for the hydrochemical evolution in the system are (1) dissolution of evaporites, (2) precipitation of carbonate minerals, (3) silicate weathering reactions, (4) limited mixing with saline water, and (5) ion exchange.     

A Miocene-restricted platform of the Zibane zone (Saharan Atlas,Algeria), depositional sequences and paleogeographic reconstruction

Depositional sequences and paleogeographic evolution of the Miocene deposits have been studied in the Zibane zone (Saharan Atlas, Algeria) located at the north of the African platform. During the Miocene, this region corresponded to a fault-bounded collapse area and filled by diversified deposits, showing important lateral facies and thicknesses variations. The studied deposits are divided into five depositional sequences separated by major unconformities. These depositional sequences are well developed in the whole basin and testify a paleogeographic differentiation from E–W, induced by a set of NW-SE-trending old faults inherited from the Atlasic orogeny. The organization and the development of those sequences make it possible to correlate them better to the basin scale, which is integrated in a model of restricted platform intersected by NW-SE faults where the tectonic-sedimentation duality is predominant. These new data point to a paleogeographic evolution different from the one usually admitted environment for this region during Miocene time and plead in favour of a reconsideration of the depositional environments of the post-Burdigalian formations in the Zibane zone of the Algerian Atlasic domain.     

Hydrogeological assessment of the Tabarteh fault zone by physicochemical analysis and multivariate statistical methods

Hydrogeologically, faults may impede, conduit, exert no influence, or may play a combination of these roles on groundwater flow. The object of this paper is to study the hydrogeological role of the Tabarteh fault, which is located on the border of Zagros and Central Iran tectonic zones in an alluvial aquifer. The recorded data of water table levels, chemical parameters, and discharge rate of wells, in addition to geological maps and geophysical results, were collected and evaluated. The outcrop of travertine in limited areas and the emergence of a few small springs within the alluvium show a barrier role of the fault in the groundwater flow. The spatial analysis of chemical components, head time series, and groundwater flow direction assessment demonstrated that the fault acts as both a barrier and a non-barrier in different sections. The multivariate statistical methods of cluster and discriminant analyses also confirm the dual role of the fault.     

Characteristics of groundwater flow field after land creation engineering in the hilly and gully area of the Loess Plateau

In order to study the degree of influence and control mechanism to groundwater flow field caused by land creation engineering in the hilly and gully area of the Loess Plateau, based on the geological and engineering conditions of the first stage project of Yan’an new district in China, numerical simulation of groundwater flow is carried out by the Feflow and GIS technologies. From the simulation, punning measure relatively reduces infiltration recharge and artificial gravel drain increases groundwater seepage. The basic characteristics of groundwater flow field is controlled by the old and new topographies in the whole study area, and artificial gravel drain plays an auxiliary role in accelerating groundwater drawdown upstream and promotes groundwater rise downstream. According to differences of groundwater level and declining percentages of hydraulic gradient in the main and secondary gullies, dewatering of artificial gravel drain in the secondary gully is more effective than that in the main gully, which will yet play an important role in the future. The study results will make contributions to understand groundwater response to land creation engineering and will be beneficial to take necessary measures to prevent collapse of loess and failure of building foundation in the hilly and gully area of the Loess Plateau.     

Structural setup of Ras Banas area,Red Sea,Egypt, as inferred from aeromagnetic data

This study deals with the evaluation of the structural setup of the Ras Banas area on the northwestern part of the Red Sea by using magnetic data. Different analyzing techniques were applied to achieve this goal including regional-residual separation, trend analysis, depth estimation, Euler deconvolution, horizontal gradient, analytic signal, and magnetic modeling. The results of these techniques were used to construct a deep-seated structural feature map.Lineament analysis indicates that the area was mainly affected by the NW, WNW, and NE tectonic trends. The magnetic modeling was performed along four profiles supported by Euler deconvolution, horizontal gradient, and analytic signal profiles. The modeled profiles show that the basement rocks composed of uplifted and down-faulted blocks at different depths as well as step-like structure. The basement rocks seem to be acidic in nature intruded by basic/ultrabasic dikes. Generally, the magnetic susceptibility ranges from 0.0003 to 0.04 cgs indicating acidic to basic/ultrabasic rock composition. The basement relief map shows an irregular basement surface, which varies greatly in depth from 1 to 5.6 km below sea level. The deep-seated structure map shows that the basement was highly affected by two main fault trends in the NW and NNE directions. The NW trending structures were intersected by younger left lateral NNE transform faults. These cross-faults dissect the area into a number of alternated and elongated blocks.     

Relationships among volcanic and hydrothermal activity and faults from the Shunnan 3-D well zone in the Tadong Area (Tarim Basin,China)

Tarim Basin distributed widely two stages of Permian volcanic rocks. However, the location and timing of these rocks pinching out and the relationship between Ordovician carbonate hydrothermal reservoirs and fault activity remain unclear. The Shunnan (Shunnan here in after referred to as SN) 1 3-D well zone in the eastern Tarim Basin contains volcanic rocks, and the Ordovician layer contains a hydrothermal reservoir. This paper describes the lithology, stage, volcanic rock distribution, crater position and deposition pinch-out line of volcanic rocks based on drilling and 3-D seismic data. The Permian strata in the well zone contain only one stage of Kupkuciman Formation basalt and tuff, the Kaipeleicike Formation contains terrigenous clastic rock and the adjacent volcanic rocks of wells SN2 and GL (Gulong here in after referred to as GL) 2 exhibit an absence of deposition. Although the craters are distributed on both sides of the NNW faults that cross well SN4, their positions are also controlled by the intersection of earlier NEE and NW faults and later NNE faults. Furthermore, the Ordovician strata in the SN1 well zone developed abundant tubular high-amplitude anomalies and tabular high-amplitude anomalies via hydrothermal corrosion, and the anomaly distributions are similar to the positions of the craters, which are controlled by the intersection of multi-group faults and the density of the faults.     

Impact of spate irrigation of flood waters on agricultural drought and groundwater recharge: case of Sidi Bouzid plain,Central Tunisia

In Sidi Bouzid plain, rainfall alone is insufficient to satisfy crop water requirements. Within this framework, and in order to improve water resources in the region, the Tunisian State adopted non-conventional water mobilization techniques, among which artificial spate irrigation. The objective of the study is to evaluate the impact of spate irrigation of flood water on the mitigation of agricultural drought and the enhancement of groundwater recharge. Annual and monthly rainfall data as well as flood water volumes were monitored. The study focused on the groundwater drawdown monitoring. Results showed a high flood water contribution to crop water requirements that exceeded rainfall. This water prevented drought in the spate perimeters. The groundwater drawdown was found to fluctuate over time, with an average decreasing rate of 0.4 to 0.5 m/year. Groundwater recharge was found to be highly correlated with flood water contribution through spate irrigation (R ² = 84 %). Out of the spate zone, a high decrease in the groundwater level was noted. The lowest rate of 1 m/year was that of the farthest piezometer from the spate perimeters. This is influenced by the excessive pumping out of the spate zone. In 1980, groundwater flew from the west to the east. In 2015, the flow movement from the east to the center of the plain did not change due to the presence of the spate perimeters. Nevertheless, excessive pumping around sabkhas changed the flow directions at the outlet zone. A variation in groundwater salinity was observed in both space and time. In 1975, salinity was very low. The outlet zone was the most affected where the drawdown reached several meters, causing saltwater intrusion from the surrounding sabkhas.