A Risk-Based Technique to Analyze Flyrock Results Through Rock Engineering System

Flyrock is an adverse effect produced by blasting in open-pit mines and tunneling projects. So, it seems that the precise estimations and risk level assessment of flyrock are essential in minimizing environmental effects induced by blasting. The first aim of this research is to model the risk level associated with flyrock through rock engineering systems (RES) methodology. In this regard, 62 blasting were investigated in Ulu Tiram quarry, Malaysia, and the most effective parameters of flyrock were measured. Using the most influential parameters on flyrock, the overall risk of flyrock was obtained as 32.95 which is considered as low to medium degree of vulnerability. Moreover, the second aim of this research is to estimate flyrock based on RES and multiple linear regression (MLR). To evaluate performance prediction of the models, some statistical criteria such as coefficient of determination (R²) were computed. Comparing the values predicted by the models demonstrated that the RES has more suitable performance than MLR for predicting the flyrock and it could be introduced as a powerful technique in this field.     

Calibration of categorical simulations by evolutionary gradual deformation method

Methods to simulate facies (or categorical) fields are numerous. However, calibration of simulated facies fields to large-scale or dynamic data still remains an important challenge due to the discrete nature of the fields, the non-linearity of the response with respect to the facies fields, and the non-derivability of the objective function used in calibration. A new gradual deformation method (GDM) is presented and tested for the calibration of facies realizations obtained by patch-multipoint simulation (MPS). The proposed method borrows ideas from pluriGaussian simulation, evolutionary algorithms, and GDM. Various test cases are considered: proportion maps, section of seismic amplitudes, inlet to outlet travel time along the shortest path, and water-cut curves obtained with a flow simulator. Both conditional/unconditional MPS simulations and 2D/3D problems are considered. In all studied test cases, the new GDM approach has provided excellent calibration to the target variables. The method is general as it can be used in conjunction with any facies simulator.     

Assessment of agricultural groundwater users in Iran: a cultural environmental bias

Many environmental problems are rooted in human behavior. This study aimed to explore the causal effect of cultural environmental bias on ‘sustainable behavior’ among agricultural groundwater users in Fars province, Iran, according to Klockner’s comprehensive model. A survey-based research project was conducted to gathering data on the paradigm of environmental psychology. The sample included agricultural groundwater users (n = 296) who were selected at random within a structured sampling regime involving study areas that represent three (higher, medium and lower) bounds of the agricultural-groundwater-vulnerability spectrum. Results showed that the “environment as ductile (EnAD)” variable was a strong determinant of sustainable behavior as it related to groundwater use, and that EnAE had the highest causal effect on the behavior of agricultural groundwater users. The adjusted model explained 41% variance of “groundwater sustainable behavior”. Based on the results, the groundwater sustainable behaviors of agricultural groundwater users were found to be affected by personal and subjective norm variables and that they are influenced by casual effects of the “environment as ductile (EnAD)” variable. The conclusions reflect the Fars agricultural groundwater users’ attitude or worldview on groundwater as an unrecoverable resource; thus, it is necessary that scientific disciplines like hydrogeology and psycho-sociology be considered together in a comprehensive approach for every groundwater study.     

The use of connectivity clusters in stochastic modelling of highly heterogeneous porous media

Stochastic geostatistical techniques are essential tools for groundwater flow and transport modelling in highly heterogeneous media. Typically, these techniques require massive numbers of realizations to accurately simulate the high variability and account for the uncertainty. These massive numbers of realizations imposed several constraints on the stochastic techniques (e.g. increasing the computational effort, limiting the domain size, grid resolution, time step and convergence issues). Understanding the connectivity of the subsurface layers gives an opportunity to overcome these constraints. This research presents a sampling framework to reduce the number of the required Monte Carlo realizations utilizing the connectivity properties of the hydraulic conductivity distributions in a three-dimensional domain. Different geostatistical distributions were tested in this study including exponential distribution with the Turning Bands (TBM) algorithm and spherical distribution using Sequential Gaussian Simulation (SGSIM). It is found that the total connected fraction of the largest clusters and its tortuosity are highly correlated with the percentage of mass arrival and the first arrival quantiles at different control planes. Applying different sampling techniques together with several indicators suggested that a compact sample representing only 10% of the total number of realizations can be used to produce results that are close to the results of the full set of realizations. Also, the proposed sampling techniques specially utilizing the low conductivity clustering show very promising results in terms of matching the full range of realizations. Finally, the size of selected clusters relative to domain size significantly affects transport characteristics and the connectivity indicators.     

A spatiotemporal algebra in Hadoop for moving objects

Spatiotemporal data represent the real-world objects that move in geographic space over time. The enormous numbers of mobile sensors and location tracking devices continuously produce massive amounts of such data. This leads to the need for scalable spatiotemporal data management systems. Such systems shall be capable of representing spatiotemporal data in persistent storage and in memory. They shall also provide a range of query processing operators that may scale out in a cloud setting. Currently, very few researches have been conducted to meet this requirement. This paper proposes a Hadoop extension with a spatiotemporal algebra. The algebra consists of moving object types added as Hadoop native types, and operators on top of them. The Hadoop file system has been extended to support parameter passing for files that contain spatiotemporal data, and for operators that can be unary or binary. Both the types and operators are accessible for the MapReduce jobs. Such an extension allows users to write Hadoop programs that can perform spatiotemporal analysis. Certain queries may call more than one operator for different jobs and keep these operators running in parallel. This paper describes the design and implementation of this algebra, and evaluates it using a benchmark that is specific to moving object databases.     

Hydrogeochemistry and geothermometry of the Jowshan thermal springs, Central Iran

Jowshan geothermal system comprises 6 thermal springs with outlet temperatures ranging from 39.3 to 46.6°C. The thermal water of these springs is presently used for swimming and as a treatment for rheumatism, sinusitis and skin diseases. The pH value of these springs is slightly acidic to neutral and the electrical conductivities about 1500 μS/Cm. The presence of many faults in the area, the alignment of all springs along the Sirch Fault and the similar chemical and isotopic composition of all springs in combination with the hydrogeological setting and geochemistry of water samples indicate that these springs are associated with deep circulation of meteoric water. According to this heating mechanism, meteoric waters infiltrate through fault openings to depth and after heating by geothermal gradient rise to the ground surface due to the hydraulic and buoyancy forces, a mechanism which is common in the southern parts of Iran. The use of various chemical geothermometers and mineral equilibrium states suggests a range of temperature about 50–90°C for the reservoir of Jowshan geothermal system.     

Application of ASTER remote sensing data to geological mapping of basement domains in arid regions: a case study from the Central Anti-Atlas,Iguerda inlier,Morocco

Satellite remote sensing is shown to provide critical support for geological and structural mapping in semiarid and arid areas. In this work, Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data were used to clarify the geological framework of the Precambrian basement of the Iguerda Proterozoic inlier in the Moroccan Central Anti-Atlas. In this study, the interpretation of the processed digital data has been ground truthed with geological field data collected during a reconnaissance-mapping program in the Central Anti-Atlas. The Iguerda inlier offers a deeply eroded Precambrian massif dominated by a Paleoproterozoic basement composed of supracrustal metasedimentary units intruded by various Eburnian granitoids. Impressive mafic dyke swarms mainly of Proterozoic age crosscut this basement. Eburnian basement rocks are unconformably overlain by Lower Ediacaran volcanosedimentary rocks of the Ouarzazate Group and Upper Ediacaran–Lower Cambrian carbonates. The applied ASTER analyses are particularly effective in the lithological differentiation and discrimination of geological units of the Iguerda inlier. The spectral information divergence (SID) classification algorithm coupled with spectral angle mapper and maximum likelihood classification effectively discriminates between metamorphic rocks, granitoid bodies, and carbonate cover. SID classification improves geologic map accuracy with respect to the spatial distribution of plutonic bodies and metamorphic units. In addition, Paleoproterozoic granitoids have been well discriminated into separate distinct suites of porphyritic granites, granodiorites, and peraluminous leucogranite suites. This discrimination was initially identified via remote sensing analysis and later ground truthed in the field. This methodology enhances geological mapping and illustrates the potential of ASTER data to serve as a vital tool in detailed geologic mapping and exploration of well-exposed basement of arid regions, such as the Proterozoic of the Anti-Atlas Mountains of Morocco.     

Lithostratigraphy,deformation history,and tectonic evolution of the basement rocks,Republic of Yemen: an overview

Basement rocks of presumed Precambrian age, in Yemen Republic (105,000 km²), are exposed in the northwestern and southeastern parts of the country. The basement rocks of southern Saudi Arabia and northern parts of Yemen are almost continuous and similar in the lithostratigraphic succession. In spite of the presence of such common basic characteristics for each, there are slight differences of local structural framework and major tectonic events. The structural complexity, great variety of rock units and types, multi-intrusive environments, and multiplicity of metamorphic events in the study basement rocks make the main target of lithostratigraphic analyses, in particular, daunting in the southern Arabian Shield. As reported here, accepting that the southern shield consists of five terranes and suture zones requires a limitation of such tectonic modifications. This led to the renaming of certain formations and groups and the revision of the lithostratigraphic successions for some regions. As a result, new lithostratigraphic relationships and names as well as tectonic events are proposed. Based on field and space image data, the basement rocks in Yemen exhibit at least six major phases of deformation (D1 to D6) including intensive brittle and ductile deformations that trend NW–SE and NNE–SSW (in major). Neoarchean rocks are well developed and restricted in the southeastern exposures (Al Bayda, Al Mahfid, and Al Mukalla terranes), whereas the final Pan-African cratonization of several rock units is widespread on all terranes, in which the major tectonic events and deformation history were concentrated during pre-Pan-African and early to late Pan-African orogenies. A correlation and evolution of the Precambrian rocks in Saudi Arabia and Egypt are taken into consideration.