Quantifying climate-induced drought risk to livelihood and mitigation actions in Balochistan

Natural Hazards - Climate change-induced disasters show the highest risk for agriculture and livelihoods in rural areas of developing countries. Due to changing rainfall pattern, the arid and...     

A precise gravimetric geoid model in a mountainous area with scarce gravity data: a case study in central Turkey

In mountainous regions with scarce gravity data, gravimetric geoid determination is a difficult task that needs special attention to obtain reliable results satisfying the demands, e.g., of engineering applications. The present study investigates a procedure for combining a suitable global geopotential model and available terrestrial data in order to obtain a precise regional geoid model for Konya Closed Basin (KCB). The KCB is located in the central part of Turkey, where a very limited amount of terrestrial gravity data is available. Various data sources, such as the Turkish digital elevation model with 3 ?? × 3?? resolution, a recently published satellite-only global geopotential model from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellite (GRACE) and the ground gravity observations, are combined in the least-squares sense by the modified Stokes?? formula. The new gravimetric geoid model is compared with Global Positioning System (GPS)/levelling at the control points, resulting in the Root Mean Square Error (RMS) differences of ±6.4 cm and 1.7 ppm in the absolute and relative senses, respectively. This regional geoid model appears to be more accurate than the Earth Gravitational Model 2008, which is the best global model over the target area, with the RMS differences of ±8.6 cm and 1.8 ppm in the absolute and relative senses, respectively. These results show that the accuracy of a regional gravimetric model can be augmented by the combination of a global geopotential model and local terrestrial data in mountainous areas even though the quality and resolution of the primary terrestrial data are not satisfactory to the geoid modelling procedure.     

Nonlinear elastic analysis of shallow footings subjected to eccentric inclined loads

In this study, the behaviour of shallow foundations subjected to eccentric inclined loads is presented using nonlinear elastic finite element analysis. The material non-linearity of the soil has been taken into consideration by employing the hyperbolic stress-strain model. The formulation of an isoparametric interface/joint element which is used between footing base and soil media has been presented. Tests have been conducted to determine the characteristics of soil-footing interface. Forty cases of strip footing resting on sand and subjected to eccentric-inclined load which were studied by Agrawal (1986) through model tests, have been analysed. The predicted pressure-settlement, pressure-horizontal displacement and pressure-tilt characteristics have been compared with experimental results of Agrawal (1986) and a reasonable agreement between the two has been observed.     

Petrophysical study of faults in sandstone using petrographic image analysis and X-ray computerized tomography

Petrographic image analysis (PIA) and X-ray computerized tomography (CT) provide local determinations of porosity in sandstone. We have investigated small faults called deformation bands in porous sandstones using these techniques. Because the petrophysical properties of the fault rock vary at a small scale (mm scale), the ability of PIA and CT to determine porosity in small volumes of rock and to map porosity distribution in two and three dimensions is crucial. This information is used to recognize the processes involved in fault development and the different kinds of microstructures associated with dilatancy and compaction. The petrophysical study of fault rock in sandstone permits one to make predictions of the hydraulic properties of a fault and thereby evaluate the sealing or fluid transmitting characteristics of faulted reservoirs and aquifers. The results of this study indicate that faulting in sandstone alters the original porosity and permeability of the host rock: the porosity is reduced by an order of magnitude and the permeability is reduced by one to more than seven orders of magnitude for faults associated with compaction.     

Evaluation of ground vibration effect of blasting operations in a magnesite mine

Ground vibrations induced by blasting are one of the fundamental problems in the mining industry and may cause severe damage to structures and plants nearby. Therefore, a vibration control study plays an important role in the minimization of environmental effects of blasting in mines. This paper presents the results of ground vibration measurement induced by bench blasting at Magnesite Incorporated Company (MAS) open pit mine in Turkey. The scope of this study is to predict peak particle velocity and to determine the slope of the attenuation curve for this site. For this purpose, the blasting parameters of 43 shots were carefully recorded and the ground vibration components were measured for each event. After carrying out statistical analysis, the site specific parameters were determined to predict the peak particle velocity. In the light of this analysis, the prediction graphics of maximum charge weight per delay versus distance for different damage criteria was proposed to be able to perform controlled blasting in order not to damage to the nearby structures, especially to the plant where rotary and shaft kilns have been established.     

Drought identification and characterization in Jordan

A comparison between identified droughts was carried out through local and regional analysis. Comprehensive analyses of data for stationarity and randomness have been carried out with three tests, Student's t -test, Kendall's τ test and Turning point test. The calendar year, water year, and trimester time-scales were considered. For each series four different thresholds were used, mean, median, mean minus standard deviation and 35% quantile. The numbers of the drought periods, for the calendar series, are almost the same locally. Different periods and percentages are noticed with water year series, and with no consistency in results. Trimester series are with more drought periods and longer. The last decade has been characterized by more frequent and longer droughts in Jordan.     

Interaction of multiple cracks and formation of echelon crack arrays

Fracturing of rock under compression is a product of a series of processes, including nucleation, growth, interaction and coalescence of multiple microcracks. The formation of echelon arrays of microcracks and macrocracks is one of the crucial rings in the processes. We use a superposition and asymptotic approximation technique to analyse the interaction of multiple cracks with various geometrical configurations. It is shown that crack geometry has a strong influence on crack interaction. Echelon crack arrays produce the strongest interaction and are the preferred geometrical configuration for multiple cracks prior to the formation of through-going shear fractures. This technique provides parameter-dependent global behaviour, and is more efficient and easier to use.