Using high resolution images and elevation data in classifying erosion risks of bare soil areas in the Hatila Valley Natural Protected Area, Turkey

Soil erosion is one of the most important environmental problems. In the case of small scale areas where soil properties and climate have relatively uniform characteristics, vegetation cover and topography (i.e. ground slope) are the main factors that affect the amount of soil erosion. Lack of vegetation cover on bare soil areas, including forest road side slopes, especially in mountainous regions with steep slopes, may significantly increase the erosion rate. Determining and classifying erosion risks in such areas can help preventing environmental impacts. In this study, remotely sensed data and elevation data were used to extract and classify bare soil erosion risk areas for a study area selected from Hatila Valley Natural Protected Area in northeastern Turkey. High resolution IKONOS imagery was used to apply land use classification in ERDAS Imagine 9.0. To generate erosion risk map of the bare soil areas, classified image was superimposed on top of slope map, generated based on a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) in ArcGIS 9.2. The results indicated that 1.43, 5.85, 34.62, 53.16, and 4.94% of the bare soil areas in the study area were under very low, low, medium, high, and very high erosion risks, respectively. The overall classification accuracy of 82.5% indicated the potential of the proposed methodology.     

Upper crustal electrical resistivity structures in the vicinity of the Çatalca Fault, Istanbul, Turkey by magnetotelluric data

A magnetotelluric survey was performed at the Çatalca Region, west of Istanbul, Turkey with the aim of investigating geoelectrical properties of the upper crust near the Çatalca Fault and its vicinity. Broadband magnetotelluric data were collected at nine sites along a single southwest-northeast profile to image the electrical resistivity structure from surface to the 5 km depth. The dimensionality of the data was examined through tensor decompositions and highly two-dimensional behavior of the data is shown. Following the tensor decompositions, two-dimensional inversions were carried out where E-polarization, B-polarization and tipper data were utilized to construct electrical resistivity models. The results of the inversions suggest: a) the Çatalca Fault extends from surface to 5 km depth as a conductive zone dipping to southwest; b) the thickness of the sedimentary cover is increasing from SW to NE to 700 m with low resistivity values between 1–100 Ωm; c) the crystalline basement below the sedimentary unit is very resistive and varies between 2000–100000 Ωm; d) a SW-dipping resistivity boundary in the northeastern part of our profile may represent the West Black Sea Fault.     

Evaluation of blast effects on reinforced concrete buildings considering Operational Modal Analysis results

Seismic protection of buildings under risk can be achieved by increasing the knowledge about the behaviour of existing structures. Operational Modal Analysis is a powerful tool used for this purpose all over the world. It provides the dynamic characteristics of structures under operational conditions or some particular environmental issues such as blasts and earthquakes. The main objective of this study is to evaluate blast effects on a reinforced concrete (RC) building considering experimentally determined dynamic characteristics. The study consists of three phases: the measurement of vibration characteristics of blasting, the theoretical modal analysis of the inspected building, and experimental verification of dynamic characteristics using modal testing. The vibration characteristics of blasting are measured around the inspected building on hard soil using a geophone set. The initial analytical model of the building is constructed according to the in-situ investigation on building. The theoretical modal analysis results are verified by carrying out modal testing on the RC building. The Operational Modal Analysis method is used for the extraction of the dynamic characteristics of the building, and blast vibrations are taken into account as environmental vibrations. The effects of blasting on the reinforced concrete building are introduced by assessing the vibration of blasting with the dynamic characteristics of the building.     

Palynomorph stratigraphy,palynofacies and organic geochemistry assessments for hydrocarbon generation of Ratawi Formation,Iraq

Seventy-two core and cutting samples of the Ratawi Formation from selected wells of central and southern Iraq in Mesopotamian Foredeep Basin are analysed for their sedimentary organic matters. Dinoflagellates, spores and pollen are extracted by palynological techniques from these rocks. Accordingly, Hauterivian and late Valanginian ages are suggested for their span of depositional time. These palynomorphs with other organic matter constituents, such as foraminifer’s linings, bacteria and fungi, are used to delineate three palynofacies types that explain organic matter accumulation sites and their ability to generate hydrocarbons. Palaeoenvironments of these sites were mainly suboxic to anoxic with deposition of inshore and neritic marine environments especially for palynofacies type 2. Total organic matters of up to 1.75 total organic carbon (TOC) wt.% and early mature stage of up to 3.7 TAI based on the brown colour of the spore species Cyathidites australis and Gleichenidites senonicus with mottled interconnected amorphous organic matter are used for hydrocarbon generation assessment from this formation. On the other hand, these rock samples are processed with Rock-Eval pyrolysis. Outcomes and data calculations of these analyses are plotted on diagrams of kerogen types and hydrocarbon potential. Theses organic matter have reached the mature stage of up to T _max?=?438 °C, hydrogen index of up to 600 mg hydrocarbons for each gram of TOC wt.% and mainly low TOC (0.50–1.55). Accordingly, this formation could generate fair quantities of hydrocarbons in Baghdad oil field and Basrah oil fields. Organic matters of this formation in the fields of Euphrates subzone extends from Hilla to Nasiriyah cities have not reached mature stage and hence not generated hydrocarbons from the Ratawi Formation. Software 1D PetroMod basin modelling of the Ratawi Formation has confirmed this approach of hydrocarbon generation with 100 % transformations of the intended organic matters to generate hydrocarbons to oil are performed in especially oil fields of East Baghdad, West Qurna and Majnoon while oil fields Ratawi and Subba had performed 80–95 % transformation to oil and hence end oil generation had charged partly the Tertiary traps that formed during the Alpine Orogeny. Oil fields of Nasiriyah and Kifle had performed least transformation ratio of about 10–20 % transformation to oil, and hence, most of the present oil in this field is migrated from eastern side of the Mesopotamian Foredeep Basin that hold higher maturation level.     

Behaviour of steel cushions subjected to combined actions

Mild steel is relatively low-cost and easily accessible material to fabricate some structural members. It would be a significant advantage if seismic energy dissipaters that are used in structures constructed in the earthquake prone areas, could also be produced on site. In this paper, a promising seismic energy dissipater made of mild steel, so-called steel cushion (SC) is presented. It is provided experimental and analytical responses of SCs subjected to bi-axial loadings. SC rolls under the lateral loading that allows relocation of the plasticized cross-section. Henceforth, SC dissipates considerable amount of seismic energy. A series of tests were performed to achieve experimentally the behavior of SC subjected to longitudinal and transversal loading. Finite Element Models (FEMs) were also generated to reproduce the experimental backbone curves and to predict the bi-directional response properties for discrete transversal forces and plate thicknesses. Closed-form equations were derived to determine yield and ultimate forces and the corresponding displacements as well as location of the plasticized sections. The behavior of SC could either be projected by the FEMs with the exhibited parameters or by means of the proposed closed-form equations and the normalized design chart.     

Modeling of lithology induced chemical anomalies in the aquifer systems of the Kazan Trona deposit area, Ankara, Turkey

The study was carried out in order to investigate existing hydrogeochemical relationships between groundwater environment and geological units in the Kazan trona deposit area, Ankara, Turkey. Evaluations indicate that concentrations of alkalinity, boron, chloride and sodium in the upgradient groundwater of the Eocene sedimentary units gradually increase toward downgradient by the interactions of saline minerals (searlesite, shortite, northupite and pyrite) present in the secondary structures (microfractures and irregular voids) at various levels. Inverse modeling calculations suggest that the range of dissolved mass amounts in millimoles per kilogram of water for searlesite, shortite and northupite minerals are 0.05–28.67, 2.62–24.39 and 0.01–24.19, respectively, in the aquifer between the upgradient and downgradient locations. The ranges of accompanying calcite and dolomite precipitations are 4.54–48.71 and 2.16–24.08 mmol per kg of water, respectively. Chemical composition of the groundwater in the overlying Neogene sedimentary unit includes also higher concentrations of the major ions as measured in groundwater of the underlying units. However the lack of saline mineral zones in the Neogene unit indicates that upward groundwater mixing takes place from the underlying aquifer as also suggested by the measured upward gradient. The mixing percentage of the underlying groundwater as determined from the nested wells ranges from 2.7 to 48.3%, from upgradient to downgradient, respectively. The unconfined alluvium aquifer overlying the Neogene unit includes relatively dilute groundwater except in two locations, where high-ion concentrations detected in groundwater of the underlying units are also high in these locations, suggesting upward groundwater mixing from the underlying aquifer due to upward gradient. However, groundwater input investigations from the alluvium aquifer to the nearby Ova stream indicate that the detected high concentrations in these locations are diluted or sorbed by the aquifer material toward downgradient (Ova Stream).