Rock magnetic study of basic intrusions and massive sulphides in the Hercynian central Jebilets Massif (Occidental-Meseta), Morocco

This paper describes a multidisciplinary study approach (petrography and rock magnetism) conducted on samples collected from the study area to characterise the magnetic mineralogy and to determine if the magnetisation of both lithologies were induced or retain a remnant component. Petrophysical, mineralogical and geochemical analyses confirm bimodal aspects, particularly in basic rocks; the two magnetic modes depend essentially on the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of the samples. The ultramafic rocks comprise a highly altered primary mineralogy with chromite and magnetite as magnetic phases. The second type is of mafic composition with a less altered primary mineralogy and essentially magnetite and/or (hemo-ilmenite) as a carrier of magnetic mineralisation. Sulphides are characterised by high concentrations of Cu, Zn and Pb. The mineralogy is composed mainly of pyrrhotite (85% to 90%), sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite and, occasionally, stannite. Monocline pyrrhotite seems to be the magnetic carrier of magnetisation in both Draa Sfar and Koudiat Aïcha. However, we suspect a different amount of hexagonal pyrrhotite as the cause of different magnetic behaviour. Paleomagnetic and thermomagnetic analyses reveal different. The calculated characteristic direction of natural remnant magnetisation for sulphides was used to model the magnetic anomaly of Draa Sfar. The proposed model match the geological features concluded from geological mapping and boreholes. Results from this work can be very useful for any modelling processes of magnetic anomalies suspected due to a sulphide mineralisation in an area with poor outcrops and no presence of boreholes information or of any geological or geochemical data.     

Salinité des ressources en eau: intrusion marine et interaction eaux–roches (Maroc occidental)

Résumé

Le flux migratoire de la population vers les grandes villes et la multiplication des activités industrielles et agricoles, lors des ces dernières années (1990–2006), ont provoqué un accroissement des besoins en eaux de la nappe du bassin du Rharb (ouest du Maroc). Cette forte sollicitation a produit une augmentation de la minéralisation et une dégradation de la qualité hydrochimique (salinité) des eaux souterraines. Cet article a pour objectif de suivre l'évolution spatiale de la qualité hydrochimique des eaux souterraines et de comprendre le processus de cette minéralisation en fonction de l'intrusion marine, le gradient hydraulique et l'interaction eaux–réservoirs. Les corrélations hydrochimiques réalisées dans la zone côtière révèlent une contamination par les eaux marines. L'intrusion marine et la caractérisation des complexes pré-Rifains ont été identifiées par les méthodes géophysiques électriques et sismiques.

Citation Zouhri, L., Toto, E. A., Carlier, E. & Debieche, T.-H. (2010) Salinité des ressources en eau: dilution marine et interaction eaux–roches (Maroc occidental). Hydrol. Sci. J. 55(8), 1337–1347.     

Contribution de la gravimétrie à l’étude de la structure profonde du bassin de Bou-Houria (Maroc Nord-oriental) : implications hydrogéologiques

Résumé

Cette étude vise à améliorer la connaissance de la structure du bassin de Bou-Houria en se basant sur l’analyse et l’interprétation de données gravimétriques. Des cartes de l’anomalie résiduelle, du gradient vertical et du gradient horizontal ont été calculées à partir de la carte de l’anomalie de Bouguer. Ces cartes fournissent des informations sur la variation de la densité dans le sous-sol et permettent de mieux cerner la structure de la zone d’étude en mettant en évidence les principales unités et accidents tectoniques généralement masqués par les dépôts quaternaires. L’ensemble des résultats obtenus conduit à l’amélioration de la carte structurale de la zone d’étude, qui pourrait constituer un document de base pour orienter les futurs travaux d’exploration des eaux souterraines dans le bassin.     

Predicting Pesticide Attenuation in a Fractured Aquifer Using Lumped‐Parameter Models

Neighboring springs draining fractured‐rock aquifers can display large differences in water quality and flow regime, depending on local variations of the connectivity and the aperture size distribution of the fracture network. Consequently, because homogeneous equivalent parameters cannot be assumed a priori for the entire regional aquifer, the vulnerability to pollution of such springs has to be studied on a case by case basis. In this paper, a simple lumped‐parameter model usually applied to estimate the mean transit time of water (or tracer) is presented. The original exponential piston‐flow model was modified to take land‐use distribution into account and applied to predict the evolution of atrazine concentration in a series of springs draining a fractured sandstone aquifer in Luxembourg, where despite a nationwide ban in 2005, atrazine concentrations still had not begun to decrease in 2009. This persistence could be explained by exponentially distributed residence times in the aquifer, demonstrating that in some real world cases, models based on the groundwater residence time distribution can be a powerful tool for trend reversal assessments as recommended for instance by current European Union guidelines.     

Electrical properties and geochemistry of carbonate rocks from the Qasr El‐Sagha Formation,El‐Faiyum,Egypt

Understanding petrographical, geochemical and electrical properties of rocks is essential for investigating minerals. This paper presents a study of the petrographical, geochemical and A.C. electrical properties of carbonate rock samples. The samples collected show six lithostratigraphic rock units. Electrical properties were measured using a non‐polarizing electrode at room temperature (～20°C) and a relative atmospheric humidity of ～50% by weight in the frequency range from 42 Hz to 5 MHz. The difference in electrical properties between the samples was attributed to the change in composition and texture between the samples. Electrical properties generally change with many factors (grain size, chemical composition, grain shape and facies). The dielectric constant decreases with frequency and increases with conductor composition. The conductivity increases with the increase of conductor paths between electrodes. Many parameters can contribute to the same result of the electrical properties. The main objective of the present study is to shed more light on the relation between the texture and geochemical composition of measured samples (carbonates that contain clays and quartz grains) through electrical laboratory measurements (conductivity and dielectric constant as a function of frequency).     

Discrete element method simulations of the seismic response of shallow foundations including soil‐foundation‐structure interaction

A novel three‐dimensional particle‐based technique utilizing the discrete element method is proposed to analyze the seismic response of soil‐foundation‐structure systems. The proposed approach is employed to investigate the response of a single‐degree‐of‐freedom structure on a square spread footing founded on a dry granular deposit. The soil is idealized as a collection of spherical particles using discrete element method. The spread footing is modeled as a rigid block composed of clumped particles, and its motion is described by the resultant forces and moments acting upon it. The structure is modeled as a column made of particles that are either clumped to idealize a rigid structure or bonded to simulate a flexible structure of prescribed stiffness. Analysis is done in a fully coupled scheme in time domain while taking into account the effects of soil nonlinear behavior, the possible separation between foundation base and soil caused by rocking, the possible sliding of the footing, and the dynamic soil‐foundation interaction as well as the dynamic characteristics of the superstructure. High fidelity computational simulations comprising about half a million particles were conducted to examine the ability of the proposed technique to model the response of soil‐foundation‐structure systems. The computational approach is able to capture essential dynamic response patterns. The cyclic moment–rotation relationships at the base center point of the footing showed degradation of rotational stiffness by increasing the level of strain. Permanent deformations under the foundation continued to accumulate with the increase in number of loading cycles. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Neoproterozoic podiform chromitites in serpentinites of the Abu Meriewa–Hagar Dungash district, Eastern Desert, Egypt: Geotectonic implications and metamorphism

Podiform chromitites hosted in serpentinites (after harzburgite and dunite) and talc‐carbonate rocks from the Abu Meriewa–Hagar Dungash district (MHD), Eastern Desert of Egypt, together with metagabbros, pillow metavolcanics, and metasediments, form an ophiolitic mélange formed during the Neoproterozoic Pan‐African Orogeny. The chromitites show massive, disseminated, and nodular textures. Chromite cores in chromitites have high and restricted ranges of Cr# (0.65–0.75) and Mg# (0.64–0.83), implying primary compositions not affected by metamorphism. Therefore, they are used as reliable indicators of parent magma composition and tectonic affinities of these highly metamorphosed rocks. On the contrary, the altered rims are high‐Cr, low‐Fe³⁺ spinel (rather than ferritchromit) enriched in Cr, Fe, and Mn, and depleted in Al and Mg (Cr# = 0.75–0.97, Mg# = 0.29–0.79), due to equilibration with interstitial silicates during regional metamorphism up to transitional greenschist–amphibolite facies at about 500–550°C. The primary chromite compositions suggest derivation from a high‐Mg tholeiitic, to possibly boninitic, parental magma in a supra‐subduction zone (arc–marginal basin) environment, similar to the spatially associated metavolcanic rocks. The MHD chromitites are most probably formed by melt–rock interaction mechanisms. The high Cr# of the investigated chromites suggests high degrees of partial melting of a depleted harzburgite source by interaction with primitive basaltic melt of deeper origin followed by mixing. Such Cr‐rich chromites are common in chromitites from the Eastern Desert of Egypt, implying broad thermal anomalies, possibly linked to an important geodynamic feature of the Arabian–Nubian Shield (ANS) evolution. This could revive interest in models that involve asthenospheric uprise, related to plume interaction or most probably due to oblique convergence of arc terranes during early evolution of the ANS.     

Environmental and Health Impacts of Successive Mineral Fertilization in Egypt

Excessive amounts of mineral fertilizers are unnecessarily applied to agricultural soils in Egypt to increase crop yield. The current study aims at assessing the impacts of fertilization with different mineral fertilizers for different cultivation periods on the accumulation of heavy metals in soils and plants grown thereon. In addition, human risks resulted due to the exposure to these metal ions through ingestion, and dermal routes were evaluated. Soil and plant samples were collected from several locations in El‐Behira Governorate, Egypt and their heavy metal contents were measured. The result indicated that there is a continuous accumulation of heavy metals in the soils and the plants grown thereon. Calculation of the hazard index (HI) revealed that humans, especially children, have a potential health risk for both Pb and Cd, which have levels greater than the safe level (1). Finally, the obtained results showed that the continuous application of mineral fertilizers containing high levels of heavy metals pose a potential health threat.     

Broad-band calibration of marine seismic sources used by R/V Polarstern for academic research in polar regions

Air guns and air-gun arrays of different volumes are used for scientific seismic surveys with R/V Polarstern in polar regions. To assess the potential risk of these research activities on marine mammal populations, knowledge of the sound pressure field of the seismic sources is essential. Therefore, a broad-band (0–80 kHz) calibration study was conducted at the Heggernes Acoustic Range, Norway. A GI (2.4 l), a G (8.5 l) and a Bolt gun (32.8 l) were deployed as single sources, 3 GI (7.4 l), 3 G (25.6 l) and 8 VLF™ Prakla-Seismos air guns (24.0 l) as arrays. Each configuration was fired along a line of 3–4 km length running between two hydrophone chains with receivers in 35, 100, 198 and 263 m depth. Peak-to-peak, zero-to-peak, rms and sound exposure levels (SEL) were analysed as functions of range. They show the typical dipole-like directivity of marine seismic sources with amplitude cancellation close to the sea surface, higher amplitudes in greater depths, and sound pressure levels which continuously decrease with range. Levels recorded during the approach are lower than during the departure indicating a shadowing effect of Polarsterns's hull. Backcalculated zero-to-peak source levels range from 224–240 dB re 1 μPa @ 1 m. Spectral source levels are highest below 100 Hz and amount to 182–194 dB re 1 μPa Hz^–1. They drop off continuously with range and frequency. At 1 kHz they are ∼30 dB, at 80 kHz ∼60 dB lower than the peak level. Above 1 kHz amplitude spectra are dominated by Polarstern's self-noise. From the rms and sound exposure levels of the deepest hydrophone radii for different thresholds are derived. For a 180 dB rms-level threshold radii maximally vary between 200 and 600 m, for a 186 dB SEL threshold between 50 and 300 m.