Saturated and unsaturated River Nile/groundwater aquifer interaction systems in the Nile Valley, Egypt

Surface water bodies interact with underlying aquifer systems, creating a complex flow system and flow paths. In general, a surface water body may be classified as gaining, losing, or flow through on the basis of its interaction with the surrounding aquifer. In the Nile Valley, the quaternary aquifer system is in a direct hydraulic interaction with the River Nile, canals, and drains. In this study, a regional numerical model was developed and used to evaluate the interaction between surface water bodies and the quaternary aquifer system in the Nile Valley. The solution is considered for a quasi three-dimensional, steady-state groundwater flow. The model used simulates the interaction between surface water bodies and groundwater for saturated and unsaturated flow conditions. In addition, a hydrodynamic model was used to simulate different extreme (high and low) scenarios for Nile surface water levels along the distance between Old Aswan Dam and Delta Barrages. Model calibration shows close results, and the model was used to simulate surface water levels. Results indicate that the Nile River acts as a drain for the quaternary aquifer (gaining water from the aquifer), although in the reaches upstream of the main barrages, the Nile loses the water, recharging the aquifer. All other main canals are recharging the aquifer system. The seepage rate depends mainly on the difference in piezometric head between the aquifer system and surface water bodies, as well as the hydraulic conductance of the base layer sediments of the surface water body. The model was used to evaluate the regional water balance for the Nile Valley and to estimate the surface water bodies' gains and losses.     

Structure sismique du socle paléozoı̈que du bassin des Doukkala,Môle côtier,Maroc occidental. Indication en faveur de l'existence d'une phase éo-varisqueSeismic structure of the Doukkala basin,Palaeozoic basement,western Morocco: a hint for an Eovariscan fold-and-thrust belt

Seismic profiles and well data from the Doukkala basin unravel the structure of the Palaeozoic basement and suggest that this coastal zone of western Morocco was affected by a compressive phase during the Frasnian. This resulted in the formation of upright, plurikilometric folds associated with reverse faults (North Doukkala), and of asymmetrical folds associated with mostly west verging ramps (South Doukkala). Folding involved all pre-Upper Frasnian formations and caused partial or total hiatus of Upper Frasnian–Strunian strata. This event can be correlated with the orogenic phase reported from more internal domains of the Morocco Hercynian belt, where it is referred to as the ‘Bretonne’ or ‘Eovariscan’ phase. To cite this article: H. Echarfaoui et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 13–20     

Hydrous peridotites with Ti-rich chromian spinel as a low-temperature forearc mantle facies: evidence from the Happo-O’ne metaperidotites (Japan)

The Happo-O’ne peridotite complex is situated in the northeastern part of the Hida Marginal Tectonic Zone, central Japan, characterized by the high-P/T Renge metamorphism, and is considered as a serpentinite mélange of Paleozoic age. Peridotitic rocks, being massive or foliated, have been subjected to hydration and metamorphism. Their protoliths are mostly lherzolites to harzburgites with subordinate dunites. We found a characteristic mineral assemblage, olivine + orthopyroxene + tremolite + chlorite + chromian spinel, being stable at low-T, from 650 to 750°C, and high-P, from 16 to 20 kbar, tremolite–chlorite peridotites of the tremolite zone. Olivines are Fo₈₈–Fo_91, and orthopyroxenes (Mg# = 0.91) show low and homogenous distributions of Al₂O₃ (up to 0.25 wt%), Cr₂O₃ (up to 0.25 wt%), CaO (up to 0.36 wt%) and TiO₂ (up to 0.06 wt%) due to the low equilibration temperature. Chromian spinels, which are euhedral and enclosed mainly in the orthopyroxenes, have high TiO_2, 3.1 wt% (up to 5.7 wt%) on average, and high Cr# [=Cr/(Cr + Al) atomic ratio], 0.95 on average but low Fe³⁺ [=Fe³⁺/(Cr + Al + Fe³⁺) atomic ratio, <0.3]. The bulk-rock chemistry shows that the Happo-O’ne metaperidotites with this peculiar spinel are low in TiO₂ (0.01–0.02 wt%), indicating no addition of TiO₂ from the outside source during the metamorphism; the high TiO₂ of the peculiar spinel has been accomplished by Ti release from Ti-bearing high-T pyroxenes during the formation of low-T, low-Ti silicates (<0.1 wt% TiO₂) during cooling. Some dunites are intact from hydration: their olivine is Fo₉₂ and spinel shows high Cr#, 0.72. The Happo-O’ne metaperidotites (tremolite–chlorite peridotites), being in the corner of the mantle wedge, are representative of a hydrous low-T, high-P mantle peridotite facies transitional from a higher T anhydrous peridotite facies (spinel peridotites) formed by in situ retrograde metamorphism influenced by fluids from the subducting slab. They have suffered from low-T (<600°C) retrogressive metamorphism to form antigorite and diopside during exhumation of the Renge metamorphic belt.     

Automatic identification of fake patterns caused by short-width wavelets in seismic data

Despite the popularity of using the Haar wavelet filter in many applications, it sometimes introduces fake patterns into the multi resolution analysis (MRA) of seismic data. In this work, we compared different wavelet filters to demonstrate that these patterns are fake and not part of the original waveforms and to show that they are a result of using the Haar wavelet filter as a short-width wavelet. To achieve this, many seismic waveforms from two different sources: the Egyptian National Seismic Network (ENSN) and the High Sensitivity Seismograph Network Japan (Hi-net) are used with different wavelet filters. We propose an algorithm based on an autoregressive (AR) model to detect these patterns automatically and fully.     

Effect of Inter-Column Spacing on Soil Stresses due to Vibro-Installed Stone Columns: Interesting Findings

This paper reveals the interesting relation between the inter-column spacing and the corresponding alteration of soil state of stresses due to the vibro-installation technique. This relation is inferred from analyses for load settlement records of various field load tests, performed for stone columns arrangements with different inter-column spacing values. In order to have adequate confidence in the findings, a well-documented case history, involving three columns patterns along with their relevant field and laboratory test results, is utilized for this study. Moreover, a well-tested finite element model, capable of simulating both elasto-plastic and time dependent soil deformations as well as pore water pressure building and dissipation, is employed in the analysis. Instead of determining the soil response to the test load, based on known initial soil stresses and material properties, the analysis is inversely posed to determine the soil initial stresses, based on the recorded settlements and the post-installation material properties. The alteration in the soil state of stress is represented by the increase in the post-installation horizontal to vertical stress ratio, K*, as a function of the inter-column spacing. It is found that this alteration experiences a systematic decrease in its magnitude as the inter-column spacing increases.     

Runoff responses at different watershed scales in semi arid region: exploration of a developed rainfall runoff model (Merguellil and Skhira watershed, Central Tunisia)

Understanding the hydrological response of small and large river basins is crucial for regional climate and hydrology studies. Also, rainfall space–time variability (Known in semi arid climate) has a major influence on hydrological dynamics. As consequent, we developed a software application (with MATLAB) in order to take into account the rainfall space-time variability, and that open a major prospects of studying hydrometeorological effects such scale effect and moving storms. In this context, in order to asses scale and dynamic rainy events effect in hydrologic modelling, this study focuses on instantaneous rainy data in central Tunisia (Merguellil and Skhira watershed): a rainfall runoff modelling was done to investigate basins responses and a developed geomorphology-based transfer function, was applied. A systematic hydro-meteorological analysis have been implemented to understand different types of variability and rainy fields dynamic, the relevance of rainfall network and scale effects. As result, two different behaviours of studied basins are detected. Responses of studied areas are much related to event dynamic (East/West and West/East) and hydrographs change according to event direction.     

New information on radionuclides concentration in phosphorites originating from Tunisia and Algeria

In this study we investigate the radiological hazard of naturally occurring radioactive material in Tunisian and Algerian phosphorite deposits. Eight samples of phosphorite were collected from the phosphorite mines. The Tunisian and Algerian phosphorites occur in the Late Paleocene and Lower Eocene (Ypresian-Lutetian) in age (Béji Sassi 1984 and Zaïer 1999). Activity concentrations in all the samples were measured by alpha spectrometry and gamma spectrometry. Alpha spectrometry analyses show that the specific activity values of ²³⁸U, ²³⁴U and ²³⁵U in the samples of Tunisian phosphorite were 327?±?7 (321–327), 326?±?6 (325–331) and 14.50?±?0.72 (13.90–15.57) Bq kg^?1, respectively. Specific activity measured by gamma spectrometry in the samples of the Tunisian and Algerian phosphorite shows a small difference. Specific activity levels of ⁴⁰K, ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, ²³⁵U and ²³⁸U in the phosphorite samples from Tunisia were, respectively, 71.10?±?3.80, 391.54?±?9.39, 60.38?±?3.74, 12.72?±?0.54 and 527.42?±?49.57 Bq kg^?1 and Algeria were 15.72?±?1.73, 989.65?±?12.52, 12.08?±?1.20, 47.50?±?1.52 and 1,148.78?±?7.30 Bq kg^?1, respectively. The measured value of specific activity of ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K in the Tunisian phosphorite samples is relatively higher than that found in the samples of Algerian phosphorite. The measured activity of uranium (²³⁸U) in the Tunisian phosphorite (527?±?49) Bq kg^?1 is lower than in Algerian phosphorite. The measured activity of ²³⁸U in the Tunisian phosphorite samples was (527–1,315?±?65) ²³⁸U Bq kg^?1 which is higher than its maximum background value of 110 Bq kg^?1 in soils of the various countries of the world (Tufail et al. Radiat Meas 41:443–451, 2006). Different geological origins of phosphorites deposits are the main reason for the large spread in worldwide specific activities. The obtained results of uranium concentrations in phosphorites of different types (Algerian and Tunisian) demonstrate that the uranium concentrations are mainly governed by the phosphatic material. The present study reveals that phosphorite deposits contain natural radioactivity higher than background level.     

Geology and Mineral Chemistry of Uranium- and Thorium-bearing Minerals in Rare-Metal (NYF) Pegmatites of Um Solimate,South Eastern Desert,Egypt

The garnet muscovite granitic pegmatite of Um Solimate, in southern Egypt, represents a promising asset for strategic and economic metals, especially Bi–Ni–Ag–Nb–Ta as well as U and Th. The ore bodies occur as large masses, pockets and/or veins of very coarse-grained pegmatites, which consist mainly of K-feldspar, quartz and albite with subordinate muscovite, garnet, and biotite. Radiometric data revealed that eU- and eTh-contents of the pegmatites reach up to 39 ppm and 82 ppm, respectively. The studied pegmatites are enriched in primary U and Th minerals (uraninite, coffinite, thorianite and uranothorite) as well as Hf-rich zircon and monazite, which give rise to anomalous radioactive zones. Niobium-tantalium-bearing minerals (i.e. ferrocolumbite, microlite and uranopyrochlore), xenotime, barite, galena, fluorite, and apatite are ubiquitous, and, consequently, the studied pegmatites belong tothe Niobium–Yttrium–Fluorine-type (NYF) family. The noble metal mineralization includes argentite (Ag2S), native Ni and Bi as well as bismite and bismoclite. In addition, beryl and tourmaline are observed in pegmatites near the contact with metasediments and ultramafic bodies. The observed compositional variations of Ta/(Ta+Nb) and Mn/(Mn+Fe) ratios in columbite (0.08–0.45 and 0.11–0.57, respectively) and Hf contents in zircon (3.54–6.46 wt%) may reflectan extreme degree of magmatic fractionation leading to formation of the pegmatite orebody.