Use of geospatial technology for delineating groundwater potential zones with an emphasis on water-table analysis in Dwarka River basin,Birbhum, India

Dwarka River basin in Birbhum, West Bengal (India), is an agriculture-dominated area where groundwater plays a crucial role. The basin experiences seasonal water stress conditions with a scarcity of surface water. In the presented study, delineation of groundwater potential zones (GWPZs) is carried out using a geospatial multi-influencing factor technique. Geology, geomorphology, soil type, land use/land cover, rainfall, lineament and fault density, drainage density, slope, and elevation of the study area were considered for the delineation of GWPZs in the study area. About 9.3, 71.9 and 18.8% of the study area falls within good, moderate and poor groundwater potential zones, respectively. The potential groundwater yield data corroborate the outcome of the model, with maximum yield in the older floodplain and minimum yield in the hard-rock terrains in the western and south-western regions. Validation of the GWPZs using the yield of 148 wells shows very high accuracy of the model prediction, i.e., 89.1% on superimposition and 85.1 and 81.3% on success and prediction rates, respectively. Measurement of the seasonal water-table fluctuation with a multiplicative model of time series for predicting the short-term trend of the water table, followed by chi-square analysis between the predicted and observed water-table depth, indicates a trend of falling groundwater levels, with a 5% level of significance and a p-value of 0.233. The rainfall pattern for the last 3 years of the study shows a moderately positive correlation (R ² = 0.308) with the average water-table depth in the study area.     

Remote sensing of mountain snow using active microwave sensors: a review

This work provides an overview of various methods for estimating snow cover and properties in high mountains using remote sensing techniques involving microwaves. Satellite-based remote sensing with its characteristics such as synoptic view, repetitive coverage and uniformity over large areas has great potential for identifying the temporal snow cover. Many sensors have been used in the past with various algorithms and accuracies for this purpose. These methods have been improving with the use of Synthetic Aperture Radar sensors, working in different microwave frequencies, polarisation and acquisition modes. The limitations, advantages and drawbacks are illustrated while error sources and strategies on how to ease their impacts are also reviewed. An extensive list of references, with an emphasis on studies since 1990s, allows the reader to delve into specific topics.     

Numerical simulations of the differentiation of accreting planetesimals with 26Al and 60Fe as the heat sources

Abstract— Numerical simulations have been performed for the differentiation of planetesimals undergoing linear accretion growth with ²⁶Al and ⁶⁰Fe as the heat sources. Planetesimal accretion was started at chosen times up to 3 Ma after Ca‐Al‐rich inclusions (CAIs) were formed, and was continued for periods of 0.001–1 Ma. The planetesimals were initially porous, unconsolidated bodies at 250 K, but became sintered at around 700 K, ending up as compact bodies whose final radii were 20, 50, 100, or 270 km. With further heating, the planetesimals underwent melting and igneous differentiation. Two approaches to core segregation were tried. In the first, labelled A, the core grew gradually before silicate began to melt, and in the second, labelled B, the core segregated once the silicate had become 40% molten. In A, when the silicate had become 20% molten, the basaltic melt fraction began migrating upward to the surface, carrying ²⁶Al with it. The ⁶⁰Fe partitioned between core and mantle. The results show that the rate and timing of core and crust formation depend mainly on the time after CAIs when planetesimal accretion started. They imply significant melting where accretion was complete before 2 Ma, and a little melting in the deep interiors of planetesimals that accreted as late as 3 Ma. The latest melting would have occurred at <10 Ma. The effect on core and crust formation of the planetesimal's final size, the duration of accretion, and the choice of (⁶⁰Fe/⁵⁶Fe)_initial were also found to be important, particularly where accretion was late. The results are consistent with the isotopic ages of differentiated meteorites, and they suggest that the accretion of chondritic parent bodies began more than 2 or 3 Ma after CAIs.     

Scattering Properties and Composition of Cometary Dust

Composition of the Comet dust obtained by the dust impact analyzer on the Halley probes indicated that the comet dust is a mixture of silicate and carbonaceous material. The collected interplanetary dust particles (IDP's) are fluffy and composite, having grains of several different types stuck together. Using discrete dipole approximation (DDA) we study the scattering properties of composite grains. In particular, we study the angular distribution of the scattered intensity and linear polarization of composite grains. We assume that the composite grains are made up of a host silicate sphere/spheroid with the inclusions of graphite. Results of our calculations on the composite grains show that the angle of maximum polarization shifts, and the degree of polarization varies with the volume fraction of the inclusions. We use these results on the composite grains to interpret the observed scattering in cometary dust.     

Observations of AGNs using PACT

We report our observations on 4 AGNs viz, Mkn 421, Mkn 501, 1ES1426+428 and ON231 belonging to a sub-class called blazars. The observations were carried out using the Pachmarhi Array of Cherenkov Telescopes and span about 6 years period from 2000 to 2005. We discuss our methods of analysis adopted to extract the gamma ray signal from cosmic ray background. We present our results on the emission of TeV gamma rays from these objects. Also, we report on the status of the new high altitude experiment, a 7 telescope array at Hanle in the Himalayas at an altitude of about 4200 m above mean sea level for detecting celestial gamma-rays.     

Torsional wave propagation in non‐homogeneous layer between non‐homogeneous half‐spaces

The study of surface wave in a layered medium has their possible application in geophysical prospecting. In the present work, dispersion equation for torsional wave in an inhomogeneous isotropic layer between inhomogeneous isotropic half‐spaces has been derived. Two cases are discussed separately for torsional wave propagation in inhomogeneous layer between homogeneous and non‐homogeneous half‐spaces, respectively. Further, two possible modes for torsional wave propagation are obtained in case of inhomogeneous layer sandwiched between non‐homogeneous half‐spaces. Closed form solutions for displacement in the layer and half‐spaces are obtained in each case. The study reveals that the layer width, layer inhomogeneity, frequency of inhomogeneity, as well as inhomogeneity in the half‐space has significant effect on the propagation of torsional surface waves. Displacement and implicit dispersion equation for torsional wave velocities are expressed in terms of Heun functions and their derivatives. Effects of inhomogeneity on torsional wave velocity are also discussed graphically by plotting the dimensionless phase velocity against dimensionless and scaled wave number for different values of inhomogeneity parameter. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Weathering effects on the strength and deformational behaviour of crystalline rocks under uniaxial compression state

Uniaxial compression tests were performed on different categories of weathering of three lithological units: Malanjkhand granite; Nagpur basalt; and Delhi quartzite, occurring in central and northern parts of India. The deformational behaviour is studied in terms of variation in tangent modulus (E_t50) and initial modulus (E_i) due to weathering. The power relationship between uniaxial compressive strength (σ_c) and E_t50 shows strong correspondence for weathering sequence of common rock types. This relationship has been established by regression analysis and significant correlation parameter (coefficient of determination, r²=0.87) for crystalline rocks. It is shown that there is a systematic decrease in stiffness ratio, that is, ratio of tangent modulus and uniaxial compressive strength with increased weathering state. Comparison of E_t50 and E_i values has shown that E_t50 decreases more gradually than E_i, and reduction is more drastic for E_i values with an increased degree of weathering in all the three rock types. The mode of failure has been found to be influenced by weathering extent in rocks. A brief account is given of the intrinsic characteristics of fresh and weathered rocks and mineralogical changes produced by weathering investigated quantitatively. Correlation drawn between the petrographical and mechanical indices has shown that mechanical properties are apparently dependent on the intrinsic characteristics of weathered rocks.