Stratigraphic architecture of the fluvio-lacustrine deposits, Bathan Formation, Al-Rehaili area, North Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

A siliciclastic-dominated succession (～11 m thick) underlying Harrat Rahat, belonging to the Miocene–Pliocene Bathan Formation is recently exposed at Al-Rehaili area, North Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It covers a wide spectrum of grain sizes varying from clay-rich mudstones to cobble grade conglomerate and consists of a variety of facies vary from fluvial to marginal and open lacustrine deposited in a half-graben basin formed along the eastern margin of the extensional Red Sea Basin. Field-based sedimentologic investigation enables to identify ten facies grouped into three facies associations (A–C). The depositional history is subdivided into two stages. The first stage represents deposition in gravel to sand-dominated fluvial system sourced from a southern source and grade northward into lacustrine delta and open lacustrine setting. The second stage on the other hand includes deposition of fluvial channels running in E–W direction with attached bank sand bar. Sequence stratigraphic interpretations of the lacustrine deposits enable to identify three unconformity-bounded sequences (SQ_1–3). The basal sequence is incomplete, consisting of three aggradationally to progradationally stacked delta plain and delta front parasequences. The second sequence is sharply and erosively overlying a red paleosol bed that defines the upper boundary of the first sequence. It includes two system tracts; upward-fining and deepening lacustrine offshore mudstones of the transgressive system tracts unconformably overlain by red paleosol of the regressive systems tracts. The top of this sequence is delineated at the sharp transgressive surface of erosion at the base of delta mouth bar deposits of sequence 3. Changes in the accommodation and sedimentation rates by basin subsidence under the influence of tectonics and sediment compaction and loading as well as climatic oscillation between semi-arid to arid conditions were the major controls on the fluvio-lacustrine sedimentation and their facies distribution. Tectonic reorganization of the drainage system resulted in the formation of E–W flowing fluvial streams in the second stage.     

Eruptive history of the Barombi Mbo Maar, Cameroon Volcanic Line, Central Africa: Constraints from volcanic facies analysis

his study presents the first and detail field investigations of exposed deposits at proximal sections of the Barombi Mbo Maar (BMM), NE Mt Cameroon, with the aim of documenting its past activity, providing insight on the stratigraphic distribution, depositional process, and evolution of the eruptive sequences during its formation. Field evidence reveals that the BMM deposit is about 126m thick, of which about 20m is buried lowermost under the lake level and covered by vegetation. Based on variation in pyroclastic facies within the deposit, it can be divided into three main stratigraphic units: U₁, U₂ and U₃. Interpretation of these features indicates that U₁ consists of alternating lapilli-ash-lapilli beds series, in which fallout derived individual lapilli-rich beds are demarcated by surges deposits made up of thin, fine-grained and consolidated ash-beds that are well-defined, well-sorted and laterally continuous in outcrop scale. U₂, a pyroclastic fall-derived unit, shows crudely lenticular stratified scoriaceous layers, in which many fluidal and spindle bombs-rich lapilli-beds are separated by very thin, coarse-vesiculatedash-beds, overlain by a mantle xenolith- and accidental lithic-rich explosive breccia, and massive lapilli tuff and lapillistone. U3 displays a series of surges and pyroclastic fall layers. Emplacement processes were largely controlled by fallout deposition and turbulent diluted pyroclastic density currents under “dry” and “wet” conditions. The eruptive activity evolved in a series of initial phreatic eruptions, which gradually became phreatomagmatic, followed by a phreato-Strombolian and a violent phreatomagmatic fragmentation. A relatively long-time break, demonstrated by a paleosol between U₂ and U₃, would have permitted the feeding of the root zone or the prominent crater by the water that sustained the next eruptive episode, dominated by subsequent phreatomagmatic eruptions. These preliminary results require complementary studies, such as geochemistry, for a better understanding of the changes in the eruptive styles, and to develop more constraints on the maar’s polygenetic origin.     

Possibility of investigation of the microstreams and associations by the radiotomographic method

This article contains the tomographic problem's solution of the radiants distribution study by the meteor radar data. It was received the distribution of meteors velocities for the parts of celestial sphere with angular dimensions 10° × 10° and 1° × 1°. Was shown that the angular dimensions of most of radiants are equal 1° – 3° and larger part of the sporadic background looks like a totality of microstreams.     

Oil spill sorption using carbonized pith bagasse: trial for practical application

In the present work, an attempt was made to provide an efficient, easily deployable method of cleaning up oil spills and recovering of the oil. Carbonized pith bagasse, a relatively abundant and inexpensive material is currently being investigated as an adsorbent to remove contaminants “oil” from water. Fibers extracted from bagasse and carbonized at 300 °C were found to have a high performance for sorption and recovery of light, heavy oils and even the viscous ones. The physical properties of pith bagasse were investigated using scanning electronic microscope to show the inner and the outer surface and the cross section area of the pith bagasse and thermo gravimetric analyzer to investigate the degradation profile of the pith bagasse. The carbonized pith bagasse was packed into a polypropylene bag and its sorption behavior was studied. A comparison was made between the prepared pad and the commercial sorbents show that the pad containing carbonized pith bagasse has higher sorption capacity in comparison to the commercial sorbents. The pad exhibited high oil retention ability and a high selectivity for the oils over the water. The pad showed a possibility of reuse for eight times. The sorption capacity of the pads containing carbonized pith bagasse was found to increase with increasing the time of sorption till it reaches the maximum value at the time of sorption equal to 60 min.     

A new hypothesis about the surface circulation in the eastern basin of the mediterranean sea

In time, the circulation of the Atlantic Water (AW) in the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea has been described differently, according to two major representations. The historical one, which began with the scheme from Nielsen in 1912 and has been refined up to the 1980s, favours a counterclockwise circulation in the whole basin, with AW flowing in its southern part as a broad flow off Libya and Egypt (from the Ionian to the Levantine subbasins), then continuing along Middle-East and Turkey before flowing back westwards. The more recent one, issued in the 1990s, favours a clockwise circulation in the northern part of the Ionian continuing offshore across the basin from the Cretan to the central part of the Levantine as the so-called “Mid-Mediterranean Jet”. This jet is depicted then as splitting both clockwise in the southeastern part of the basin and counterclockwise off Turkey (where this representation agrees with the former). Because the recent representation cannot be considered as a refinement of the historical ones, we have been interested in understanding why a given data set available to everybody is interpreted in such different ways.In the Algerian subbasin, the combined use of satellite infrared images and a significant amount of in situ data sets (hydrology and both Eulerian and Lagrangian current measurements) allowed us to solve a similar controversy. Therefore, we examined the circulation features in the eastern basin, undertaking the detailed analysis of 1000 daily and weekly composite images spanning the period 1996–2000, and of monthly composite images available since 1985. Whenever in situ observations were available, we have confronted them with the satellite thermal signatures and have shown that both are consistent. This paper focuses on the overall (basin scale) results while the detailed ones are published in an other paper. The new scheme we propose is basically a refined version of the historical ones: the circulation of AW is counterclockwise in the whole eastern basin but it is more constrained alongslope than previously thought, and the broadening historically schematised appears to be due to intense mesoscale eddies mainly generated by the instability of this circulation.     

Integrating international linguistic minorities in emergency planning at institutions of higher education

Natural Hazards - Research concerning the behavior of international linguistic minorities at institutions of higher education during disasters is very limited. Many international groups suffer from...     

Solidification of Tank Bottom Sludge

Tank bottom oily sludge (S) is collected from tank bottoms during cleaning operations and contaminated soil is collected after spills and leakages. Disposal of tank sludge is a significant item of tank maintenance for producers, refiners and transporters of petroleum materials. The objective of this paper is to investigate the use of various additives in the solidification of tank bottom sludge. The sludge was solidified using various combinations of additives including ordinary Portland cement (OPC), cement by-pass dust (CBPD) and quarry fines (QF). Geotechnical and leachability properties of the mixtures were determined. The use of OPC alone as a solidifying agent yielded the best results. This was followed by blends S:OPC:QF of 1:0.5:1.5 and S:CBPD of 1:2. Economically, the latter two mixtures would be considered more cost-effective in solidifying the sludge as the additives are waste by-product materials. The Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) results indicated that no extracts exceeded the threshold TCLP limits established by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The solidified material can be used in construction of roads, embankments and landfill layers.