Soil Characterization Using Joint Interpretation of Remote Sensing,Resistivity and Induced Polarization Data along the Coast of the Nile Delta

Natural Resources Research - Soil characterization in coastal areas is essential for strategic coastal engineering implementation and for understanding the paleo-environmental conditions. However,...     

Data-Driven Modeling Approach to Predict the Recovery Performance of Low-Salinity Waterfloods

Natural Resources Research - Low-salinity waterflooding (LSWF) has, in the past decade, attained a lot of attention to enhance oil recovery. In LSWF, diluted water is injected into an oil reservoir...     

Stream Sediments Geochemical Exploration in the Northwestern Part of Wadi Allaqi Area, South Eastern Desert, Egypt

Geochemical stream sediments survey was conducted in the northwestern part of Wadi Allaqi area, Eastern Desert, Egypt. The area comprises Precambrian metasediments, intermediate metavolcanics, gabbro, and serpentinites, with intrusive masses of granites and quartz-porphyry and invaded by several quartz veins. The −1.0-mm size fraction is analyzed for As, Cu, S, Mo, Pb, Zn, Co, Ni, Rb, Ba, Sr, Nb, V, U, Th, Cr, Zr, La, Ce, Nd, and Y. The geochemical survey is supported by heavy minerals study in the −0.125 + 0.0625-mm fraction. The geochemical data were statistically investigated using Q-mode cluster and R-mode factor analyses as well as the enrichment factor. Factors 1 (Zr, Nb, Nd, La, and Y), 2 (V, Sr, and Zn), and 4 (Ba and Rb) are mainly controlled by the lithological characters of the rocks hosting Au-sulfide mineralizations and their accompanied hydrothermal alteration zones. In the mineralization Factor 3 (Cu, S, As, Ce, and Mo), arsenic, Cu, S, and Mo are direct indicators, while Ce is indirect one for the Au-sulfide mineralizations. The Cu–S–As–Mo association with Pb and Zn anomalies in the stream sediments draining the quartz-porphyry point to its porphyry copper mineralization. Cobalt and Ni (Factor 5) are pathfinders for the Fe- and Cu-sulfides, whereas Zn and Pb of Factor 8 are additional pathfinders for the Au-sulfide mineralizations. The southern stream sediments having high U/Th ratios with U–Mo association and draining granites traversed by pegmatites, as well as the stream sediments draining Um Garayat area and the quartz-porphyry stock with high abundance of monazite, zircon, epidote, sphene, and ilmenite, could signify sources of U and Th (Factor 7). Two watershed areas have distinct enrichment factors for arsenic suggesting unexplored extensions of Au-sulfide mineralization linked to the Allaqi shear-zone. The enrichment of the mineralization Factor 3 in the drainage system is mainly controlled by the prevailed mechanical dispersion for the hosting heavy minerals in such arid region with minor role of hydromorphic dispersion. The chemistry and mineralogy of the stream sediments are evidently allied to the drained bedrocks and their hosted mineralizations that signify a promising area for detailed exploration.     

Report on the Diatoms and Dinoflagellates Distribution along the Algerian Coasts: Inter-Region Comparison

The phytoplankton group’s composition is an excellent indicator of the state of coastal waters. The aim of this study is to explore spatial variability of phytoplankton in shallow coastal areas from different regions (East, Center and West) of the Algerian coast. The quantitative and qualitative study of the phytoplankton population was conducted on samples taken during the 2012-2013 period by the research vessel GRINE BELKACEM. The qualitative results show a significant diversity of diatoms and dinoflagellates, which rank first and second in the total flora (Fr > 50%). This finding is also confirmed quantitatively by the abundance values in both 2013 and 2012 samples which largely exceeds the average value in most other areas of the western region (56%) and slightly exceeding 52% in all central areas which represent an equi-distribution between diatoms and dinoflagellates. The Dinoflagellates contribute significantly to the quantitative richness in the eastern region (>60%). The minimum value of Dia/Dino index, recorded in the eastern region confirms the dominance of the dinoflagellates especially in Skikda (0.31) (Skikda).However, our results reveal the presence, in smaller proportion, of other groups such as the cocolithophoridae and euglenophyceae.     

Seismic vulnerability: theory and application to Algerian buildings

When dealing with structural damages, under the effect of natural hazards such as earthquakes, it is still a scientific challenge to predict the potential damages, before occurrence of a given hazard, as well as to evaluate the damages once the earthquake has occurred. In the present study, two distinct methods addressing these topics are developed. Thousands (～54,000) of existing buildings damaged during the Boumerdes earthquake that occurred in Algeria (M_w?=?6.8, May 21, 2003) are considered in order to study their accuracy and sensitivity. Once an earthquake has occurred, quick evaluations of the damages are required in order to distinguish which structures should be demolished or evacuated immediately from those which can be kept in service without evacuation of its inhabitants. For this purpose, visual inspections are performed by trained and qualified engineers. For the case of Algeria, an evaluation form has been developed and is still in use since the early 80s: Five categories of damages are considered (no damage or very slight, slight, moderate, major, and very severe/collapse). This paper develops a theoretical methodology that processes the observed damages caused to the structural and nonstructural components (foundations, roofs, slabs, walls, beams, columns, fillings, partition walls, stairways, balconies, etc.), in order to help the evaluator to derive the global damage evaluation. This theoretical methodology transforms the damage category into a corresponding “residual” risk of failure ranging from zero (no damage) to one (complete damage). The global failure risk, in fact its corresponding damage category, is then derived according to given combinations of probabilistic events in order to express the influence of any component on the global damage and behavior. The method is calibrated on a set of ～54,000 buildings inspected after Boumerdes earthquake. Almost 80 % of accordance (same damage category) is obtained, when comparing the theoretical results to the observed damages. For pre-earthquake analysis, the methodology widely used around the world relies on the prior calibration of the seismic response of the structures under given expected scenarios. As the structural response is governed by the constitutive materials and structural typology as well as the seismic input and soil conditions, the damage prediction depends intimately on the accuracy of the so-called fragility curve and response spectrum established for each type of structure (RC framed structures, confined or unconfined masonry, etc.) and soil (hard rock, soft soil, etc.). In the present study, the adaptation to Algerian buildings concerns the specific soil conditions as well as the structural dynamic response. The theoretical prediction of the expected damages is helpful for the calibration of the methodology. Thousands (～3,700) of real structures and the damages caused by the earthquake (Algeria, Boumerdes: M_w?=?6.8, May 21, 2003) are considered for the a posteriori calibration and validation process. The theoretical predictions show the importance of the elastic response spectrum, the local soil conditions, and the structural typology. Although the observed and predicted categories of damage are close, it appears that the existing form used for the visual damage inspection would still require further improvements, in order to allow easy evaluation and identification of the damage level. These methods coupled to databases, and GIS tools could be helpful for the local and technical authorities during the post-earthquake evaluation process: real time information on the damage extent at urban or regional scales as well as the extent of losses and the required resources for reconstruction, evacuation, strengthening, etc.     

Two forsterite-bearing FUN inclusions in the Allende meteorite

We have discovered two FUN inclusions, CG-14 and TE, among a group of five forsterite-rich inclusions in Allende, two of which are described for the first time herein. All five consist of euhedral forsterite and spinel crystals poikilitically enclosed by fassaite. Forsterite and spinel are usually segregated from one another, sometimes into a spinel-rich mantle and a forsterite-rich core. Some inclusions contain vesicles, indicating that they were once molten. The crystallization sequence inferred from textures is: spinel, forsterite, fassaite and, finally, Mg-rich melilite. One concentrically-zoned inclusion contains melilite in its mantle whose composition lies on the opposite side of the liquidus minimum in the melilite binary from that in its core. This suggests that segregation of forsterite from spinel in all of these inclusions could be due to volatilization of MgO and SiO₂ relative to Al₂O₃ and CaO from the outsides of droplets. CG-14 is relatively uniformly enriched in refractory elements relative to Cl chondrites by a factor similar to that for Ca-, Al-rich coarse-grained inclusions except for Ca, Al and Hf which are unusually low. No Ce anomaly such as found in FUN inclusions Cl and HAL is present in CG-14. Whole-rock samples of CG-14 and TE are more strongly mass-fractionated in oxygen relative to “normal” Allende inclusions than the FUN inclusion EK 1-4-1 and less so than Cl. Relative to bulk Allende, both inclusions have strongly massfractionated magnesium and silicon and ²⁵Mg excesses or deficits of ²⁴Mg or ²⁶Mg. CG-14 has a ²⁹Si excess or a deficit of ²⁸Si or ³⁰Si. Volatilization loss cannot be responsible for the magnesium and silicon isotope fractionations, as this would require prohibitively large mass loss from these magnesium-rich inclusions. The remarkable similarity in textures between FUN and non-FUN inclusions implies similar thermal histories, arguing against different rates of evaporative loss of major elements. Sputtering alone may be insufficient to account for the magnitude and direction of oxygen isotope fractionation in FUN inclusions.     

Satellite sensor modeling and 3D geo-positioning using empirical models

The need for the use of general empirical mathematical models for satellite sensor modeling and 3D geo-positioning has increased recently, mainly because of the absence of the satellite sensor information of some of the high-resolution satellites. In addition, empirical mathematical models can be applied to different satellite sensors since they are time independent mathematical models and do not require specialized commercial software packages. This paper discusses the applicability of the empirical mathematical models presented by the 3D affine model and the 3D polynomial models for satellite sensor modeling and 3D geo-positioning. The objectives of the paper are to demonstrate that (a) the 3D affine model and its modifications of the 3D polynomial models are applicable to different satellite sensors and different types of terrain, and (b) under some conditions, the empirical models can produce accuracies close to those from rigorous mathematical models.     

Advanced differential interferometry synthetic aperture radar techniques for deformation monitoring: a review on sensors and recent research development

This paper reviews the advanced differential interferometry synthetic aperture radar (A-DInSAR) techniques, with two major components in focus. First is the basic concepts, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data sources and the different algorithms documented in the literature, primarily focusing on persistent scatterers. In the second part, the techniques are compared in order to establish more linkage in terms of the variability of their applications, strength and validation of the interpreted results. Also, current issues in sensor and algorithm development are discussed. The study identified six existing A-DInSAR algorithms used for monitoring various deformation types. Generally, reports of their performance indicate that all the techniques are capable of measuring deformation phenomena at varying spatial resolution with high level of accuracy. However, their usability in suburban and vegetated areas yields poor results, compared to urbanized areas, due to inadequate permanent features that could provide sufficient coherent point targets. Meanwhile, there is continuous development in sensors and algorithms to expand the applicability domain of the technology for a wide range of deformable surfaces and displacement patterns with higher precision. On the sensor side, most of the latest SAR sensors employ longer wavelength (X and P bands) to increase the penetrating power of the signal and two other sensors (ALOS-2 PALSA-2 and SENTINEL-1) are scheduled to be launched in 2013. Researchers are investigating the possibility of using single-pass sensors with different look angles for SAR data collection. With these, it is expected that more data will be available for various applications. Algorithms such as corner reflector interferometry SAR, along track interferometry, liqui-InSAR, and squeeSAR are emerging to increase reliable estimation of deformation from different surfaces.