Beach accretion and erosion, Burullus-Gamasa coast, Egypt

Several areas of erosion and accretion were observed along the Burullus-Gamasa beach. The accreted sands are coarser and less sorted than the eroded ones. Differentiation between them could be achieved on the basis of their grain-size fractions, shape of grain-size distribution curves and statistical grain-size parameter relationships.     

Particle transfer in multiregions

Asymptotic calculations for reflection and transmission coefficients for particles incident on an inhomogeneous plane parallel medium are performed. The medium is assumed to consist of several different optically thick homogeneous layers. Functional relations between the reflection and transmission coefficients for the sublayers are obtained. The invariant embedding concepts are used to calculate the albedo for sublayers. Numerical calculations and comparisons are performed.     

The meteoritic origin of Tutankhamun's iron dagger blade

Scholars have long discussed the introduction and spread of iron metallurgy in different civilizations. The sporadic use of iron has been reported in the Eastern Mediterranean area from the late Neolithic period to the Bronze Age. Despite the rare existence of smelted iron, it is generally assumed that early iron objects were produced from meteoritic iron. Nevertheless, the methods of working the metal, its use, and diffusion are contentious issues compromised by lack of detailed analysis. Since its discovery in 1925, the meteoritic origin of the iron dagger blade from the sarcophagus of the ancient Egyptian King Tutankhamun (14th C. BCE) has been the subject of debate and previous analyses yielded controversial results. We show that the composition of the blade (Fe plus 10.8 wt% Ni and 0.58 wt% Co), accurately determined through portable x‐ray fluorescence spectrometry, strongly supports its meteoritic origin. In agreement with recent results of metallographic analysis of ancient iron artifacts from Gerzeh, our study confirms that ancient Egyptians attributed great value to meteoritic iron for the production of precious objects. Moreover, the high manufacturing quality of Tutankhamun's dagger blade, in comparison with other simple‐shaped meteoritic iron artifacts, suggests a significant mastery of ironworking in Tutankhamun's time.     

Potential generated by a massive inhomogeneous straight segment

The discoveries of binary asteroids have opened an important new field of research concerning the calculation of potential generated by irregular bodies.Some of them have an elongated shape.A simple model to describe the motion of a test particle in that kind of potential requires consideration of a finite homogeneous straight segment.We construct this model by adding an inhomogeneous distribution of mass. To be consistent with the geometrical shape of the asteroid,we explore a parabolic profile of the dens...     

An original semi‐discrete approach to assess gas conductivity of concrete structures

For civil engineering structures with a tightness role, structural permeability is a key issue. In this context, this paper presents a new proposition of a numerical modelling of leakage rate through a cracked concrete structure undergoing mode I cracking. The mechanical state of the material, considered in the framework of continuum mechanics based on finite element modelling, is described by means of the stress‐based nonlocal damage model which takes into account the stress state and provides realistic local mechanical fields. A semi‐discrete method based on the strong discontinuity approach to estimate crack opening is then considered in the post‐treatment phase. Using a Poiseuille's like relation, the coupling between the mechanical state of the material and its dry gas conductivity is performed. For validation purposes, an original experimental campaign is conducted on a dry concrete disc loaded in a splitting setup. During the loading, gas conductivity and digital image correlation analysis are performed. The comparison with the 3D experimental mechanical global response highlights the performance of the mechanical model. The comparison between crack openings measured by digital image correlation and estimated by the strong discontinuity method shows a good agreement. Finally, the results of the semi‐discrete approach coupled with the gas conductivity compared with experimental data show a good estimation of the structural conductivity. Consequently, if the mechanical problem is well modelled at the global scale, then the proposed approach provides good estimation of gas conductivity. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flow dynamics at the origin of thin clayey sand lacustrine turbidites: Examples from Lake Hazar,Turkey

Turbidity currents and their deposits can be investigated using several methods, i.e. direct monitoring, physical and numerical modelling, sediment cores and outcrops. The present study focused on thin clayey sand turbidites found in Lake Hazar (Turkey) occurring in eleven clusters of closely spaced thin beds. Depositional processes and sources for three of those eleven clusters are studied at three coring sites. Bathymetrical data and seismic reflection profiles are used to understand the specific geomorphology of each site. X‐ray, thin sections and CT scan imagery combined with grain‐size, geochemical and mineralogical measurements on the cores allow characterization of the turbidites. Turbidites included in each cluster were produced by remobilization of surficial slope sediment, a process identified in very few studies worldwide. Three types of turbidites are distinguished and compared with deposits obtained in flume studies published in the literature. Type 1 is made of an ungraded clayey silt layer issued from a cohesive flow. Type 2 is composed of a partially graded clayey sand layer overlain by a mud cap, attributed to a transitional flow. Type 3 corresponds to a graded clayey sand layer overlain by a mud cap issued from a turbulence‐dominated flow. While the published experimental studies show that turbulence is damped by cohesion for low clay content, type 3 deposits of this study show evidence for a turbulence‐dominated mechanism despite their high clay content. This divergence may in part relate to input variables, such as water chemistry and clay mineralogy, that are not routinely considered in experimental studies. Furthermore, the large sedimentological variety observed in the turbidites from one coring site to another is related to the evolution of a sediment flow within a field‐scale basin made of a complex physiography that cannot be tackled by flume experiments.     

Biostratigraphy and seismic data analysis to detect the sequence stratigraphic depositional environment of the Miocene succession: Gulf of Suez (Egypt)

This work comprises a study of the sequence stratigraphy, seismic-facies analysis, biostratigraphy and depositional environments of the northern part of the Gulf of Suez, Egypt, using a set of 24 3D seismic profiles, composite logs and sonic logs from ten wells. The syn-rift formations in the studied ten wells are described lithologically and interpreted based on investigating two seismic profiles. Biostratigraphically, the Miocene fossils are identified to correlate the five planktonic foraminiferal biozones in the examined boreholes (RB-A1, RB-B1, RB-B3, EE85-2 and RB-C1). The sequence stratigraphic analysis suggests that the Miocene succession can be subdivided into two major third order depositional sequences (S1 and S2) separated by the three major sequence boundaries (DSB1, DSB2 and DSB3).     

Iron isotope fractionation in subduction-related high-pressure metabasites (Ile de Groix,France)

Characterisation of mass transfer during subduction is fundamental to understand the origin of compositional heterogeneities in the upper mantle. Fe isotopes were measured in high-pressure/low-temperature metabasites (blueschists, eclogites and retrograde greenschists) from the Ile de Groix (France), a Variscan high-pressure terrane, to determine if the subducted oceanic crust contributes to mantle Fe isotope heterogeneities. The metabasites have δ⁵⁶Fe values of +0.16 to +0.33‰, which are heavier than typical values of MORB and OIB, indicating that their basaltic protolith derives from a heavy-Fe mantle source. The δ⁵⁶Fe correlates well with Y/Nb and (La/Sm)_PM ratios, which commonly fractionate during magmatic processes, highlighting variations in the magmatic protolith composition. In addition, the shift of δ⁵⁶Fe by +0.06 to 0.10‰ compared to basalts may reflect hydrothermal alteration prior to subduction. The δ⁵⁶Fe decrease from blueschists (+0.19 ± 0.03 to +0.33 ± 0.01‰) to eclogites (+0.16 ± 0.02 to +0.18 ± 0.03‰) reflects small variations in the protolith composition, rather than Fe fractionation during metamorphism: newly-formed Fe-rich minerals allowed preserving bulk rock Fe compositions during metamorphic reactions and hampered any Fe isotope fractionation. Greenschists have δ⁵⁶Fe values (+0.17 ± 0.01 to +0.27 ± 0.02‰) similar to high-pressure rocks. Hence, metasomatism related to fluids derived from the subducted hydrothermally altered metabasites might only have a limited effect on mantle Fe isotope composition under subsolidus conditions, owing to the large stability of Fe-rich minerals and low mobility of Fe. Subsequent melting of the heavy-Fe metabasites at deeper levels is expected to generate mantle Fe isotope heterogeneities.     

Tunisian landfill leachate treatment using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chlorella</Emphasis> sp.: effective factors and microalgae strain performance

The potential of the autoclaved Tunisian landfill leachate treatment using microalgae (Chlorella sp.) cultivation was investigated in this study. Landfill leachate was collected from Borj Chakir landfill, Tunisia. A full factorial experimental design 2² was proposed to study the effects of the incubation time and leachate ratio factors on the organic matter removal expressed in chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammoniacal nitrogen (NH₄─N) and on the biological response of Chlorella sp. expressed by the cell density and chlorophyll content. All experiments were batch runs at ambient temperature (25 ± 2 °C). The Chlorella sp. biomass and chlorophyll a concentrations of 1.2 and 5.32 mg L^?1, respectively, were obtained with 10% leachate spike ratio. The obtained results showed that up to 90% of the ammoniacal nitrogen in landfill leachate was removed in 10% leachate ratio spiked medium with a residual concentration of 40 mg L^?1. The maximum COD removal rate reached 60% within 13 days of incubation time indicating that microalgae consortium was quite effective for treating landfill leachate organic contaminants. Furthermore, with the 10% leachate ratio spiked medium, the maximum lipid productivity was 4.74 mg L^?1 d^?1. The present study provides valuable information for potential adaptation of microalgae culture and its contribution for the treatment of Tunisian landfill leachate.     

Impact of rock-water interactions and recharge on water resources quality of the Agadir-Essaouira basin,southwestern Morocco

The Agadir-Essaouira area in the occidental High Atlas Mountains of Morocco is characterized by a semi-arid climate. The scarcity and quality of water resources, exacerbated by long drought periods, constitute a major problem for a sustainable development of this region. Groundwater resources of carbonate units within Jurassic and Cretaceous aquifers are requested for drinking and irrigation purposes. In this study, we collected 84 samples from wells, boreholes, springs, and rivers. Hydrochemical and isotopic data were used to examine the mineralization and origin of water, which control groundwater quality. The chemical composition of water seems to be controlled by water-rock interactions, such as dissolution of carbonates (calcite and dolomite), weathering of gypsum, as well as ion exchange processes, which explain the observed variability. Stable isotopes results show that groundwater from the mainly marly Cretaceous aquifer are submitted to an evaporation effect, while samples from the chiefly calcareous Jurassic aquifer indicate a meteoric origin, due to a rapid infiltration of recharge runoff through the karstic outcrops. The low values of δ¹⁸O and δ²H suggest a local recharge from areas with elevations ranging from 400 to 1200 m for the Cretaceous aquifer and from 800 to 1500 m for the Jurassic units.