Surface soil assessment in the Ubhur area,north of Jeddah,western Saudi Arabia,using a multichannel analysis of surface waves method

Ten boreholes drilled in Ubhur area up to the depth of bedrock indicted the shallow depth of bedrock where the average depth ranges between 10 and 15 m. The standard penetration test N-values of these boreholes were measured and averaged. Based on N-values to the depth of bedrock, Ubhur area can be classified as site class C and D. Multichannel analysis of surface waves technique has been applied along seventy six profiles using 24-channel geophone array and 4.5Hz vertical geophones with 1m geophone spacing and sledgehammer and/or weight drop as seismic energy sources. Values of shear wave velocity to 30 m are calculated and then averaged (Vs30) where it ranges between 310.08 m/s and 1139.8 m/s. Therefore, Ubhur area can be classified into site class B, C and D based on site classification of the national earthquake hazards reduction program (NEHRP) recommendations. Accordingly, the greatest part of the study area falls in site class C while class B and D covered limited areas in the western and the eastern parts respectively. Depending on the shallow depth of bedrock in the study area, the Vs30 parameter is not applicable in the study area so the average values of Vs for the soil thickness, excluding the bedrock, have been calculated and mapped for site class C and D only. So Vs30 approach is not applicable for areas with shallow depth of bedrock which gives higher classification.     

Exploring the application of a flood risk management Serious Game platform

Based on the experience gained with SeCom2.0, we will explain the impact of game-based learning and provide an overview of the current use of Serious Games in teaching flood risk management in Germany. SeCom2.0 is a collaborative learning platform, which deals with a flood situation in Cologne. The use of Serious Games in flood risk management is still limited due to many factors. The article will give a deeper insight into the SeCom2.0 project, explaining the pedagogical design and the development. We will cover the pitfalls and possible suggestions for further development to facilitate wider use of such games by adapting the settings to local conditions. This article will also describe how a Serious Game can support lifelong learning for students and employees involved in flood risk management. The key components, design patterns and structure of or SeCom2.0 are described, along with ideas to implement selected topics in flood risk management in an engaging gaming environment.     

Using Portable Gamma-Ray Spectrometry for Testing Uranium Migration: A Case Study from the Wadi El Kareim Alkaline Volcanics, Central Eastern Desert, Egypt

The 300±20 Ma anomalously radioactive trachytes of Wadi El Kareim, central Eastern Desert, are a significant example of U-mineralization related to the alkaline volcanics in Egypt. Extensive portable gamma-ray spectrometric data has been utilized to identify geological factors controlling uranium mobility in the geological units along the three detailed study locations of Kab Al-Abyad, South Wadi (W) Al-Tarafawy and W. Al-Farkhah; their eTh/eU ratios averaging around 4.1, 3.7 and 5.6 respectively. Quantitative analysis with the integration of mobility maps and geological studies suggest two systems controlling U-migration within the geological units (confined system and unconfined system). In the confined system, the syngenetically formed U have experienced mobility after leaching and are redistributed in the presence of an incorporation carrier during transportation (probably as carbonate complexes). Then the retardant for uranium is achieved by sorption or by coprecipitation with the aid of Fe oxy-hydroxide, and finally the formation of immobile secondary U-bearing minerals takes place along a lithogeochemical trap. In contrast to the confined system, the unconfined one is basically lacking the lithogeochemical trap which in?uences the final accumulation of U-bearing minerals. The radioactivity of the trachyte rocks arises from the radioactive minerals uranophane and beta-uranophane with U- and/or Th-bearing minerals samarskite, Th-rich REE silicates, monazite and allanite.