Knickpoints along the upper Indus River,Pakistan: an exploratory survey of geomorphic processes

This article summarizes an exploratory study carried out to investigate the significance of various geomorphic features on the formation of observed knickpoints along the upper Indus River in northern Pakistan. These features include bedrock lithology, active faults, sediment flux from tributary channels, and landslide dams which have blocked the main channel. The knickpoints and their related geomorphic parameters (channel profile, concavity, drainage area and normalized steepness index, etc.) were extracted from Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection (ASTER) Global Digital Elevation Models (GDEMs) with 30 m resolution using ArcGIS, River Tools, and Matlab software. A total of 251 major and minor knickpoints were extracted from the longitudinal profile along a ~ 750 km reach upstream of Tarbela Reservoir. The identified knickpoints and their respective normalized steepness index (k_sn values) were compared with bedrock lithology, mapped faults, regional landslide/rockslide inventory, and the locations of historic landslide dams. The analyses revealed that the knickpoints do not correlate with the bedrock lithology except where major unit boundaries coexist with mapped faults, especially in reaches criss-crossed by active thrust faults in the Nanga Parbat Haramosh (NPHM) region. Neither did the river’s major confluences exhibit any notable knickpoints, but the correlations between knickpoints, mapped landslides, and historic rockslide avalanche dams accounted for approximately 75% of the observed knickpoints, a surprising finding. These observations suggest that more detailed studies aided by high resolution data should be undertaken to further explore the characteristics of knickpoints triggered by tectonic uplift, local fault offset, bedrock erodibility, and landslide/rockslide dams.     

Tracing salinization processes in coastal aquifers using an isotopic and geochemical approach: comparative studies in western Morocco and southwest Portugal

Environmental stable and radioactive isotopes (δ²H, δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O; ³H and ¹⁴C), together with physical and geochemical data, were used in the determination of the origins of groundwater salinization and geochemical evolution processes in coastal regions. Two case studies on the Atlantic Coast are discussed, one located in the Essaouira sedimentary basin, western Morocco, and the second, in the Lower Tagus–Sado sedimentary basin, southwest Portugal. In both regions, groundwater degradation occurs by salinization increase to different concentrations and in relation to different origins. The main quality issues for the groundwater resources are related to seawater intrusion, dissolution of diapiric structures intruding the aquifer layers, brine dissolution at depth, and/or evaporation of irrigation water. Anthropogenic pollution ascribed to agricultural activities is another source for groundwater degradation, affecting mainly the shallow aquifers. The apparent ¹⁴C age of the analysed samples ranges from 2.9?±?0.3 up to 45.6?±?0.6 pmC in the Miocene groundwater samples from the basin in Portugal; at the Essaouira basin in Morocco, the ¹⁴C content varies from 60 to 86 pmC. In most of the water samples, the ³H concentration is below the detection limit. In both basins, the isotopic results together with the geochemical data provided an effective label for tracing the mineralization origin and groundwater degradation processes. Further, the isotopic signatures were used in the identification of a paleoclimate (colder period), recorded in the stable isotopic composition and corroborated with the ¹⁴C data.     

On the role of joint roughness on the micromechanics of rock fracturing process: a numerical study

The deformation process and failure mechanism of rock mass with increased joint roughness subjected to unconfined compression are investigated in this study using discrete element method. A numerical model is developed using soft-bonded particle and validated to realistically replicate the mechanical response of the rock mass. The micro-parameters of the rock material are first determined, and the effects of the joint roughness on the macromechanical response and fracture growth mechanism are then investigated. Analyses are also performed to examine the tensile and shear crack distributions, acoustic emission (AE) characteristics, coordination number, and crack anisotropy to advance the current understanding of the role of joint roughness on the mechanical behavior and deformability of rock mass. The results show that strength and deformability of the jointed rocks are highly dependent on the joint orientation and roughness. Joint roughness is found to restrain the propagation and coalescence of microcracks and AE events from the interlocking of asperities. In addition, the spatial distribution of the contact forces allows for better understanding of the effect of joint inclination angle on the response of the investigated rock samples.

     

Real-time prediction of shield moving trajectory during tunnelling

Acta Geotechnica - This paper presents a novel deep learning model for real-time prediction of shield moving trajectory during tunnelling. The proposed model incorporates a wavelet transform (WT)...     

Purang Ultramafic Complex and Their Geological Origin, Southwest Tibet

<正>Neoproterozoic ophiolitic Serpentinites are common in the Arabian–Nubian Shield(ANS)of the Eastern Desert(ED)of Egypt,which were formed in arc stage in different tectonic setting.Thus they might subject to exchange with the crustal material derived from recycling subducting oceanic lithosphere.This caused metasomatism enriching     

Diagenesis and reservoir quality analysis in the Lower Cretaceous Qishn sandstones from Masila oilfields in the Sayun–Masila Basin,eastern Yemen

Lower Cretaceous sandstones of the Qishn Formation have been studied by integrating sedimentological, petrological and petrophysical analyses from wells in the Masila oilfields of eastern Yemen. These analyses were used to define the origin, type of diagenesis and its relation to reservoir quality. The sandstones of the Qishn Formation are predominately quartz arenite to subarkose arenite with sublitharenite and quartz wackes displaying a range of porosities, averaging 22.33%. Permeability is likewise variable with an average of 2844.2 mD. Cementation coupled with compaction had an important effect on porosity destruction after sedimentation and burial. The widespread occurrence of early calcite cement suggests that the sandstones of the Qishn Formation lost significant primary porosity at an early stage of its diagenetic history. In addition to poikilotopic calcite, several different cements including kaolinite, illite, chlorite and minor illite–smectite occur as pore‐filling and pore‐lining cements, which were either accompanied by or followed the development of the early calcite cement. Secondary porosity development occurred due to partial to complete dissolution of early calcite cements and feldspar grains. The new data presented in this paper suggest the reservoir quality of Qishn sandstones is strongly linked to their diagenetic history; hence, the reservoir quality is reduced by clay minerals, calcite and silica cements but is enhanced by the dissolution of the unstable grains, in addition to partial or complete dissolution of calcite cements and unstable grains. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Eocene marginal marine deposits and paleoenvironment characterisation from the Maadi Formation (Northern Eastern Egypt)

Two beds containing relatively thick and highly concentrated oyster shell banks occurring in the densely fossiliferous Wadi Al Abraq outcrop (Upper Eocene Maadi Formation, Cairo-Sukhna Road, Egypt). Such shell beds are almost monospecific. The upper level consists mainly of Ostrea clotbeyi Bellardi, topped by a considerable concentration of Carolia placunoides Cantraine, while in the lower level occurs Ostrea multicostata Deshayes. In both beds, the upper contact with the overlying marl bed (about 2 m thick) is sharp and sometimes erosive. Similarly, the contact with the underlying shale (1.5 m thick) is sharp and erosional. The shell beds are composed mainly of loosely packed oyster shells and their fragments (usually with a high proportion of disarticulated specimens) set in the sandy limestone matrix. The collected oysters show bioerosion and skeletobiont assemblages. Bioerosion trace fossils comprise ten ichnospecies while skeletozoans comprise five taxa. In general, shells of O. clotbeyi show a higher incidence of bioerosion than O. multicostata. The shells' chaotic orientation and their moderate fragmentation indicate that the shell bed formation was associated with high energy events. On the other hand, the low frequency of articulated specimens suggests that the shell beds are parautochthonous oyster banks' remnants. The taphonomic features of the studied assemblage indicate deposition in a shallow-water, wave-dominated environment.     

Zoophycos and related trace fossils from the Chefar El Ahmar Formation,Upper Emsian-Frasnian Ia-Ib (Ougarta,SW Algeria)

The Upper Emsian to Frasnian Ia-Ib strata of the Marhouma area (or “km 30” outcrop), exposed in the Ougarta Range (SW Algeria) belong to the Chefar El Ahmar Formation. On the basis of distinct lithological and palaeontological features, this formation is subdivided into three members (Lower Marly Limestones Member, Middle Marly Limestones Member, and Upper Marly Limestones Member). The studied beds show low to moderate diversity of trace fossil assemblage which contains thirteen ichnotaxa: Chondrites intricatus, Chondrites isp., Chondrites cf. targionii, Circulichnis cf. montanus, Cochlichnus isp., Neonereites biserialis, Neonereites multiserialis, Nereites isp., Palaeophycus isp., Planolites isp., Thalassinoides isp., Zoophycos aff. cauda-galli, and Zoophycos isp. A. The two latter ichnotaxa are the most common trace fossils in the assemblage and occur at three different levels showing different bioturbation intensities. The first Zoophycos-bearing level (Zl 1) is characterised by an overall high bioturbation intensity reflecting a very high oxygenation rate and nutrient supply, allowing the development of large and dense Zoophycos specimens. The second Zoophycos-bearing level (Zl 2) has a considerable reduction of bioturbation intensity as compared to the previous level, with an abundance of Chondrites, which is probably due to radical palaeoecological changes that suggests dysoxic and stressful conditions. The third Zoophycos-bearing level (Zl 3) is characterised by an overall moderate bioturbation intensity. The distribution of trace fossils was influenced by lithology, sedimentation rate, energy level (storm events), bottom oxygenation, and nutrient supply. The lithofacies and trace fossils of the Chefar El Ahmar Formation both indicate a depositional environment fluctuating from the lower shoreface to lower offshore zone.     

Geochemical characterization of the salinity of irrigated soils in arid regions (Biskra,SE Algeria)

Acta Geochimica - The agriculture in Biskra, southeastern Algeria, is based on traditional practices and characterized by small irrigated fields. In the last decades, the increasing demand in water...