Paleostress Analysis from Fractures in Kalosh Anticline,Kurdistan Region,North‒East of Iraq

Geotectonics - Fractures analysis carried out throughout traverses across Kalosh anticline. The anticline is located ~30 km south of Sulaimaniyah city, Kurdistan region, NE Iraq. It extends...     

Prediction of spatial soil loss impacted by long-term land-use/land-cover change in a tropical watershed

The devastating effect of soil erosion is one of the major sources of land degradation that affects human lives in many ways which occur mainly due to deforestation, poor agricultural practices, overgrazing,wildfire and urbanization. Soil erosion often leads to soil truncation, loss of fertility, slope instability, etc.which causes irreversible effects on the poorly renewable soil resource. In view of this, a study was conducted in Kelantan River basin to predict soil loss as influenced by long-term land use/land-cover(LULC) changes in the area. The study was conducted with the aim of predicting and assessing soil erosion as it is influenced by long-term LULC changes. The 13,100 km~2 watershed was delineated into four sub-catchments Galas, Pergau, Lebir and Nenggiri for precise result estimation and ease of execution. GIS-based Universal Soil Loss Equation(USLE) model was used to predict soil loss in this study. The model inputs used for the temporal and spatial calculation of soil erosion include rainfall erosivity factor,topographic factor, land cover and management factor as well as erodibility factor. The results showed that 67.54% of soil loss is located under low erosion potential(reversible soil loss) or 0-1 t ha~(-1) yr~(-1) soil loss in Galas, 59.17% in Pergau, 53.32% in Lebir and 56.76% in Nenggiri all under the 2013 LULC condition.Results from the correlation of soil erosion rates with LULC changes indicated that cleared land in all the four catchments and under all LULC conditions(1984-2013) appears to be the dominant with the highest erosion losses. Similarly, grassland and forest were also observed to regulate erosion rates in the area. This is because the vegetation cover provided by these LULC types protects the soil from direct impact of rain drops which invariably reduce soil loss to the barest minimum. Overall, it was concluded that the results have shown the significance of LULC in the control of erosion. Maps generated from the study may be useful to planners and land use managers to take appropriate decisions for soil conservation.     

Rocks mineralogy controls the metasomatic activities: an indication from water/rock ratio modeling

The final ratio equation of an isotopic element in a rock, derived from water/rock formula of McCulloch et al. Earth Planet Sci Lett 46:201-211, 1980, McCulloch et al. J Geophys Res 86:B4 2721-2735, 1981 is used to assess the behavior of diverse suites of rocks towards the alteration effect, and what implications can give about hydrothermal alteration in terms of isotopic compositions. Due to their higher Sr and lower Nd initial ratios than seawater, rocks of metamorphic and sedimentary signatures such as carbonates and Precambrian basement rocks show similar but inverse mixing curves compared with igneous rocks. Sr composition of rocks immediately alters by seawater, while Nd composition keeps unchanged until large volumes of water are added. Although, this can be attributed to the very low Nd concentration in seawater, it indicates that Nd-exchange may only take place under seawater, possibly hydrothermally by circulated seawater, and Nd-concentration of less altered crustal rocks are apparently primary. The isotopic composition and rock mineralogy seem to be the main factors controlling the volume of water required to cause isotopic alteration in rocks. Crustal rocks require higher water volumes due to their relatively low temperature minerals, whereas, mantle peridotites mainly consist of residual olivine minerals that are highly susceptible to alteration and lack of Sr and Nd compositions, and so need less amount of water for metasomatism. This property reduces the limited penetration effect as the mafic affinity increases at depth in the oceanic crust, and enables modified (probably acidified) circulated fluids to maintain ion exchanging and leaching throughout their passageway.     

The Occurrence of Haze in Malaysia: A Case Study in an Urban Industrial Area

— Klang Valley, a heavily industrialized urban area in Malaysia, has experienced severe haze episodes since the early 1980s. Total Suspended Particulate matter (TSP) is used in studying this phenomenon. Three severe haze episodes during the early 1990s are reviewed; August 1990, October 1991, and August–October 1994. The nature of these episodes, their possible causes, and their major features are discussed. Meteorological conditions associated with these episodes were analyzed. Results of the study indicate that stability and trapping of particles are the main factors affecting the pollution during haze periods. Maximum total suspended matter (TSP) was recorded in October 1991. The August–October 1994 episode was the most persistent and least affected by meteorological variables. Analysis of wind direction data showed that southerly and southwesterly winds coincided with the worst haze periods.     

Deformities in silver pomfret Pampus argenteus caught from Kuwait waters

During sampling for spawning stock of the silver pomfret, Pampus argenteus in Kuwait waters, a few seriously deformed individuals were captured. These individuals had been attacked and wounded, but had healed and survived. The fish body deformities are believed to be caused by predation attempts on silver pomfret by predators such as sharks, groupers, and croakers.     

Rare Earth Elements Around the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant,UAE

Natural Resources Research - Rare earth element (REE) contamination has major consequences for the environment and humans. Some forms of REEs have more serious environmental impacts than others. It...