The Wajid Sandstone around Abha/Khamis Mushayt and in its type area: lithostratigraphic architecture and correlations

The Wajid Sandstone of southeastern Saudi Arabia is a prolific aquifer and a recent target for hydrocarbon exploration, but a sedimentologic model and the stratigraphic architecture of the sediments have only recently been presented for the type area of the Wajid Group around Wadi Dawasir. Farther to the west, the Wajid Sandstone was also recognized, but stratigraphic architecture and sedimentology are poorly known. This paper presents the preliminary results of investigations targeted at the outcrops west and south of the type area, covering the area between Wadi Dawasir, Najran in the south, and Abha in the west. Two successions are recognized, a lower red one and an upper beige one. Although the lower one sedimentologically shares several features with the lowermost unit in the type area, the marine Dibsiyah Formation, a correlation remains doubtful. The red succession lacks the Skolithos fauna of the Dibsiyah Formation, and its facies associations point to a fluvial depositional environment. From its stratigraphic position and from its lithology, the red succession is similar to the Siq Formation of the northern Kingdom and it will be discussed whether the red succession might be a yet unrecognized equivalent of the Siq Formation. The lower red unit is bounded by a major unconformity, separating it from the underlying basement. This pan-African unconformity developed during a latest Neoproterozoic–Cambrian episode of intensive weathering and peneplanation. It is characterized by a thick weathering zone and an overlying coarse but thin quartz pebble breccia to conglomerate, which together represent a regolith. The beige succession is definitely correlated to the Khusayyayn Formation. Both successions are characterized by macro-scale to giant 2D and 3D submarine dunes and share many other phenomena. The basal unconformity also shows regolith development with a quartz pebble conglomerate, whose clasts seem to have been reworked from the pan-African regolith.     

Petrology,geochemistry, radioactivity,and M–W type rare earth element tetrads of El Sela altered granites,south eastern desert,Egypt

Acta Geochimica - The southern part of the Eastern Desert of Egypt—about 30 km southwest of Abu-Ramad city—is mainly covered by ophiolitic rocks (Sul Hamed), island arc...     

Validation of a vegetated filter strip model (VFSMOD)

Vegetated filter strips (VFS) are designed to reduce sediment load and other pollutants into water bodies. However, adaptation of VFS in the field has been limited owing to lack of data about their efficiency and performance under natural field conditions. A number of models are available that simulate sediment transport and trapping in VFS, but there is a general lack of confidence in VFS models owing to limited validation studies and model limitations that prevent correct application of these models under field conditions. The objective of this study is to test and validate a process‐based model (VFSMOD) that simulates sediment trapping in VFS. This model links three submodels: modified Green–Ampt's infiltration, Quadratic overland flow submodel based on kinematic wave approximation and University of Kentucky sediment filtration model. A total of 20 VFS, 2, 5, 10 and 15 m long and with various vegetation covers, were tested under simulated sediment and runoff conditions. The results of these field experiments were used to validate the VFS model. The model requires 25 input parameters distributed over five input files. All input parameters were either measured or calculated using experimental data. The observed sediment trapping efficiencies varied from 65% in the 2‐m long VFS to 92% in the 10‐m long filters. No increase in sediment removal efficiency was observed at higher VFS length. Application of the VFS model to experimental data was satisfactory under the condition that actual flow widths are used in the model instead of the total filter width. Predicted and observed sediment trapping efficiencies and infiltration volume fitted very well, with a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0·9 and 0·95, respectively. Regression analyses revealed that the slope and intercept of the regression lines between predicted versus observed infiltration volume and trapping efficiency were not significantly different than the line of perfect agreement with a slope of 1·0 and intercept of 0·0. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental investigation of runoff reduction and sediment removal by vegetated filter strips

The impact of vegetated filter strips (VFS) on sediment removal from runoff has been studied extensively in recent years. Vegetation is believed to increase water infiltration and decrease water turbulence thus enhancing sediment deposition within filter media. In the study reported here, field experiments have been conducted to examine the efficiency of vegetated filter strips for sediment removal from cropland runoff. Twenty filters with varying length, slope and vegetated cover were used under simulated runoff conditions with an average sediment concentration of 2700 mg/L. The filters were 2, 5, 10 and 15 m long with a slope of 2·3 and 5% and three types of vegetation. Three other strips with bare soil were used as a control. The experimental results showed that the average sediment trapping efficiency of all filters was 84% and ranging from 68% in a 2‐m filter to as high as 98% in a 15‐m long filter compared with only 25% for the control. The length of filter has been found to be the predominant factor affecting sediment deposition in VFS up to 10 m. Increasing filter length to 15 m did not improve sediment trapping efficiency under the present experimental conditions. The rate of incoming flow and vegetation cover percentage has a secondary effect on sediment deposition in VFS. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

DIVERSITY OF EPHEMEROPTERA, PLECOPTERA AND TRICHOPTERA IN VARIOUS TRIBUTARIES OF TEMENGGOR CATCHMENT, PERAK, MALAYSIA

Ephemeroptera(mayfly),Plecoptera(stonefly)and Trichoptera(caddisfly)(EPT,3 kinds of insectorders)reach their maximum development in streamsand contain families that are entirely or almost con-fined to running water.Ross(1963)suggested thatthe early evolut…     

The active Kalabsha Fault Zone in Southern Egypt: detecting faulting activity using field-structural data and EMR-technique,and implications for seismic hazard assessment

Since November 14, 1981 earthquake (ML 5.6), about 60 km southwest of Aswan High Dam, the seismic hazard raised and the Aswan Local Seismic Network (ALSN) has recorded and precisely monitored the seismic activity in the vicinity of the High Dam. The major source of seismic activity in this region is the active Kalabsha Fault Zone (KFZ). The focal mechanism solutions indicate that two nodal planes strike E to ENE, with subordinate right-lateral strike-slip component and N to NNW, with left-lateral movement. The directions of tectonic extension (T) and compression (P) are NNE-SSW and NNW-SSE, respectively. Structural investigations and application of the Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) technique reveal ongoing activity on the KFZ. Kinematic evolution of the KFZ implies faulting events with a strong movement intervened with periods of severe crushing, grinding, and even pulverization. Such tectonic processes have resulted in fault-breccia and fault-gouge. Results obtained from the present study indicate that the KFZ is not a single transcurrent wrench fault with dextral sense of movement but, instead, it represents a major dextral transtensional shear or fault zone deforming southern Egypt and plays a significant role in the structural shaping of the area to the west of Nasser Lake. Furthermore, the activity on the KFZ is most probably controlling the seismic cycle in the area. Topographic expression of KFZ is evidently realized at Sinn El-Kaddab scarp, as well as at Gebel Marawa. Frequent surface rupturing and newly recorded strong seismic activity advocate faulting reactivation supported by the EMR data, which suggest an active fault system oriented ENE-WSW and NNW-SSE affecting the KFZ, with a maximum horizontal stress (σ1) perturbing between ENE and NNW directions.     

Fertile Lithospheric Mantle Beneath the North African Plate: Evidence from Gharyan Lherzolite Xenoliths (Northern West Libya)

The late-stage basanite (～12–1 Ma) of the NNW-SSE extending Gharyan Cenozoic volcanics (Northern West Libya) contains numerous fresh lherzolite xenoliths. These xenoliths display magmatic protogranular and porphyroclastic textures. Chemistry of olivine (forsterite content –90–91, NiO = 0.26–0.39 wt %), orthopyroxene (Mg# = 0.91–0.92, Cr# = 0.03–0.07, Al₂O₃ = 3.64–4.43 wt %), clinopyroxene ((Wo_{45.59–48.61}, En_{45.89–48.80}, Fs_4.47–5.81), Mg# = 0.82–0.92, Al₂O₃ = 5.14–6.58 wt % and Cr₂O₃ = 0.5–0.95 wt %) and spinel (hercynite–picotite–Al-rich chromite spinels with Cr# = 0.08–0.11) refer to the fertile nature of Gharyan peridotites. Mantle source region was close to the primitive composition with low degrees of melting and depletion in melt (1.5% in average). However, it underwent metasomatism as illustrated by formation of secondary clinopyroxene (Wo_{37.96–44.77}, En_{47.44–54.18}, Fs_7.59–8.03) with high contents of Na₂O, and enrichment of the Al-spinel in TiO₂. The estimated pre-eruptive temperature ranges from 1066 to 837°C. Despite the Gharyan peridotite is similar to mantle components in many districts in Saharan belt of North Africa, it represents juvenile mantle source with minor refractory residues. This compositional heterogeneity is mainly attributed to the local effect of the interaction of the Gharyan mantle with the host basanite magma that may be related to the Cenozoic rifting of the Pan-African basement.     

Correction to: Perceived and actual risks of drought: household and expert views from the lower Teesta River Basin of northern Bangladesh

Natural Hazards - A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-021-04825-3