Environmental texture and geochemistry of the sediments of a subtropical mangrove ecosystem and surrounding areas,Red Sea Coast,Egypt

The textural and geochemical aspects of the sediments of subtropical mangrove ecosystem and surrounding areas have been studied and discussed. Forty sediment samples were collected from different areas of mangrove environment and surrounding areas along the Egyptian Red Sea coast. The sediments of each study areas are characterized by the abundance of sand with minor amounts of mud and gravel. The mean size of the sediments ranged from medium grained to fine grained at the study areas. Cluster analysis showed that the distribution of gravel, sand, and mud fractions is related to bottom facies and type of sediment source. Generally, sand fraction is the main category among the three constituents. Carbonate content recorded minor values in the study areas. The CaCo₃ content of the sediments ranged from 4.7 % at Hamata area to 64.9 % at Erier area. Terrigenous and biogenic components are the factor controlling of the carbonate content of studies sediments. The organic carbon content ranged from 1.10 at Hamata area to 3.1 % at Sharm el-Qibli and Erier areas, which is controlled by particle size of the sediments. Phosphorus content in the different studied localities is related to the sources of phosphorus to the area. Our observations provide evidence that there are no significant differences in environmental texture and geochemistry of the sediments of subtropical mangrove ecosystem and surrounding areas of the Egyptian Red Sea coast.     

Serpentinized Peridotites at the North Part of the Wadi Allaqi District (Egypt): Implications for the Tectono-Magmatic Evolution of Fore-arc Crust

The Neoproterozoic Allaqi-Heiani suture （800-700 Ma） in the south Eastern Desert of Egypt is the northernmost linear ophiolitic belt that defines an arc-arc suture in the Arabian- Nubian shield （ANS）. The Neoproterozoic serpentinized peridotites represent a distinct lithology of dismembered ophiolites along the Allaqi-Heiani suture zone. The alteration of peridotites varies, some contain relicts of primary minerals （Cr-spinel and olivine） and others are extremely altered, especially along thrusts and shear zones, with development of talc, talc-carbonate and quartz-carbonate. The fresh cores of the chromian spinels are rimmed by ferritchromite and Cr- magnetite. The fresh chromian spinels have high Cr# （0.62 to 0.79）, while Mg# shows wider variation （0.35-0.59）. High Cr# in the relict chromian spinels and Fo content in the primary olivines indicate that they are residual peridotites after extensive partial melting. The studied ophiolitic upper mantle peridotites are highly depleted and most probably underwent high degrees of partial melting at a supra-subduction zone setting. They can be produced by up to -20%-22% dynamic melting of a primitive mantle source. The mineralogical and geochemical features of the studied rocks reflect that the mantle peridotites of the north part of the Wadi Allaqi district are similar to the fore-arc peridotites of a supra-subduction zone.     

Earth Fissures in Wadi Najran,Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The formation of earth fissures due to groundwater depletion has been reported in many places in North America, Europe, and Asia. Najran Basin is in the southern part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and agricultural activities and other groundwater uses have caused significant groundwater depletion there. The basin recently experienced a sudden appearance of numerous earth fissures. An interdisciplinary study consisting of an evaluation of land-use changes, and hydrological, hydrogeological, and geophysical investigations was conducted to determine the reason for the formation of the earth fissures. The hydrological analysis strongly revealed that the groundwater level is decreasing with time. Groundwater depletion would lead to the accumulation of subsurface stress, causing soil hydro-consolidation which creates the ideal condition for the formation of earth fissures. Electrical resistivity, data indicated that there are anomalies in the profiles, which are most probably due to the presence of subsurface topography, another key factor for the formation of the earth fissures.     

Reliability Analyses at Ultimate and Serviceability Limit States of Obliquely Loaded Circular Foundations

This paper aims at determining the failure probability and the corresponding most predominant failure mode at both ultimate (ULS) and serviceability (SLS) limit states of a circular foundation resting on a (c, φ) soil and subjected to an inclined loading. The failure modes at ULS are the footing sliding and the soil punching while those at SLS are the exceedance of tolerable horizontal and vertical footing displacements. The probabilistic results based on the response surface methodology have shown that at both ULS and SLS, there is a load inclination where neither mode of failure is predominant. This inclination corresponds to the loading configurations situated on the line joining the origin and the maximal point of the interaction diagram. In a second stage, the results of a sensitivity analysis showing the effect of the different statistical parameters of the uncertain variables on the value of the failure probability were presented and discussed.     

Particle transport within water-saturated porous media: Effect of pore size on retention kinetics and size selection

The transport and filtration behaviour of fine particles (silt) in columns packed with sand was investigated under saturated conditions by using step-input injections. Three samples of different particle size distributions (coarse medium, fine medium and a mixture of both) were used in order to highlight the influence of the pore size distribution on particle retention and size selection of recovered particles. The main parameters of particle transport and deposition were derived from the adjustment of the experimental breakthrough curves by an analytical model. The higher particle retention occurs in the mixture medium, owing to its large pore size distribution, and the filtration coefficient decreases with increasing flow velocity. Particle size distribution of recovered particles shows a thorough size selection: (i) the first recovered particles are the coarser ones; (ii) the size of the recovered particles increases with increasing flow velocity and enlarger pore distribution of the medium.     

A spatial decision support system (SDSS) for sustainable tourism planning in Johor Ramsar sites, Malaysia

The need for a sustainable approach in tourism development is very often addressed among the academia, the authorities and the stakeholders, as well as the apparent need for tools, which will guide the decision environment in evaluation and planning. This research aims to identify conservation and compatible areas for tourism development in Johor Ramsar sites, using spatial modeling in geographic information system (GIS). The study describes a methodological approach based on the integrated use of GIS and multi criteria decision evaluation (MCE) to identify nature conservation and development priorities among the wetland areas. A set of criteria was defined to evaluate wetland biodiversity conservation and development. Having defined the criteria, the next step was selecting suitable indicators and variables to measure the selected criteria. Subsequently the criteria were evaluated from conservation and tourism development point of view. These criteria were then weighted using the pair wise comparison technique of MCE and the results were integrated into GIS. Several conservation scenarios were generated so as to simulate different evaluation perspectives. The scenarios were then compared to highlight the most feasible and to propose a conservation and development strategy for the wetland areas. The generation and comparison of conservation and development scenarios highlighted the critical issues of the decision problem. This study represents an important contribution to effective decision-making because it allows one to gradually narrow down a problem.     

Undrained behavior of silty sand: effect of the overconsolidation ratio

This experimental study deals with the effect of the overconsolidation ratio on the monotonic undrained shear behavior of silty sand. The study is based on the undrained monotonic triaxial tests for the overconsolidation ratios (OCR?=?1, 2, 4, and 8), with different silt contents ranging from 0% to 40%. The laboratory tests were carried out at an initial relative density of Dr?=?50%. The paper is composed of two parts. The first one presents the tested soils; the second one gives an analysis of the test results and discusses the influence of the overconsolidation ratio on the shear strength of the soil. The test results indicate that the shear strength of the soil increases with the increase of the overconsolidation ratio resulting in an increase of soil dilatancy. The increase in the amount of fines from 0% to 40% increases the phase of the contractancy and consequently reducing the phase of dilatancy of the tested material     

The boundary between stable and unstable shelf in Iraq as inferred from using ideal gravity to elevation ratio

The line of complete compensation, the ideal value for the ratio of gravity to elevation (?0.11 mGal/m) in Iraq, is obtained using gravity data derived from 477 stations. This line is found to separate the stable shelf from unstable shelf. It is also confirmed with the western limit of the basin as shown on the structural map that is constructed at the base of Al-Fath (L-Fars) formation (M. Miocene). The obtained line coincides with the thinnest crustal line shown on the crustal thickness map of Iraq. It is believed that this line may also define the thinnest sedimentary cover in Iraq. The obtained result can be a useful template for a tectonic view of Iraq.     

Air quality and elemental enrichment factors of aerosol particulate matter in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia

Air particulate matter (PM) samples were collected from June 2006 to May 2007 for determination of chemical elements. PM samples were taken in two size fractions (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) with MiniVolume air samplers on rooftops of various buildings (15–25 m above ground) in the city of Riyadh. The samples were subjected to X-ray fluorescence analysis to measure major (Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Si, P, S, and Fe) and trace elements (Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Ba). The results showed that the PM concentrations were higher for PM₁₀ compared to PM_2.5, indicating that the major PM source was local dust. Also the spatial distribution with high PM concentrations was observed in the south and southeast of the city and the lowest levels were in the center and northeast of the city. This spatial distribution was attributed to different factors such as wind direction and velocity, emission from cement factories, and the presence of buildings, trees, and paved streets that reduce the amount of dust resuspended into the atmosphere. The air quality of the city was found to range from good to hazardous based on PM_2.5, and from good to very hazardous based on PM₁₀. The element-enrichment factors revealed two element groups according to their changing spatial behavior. The first group showed no significant spatial changes indicating they have the same common source. The second group (mainly S and Ni) exhibited significant changes as expected from anthropogenic inputs. The origin of S is possibly a combination of minerals (CaSO₄) and fossil fuel combustion. The source of Ni is probably from fossil fuel combustion.