Evaluation of geodynamic activity of the Dead Sea transform fault by radon gas concentrations

Twelve radon lines of dosimeters (detectors) were placed across the Jordan Valley active fault, which is a segment of the active Dead Sea transform fault system. Each line of the dosimeters shows one or more peaks of radon anomaly concentrations. Some of these peaks prove the intersection of the fault trace with these lines in areas where the fault plane is inferred. In other lines, the peaks correspond to the arrangement of faults in areas of pull-apart basins (sag ponds) or pressure ridges, formed due to the left or right step of the fault. Sag ponds usually show low radon emanations, because they are the place for the accumulation of very fine sediments, which decreases their porosity and hence the upward migration of the radon gas. The northern part of the Jordan Valley relatively shows high radon emanation, which could be attributed to the presence of a seismic gap in the upper Jordan valley.     

Vulnerability mapping of shallow groundwater aquifer using SINTACS model in the Jordan Valley area, Jordan

Jordan Valley is one of the important areas in Jordan that involves dense agricultural activities, which depend on groundwater resources. The groundwater is exploited from an unconfined shallow aquifer which is mainly composed of alluvial deposits. In the vicinity of the Kafrein and South Shunah, the shallow aquifer shows signs of contamination from a wide variety of non-point sources. In this study, a vulnerability map was created as a tool to determine areas where groundwater is most vulnerable to contamination. One of the most widely used groundwater vulnerability mapping methods is SINTACS, which is a point count system model for the assessment of groundwater pollution hazards. SINTACS model is an adaptation for Mediterranean conditions of the well-known DRASTIC model. The model takes into account several environmental factors: these include topography, hydrology, geology, hydrogeology, and pedology. Spatial knowledge of all these factors and their mutual relationships is needed in order to properly model aquifer vulnerability using this model. Geographic information system was used to express each of SINTACS parameters as a spatial thematic layer with a specific weight and score. The final SINTACS thematic layer (intrinsic vulnerability index) was produced by taking the summation of each score parameter multiplied by its specific weight. The resultant SINTACS vulnerability map of the study area indicates that the highest potential sites for contamination are along the area between Er Ramah and Kafrein area. To the north of the study area there is a small, circular area which shows fairly high potential. Elsewhere, very low to low SINTACS index values are observed, indicating areas of low vulnerability potential.     

Petrography, chemistry and genesis of phosphorite concretions in the Eocene Umm Rijam Chert limestone Formation, Ma'an area, south Jordan

Phosphorite concretions are recorded for the first time within the lower part of the Umm Rijam Chert Limestone Formation (Eocene) in the Ma'an area, southern Jordan. The phosphorite concretions are typically hosted and encountered as individual layer in moderately lithified sediments of marl, chalk and chalky marl. The phosphorite concretions are present in thin layer (10–30 cm thick). They are localized on a hardground surface that formed as a result of cementation of soft ground by bioclastic materials. Light grey and brownish to black colors are encountered with isometric, ellipsoid, elongated, subangular to subrounded phosphorite concretions (up to 6 cm in length). Most of the phosphorite concretions preserve bioturbation structures; they also include fecal pellets of various sizes. The main biogenic components are fragments of macrofossils (bivalves) and microfossils (planktonic foraminifera) in different proportions. Petrographic examinations reveal that the phosphorite concretions are composed of cryptocrystalline apatite that characteristically appears in cross-polarized light almost as isotropic phosphate and minor anisotropic phosphate. Apatite and calcite are the main mineral constituents of the phosphorite concretions identified by XRD. The apatite is identified as francolite (carbonate-flour-apatite). Chemical analyses of the phosphorite concretions using X-ray florescence indicate that the P₂O₅ content ranges from 18.8 to 31.19%, whereas SEM–EDS analyses indicate that the phosphorus proportion is around 14% by volume. It could be argued that the phosphorite concretions were transported after being reworked, or were derived from carbonate and chalk pebbles that were later phosphatized and subjected to erosion, forming residual lag deposit along the hardground surface.     

Evidence for ground-rupturing earthquakes on the Northern Wadi Araba fault at the archaeological site of Qasr Tilah, Dead Sea Transform fault system, Jordan

The archaeological site of Qasr Tilah, in the Wadi Araba, Jordan is located on the northern Wadi Araba fault segment of the Dead Sea Transform. The site contains a Roman-period fort, a late Byzantine–Early Umayyad birkeh (water reservoir) and aqueduct, and agricultural fields. The birkeh and aqueduct are left-laterally offset by coseismic slip across the northern Wadi Araba fault. Using paleoseismic and archaeological evidence collected from a trench excavated across the fault zone, we identified evidence for four ground-rupturing earthquakes. Radiocarbon dating from key stratigraphic horizons and relative dating using potsherds constrains the dates of the four earthquakes from the sixth to the nineteenth centuries. Individual earthquakes were dated to the seventh, ninth and eleventh centuries. The fault strand that slipped during the most recent event (MRE) extends to just below the modern ground surface and juxtaposes alluvial-fan sediments that lack in datable material with the modern ground surface, thus preventing us from dating the MRE except to constrain the event to post-eleventh century. These data suggest that the historical earthquakes of 634 or 659/660, 873, 1068, and 1546 probably ruptured this fault segment.     

Electrical geophysical and hydrogeological investigations of groundwater aquifers in Ruseifa municipal landfill, Jordan

The effect of the Ruseifa municipal landfill on the shallow groundwater aquifers in the area was investigated in two separate sites. The first one was not used since 1994, whereas the other is still being used for dumping. Fourteen electrical resistivity soundings were performed to detect the leachate and its effect on the quality of the groundwater. Results indicated that the solid waste thickness of the landfill was ranged from 3 to 20 m with resistivity value less than 10 Ω m. Based on the resistivity decreases of values less than 5 Ω m, the leachate was detected in the landfill sites at depths ranged from 10 to 50 m. However, the flow direction of the leachate at depth ranging 10–20 m in the terminated site was toward north, whereas the flow direction of the leachate in the site still used for dumping was toward east–northeast which causes the major source of groundwater pollution.     

Composition and origin of intermediate solid solutions in the system thorite–xenotime–zircon–coffinite

A comprehensive survey of the accessory-mineral assemblages in Variscan granites of the German Erzgebirge and Pan-African granites from Jordan revealed the occurrence of intermediate solid solutions of the tetragonal thorite–xenotime–zircon–coffinite mineral group with partially novel compositions. These solid solutions preferentially formed in evolved and metasomatically altered, P-poor leucogranites of either I- or A-type affinity. Thorite from the Erzgebirge contained up to 18.8 wt.% Y₂O₃, 16.1 wt.% ZrO₂, and 23.3 wt.% UO₂. Xenotime and zircon have incorporated Th in abundances up to 36.3 wt.% and 41.8 wt.% ThO₂, respectively. Extended compositional gradation with only minor gaps is confined to hydrated members of this mineral group, and is observed to exist between thorite and xenotime, thorite and coffinite, and Y–HREE-bearing thorite and zircon. Complex, hydrous solid solutions containing elevated abundances of three or more of the endmembers are subordinate. Previously reported intermediate solid solutions between anhydrous zircon and xenotime, and anhydrous zircon and thorite, are not observed and are in conflict with experimental work demonstrating very limited miscibility between anhydrous species of endmember composition. The majority of hydrous intermediate solid solutions in the Th–Y–Zr–U system are likely thermodynamically unstable. Instead, they are probably metastable responses to unusual physico-chemical conditions involving various parameters and conditions, the relative importance of which is incompletely known. Leaching and dissolution of preexisting accessory phases during interaction with F-bearing hydrous fluids enriched in Th, Y(HREE), Zr, and/or U, and common deposition of the various elements at disequilibrium (supersaturation) seems to play a key role, but other processes may be of similar importance. Experimental work involving hydrous conditions and complex systems composed of more than two endmembers are needed to shed light into the stability relations of the chemically uncommon compositions treated in this study.     

GIS-hydrological models for managing water resources in the Zarqa River basin

Jordan is part of the arid and semi-arid region of the Middle East, where water resources are known to be scarce. Thorough planning is inevitable and must be applied wisely, especially as it is known that drought conditions were evidenced for many years in Jordan.Surface water average accounts for 693 MCM/year out of which 359 MCM/year is base flow and 334 MCM/year flood flow. Therefore, management of surface water has been given great attention in Jordan because of the overexploitation of groundwater resources. Hydrological simulation models interfaced with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) were examined in this study. GIS interfaced hydrological models were considered as a major tool for surface water management at a watershed scale because they are capable of presenting the relationship between the spatial and hydrological features of the watershed in an efficient way. This study aimed at exploring the advantages of using GIS-based hydrological models as a water management tool to study the largest river basin in Jordan namely, the Zarqa River basin.In this study, the Spatial Water Budget Model (SWBM) and HEC-HMS / HEC-GeoHMS extension model were used. The models were calibrated and validated based on King Talal Reservoir inflow for a period of eight years. The calibration was performed for the most sensitive parameters. The calibration for the two models was performed for the years 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982. Satisfactory results were obtained for both models with an R² of 0.90 and 0.85 for the HEC-HMS and SWBM model, respectively. Validation for the models was performed using the years 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996, and the results were satisfactory with an R² of 0.75 and 0.80 for the SWBM and HEC-HMS model, respectively. Models after their calibration and verification can then be used to test scenarios related to climate change and/or land-use change at the watershed scale.     

Mobilization, redistribution and bioavailability of potentially toxic elements in Shidiya phosphorites, Southeast Jordan

Shidiya Phosphorites, Southeast Jordan, provide a typical example of natural geological materials depleted with potentially toxic elements as compared to other phosphate deposits from all over the World. Nevertheless, the environmental concern as to whether processing and fertilizer production might affect the potentially toxic element concentrations in these phosphates positively or negatively has to be avoided. In order to do so, this study was designed to provide information on the redistribution pathways of the measured toxic elements during the several processing steps, including crushing, screening, washing, flotation and drying processes. It aimed also at providing information on the redistribution pathways during the different phosphate fertilizer production steps. The bioavailability of potentially toxic elements in acidic and alkaline environments has also been assessed.     

死海溴镁资源开发利用现状

对以色列和约旦死海中溴镁资源的开发综合利用进行了解述。包括死海卤水组成,资源储量,溴及其衍生物的镁化学制品生产现状。     

Earthquake deformations in the Lisan deposits and seismotectonic implications

Summary. Earthquake deformations and induced sedimentary structures preserved in Quaternary sediments include faults, folds, fissures, slumps, sand boils and other effects of liquefaction. Such deformations and structures are well preserved in the Lisan deposits of the Dead Sea. Of most importance are the fold-type deformations known as décollement structures which are present all along the eastern side of the Lisan and seem to decrease gradually westwards to disappear in the middle of the Lisan. These may indicate that palaeoearthquakes originating along the Araba fault have triggered such structures due to shaking of elastoplastic unconsolidated sediments over gentle slopes dipping to the west.
Preliminary results from studies on décollement structures preserved in a section representing some 1733 years of continuous deposition in the uppermost? Pleistocene, in the vicinity of Wadi Araba, indicate that: (1) seismic activity has fluctuated with time. Average recurrence period is about 340 ± 20yr for earthquakes with magnitudes greater than or equal to 6.5, Earthquakes with magnitude greater than 7 seem to have occurred along the Araba fault. (2) Deduced earthquake magnitudes conform to the frequency–magnitude relationship: log N = 5.24–0.68 M . (3) The deduced seismic slip rate along the Araba fault seems to be not less than 0.64 ± 0.04 cm yr⁻¹.