Environmental literacy in interpreting endangered sustainability: Case studies from Thailand and the Sudan

This paper examines how people explain reasons and impacts of environmental change in the low-rain savanna of the central Sudan and mountainous forest lands of northern Thailand. The explanations are analyzed by using the concept of environmental literacy, which refers to the people’s ability to grasp the environment and its interactions. The paper aims to study people’s conceptions of the environment, which compose one factor in directing their behavior. For the study, rural inhabitants in the State of North Kordofan, the Sudan, and the Chiang Mai Province in Thailand were interviewed.It was noted that an individual’s capability to understand the environment is alone insufficient to address environmental problems because the efficient alleviation of the problems requires collective actions at all levels, and because of factors beyond an individual’s control. However, the results supported the assumption that the local people have knowledge of their environment that may help in developing sustainable environmental management practices. The main advantages of using the environmental literacy concept are argued to be its dynamic and synthetic essence, its link to sustainable behavior, and wide applicability in various contexts within heterogeneous communities.     

Audiomagnetotelluric investigations of shallow sedimentary basins in northern Sudan

Audiomagnetotelluric (AMT) investigations were carried out to study shallow sedimentary basins in northern Sudan and southern Egypt. Unlike recordings in settled areas, the natural variations (atmospherics) in the eastern Sahara were completely unperturbed by cultural noise, usually yielding very high data quality. Typical recordings and spectra are presented. The atmospherics show distinct daily variations, with maximum amplitudes in the local afternoon/night hours. As a sort of calibration, AMT measurements together with DC-resistivity and electromagnetic soundings were conducted at several groundwater boreholes. Under favourable conditions, a vertical anisotropy may be resolved by joint inversion of DCR and AMT data. The results of a case study in the Es Safya basin (NW Sudan) are presented. The investigations were aimed at determining basement depths and groundwater levels, as well as the direction and dip of major bounding faults. 2-D modelling and inversion revealed the overall conductivity structure of this shallow graben. The AMT method proved to be a valuable tool for a comparatively swift reconnaissance study of shallow structures.     

Female circumcision and ethnic identification in Sudan with special reference to the Berti of Darfur1

This article assesses the state of female circumcision in the Sudan with the primary emphasis being placed on the Berti of Darfur. Among other things, the article examines the factors that have so far led to the perpetuation of the practice and the failure of the anti-circumcision campaign. The author suggests a renewal of the campaign through the use of a comprehensive approach which encompasses the social, aesthetic, medical, identificational and religious variables involved in the practice. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Islam and cultural identity among the Berti of Sudan1

Focusing on the Berti of Sudan, this article assesses the role of Islam and Arabism as important variables in the social construction of cultural identity of the studied people. In line with most relevant recent literature, the author looks at cultural identity as a social construct, a dynamic ideology of shifting borders and a historical process that is grounded on diachronic social formation. The article argues that the present Berti identity is a conscious reflection of their subordinate position vis-à-vis the kingdoms and states which have dominated Sudan over the past few centuries. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Use of remote sensing to map gully erosion along the Atbara River, Sudan

The problems and impact of gully erosion along the Atbara River (Sudan), situated in semi-arid and arid environments, were investigated. The total gross area of gullied land and the loss of arable land by gully erosion were estimated. Multi-date sets of panchromatic aerial photographs and Landsat images (TM) were selected to represent two sites in the arid (New Halfa) and semi-arid (Showak town) zones along the Atbara River. Photo interpretation was conducted using physiographic and element methods. The interpretations detected the effects of water action in different climatic zones on geology, lithology, vegetation and land use. The results showed that the traditional rainfed agriculture has accelerated gully erosion in the semi-arid rather than in the arid zone. The progressive rate of gully erosion in the semi-arid zone resulted in loss of arable land at about 13.4 km² yr-1 and 9.8 km² yr-1 in the periods 1985–1987 and 1987–1990, respectively. The study provided data on the monitoring and mapping of gully erosion along the Atbara River and its tributaries.     

苏丹北部拜尤达地区金矿地质特征及找矿远景

苏丹拜尤达地区位于苏丹北部尼罗河州,区内已圈定1处中型金矿床,7处金矿找矿靶区.根据拜尤达地区金矿成矿地质条件及哈佳吉中型金矿床的地质特征、矿石和围岩的微量元素地球化学特征,将金矿床成矿过程分为热液期、表生氧化期和风化沉积期.认为该地区金矿为受区域韧性剪切带控制的中温浅成变质热液矿床,属造山型金矿.成矿物质主要来源于前寒武系变质岩,造山作用引起构造—岩浆活动,区域变质作用造成流体的活化,并萃取围岩中的成矿物质,最终在构造有利部位富集形成金矿床.     

苏丹东北部哈维特金矿地质特征及控矿构造研究北大核心CSCD

哈维特金矿床位于阿拉伯-努比亚地盾Gabgaba地块,是苏丹东北部近年来新发现的一个金矿床。通过系统的野外地质调查和控矿构造研究,初步揭示了该矿床的地质特征及矿床类型,基本查明了矿区的构造特点及其含矿性,为矿区进一步勘查指明了方向。该矿区金矿(化)体呈脉状,严格受NW向脆-韧性剪切带控制,产于低绿片岩相的片理化带内,主要以含金硅化碳酸盐化黄铁矿化绢英岩或碎裂岩的形式产出。硅化、黄铁矿化、碳酸盐化和绢云母化与金成矿关系密切。就矿床成因类型而言,应属于造山型金矿床。综合分析矿区构造特征发现,矿区脆-韧性剪切带具左行特征,其内广泛发育NW、NE、NEE、NNW、NNE向断裂构造;NW向左行左列断裂、NE向右行左列断裂和NEE向右行断裂是本区最主要的含矿构造,而NNW、NNE向断裂多为成矿期后的断裂构造;矿区构造形成演化过程中,先后经历了挤压变形、后挤压和伸展作用三个阶段,金成矿作用主要形成于后挤压作用阶段。矿区今后勘查找矿工作应重点针对NW向、NE向断裂构造控制的金矿体展开。     

极富CO_2流体的造山型金矿:苏丹哈马迪金矿

哈马迪金矿位于苏丹东北部,矿床产于阿拉伯-努比亚地盾新元古界变质岩系中,属于受剪切带控制的造山型金矿床。金矿体赋存在角闪片岩内近南北向的片理化蚀变带中,围岩蚀变主要为黄铁绢英岩化,以及绿泥石化和碳酸盐化等。在含矿石英细脉中赋存有大量的极富CO2的碳质流体包裹体。这些包裹体几乎不含水,含有少量CH4(XCH4=0~0.10)。脉石英中碳质流体包裹体既有孤立或随机分布的原生包裹体,也有呈线性分布的次生包裹体,最晚期还有次生水溶液包裹体的分布。碳质流体包裹体的三相点(Tm,CO2)范围变化不大(-58.4~-57.0℃),但均一温度(Th,CO2)范围变化较大(-19℃~+29℃)。捕获的P-T条件可由LCO2包裹体的ρ值或Th,CO2值,以及与其伴生的CO2-H2O包裹体最终均一温度Th,TOT值,从有关相图中估算。早期碳质流体包裹体的捕获P-T条件范围为280~360℃、80~320MPa。金矿化发生在变质峰期之后的退变质作用晚期。广泛发育的热液蚀变说明碳质流体并非来自单一的流体源,寄主石英变形很弱也不能解释水从H2O-CO2-盐流体包裹体中优先淋失、残留大量的CO2±CH4包裹体。碳质流体包裹体可能的成因是:在金成矿的退变质时期,来自深部的H2O-CO2-盐流体,由于P-T下降而发生不混溶,H2O在热液蚀变中被大量消耗,而CO2则以碳质流体包裹体的形式被得捕获在脉石英中。     

苏丹哈佳吉金矿床稀土元素地球化学特征

通过对苏丹哈佳吉金矿床矿石和围岩稀土元素含量的研究,发现该矿床近矿围岩稀土总量较矿石稀土总量明显要高,轻重稀土元素分馏明显,Eu呈现中等程度或弱的负异常,Ce含量则相对较稳定,表明成矿环境为还原环境。根据近矿围岩的稀土元素C1球粒陨石标准化曲线及北美页岩标准化曲线,可以推断该区古老变质基底所处的构造环境应属大洋岛弧环境,而且在成岩过程中并没有大量海相物质加入。矿石与近矿围岩的稀土配分曲线对比表明矿石中成矿物质既来自变质基底,又有深源物质的参与。