International Journal of Economic and Environmental Geology
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The Impact of Mineralogical Characteristics on the Physicomechanical Properties of Serpentinite from Prang Ghar, Mohmand District, Pakistan : The Impact of Mineralogical Characteristics on the Physicomechanical Properties of Serpentinite from Prang Ghar, Mohmand District, Pakistan
No full textThe serpentinite samples of the Prang Ghar Mohmand Agency were analysed petrographically and physicomechanically to assess their potential as dimension stone and aggregate material. These rocks are prominently exposed along the suture zone between the Indian Plate and the Kohistan Island Arc, known as the Main Mantle Thrust Zone (MMTZ). On fresh surfaces, the serpentinite ranges in color from light green to dark green, while weathered surfaces appear yellowish green. Petrographically, the serpentinite is fine- to mediumgrained and consists of serpentine, actinolite, talc, and magnesite, along with ore minerals like magnetite and chromite in varying amounts. The serpentinite can be categorized into four types: serpentinite, talc-serpentinite, actinolite-serpentinite, and chromite-bearing serpentinite. The physicomechanical properties were assessed through a series of tests, which were then compared to ASTM standards to evaluate their quality. These tests included unconfined compressive strength (UCS) (46.0–49.94 MPa), cube test (198.56–234.34 MPa), flexural test (8.20–13.28 MPa), specific gravity (2.58 mg/cm³), and soundness (3.35%). The results indicate that the serpentinite exhibits properties that meet international standards for use as dimension stone and coarse aggregate. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the Prang Ghar serpentinite is a viable material for construction applications, such as flooring and exterior wall cladding. This study emphasizes the strong correlation between the mineral composition of serpentinite and their physicomechanical properties. An increase in talc content is associated with reduced strength, along with higher water absorption and porosity. Additionally, the presence of actinolite and ore minerals also influences the physicomechanical behavior of serpentinite. This study confirms the necessity of petrographic analysis before using rock as an engineering material.
Keywords: Dimension stone, Prang Ghar, serpentinite, petrography, physicomechanical properties
Assessment of Municipal Solid Waste Management Practices in Bahawalpur City, Pakistan: Assessment of Municipal Solid Waste Management Practices in Bahawalpur City, Pakistan
No full textSolid waste management is a global issue persisting in most of the developing countries like Pakistan. Current study briefly appraises the management and practices of municipal solid waste (MSW) in Bahawalpur City. Data were collected from different sources by using an in-depth interview and questionnaire tool. The findings reveal that domestic organic waste accounts for about 35.32% followed by debris, dirt and construction material waste (30.89%). About 273.69 tons solid waste is generated on daily basis whereas only 218.95 tons per day is collected and disposed. The collection rate of MSW varies from 61% to 80% in the city. The service coverage area was about 70%. The total sanitary staff was also very limited (735) as compared to the increasing population and served only 75% population of the Bahawalpur. The equipment and machinery used for MSW collection and disposal operation were also limited and out of fashion which were needed to be replaced. There is no proper landfill for disposal of solid waste which is openly thrown at five dumping sites and burned. This situation further creates many environmental and health issues. Recycling is almost absent in the city and behavior of the inhabitants also adds to an ineffective solid waste management in the city. It is necessary to create awareness among the people about bad effects of improper dumping of solid waste and the need to tackle this problem
Innovative Strategy for Rainwater Harvesting in Saline-affected Urban Areas: A Case Study of a Sports Complex in Delhi
Full text linkWater scarcity remains a critical global challenge, requiring immediate, sustainable management strategies, particularly in areas with an increasing disparity between water supply and demand. In India, and especially in Delhi, this issue is acute. In response to growing environmental concerns and the urgent need for sustainable water resource management, rainwater harvesting has emerged as a practical and effective solution for water conservation. This study investigates the application of rainwater harvesting to sustainably support water needs for a sports complex located in a salinity affected region. The land, originally intended for agriculture, has been converted into a complex featuring hydro-landscape facilities, including swimming pools, water polo areas, diving pools, toddler pools, and leisure pools. These facilities require an initial water input of 6,754.5 m³ and an annual replenishment of 7,957.28 m³ due to evaporation and seepage. By calculating the total rainwater harvesting potential based on the runoff coefficient, annual rainfall intensity, and the complex's catchment area, the study reveals that 29,693.8 m³ of rainwater can be harvested annually, providing a surplus of 14,981.7 m³ of potable water. This analysis demonstrates the viability of designing sports complexes in saline areas using efficient land use and rainwater harvesting, and presenting a scalable model for sustainable water management in similar regions worldwide.
Keywords: Rainwater harvesting, management techniques, sports complex, water management, saline region
Climatic Events and Natural Disasters of 21st Century: A Perspective of Pakistan: Climatic Events and Natural Disasters of 21st Century: A Perspective of Pakistan
No full textIn recent years, the frequent occurrence of natural calamities in the world has gained much attention due to infrastructure and life losses. Increase in global temperature has threatened the earth’s climate, causing unpredictable and extreme weather events more often. These events were both short-term as well as long-term. In spite of insufficient monitoring coverage of inner areas and high altitudes, an intensification of average yearly temperature has been observed after the 20th century in many regions of Asia. Pakistan has faced a number of natural disasters including severe floods, devastating earthquakes, disturbing droughts, distressing smog, extreme temperature and torrential rainfall patterns. These calamities have affected people economically, socially, physically and mentally by posing a threat to earth, its species and their livelihood. This paper was aimed to document the natural calamities in Pakistan since the beginning of 21st century till date. The country is facing the problem of intense and longer summers and has witnessed two intense heat waves. Moreover, in some areas, extensive droughts are threatening crops, freshwater supply and wildlife. In recent years, the problem of smog has emerged in Pakistan, especially in Punjab. The problem is getting worse in every coming year due to overpopulation, cities expansion, increased emission of greenhouse gases, open burning of crop residues and extreme reliance on fossil fuels for energy purpose. So far in this century, Pakistan has faced 3 droughts, 2 heat waves, 10 severe floods, 27 major earthquakes, 2 consecutive sessions of severe smog and extreme high and low temperature events. Some of the deadliest events were; 2005 Kashmir earthquake claiming 87,350 human lives and 2010 flood impacting nearly 20 million people with 1,781 causalities. Change in climate is posing a severe threat to species, livelihood of the human beings and the earth. Global warming is causing warming of oceans and consequently rise in sea level. Climate change affects average as well as extreme temperatures hence increasing the probability climate-related disasters. Thus, global warming is causing a chain of catastrophic events that make the problem even more complex to understand
Petrographic, Mineralogical and Geo-mechanical Characteristics of Marble from Mohmand District, Pakistan: Implications for its Use in Construction Industry
Full text linkThis study aims to evaluate the suitability of marble deposits from Mohmand district for use in theconstruction industry. By employing an integrated approach that combines petrographic analysis, chemicalassessments, and physico-mechanical testing, the study seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of themarble's properties. Although, megascopically indistinguishable, the petrographic analysis identifies twovarieties of carbonate rocks: Calcitic-marble and dolomitic-marble. The marble from the Sapari quarry ispetrographically fine to medium grained and dominantly composed of subhedral to anhedral calcite (84-86%),dolomite (8-10%), quartz (6-8%) and trace amount of micrite and hence classified as calcitic-marble. Owing toless contents of dolomite and unstrained quartz, the calcitic-marble reveals very low reactive quartz andmagnesium in the rock, hence no expansion if used in concrete with ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Thepetrographic and chemical investigations, therefore, endorse their innocuous non-reactive character for bothalkali silica reactivity (ASR) and alkali carbonate reactivity (ACR). In contrast, the marble from QaroonGhundai quarry is mineralogically dolomitic and texturally fine grained, where subhedral to anhedral dolomiteconstitutes the major phase (97˗98 %), while quartz and micrite occur as the minor phases. The results of thecube test of the dolomitic-marble demonstrate an expansion by 0.28 % which lies above threshold limit of0.10% thus endorse the potential to initiate ACR. Hence, this marble is declared deleterious with respect toACR. With the exception of soundness value, the dolomitic-marble produces relatively higher values for UCS,specific gravity, bulk density, LA and Schmidt hammer as compared to the calcitic-marble. The comparativeanalysis shows that the calcitic-marble is suitable for high alkali cement-concrete and asphalt-works as a coarseaggregate. Alternatively, the dolomitic-marble is only declared suitable for asphalt-based concrete due to itsACR potential, which endorses the significance of mineralogy and textures in controlling the physical andmechanical properties of rocks.
Keywords: Petrography, calcitic-marble, dolomitic-marble, construction industry, alkali carbonate reactivity
Landuse and Community-based Assessment of 2014 Flood Damages in Tehsil Phalia, Punjab: Landuse and Community-based Assessment of 2014 Flood Damages in Tehsil Phalia, Punjab
No full textIn this study the response and feedback from the flood-hit community of Phalia (Mandi Bahauddin) obtained through local interviews and filling of questionnaires have been analyzed. Secondary data were obtained from Pakistan meteorological and local revenue departments were also statistically analyzed. Several types of damages including houses, crops, diseases, economic loss, and livestock have been considered. Pre- and Post-flood changes in the landuse, by high resolution satellite data (Landsat 8 OLI) delineated coverage of inundation of 186.85 km2 area. It has been demonstrated that Phalia tehsil was severely damaged in 2014 rainfall induced flood in Chenab river which left lasting impacts on the socio-economic lives of local communities. The major damages experienced by the people of the study area included; house damages, crop damages, diseases, economic losses and livestock damages. It is necessary that government revises the flood prevention policies based on the community response to mitigate the disaster
Reservoir Potential Evaluation of the Middle Paleocene Lockhart Limestone of the Kohat Basin, Pakistan: Petrophysical Analyses : Reservoir Potential Evaluation of the Middle Paleocene Lockhart Limestone of the Kohat Basin, Pakistan: Petrophysical Analyses
No full textThe Lockhart Limestone is evaluated for its reservoir potential by utilizing wireline logs of Shakardara-01well from Kohat Basin, Pakistan. The analyses showed 28.03% average volume of shale (Vsh), 25.57% average neutron porosity (NPHI), 3.31% average effective porosity (PHIE), 76% average water saturation (Sw), and 24.10% average hydrocarbon saturation (Sh) of the Lockhart Limestone in Shakardara-01 well. Based on variation in petrophysical character, the reservoir units of the Lockhart Limestone are divided into three zones i.e., zone-1, zone-2 and zone-3. Out of these zones, zone-1 and zone-2 possess a poor reservoir potential for hydrocarbons as reflected by very low effective porosity (1.40 and 2.02% respectively) and hydrocarbon saturation (15 and 5.20%), while zone-3 has a moderate reservoir potential due to its moderate effective porosity (6.50%) and hydrocarbon saturation (52%) respectively. Overall, the average effective porosity of 3.31% and hydrocarbon saturation of 24.10% as well as 28.03% volume of shale indicated poor reservoir potential of the Lockhart Limestone. Lithologically, this formation is dominated by limestone and shale interbeds in the Shakardara-01 well. Cross-plots of the petrophysical parameters versus depth showed that the Lockhart Limestone is a poor to tight reservoir in Shakardara-01 well and can hardly produce hydrocarbons under conventional drilling conditions
Geospatial Mapping and Detection of Ferrous, Iron Oxides, and Clay Minerals in District Mohmand, Pakistan: Geospatial Mapping and Detection of Ferrous, Iron Oxides, and Clay Minerals in District Mohmand, Pakistan
No full textThe study focuses on the utilization of remote sensing techniques to effectively identify and detect ferrous,iron oxides, and clay minerals in Mohmand district, Pakistan, using LANDSAT 8 multispectral images. This studyfocuses on the increasing demand and importance of these minerals in mining and commercial activities. Mineralexploration in Mohmand district, utilizing remote sensing technology to identify mineral compositions using the bandratio is done. This technique allows for a more focused and precise approach to exploration and extraction techniques.Cloud-free LANDSAT 8 images with minimal vegetation cover were utilized for the analysis. The band ratio approachwas utilized to identify areas exhibiting diverse mineral compositions. The study highlights the effectiveness of thesuggested methodology in mapping and detecting ferrous, iron oxides, and clay minerals, indicating the significantpotential of remote sensing for mineral exploration. The results highlight the importance of developing distributionmaps to support more efficient methods for mining and mineral exploration. The study contributes to a more focusedand efficient assessment of mineral resources and extraction techniques in the Mohmand district and similar geologicalterrains, offering stakeholders a valuable tool for informed decision-making in mineral exploration and exploitationefforts
Rural Livelihoods and Vulnerability Towards Natural Disasters: An Empirical Exploration from Selected Villages of District Gilgit, Pakistan: Rural Livelihoods and Vulnerability Towards Natural Disasters: An Empirical Exploration from Selected Villages of District Gilgit, Pakistan
No full textPresent study explores livelihoods of rural households and their vulnerability towards natural hazards in three selected villages of district Gilgit, a far-flung mountainous area in north of Pakistan. Data were collected from 180 households by using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Moreover, Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) and descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. The standard value of LVI ranges from 0 to 1, whereby the higher value of LVI shows higher vulnerability. LVI for each village was calculated using the data of seven components i.e. socio demography, livelihood strategies, social networks, food, health and education, water, natural disasters and climate vulnerability. The results suggest that the rural households of district Gilgit are vulnerable to natural disasters and Gilgit is most vulnerable in food and social network and least vulnerable in terms of demographic profile. Lastly, the overall value of LVI for district Gilgit is 0.3
Evaluation of Cloud Masking Methods using Sentinel-2 Satellite Images on Google Earth Engine: A Case Study in Vietnam
Full text linkThe production of cloudless images from the optical satellite are critical in Earth surface monitoring. In 2015,Sentinel-2A was successfully launched into orbit by the European Space Agency. Sentinel-2 imagery is currently theprimary source of data for Earth monitoring. There are several ways to create cloudless images from multi-temporalSentinel-2 optical satellite imagery on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. These include the Fmask (Function ofmask) method, the Fmask CDI (Cloud Displacement Index) method, and the Fmask CSP (Cloud Score Plus) method. Inthis paper, the authors build a program and evaluate the cloud masking methods on the GEE platform in Song Hinhdistrict, Phu Yen province, which is situated in the South-Central Coast region of Central Vietnam. The Song Hinh districtis a suitable study area for the evaluation of cloud masking methods on optical satellite images due to its diverse andcomplex terrain, which includes numerous peaks and valleys and a variety of climatic conditions. This article illustratesthe results of three cloud masking methods on Sentinel-2 images. In contrast to the Fmask method, the Fmask CDI andFmask CSP methods provide more benefits in detecting clouds and cloud shadows, resulting in more accurate outcomes
Keywords: Cloud masking, cloudless, multi-temporal Sentinel-2 images, Google Earth Engine