International Journal of Economic and Environmental Geology
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Fracture Pattern Analysis of the Upper Cretaceous-Eocene Carbonates along with the Ghumawan Dome, Hazara Basin
Full text linkDeformational history of the Hazara basin indicates a primitive collision of the two landmasses that undergoes an episodic deformation with NE-SW structural trend. Panjal Thrust (PT) and Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) demarcate the northern and southern extremities of the basin, respectively. The area bounded between these two thrusts is the core consideration of the present research. Different stratigraphic units juxtapose along the Hazara Kashmir Syntaxes (HKS), while the strike-slip component is indicated by imbrication due to thrusts. The study is amied to analyze the paleo-stresses along with developed fracture patterns. Field data were collected via Circle Inventory Method from various localities of the Ghumawan dome, Hazara basin. The zones of upper Cretaceous to Eocene carbonates were mainly targeted during the data collection. Win-Tensor was the key software that helps to analyze the paleo-stresses and fracture pattern of the study area. NW-trending fracture pattern was observed with a highly non-symmetric to dense fracture pattern. The local thrust system lead to severely de-shape the study area. N-S oriented σ1 indicated the compressional tectonic condition that prevailed during deformation of this area. Some segments also show extensional features i.e. normal faulting
Inter-Decadal Dynamics of Glacier Area and Supra-glacial Lakes Over Hispar Glacier, Western Karakoram
No full textGlaciers of the central Karakorum region are the primary source of fresh water and lifeline for downstream inhabitants but changing climatic conditions put serious impacts on glaciers which cause rapid ablation and the creation of glacial lakes. Many natural hazards are associated with glaciers and glacial lakes like Glacier lake outburst flood (GLOF). Using Geographic Information System and Remote sensing techniques on Hispar glacier which is part of central Karakorum, the current study applied Landsat (TM, ETM, ETM+, and OLI) and sentinel-2 satellite imagery. Further, mapping to the Hispar glacier is done to know the variations in glacier and supraglacial lakes between 1990 and 2019. According to the results, about 90% of glacial ponds are present in the debris-covered area while only 10% are present in the clean ice and scow area. This study identifies the decreasing trend in the number and the area of glacial lakes. In 1990, about 42 glacial ponds were covering a total area of 0.733km2, whereas, in 2019, 20 glacial lakes were covering an area of 0.18km2. In the last three decades (1990-2019) about 20km2 of clean ice and snow is increased. The findings of climate data revealed that there is a decreasing trend of temperature and an increasing trend of precipitation. Since 1995, about 0.75oC temperature is observed in HRB. The findings of this study somehow support the Karakoram anomaly
Use of Underground Mining Activities in Earthquake Search and Rescue Works: Use of Underground Mining Activities in Earthquake Search and Rescue Works
No full textAlthough the mining sector has the task of providing raw materials directly or indirectly to industrialestablishments, it unfortunately contains great dangers and risks for its employees in terms of occupational health andsafety. Especially in mining enterprises operating underground, roof collapse, sudden gas discharge, flooding, gasexplosions etc. negativities that occur during production cause great material and moral destruction. In such big problems,well-trained rescue teams of mines play an important role in saving the lives of many miners. Earthquake disastersaffecting 11 provinces in Turkey caused great destruction, many people died in building debris and collapses, andbuildings and industrial facilities were severely damaged on Feb. 6 2023. In the search and rescue works that started afterthe earthquake, the outstanding efforts of the underground mine workers in the field and the methods they used in thesestudies attracted the attention of the public. In this study, evaluations were made by giving some underground rescuemethods used in search and rescue activities in the Adıyaman earthquake region which is one of 11 provinces affectedby the disaster in Turkey.
Keywords: Underground mining, hazards and risks, earthquake, search and rescue.
Acid Leaching of Uranium from Weathered Uraniferous Black Shale: Acid Leaching of Uranium from Weathered Uraniferous Black Shale
No full textThis paper describes the chemical leaching of uranium from weathered black shale by using sulfuric acid(H2SO4) and acidic ferric sulfate (Fe2 (SO4)3 solutions as lixiviants. The black shale sample was radioactive in nature dueto the presence of uranium and its decay radio-isotope products like 226Ra, 214Pb and 214Bi. The γ-activity of natural 235Uwas 97.6 ± 1.34 Bq Kg-1. The shale sample showed 48±1% porosity with bulk density of 1.38 ± 0.015 g/ cm3. The mainminerals identified in the weathered shale sample were quartz, illite, microcline (K-feldspar), anorthite (Ca-feldspar),gypsum and hematite. A mixed layer illite-smectite phase at 10.8Å was also detected indicating the weathering of clayminerals present in the shale sample. The shale sample was polymetallic in nature and contained 0.005% U3O8, 0.24%V2O5, 0.038% NiO, 0.012% CuO, 0.037% CeO2 and 0.019% ZnO on dry matter basis. The shale sample was organiccarbon rich and contained 19.60% C, 1.25% N and 2.50% H, which indicated the presence of nitrogenous hydrocarboncompound(s). Uranium was present in the tetravalent oxidation state (U4+) in the shale matrix. A series of leachingexperiments were conducted in shake flasks and percolation column for uranium dissolution from black shale with andwithout acidic ferric sulfate solutions of pH 1.5 and pH 2.0 at 30±2 °C. Uranium leaching efficiency was mainly attributedto the concentrations of H2SO4 and Fe3+ ions in the leaching solutions. Uranium dissolution from the weathered blackshale mainly attributed to redox reaction of U4+ to U6+ with Fe3+ as an oxidant in acidic leaching environment.
Keywords: Weathered black shale, Illite-smectite mixed interlayer phase, kerogen, ferric sulfate, sulfuric acid, uranium leachin
Applications of Geospatial Techniques to Identify Landscape Changes and Urban Expansion of Dera Ghazi Khan City, South Punjab-Pakistan
Full text linkA temporal analysis of landscape change patterns and consequent evaluation of urban expansion has been studied for the Dera Ghazi Khan city which is developing fast since 2000 as an emerging metropolis of South Punjab. The geospatial techniques particularly remote sensing augmented with GIS are vital tools and are mostly used in studying landscape changes and decision making for sustainable urban development. Four Landsat images (1991, 2001, 2011 and 2021) obtained from the free web of GLFC have been analysed. A supervised classification algorithm was applied to all images and results have been presented in both tabular and graphic forms. Present study, focuses upon two land-use classes i.e. built up and open areas, which will be monitored by land-use patterns of Dera Ghazi Khan city during 1991 to 2021 using satellite images. The graphical depiction of all the landscape changes, which have taken place in D. G. Khan city in the form of tables and maps provides detailed information about the degree and ratio of urban expansion and the changes in land use that occurred during the stipulated period.The classification was based on four categories i.e., urban land, bare soil, vegetation, and water; while maps were prepared to present the temporal changes in D. G. Khan city. A total of 52 sq./kms areas was selected for this study designated as the Dera Ghazi Khan city. According to the results, 33% of the urban area has been expanded in Dera Ghazi Khan from 1991 to 2021 and 19% vegetation cover has been reduced. It is a very alarming situation that agricultural land is decreasing because of urban expansion. The results revealed the significance of remote sensing and GIS in evaluating landscape changes
Terrace Soil Suitability for Highway Construction: Case Study in Lesser Himalaya (CPEC Project E-35), North Pakistan
Full text linkIn this study, terrace soil investigation was carried out in project E-35 (phase-I) China-Pak Economic Corridor, Lesser Himalayas, North Pakistan. The methodology in current research is based on tests that include sieve analysis, plastic index, proctor, California Bearing Ratio, Los Angeles, sand equivalent and specific gravity. The results of these tests for different layers were compared with AASHTO and NHA specifications. The results show that the embankment, subgrade and subbase layers were composed of silt, sand and gravel, respectively while the aggregate base coarse was composed of sand, aggregate and less amount of fine clay material. The sieve analysis test shows that soil and aggregate base coarse has less clay with high silt, sandy material and index plastic to low plastic, which is appropriate for the construction. The California Bearing Ratio shows that the soil and aggregate base coarse have high load-bearing capacity. The Los Angeles abrasion reveal that the sub base and aggregate base coarse are resistive. The sand equivalent shows that aggregate base coarse has high sand material. The specific gravity illustrates that aggregate base coarse material is denser. The current study shows that terrace soil is suitable for the construction of the road in project E-35 (phase-I) China-Pak Economic Corridor
Petrographic and Physiomechanical Investigation of Late Cretaceous Kawagarh Formation Kahi Section, Nizampur Basin
Full text linkThe late Cretaceous Kawagarh Formation has been investigated in terms of field observation, and petrographic analysis, to understand the petrography and its impact on the geotechnical properties. The Kawagarh Formation is well exposed among the upper Indus Basin, and has been studied by various workers in different aspects. Kawagarh Formation exposed in Kahi section of Nizampur Basin has been selected in this study to know the behavior of carbonate rocks for engineering purposes. Lithologically, this formation is composed of thick to medium bedded, highly fractured limestone, marls, and dolomitic limestone which has undertaken diagenetic alteration including dolomite, calcite veins, and stylolites. Followed by petrographic analysis which reveals that the Kawagarh limestone is mostly fossiliferous comprised of a large number of planktonic foraminifera fossils like Globotruncana Hilli and Globotruncana Linneana fossils. Furthermore, to know the impact of petrographic minerals on engineering behavior, mechanical properties in terms of uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and uniaxial tensile strength (UTS) were also computed by using a universal testing machine (UTM). The resultant mechanical values lie in the strong compressive strength and suggest their usage for various construction purposes. Aggregate degradation tests including water absorption, specific gravity, aggregate impact value, Los angles abrasion, and soundness was also computed according to the International standard organization, ASTM (American Society for testing materials) and British standard. The aggregate values of the Cretaceous Kawagarh Formation are within the defined standard limits and can be used as an aggregate source for different construction engineering projects
Using XGBoost Model with Feature Selection Techniques for Wind Speed Forecasting: SHORT COMMUNICATION
No full textRenewable Energy Sources have a lot of importance in today’s world to produce an electrical output which explains the main reasons that every government and policy maker now a days prefer Renewable Energy in the wake of global warming and limited availability of fossil fuels (Twidell and Weir, 2021). The Renewable Energy Sources are hazardless, pollution free, eco-friendly, freely available in nature in vast quantities and most importantly, they give a chance to create a carbon-free environment
Neural Network and Regression Methods for Estimation of the Average Daily Temperature of Hyderabad for the Years 2018-2020
Full text linkA qualitative study on temperature distribution has been executed in Hyderabad by several researchers. This study, however, is the first attempt to study temperature distribution quantitatively. Two different methods, i.e., Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Regression Analysis (RA), have been used to determine the average daily temperature distribution for Hyderabad, a city in Pakistan. Both the methods are used to predict the average daily temperature of the years; 2018, 2019, and 2020. In Neural Network (NN) analysis, the network was trained and validated for three years with temperature recorded from 2015-2017. With the help of training and validation parameters of the hidden layer, the average d aily temperature was predicted for 2018-2020. Based on input parameters (dew point, relative humidity, and wind speed), a multiple regression model was developed, and average daily temperature for the years 2018-2020 was predicted again. For validation of the model statistical errors, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MABE), Mean Absolute Percent Error (MAPE), and coefficient of determination are calculated. The statistical errors show that multiple regression models and neural network models provide a good prediction of temperature distribution. However, the results of the neural network are better than the regression model
Techno-Economic Aspect of Dimension Stone Mining In Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Techno-Economic Aspect of Dimension Stone Mining In Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
No full textIn developing countries like Pakistan which are bestowed by nature with huge deposits of minerals arelargely run by small scale mining, and mostly result in wasting precious deposits by adopting conventional miningmethods neglecting the health and safety aspect. This research endeavour analyzed the techno-economic aspects ofvarious mining methods for extraction of dimension stone in chitral region and proposed a suitable mining methodbased on these aspects. Seven different deposits of dimension stone were taken as case studies to evaluate the proposedapproach. For each deposit, twelve criteria were compared as per the procedure of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP).These aspects are quality, quantity, mining cost, infrastructure, mining and processing losses, mining time, equipment’sperformance, skilled labour, work capacity to fragment the deposits, benching and safety. Whereas, the alternatives aremechanized mining, material expansion/controlled blasting and conventional mining. The criteria were compared andmethods suitable for each deposit were suggested.
Keywords: Dimension stone, small scale mining, marble quarrying, dimension stone, analytical hierarchy process