Volume 11, Issue 1

Meyal Field is considered as one of the chief hydrocarbon producing fields in the Potwar Basin, Pakistan. The present research emphasize on the subsurface structures affecting the Mesozoic-Cenozoic successions exclusively foremost reservoir units comprising the Eocene Chor Gali and Sakesar formations. Data from six seismic lines and three wells (aligned with those lines) have been deliberated comprehensively with remarkable and tremendous calibration. Five prominent and imperative reflectors specifically the Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Paleocene and Eocene successions were interpreted through seismic tactics. Time structure maps were equipped on the basis of two-way travel time (TWT) of the seismic line. Likewise, four isopach maps portrayed the thickness discrepancy of prospective hydrocarbon strata. Structurally, analytical section reveals that the Meyal anticline is a plunging and faulted anticline. The pop-up structure is constrained by back-thrust from the north and fore-thrust from the south, on the dip lines. These maps depicted potential reservoir, demarcate promising site for future hydrocarbon exploration.

Lithologic identification is critical for studying fine - grained sediments, which further elucidates sedimentary environment, and formation. The oil - bearing Chang 7 Section of the Yanchang Formation in Ordos Basin contains thick dark mudstone with a wide distribution, interbedded by siltstone and fine sandstone. The lacustrine fine - grained sedimentary rocks constitute the chief source rock of the Yanchang Formation. On the grounds of fine core description, thin rock slice identification and X - ray diffraction analysis, we proposed a new method based on conventional logging data. This method is using density (DEN) and natural gamma (GR) logging curve intersection and multivariate linear regression analysis of logging curve value and measured mineral content value which is carried out by SPSS software to identify the lithology and the vertical distribution characteristics of fine - grained sedimentary rock of Chang 7 formation in the study area. This method is mainly suitable for lithologic identification of fine - grained sedimentary rocks in lake basin. It not only quantitatively analyses the contents of main minerals and organic matter in fine - grained sedimentary rocks, but also greatly improved the accuracy and universality of using conventional logging data to identify the lithology of fine - grained sedimentary rocks, which provides a reference for the exploration of tight oil.

Because of the laboratory operating, the fineending of grain-size distribution (GSD) are simply combined as one point, which results in the information loss of the fine and very-fine clastic particles, and affects the geological parameters calculation of GSD. To remove the fine-endings, a modified Gompertz sigmoidal model is proposed in this paper. The first stage is establishing and solving the modified Gompertz sigmoidal model; the second stage is fitting and evaluating the cumulative probability and frequency of GSD; the third stage is calculating the geological parameters. Taking 113 samples for example, coefficients of determination ( COD ) between measured and fitted individual cumulative probability and frequency are bigger than 0.98980 and 0.97000 respectively, which proves the goodness of fitting results. By moments method using frequency data, the COD between fitted and measured mean is 0.97578, while CODs of sorting, skewness and kurtosis are in low values, which suggest that the fine-endings has little influence on the average grain-sizes of GSD and large influence on its geometry. Besides, modified Gompertz sigmoidal model offers another quick numerical way to calculate median, mean and sorting of GSD by graphical method using cumulative probability data. The proposed method is useful to remove the fine-endings and contribute to calculate the geological parameters of GDS.

Different from conventional reservoirs, unconventional tight sand oil reservoirs are characterized by low or ultra-low porosity and permeability, small pore-throat size, complex pore structure and strong heterogeneity. For the continuous exploration and enhancement of oil recovery from tight oil, further analysis of the origins of the different reservoir qualities is required. The Upper Triassic Chang 8 sandstone of the Yanchang Formation from the Maling Oilfield is one of the major tight oil bearing reservoirs in the Ordos Basin. Practical exploration demonstrates that this formation is a typical tight sandstone reservoir. Samples taken from the oil layer were divided into 6 diagenetic facies based on porosity, permeability and the diagenesis characteristics identified through thin section and scanning electron microscopy. To compare pore structure and their seepage property, a high pressure mercury intrusion experiments (HPMI), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), andwater-oil relative permeability test were performed on the three main facies developed in reservoir. The reservoir quality and seepage property are largely controlled by diagenesis. Intense compaction leads to a dominant loss of porosity in all sandstones, while different degrees of intensity of carbonate cementation and dissolution promote the differentiation of reservoir quality. The complex pore structure formed after diagenesis determines the seepage characteristics, while cementation of chlorite and illite reduce the effective pore radius, limit fluid mobility, and lead to a serious reduction of reservoir permeability.

Personal Dead Reckoning based on foot-mounted Inertial Measurement Units is a research hotspot in the field of positioning and navigation in recent years. This paper conducts a targeted research on the application of current mainstream attitude and heading reference system (AHRS) algorithm in the foot inertial navigation positioning. Through open datasets, the positioning accuracy and directional accuracy of 9-state complementary Kalman filter (CKF) are compared and analyzed among the conventional algorithm, Mahony algorithm, and Madgwick algorithm, in which the Madgwick algorithm can achieve the best positioning results. And on this basis, for the Madgwick algorithm, it is verified that it can help improve the positioning accuracy of 15-state CKF under the assistive technologies of zero angular rate update (ZARU) and heuristic heading reduction (HDR). The adaptive zerospeed detection algorithm is designed, and the threshold value of zero-speed detection is set dynamically through tracking the variable of speed in CKF, which can detect the time period of zero-speed state more accurately, thus further improving the correction of directional errors. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is further proved by actual data.

Based on the coupled human–environment, and taking the Hegang coal mining area (Heilongjiang Province, China) as a research area, combined with RS and GIS technologies, from the perspectives of environmental exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity, the analytic hierarchy process and expert consultation methods were used to establish the evaluation index system and weight. Then the mathematical model of vulnerability assessment was constructed, and the spatial analysis method was used to dynamically identify and evaluate the vulnerability of land use in the study areas in 1994, 2006, 2010, and 2014. The results show that: 1) the vulnerability of land use shows an increasing trend from 1994-2014, and most of the landscape types show a strong dominant vulnerability; 2) the adaptive capacity of land use gradually became unstable under the influence of human–land coupling, and the land-use environment showed the trend of transformation from potential vulnerability to extreme vulnerability under the dual action of sensitivity and exposure; 3) from the type of land use, the vulnerability of coal mine land and unutilized land was relatively prominent. The two landscape types were mostly distributed in severe or extremely vulnerable areas over the past 20 years, indicating a greater degree of interference. The results provide the decision-making basis for the scientific planning and management of the land, and provide guidance for ecological restoration and environmental protection.

In this study collected samples of Chia Gara Formation in Atrush, Shaikhan and Sarsang oilfields are used to geochemical characteristics of organic matter in this formation. This determination was based on Rock-Eval pyrolysis and Biomarker analyses. The Chia Gara Formation can be considered as good to excellent source rock; it’s TOC content ranges from 1.14-8.5wt% with an average of 1.85%, 3.91%, and 6.94% in Atush-1, Mangesh-1 and Shaikhan-8 wells respectively. The samples of Chia Gara Formation contain kerogen type II. These properties are considered optimal for oil generation. The low oxygen index (OI) and pristane/phytane (Pr/Ph) ratios (Average 20.73, 0.61 respectively) and high hydrogen index (HI) (average 637.6) indicate that the formation was deposited under anoxic condition. According to regular sterane (C 27 %, C 28 %, C 29 %) and terpanes ratios (C 29 /C 30 , C 31 /C 30 hopane), the formation was deposited in marine environment. The average value of the Carbon Preference Index (CPI) is one with T max values of more than 430 ºC; these indicate peak oil window for the selected samples. Overall, the 20S/(20S+20R), ββ /( ββ + αα )C 29 steranes and 22R/(22R+22S)C 32 homohopane, with Ts/ (Ts+Tm), and moretane/ hopane ratios point to a mature organic matter and to the ability of the formation to generate oil.

Uranium deposits are crucial resources for the development of the nuclear energy. Among known sources of uranium, the uranium-rich shales have recently obtained significance. In this paper, the Lower Cambrian Wangyinpu Formation shale in the Xiuwu Basin, southern China, has been studied using a combination of techniques including element analysis (Al, Fe, and Mn), δ 30 Si silicon isotopic analysis, δ 18 O oxygen isotopic analysis, study of core samples. It has been observed that significant hydrothermal activity occurred in the Xiuwu Basin during the Early Cambrian period. The results show that 20%–40% of the silicon in most of the sections of the Lower Cambrian Wangyinpu Formation were inherited from the hydrothermal fluids, with temperatures ranging between 75 ∘ C and 102 ∘ C. It is concluded that more than 90% of the uranium in most of the sections of the Lower Cambrian Wangyinpu shale was derived from submarine hydrothermal fluids, while less than 10% from the terrigenous detritus. The enrichment of uranium in the basin was observed in the Middle-Upper part of the Wangyinpu Formation and the geological resources estimated to a tune of ~4.9×10 3 t. In this paper, we proposed a model for silicon and uranium enrichment in the Lower Cambrian shale controlled by hydrothermal activity in the Xiuwu Basin. This model also provides a scientific rationale for uranium further exploration and exploitation of the uranium resource.

The Zhangjiatan shale of the Southeastern Ordos Basin, which deposits in deep lake facies, has strong lithologic heterogeneity; it represents as shale, sandy laminae shale and thin sandstone. Shale with mm- to cm-scale sandy laminae is defined as Sandy Laminae Shale (SLS). However, the relationship between lithologic heterogeneity and hydrocarbon accumulation has never been studied. This study shows that lithologic heterogeneity, especially the occurrence of SLS will influence the accumulation of hydrocarbons within the shale system. SLS commonly has a larger pore size, higher porosity and better connectivity than thick and homogeneous shale. SLS commonly contains fewer residual hydrocarbons than homogeneous thick shale, indicating comparative ease in hydrocarbon expulsion. SLS commonly generates more bedding fractures. More fractures can be incurred when fracture extending into SLS. The occurrence of SLS can provide more storage spaces for fluids and gases, including oil, water, adsorbed gas, dissolved gas and free gas. SLS has been the pilot exploration and development target for shale hydrocarbon in the southeastern Ordos Basin. Homogeneous and thick shales, which have a large content of residual hydrocarbons, would be the targets for future exploration.

The geotechnical subsoil conditions of the former Lake Texcoco represent a complex sequence of highly compressible lacustrine clays interbedded with layers and seams of harder and more permeable materials. Although the mechanical properties of these deposits have been extensively studied in the past, the information about their hydraulic properties is scarce. Currently, a comprehensive characterization of the hydraulic conductivity of this site has become necessary because of the construction of the New Mexico International Airport (NAIM). The present study describes a systematic evaluation of the hydraulic conductivity in the former Lake Texcoco through three different in-situ methods (well permeameter, LEFRANC and piezocone dissipation test). The measurements, taken from 155 locations, show a high spatial variability, with ranges spanning more than two orders of magnitude. The results also reveal that the estimated permeabilities vary significantly among methods. These discrepancies reflect the scale dependency of the hydraulic conductivity in the area caused by soil heterogeneities. A comparison of the presented results with previous studies demonstrates that piezocone tests provide representative results for the clayey formations, while LEFRANC tests better estimate the hydraulic conductivity of the permeable strata. Besides, CPTu tests yield more consistent values of hydraulic conductivity, with smaller dispersion than well permeameter and LEFRANC tests.

The Qinling Orogen and the Jiyuan Basin constitute a basin-mountain system during the Early Mesozoic. Therefore, sediments from the Jiyuan Basin can be used to deduce the orogenic process of the Qinling Orogen. This paper attempts to use detrital zircon trace elements with ages ranging from the Late Carboniferous to the Middle Triassic that were obtained from the Jiyuan Basin to discuss the tectonic evolution of Qinling Orogen. On the tectonic setting discriminating diagrams, most grains are concentrated in convergent continental margins/orogenic settings,whereas the remaining samples (268 Ma, 265Ma, 264 Ma and 254Ma) are plotted in anorogenic field. Compared to the Early Paleozoic (400-500Ma) zircons, 306Ma and 281Ma grains represent higher Th/ Nb ratios, which might be related to the Mianlve oceanic crust subduction. The lower Th/Nb ratios containing 268 Ma, 265Ma, 264 Ma and 254Ma grains might indicate lithospheric extension subsequently. The final continent-continent collision between South China and North China blocks took place after the Middle Triassic (242Ma).

Number of studies covering major data aspects of OpenStreetMap (OSM) for developed cities and countries are available in scientific literature. However, this is not the case for developing ones mainly because of low data availability in OSM. This study presents a time-series spatial analysis of Turkey OSM dataset, a developing country, between the year 2007 and 2015 to understand how the dataset has developed with time and space. Five different socio-economic factors of the region are tested to find their relationship, if any, with dataset growth. An east-west spatial trend in data density is observed within the country. Population Density and Literacy Level of the region are found be the factors controlling it. It has also been observed that the street network of the region has followed the Exploration and Densification evolutionary model. High participation inequality is found within the OSM mappers, with only 5 of them responsible for the country’s 50% geo-data upload. Furthermore, it is found that these mappers use other Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) and government open-dataset to feed into OSM. This study is believed to bring some high level insights of OSM for a developing country which would be useful for geographers, open-data policy makers, VGI projects planners and data-curators to structure and deploy similar future projects.

The Chao Phraya River flows in the largest river basin of Thailand and represents one of the important agricultural and industrial areas in Southeast Asia. The Ping River is one major upstream branch flowing down slope southwardly, joining the Chao Phraya River in the low-lying central plain and ending its course at the Gulf of Thailand. Surprisingly, the overflow occurs frequently and rapidly at the Lower Ping River where channel slope is high, and in particular area, sand-choked is extensively observed, even in normal rainfall condition. In contrary, at the downstream part, the erosion of river bank and shoreline around the mouth of Chao Phraya River has been spatially increasing in place where there should be a massive sediment supply to form a delta. Here we use Landsat imageries taken in 1987, 1997, 2007 and 2017 to analyze geomorphological changes of rivers. Results show that both rivers have undergone the rapid decreasing of water storage capacity and increasing of sand bar areas in river embayment. The total emerged sand bar area in the Lower Ping River increases from 1987 to 2017 up to 28.8 km 2 . The excessive trapped bed sediments deposition along the upper reaches is responsible for the shallower of river embankment leading to rapid overflow during flooding. At the Chao Phraya River mouth, a total of 18.8 km 2 of the coastal area has been eroded from 1987 to 2017.This is caused by the reducing of sediment supply leading to non-equilibrium in the deltaic zone of the upper Gulf of Thailand. There are several possibility implications from this study involving construction of weir, in-channel sand mining, reservoir sedimentation and coastal erosion management.

Beyond the loss of peri-urban agricultural and forested land as a result of built-up expansion, not much information exists on the changes in the structure of the peri-urban landscape in Ghana. The aim of this paper is to examine the extent to which urban expansion is driving changes in landscape structure of the peri-urban fringes of Accra. We submit that rapid peri-urbanisation will fragment the existing agricultural and forested landscape with consequent ecological, socio-economic and urban governance implications. Using Landsat satellite images for the years 1985, 1991, 2002 and 2015 the study area was classified into four land cover classes. The study adopted the use of Urban Intensity Index (UII) and the Annual Rate of Urbanization (R) as measures of urbanization. Edge density (ED), largest patch index (LPI) and Aggregation index (AI) were used as proxies to measure landscape structural transformations. The study reveals substantial reductions and fragmentation in agricultural lands, riverine and open forests, while there has been over 200 percent increase in built-up areas. Beyond these revelations in spatiotemporal changes in landscape structure, the paper points to the ecological implications of the changes, and three key socio-economic and urban governance implications.

It is a common method to use sequence stratigraphic theory to identify favourable intervals in hydrocarbon exploration. The Lower Cambrian shale of Well Jiangye-1 in Yangtze Region in Xiuwu Basin was chosen as the research object. The content of excess silicon of siliceous minerals in shale was calculated quantitatively, and the concentration distribution of Al, Fe, Mn showed that the excess silicon is of hydrothermally origin and the shale deposited in an environment with hydrothermal activity. Using U/Th values in the study, combined with lithology and logging data, in order to divide sequences of the Lower Cambrian shale in Yangtze Region in Xiuwu Basin. The result shows that the shale of the Lower Cambrian shale is recognized as 1 2 nd sequence (TST-RST, TST = Transgressive systems tract; RST = Regressive systems tract) and then further subdivided into 5 3 rd sequences (SQ1-SQ5). During the deposition of SQ2 and SQ3, hydrothermal activity was active, and their excess silicon content was generally above 20%-30%. Rising sea level and active hydrothermal activity were beneficial for the enrichment of siliceous minerals and organic matter. Based on the comparison of the reservoir parameters, it tells that SQ2 and SQ3 have relatively higher content of TOC, higher content of brittle minerals (such as siliceous minerals, carbonate minerals and so on), larger effective porosity and higher content of gas, which make it as the most favourable intervals of the Lower Cambrian in Xiuwu Basin.

To further understand fractal characteristics of nanopores in lacustrine shales, core samples from Chang-7 and Chang-9 members of the Triassic Yanchang Formation, southern Ordos Basin were investigated. Total organic carbon content, vitrinite reflectance, X-ray diffraction, field emission-scanning electron microscopy and low pressure N 2 physisorption (LPNP) experiments were performed. The Frenkel-Halsey-Hill (FHH) method was applied to characterize the fractal dimensions using LPNP isotherms. Two fractal dimensions (D 1 and D 2 ) were determined at relative pressures of 0-0.45 and 0.45-1, respectively. The Chang-7 shales have a D 1 and D 2 range of 2.17-2.36 and 2.46-2.63, while the Chang-9 shales have D 1 values of 2.23-2.40 and D 2 values of 2.46-2.64. Fractal dimensions of the selected lacustrine shales are affected by shale mineral compositions and pore structure parameters. Positive correlations of D 1 and D 2 with clay minerals and quartz contents, and negative correlations of D 1 and D 2 with TOC contents were presented in the present study. Observations of few organic matter pores and abundant inorganic pores hosted in the Yanchang shales may contribute to these correlations. In addition, comparisons of matrix composition, nanopore fractal characteristics between the Chang-7 shales and the Chang-9 shales suggest that the latter may have more irregular and heterogeneous pore structure.

This paper presents the impact of selected essential aspects of geological structure on the state of slope stability as assessed by changes in the safety factor ( SF ). The engineering geological slope features that were analysed include: (i) changes in soil cohesion and internal friction angle, (ii) presence of a weak soil layer and its span, (iii) structural discontinuity ( i.e . fault), (iv) soil permeability properties and water conditions ( i.e . groundwater level, long and heavy rainfall). A certain scheme of slope stability calculations has been proposed for a case involving complex geological conditions. The numerical modelling of a hypothetic slope was performed using the shear strength reduction method based on the finite element method.

Using the literature review and quantitative analysis, the research on the quality and uncertainty of spatial data have been compared and analysed according to years of publication, authors, document types, WoS categories, and countries. The paper portrayed the development in the field, studied the state and evolution of the most productive and influential journals, conferences, and research institutions. The results showed that remote sensing, computer science, and geography relate mostly to data imperfection and assessment of its uncertainty. This relation is clearly translated into the most productive journals, and conferences proceedings. The top-ranked countries in this field are United States, China, and the United Kingdom.

The performed investigations were focused on analysing the variability of geological-engineering properties in clay soils from central-eastern Europe with regard to microstructures. Thirty-nine soils differing in origin, lithology and microstructure type were selected for analysis. Results of studies on lithological and physical and mechanical parameters were analysed, coupled with quantitative microstructural parameters based on microstructure images. The relationships between lithological, physical and mechanical and pore space parameters were determined with regard to microstructure types. Sediment origin and diagenesis, and soil microstructure and pore space parameters had influence on the geological-engineering properties. Such approach allows for predicting engineering parameters based on soil microstructure types and their pore space parameters.

To study the shear failure modes of rock fractures with different morphologies, rock types and test conditions, direct shear tests were conducted with the aid of an acoustic emission test system to obtain the characteristics of acoustic emissions in the shear process. The test results indicated that sandstone fractures experienced brittle shear failure under higher constant normal loads (15-30 kN) and plastic shear failure under lower normal loads (5 kN and 10 kN), while the marble fracture experienced plastic shear failure under each normal load. Dropping of shear stress, sharp change from shear dilatation to shear shrinkage and sudden release of high AE energy could be found when brittle shear failure occurred in sandstone fracture under a higher normal load. Thus, combining the location evolution characteristics of acoustic emission, it can be concluded that the entire shear dislocation of sandstone fracture in brittle shear failure mode happened just after the peak under higher normal loads. However, the entire shear dislocation of sandstone fracture under lower normal loads and marble fracture under all normal loads occurred just at the beginning of the shear process.

Ice Ages (IA) and their glacial periods can be regarded as significant natural hazards (NH). Unfortunately, the knowledge of hominid evolution that occurred during IAs, in such extreme climatic fluctuations, is preserved almost exclusively in mythology. The omission of more scientific discourse regarding the history of NH during IAs should be rectified for posterity. As our civilization will likely have to cope with the beginnings of a new glacial phase, a more complete understanding of the mechanisms of IA climate dynamics is crucial. This paper presents an unpublished correspondence between M. Milanković, a polymath and the founder of the Astronomical theory of Ice Ages (ATIA), and the astronomer V. Mišković, one of Milanković’s major contributors to the development of his theory. Additional insight related to the ATIA by M. Milanković is given, particularly regarding the succession of glacial and interglacial periods on Earth. In this completely preserved correspondence, taking place from 1924 until 1952, also reside letters concerning the research of M. Milanković and V. Mišković as it relates to the research of Alfred Wegener and Wladimir Köppen. These letters are on the topic of M. Milanković’s 1920’s work. At the Astronomical Observatory in Belgrade, M. Milanković found useful data in the observatory’s publications and orchestrated the numerical calculations he needed for his ATIA with V. Mišković aid.

Recent natural hazards (floods and wildfires) which hit some of the most visited Greek tourist destinations during the summer season 2018 are threatening to decrease the number of tourist visits in the affected regions. As these regions, being namely Chalkidiki, Olympic Riviera and regions surrounding Athens and Thessaloniki, are the most popular summer destinations for Serbian tourists, it is interesting to examine how natural hazards that occurred there influence tourist behavior based on the perceived risk. The study aims to explore the role of psychological factors such as different personality traits and tourism worries on the tourist behavior based on the perceived risk of affected destinations. Moreover, the assumption was that tourism worrieswill mediate the relationship between analyzed personality traits and tourist behavior based on the perceived risk. Although previous studies investigated the effect of different psychological factors on tourist behavior based on the perceived risk, this is the first study to explore the interaction of different psychological factors including tourism worries, which previously were not analyzed in this context. Besides theoretical contribution, practical implications are also further discussed in the paper within the realm of their use for destination managers.

Previous real-time map matching algorithms for in-vehicle navigation systems had some efficiencies and defects on time lagging and low accuracy. As a response, this paper proposes a new algorithm that integrates STP (spatio-temporal proximity) and IWC (improved weighted circle), in which the new algorithm proposes STP to dynamically refine candidate matching roads, and IWC to adaptively identify the optimal matching road. Specifically, three spatio-temporal proximity indicators are defined in STP to build a three-dimensional stereoscopic cone, and then the two-dimensional projection of the cone are adopted to dynamically select the candidate matching roads. Further, by adaptively setting the weight, the IWC algorithm is developed to integrate three new parameters to adaptively determine the optimal matching road. The test results show that the matching accuracy of the algorithm is over 95%, much higher than that of the existing algorithm, which demonstrates the feasibility and efficiency of the new algorithm.

The characteristics and hysteresis of seepage are critical for assessing the stability of creeping soil landslides after reservoir impoundment. First, field and laboratory tests were conducted to obtain the saturated permeability coefficient of 396 soil landslides within the Three Gorges Reservoir area and trends among these results were obtained through basic statistics. Second, geological surveys show that these soil landslides are mainly composed of mixed soil-rock structures. Thus, a pressure plate instrument was used for estimating the soil-water characteristic parameters of this unsaturated soil-rock mixture. Finally, the seepage characteristics and hysteresis of the soil landslides was analyzed through numerical simulation based on obtained permeability parameters. The results of this research show that the permeability level of the soil landslides in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area is, in overall terms, good and moderate, and the permeability of the soil landslides has certain spatial distribution characteristics. Also, it was found that the parameters a and m of the unsaturated Fredlund-Xing model became larger with increasing gravel particle size, dry density, and plasticity index of the soil particle; all with decreasing gravel content. Behavior of the n parameter shows an opposite trend. Furthermore, more than 90% of landslides show seepage hysteresis as their hysteresis parameter is less than 35. Finally, it was found that the hysteresis coefficient and slope gradient are the key parameters conditioning the hysteresis of soil landslides.

The outcrop of the Ecca Group in the Eastern Cape Province was investigated in order to reveal petrographic and geophysical characteristics of the formations that make up the group which are vital information when considering fracking of the Karoo for shale gas. The petrographic study reveals that the rocks of the Ecca Group are both argillaceous and arenaceous rock with quartz, feldspar, micas and lithics as the framework minerals. The sandstones are graywackes, immature and poorly sorted, thus giving an indication that the source area is near. The observed heavy minerals aswell as the lithic grains signify that the minerals are of granitic, volcanic and metamorphic origin. The porosity result shows that of all the formations that make up the Ecca Group, the Whitehill Formation is the most porous with an average porosity of about 2.1% and also least dense with an average dry density of about 2.5 g/cm 3 . The least porous unit is the Ripon Formation with porosity of about 0.8% but has the highest dry density of approximately 2.8 g/cm 3 . The magnetic map shows some ring-like structures which coincide with dolerites that were mapped in the field. As revealed by the depth slices result, dolerite intrusions are pervasive in the northern part of the study area, extending to a depth of about 6000 m below the ground surface. The appearance of dolerite intrusions at the targeted depth (3000 - 5000 m) for gas exploration could pose a serious threat to fracking of the Karoo for shale gas.

Ecological risk assessment plays an important role in avoiding disasters and reducing losses. Natural world heritage site is the most precious natural assets on earth, yet few studies have assessed ecological risks from the perspective of world heritage conservation and management. A methodology for considering ecological threats and vulnerabilities and focusing on heritage value was introduced and discussed for the Bogda component of the Xinjiang Tianshan Natural World Heritage Site. Three important results are presented. (1) Criteria layers and ecological risk showed obvious spatial heterogeneity. Extremely high-risk and high-risk areas, accounting for 13.60% and 32.56%, respectively, were mainly gathered at Tianchi Lake and Bogda Glacier, whereas the extremely low-risk and low-risk areas, covering 1.33% and 17.51% of the site,were mainly distributed to the north and scattered around in the southwest montane region. (2) The level of risk was positively correlated with the type of risk, and as the level of risk increases, the types of risk increase. Only two risk types were observed in the extremely low-risk areas, whereas six risk types were observed in the high-risk areas and eight risk types were observed in the extremely high-risk areas. (3) From the perspective of risk probability and ecological damage, four risk management categories were proposed, and correlative strategies were proposed to reduce the possibility of ecological risk and to sustain or enhance heritage value.

The subsurface temperature has many impacts on geological phenomena such as hydrocarbon generation, geothermal energy, mineralization, and geological hazards. The Northeast Java Basin has various interesting phenomena, such as many oil fields, active faults, mud eruptions, and some active and dormant volcanoes. We measured temperature data from tens of wells along a 130 km survey line with an average spacing of 5 km. We also measured the thermal conductivity of rocks of various lithologies along the survey line to provide geothermal heat flow data. We propose integrated modeling for profiling the subsurface temperature beneath the survey line from Mt. Lawu to Mt. Muriah in the Northeast Java Basin. The modeling of subsurface temperature integrates various input data such as a thermal conductivity model, surface temperature, gradient temperature, a geological model, and geothermal heat flow. The thermal conductivity model considers the subsurface geological model. The temperature modeling uses the finite difference of Fourier’s law, with an input subsurface thermal conductivity model, geothermal heat flow, and surface temperature. The subsurface temperature profile along with survey line shows some interesting anomalies which correlate with either subsurface volcanic activity or the impact of fault activity.

Social networking sites (SNS) became an indispensable part of people’s everyday life, but also a powerful tool of communication during urgent situations, such as during natural disasters. This is evidenced by a large number of research papers showing the use of SNS in difficult circumstances. Some of the ways of using are the dissemination of information about missing persons, warning on further possible consequences, safety checks during natural disasters, communication about places where the population can find help or a safe refuge. At the same time, SNS could increase awareness among the population about natural hazards. Unfortunately, most parts of the world have at least once been hit by a major natural disaster. People who manage such events have a big task in front of them, as they need to exploit the potential of SNS, but also to reduce the negative side, such as spreading inaccurate information in difficult moments. The paper presents ways of using SNS, and the positive and negative effects of these, before, during and after natural disasters.

In investigating aridity in Vojvodina (a region in the northern part of Serbia), the Forestry Aridity Index ( FAI ) was used. This index was chosen due to being one of the most suitable indices for the analysis of the interaction of climate and vegetative processes, especially in forestry. The spatial distribution of the FAI for annual and decennial periods, as well as its annual trend, is analysed. Satisfactory compatibility between the low (forest) and high (steppe) FAI values with the forest and steppe vegetation on the Vojvodina terrains was obtained. The calculated values of the FAI showed that there was no particular annual trend. These results correspond to the earlier calculated values of the De Martonne aridity index and the Pinna combinative index. Therefore, it can be concluded that there were no recent changes in aridity during the observed period. Results of the correlation indicate weak linearity between the FAI , and the North Atlantic Oscillation and El-Niño South Oscillation.

Hotels, like any other businesses in a given location, can be threatened by natural disasters, usually with significant and long-term consequences. The hotel industry is particularly vulnerable and exposed to the risk of property being physically damaged or completely destroyed. Apart from the physical damage, there is also an accompanying economic risk of the tourism sector suffering as tourists avoid areas affected by a disaster event. Therefore, hotels in the areas prone to natural disasters must ensure they are resilient enough to carry on through the turbulent period until regular business levels return. This study is based on survey responses of 63 hotel managers from the 12 European countries most frequently affected by natural disasters. The study relies on multi-capital predictor based approach and examines hotel resilience to natural disasters. It has been found that managers’ previous experience of a natural disaster, duration of managerial experience, and organizational category and size have a positive effect on hotel resilience. Moreover, hotels must anticipate such situations and continuously drill how to respond efficiently and adapt quickly in order to ensure business sustainability. Practical implications, study limitations and future research recommendations are also discussed.

China has one of the highest rates of natural disasters in the world. In recent years, the Chinese government has placed a high value on improving emergency natural disaster relief. The goal of this research was to resolve a key issue for emergency natural disaster relief: the emergency vehicle routing problem (EmVRP) with relief materials in sudden disasters. First, we provided a description of the EmVRP, and defined the boundary conditions. On this basis, we constructed an optimization model of EmVRP with relief materials in sudden disasters. To reach the best solution in the least amount of time, we proposed an enhanced monarch butterfly optimization (EMBO) algorithm, incorporating two modifications to the basic MBO: a self-adaptive strategy and a crossover operator. Finally, the EMBO algorithm was used to solve the EmVRP. Our experiments using two examples EmVRP with relief materials in a sudden-onset disaster proved the suitability of EMBO. In addition, an array of comparative studies showed that the proposed EMBO algorithm can achieve satisfactory solutions in less time than the basic MBO algorithm and seven other intelligent algorithms.

To examine potential relationships between meteorological variables and forest fires in Serbia, daily temperature, precipitation, relative humidity and wind speed data for 15 meteorological stations across Serbia were used to construct fire indices. The daily values of the Ångström and Nesterov indices were calculated for the period 2000–2017. A high number of forest fires occurred in 2007 and 2012 in Serbia, during a period of extremely high air temperatures in 2007, followed by the longest heat wave and the worst drought in 2012. In order to identify the ideal weather conditions for fire break outs, different combinations of input variables, e.g., meteorological variables (mean temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, maximum temperature, minimum temperature and wind speed), fire danger indices or a combination of both, for the Belgrade area during the period 1986–2017, were tested. It was found that using relative humidity or precipitation as a predictor only generates a satisfactory model for forecasting of number of forest fires.

Geochemical and mineralogical analyses of bottom sediments collected from Al-Shuaiba (SHL) and Al-Mejarma (MJL) coastal lagoons, Red Sea were carried out. Mineralogically, the sediments consist mainly of carbonate minerals particularly aragonite, high and low Mg-calcite and traces of dolomite admixed with non-carbonate minerals including quartz, k-feldspars, plagioclase and traces of amphiboles, mica and clay minerals. The spatial distribution of major and trace elements at the bottom of the lagoons indicates two groups of elements. The first, less significant, is of terrigenous origin concentrates mainly in the shoreward direction. This group includes the silicates (Al 2 O 3 -Fe 2 O 3 -SiO 2 ), Feldspars (K 2 O-Rb-Ba) and heavy minerals (V-Cr-Zr, TiO 2 -Y-Nb) related elements. The second most dominant group is the carbonate related elements (CaO-Sr) that concentrates in the seaward direction. The two lagoons are not affected by urbanization or anthropogenic impact, and hence the siliciclastic elements are related to the terrigenous influx mainly by aeolian transportation. The carbonate related elements are mainly of biogenic origin related to calcareous skeletal remains. The elemental distribution in the bottom sediments of the MJL is more homogeneous than those in the SHL reflecting the bottom conditions that are mainly controlled by lagoon morphology, hydrodynamic and the water circulation between the lagoon and the sea. Geochemical data show no obvious enrichment of Al-normalized redox-sensitive trace elements V and Cr suggesting that there is no variation in the bottom redox conditions in contrast with other previous studies. The information in this work is an important tool for biogeochemical and biological research projects in the Red Sea coastal lagoons.

This study investigates the relationship between clay minerals (kaolinite and illite) and rock properties of the claystone, including both mechanical (cohesion, friction angle, stress, and strain) and physical properties (natural water content, void ratio, and wet density), belonging to Warukin Formation of Kalimantan, Indonesia. Mineralogical characteristics of these rocks were studied using petrological and X-ray diffraction techniques, whereas the mechanical and physical properties were tested by conducting uniaxial and triaxial tests. Relationship among the variables was determined using correlation coefficients. It was observed that the mineralogy of the rocks pose strong constraints on their engineering properties. The results showed that an increase in illite content decreases cohesion, friction angle, strength, and safety factor; and increases natural moisture content, void ratio, and wet density. Although illite content of these rocks was just about 10.8% of the total minerals, it has significantly contributed to the modification of physical and mechanical properties. In contrast, kaolinite did not have a significant impact; since the correlation between various parameters was significantly low (correlation coefficient was much less, <0.3). Therefore while selecting the materials for geotechnical engineering applications, illite emerges as a safer alternative to kaolinite, especially when its concentration is less than 10.8% of the total rock mass.

The two critical books, launching the study and appreciation of loess, were ‘ Charakteristik der Felsarten’ (CdF) by Karl Caesar von Leonhard, published in Heidelberg by Joseph Engelmann, in 1823-4, and ‘ Principles of Geology’ (PoG) by Charles Lyell, published in London by John Murray in 1830-3. Each of these books was published in three volumes and in each case the third volume contained a short piece on loess (about 2-4 pages). These two books are essentially the foundations of loess scholarship. In CdF Loess [Loefs] was first properly defined and described; section 89 in vol. 3 provided a short study of the nature and occurrence of loess, with a focus on the Rhine valley. In PoG there was a short section on loess in the Rhine valley; this was in vol.3 and represents the major dissemination of loess awareness around the world. A copy of PoG3 ( Principles of Geology vol. 3) reached Charles Darwin on the Beagle in Valparaiso in 1834; worldwide distribution. Lyell and von Leonhard met in Heidelberg in 1832. Von Leonhard and Heinrich Georg Bronn (1800-1862) showed Lyell the local loess. These observations provided the basis for the loess section in PoG3. Lyell acknowledged the influence of his hosts when he added a list of loess scholars to PoG; by the 5 th edition in 1837 the list comprised H.G. Bronn, Karl Caesar von Leonhard (1779-1862), Ami Boue (1794-1881), Voltz, Johann Jakob Noeggerath (1788-1877), J. Steininger, P. Merian, Rozet, C.F.H. von Meyer (1801-1869), Samuel Hibbert (1782-1848) and Leonard Horner (1785-1864); a useful list of loess pioneers. The loess is a type of ground that has only recently been established, and it seems, the peculiarity of the Rhine region, and of a very general but inconsistent spread.” H.G. Bronn 1830

This work aimed at revealing the mechanism of strong strata behavior in extra-thick coal seam mining which was influenced by an overlying coal pillar (OCP). To this end, the evolution characteristics of the stress and displacement in advance coal body of the working face were studied via numerical simulation. On this basis, the mechanism of strong strata behavior in working face affected by OCP was revealed. In situ monitoring also demonstrated that, as the working face mining near to the position of OCP, severe rib spalling and roadway deformation frequently appeared. The scheme of strengthening the hydraulic supports resistance and adding anchor cables was put forward to control the surrounding rocks in the stope. As a result, the maximum deformation of the roadway height was 0.66m and could completely meet the demands for safe mining. The study on the mechanism of strong strata behavior in working face and the strengthen supporting scheme would provide a theoretical basis for similar mining conditions, thus ensure safe and efficiency coal seam mining.

The practice of producing drone videos for hobby or commercial purposes has already created a vast amount of open and free video datasets. When these videos are properly authored, time-stamped and geo-referenced, they receive characteristics of volunteered geographic information (VGI). As alternative forms to user-generated content (UGC), these visually appealing footages attract significant attention, but their production faces different practical and motivational issues that could impose limitation on the value of this kind of VGI. In order to better understand volunteered geographic drone videos (VGDV) from the social media and VGI perspective we conceptualize and discuss prospects and problems that could be explored in further research. This paper contributes to the development of theory about aerial drone videos, exploration of aerial drone video UGC characteristics and to the applicability of drone videos in Digital Earth systems.

Agricultural substrates (maize silage and cattle manure) were used to carry out methane fermentation process in bioreactors under laboratory conditions. Identical mixtures of these substrates were incubated for 43 days at 20, 30 and 40ºC to determine how different temperature conditions affect the δ 13 C(CH 4 ), δ H(CH 4 ), and δ 13 C(CO 2 ) values. To ensure correct anaerobic digestion, the following parameters of the organic substrates and fermentation solutions were monitored: total organic carbon (TOC), volatile solids (VS), volatile fatty acids (VFA), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N). The variants with higher incubation temperature yielded higher amounts of biogas (20ºC=84.5, 30ºC=101.8 and 40ºC=133.3 dm 3 /kg VS). In the case of gas products of methane fermentation, it was observed that the higher temperature of incubation affects the depletion in heavy isotopes. At 20ºC, 30ºC, and 40ºC mean values of δ 13 C(CH 4 ) reached −26.4, −29.7, and −35.4‰, respectively. Mean values of δ 2 H(CH 4 ) were −311.6, −354.0, and −398.5permil, and of δ 13 C(CO 2 ) +8.9, +3.7, and −2.3‰, respectively. Moreover, the apparent fractionation coefficient α 13 C(CO 2 -CH 4 ) were calculated, which decreased when the temperature increased. This isotopic tool was used to identify acetoclastic reaction as a dominant methanogenesis pathway. Observed changes in the isotopic composition of gaseous products obtained at different incubation temperatures may indicate decomposition of different carbon sources (e.g. lactate, propionate) to acetate and its fermentation by acetoclastic methanogens. It is possible that this was also related to the observation of the various metabolic models due to the varied methanogenic community composition.

Compression and swelling index parameters, obtained from consolidation test, are used to calculate settlement for normally and over-consolidated soils respectively. When the conditions are not suitable to perform that test, various alternative methods are investigated to get those parameters without carrying out the consolidation test. In this study, a data set including 18 marine and 40 terrestrial undisturbed Quaternary sediments was taken from southern parts of Mersin City, Turkey. Parameters obtained from consolidation test and index tests were correlated by applying simple and multiple regression analyses. The initial void ratio is the main determiner for estimating both the compression and swelling index parameters. Although attempts have been made to correlate parameters with wide distribution of samples, there is no study done with narrow range. The database was divided to subgroups according to the Plasticity chart to obtain more reliable equations. To test the significance of regression analyses, T and F-tests were done. With this study, statistically significant new equations with very high correlation coefficients are proposed.

Unlike the contiguous windthrows, the scattered windthrows occurring as a result of wind gusts of lower speed (100-140 km/h) than in the first case (>140 km/h) are much more difficult to detect due to their much smaller areas and due to their very large number (several hundred in the wooded Vosges Mountains). The objective of this research is to present a rapid procedure for the detection of the scattered windthrows based on low cost, Landsat type images, knowing that certain sensors cannot be accessed without significant investments. Our application is based on the study of effects caused by the Storm Xynthia in the Vosges Mountains in the North-East of France, on 28 February 2010. Thus, based on two sets of Landsat satellite images, we used the “dark object” approach and the Disturbance Index, as well as the image classification before and after the storm, resulting in a map of changes. Following the detection process, 257 scattered polygons were detected, totalling 229 ha. For validation purposes, high-resolution images and orthophotoplans taken before and after storm were used. The error matrix was calculated, achieving an overall accuracy of 86%, which confirmed the quality of our analysis and supported this procedure for detecting scattered windthrow based on low cost resources.

To investigate the efficacy of modified clay minerals to remediate heavy metals from industrial wastewater, two natural clay sediments dominated by kaolinite were selected. Since the kaolinite clay has low cation exchange capacity, some modifications were made using unusual treatments thermal transformation and acid activation techniques were used to increase exchangeability properties for producing modified kaolinite. The increased exchangeability was demonstrated through various methods. Results of X-Ray diffraction analysis verified the transformation of Kaolinite as indicated from disappearing all the diffractogram peaks due to kaolinite. In infra-red spectroscopy, the presence of a broad band with little change in the intensity in the region coupled with broad Si-O bending vibration band and Si-O-Al compound vibration bands explain the extent of structural disorder as a response of modification treatment. From a mineral structural viewpoint, destruction through heat treatment exposes directed –OH bonds located between the tetrahedral and octahedral layers (amorphization). It has been observed that after an acidification treatment, the –OH groups become less stable and lead to the newly formed vacant sites during the modification treatments accommodate extra structural water; thereby; broadening the –OH bands in the I.R spectrum. Scanning Electron Microscope study has clearly demonstrated that, transformation in kaolinite structure from from hexagonal original shape to edgeless shape and values of Cation Exchange Capacity C.E.Cwere increased from 8.2 to 18.41 Meq/100g and from 12.66 to 28.53 Meq/100g in both Sinai and Aswan sediment, respectively. Result of the present study has indicated that crystalling structure of kaolinte tranformed to collapsed structure after modification treatment and the new structure can absorb a large amounts of pollutant metallic ions including Zn and cu from wastewater. Observed increase of metal ions removed by modified clays are due to increase of exchange sites produced by the acid leaching on a collapsed kaolinite framework. A comparison of relative removing values between Zn and Cu revealed that the removing kinetics of Cu is more favored under identical molar concentrations than Zn.

Paleogene lacustrine dolomicrite of Unit II of the lower Xingouzui Formation in the southern part of the Qianjiang Depression, China forms “tight carbonate” hydrocarbon reservoirs that can be divided into the following four dolomicrite types: dolomicrite, muddy dolomicrite, sandy dolomicrite, and gypsiferous dolomicrite. These four dolomicrite types occur in the following three distinct combinations, which are referred to as subfacies: (1) interbedded dolomicrite (or sandy dolomicrite) and dark-gray siliciclastic mudstone, interpreted as open lacustrine deposits, (2) grayish-dark siliciclastic mudstone with thinly-bedded muddy dolomicrite or gypsiferous dolomicrite, interpreted as restricted lacustrine deposits, and (3) grayish-green mudstone with thinlybedded brown-yellow siltstone, interpreted as lacustrine shoreline deposits. The spatial distribution of these subfacies was controlled by the paleo-provenance system, paleo-microgeomorphology, and lake level fluctuations. In the open lacustrine subfacies, dolomicrite or sandy dolomicrite are often vertically interbedded with dark argillite rocks, forming a suitable petroleum source rockreservoir association. The dolomicrite and sandy dolomicrite reservoirs possess many secondary crystalline pores and few dissolution pores, with mesopore porosities in the range of 15%–25%. The dark mud shale interval has total organic carbon (TOC) values exceeding 4% (averaging 1.29%). The organic matter is mainly type II 2 , with vitrinite reflectance values averaging 0.57, which indicates potential for the generation of immature oil. The oil-source correlation results indicated that the n-alkanes of the crude oil and source rock samples from Unit II of the lower Xingouzui Formation exhibit single peak values, with a main peak (post-peak) in C 22 and a Pr/Ph ratio $#x003C; 1 in a C 29 20R $#x003E; C 27 20R $#x003E; C 28 20R distribution. These features indicate that source-reservoir interbedding is characteristic of selfsourced reservoirs. The interbedded dolomicrite (or sandy dolomicrite) and dark-gray siliciclastic mudstone, i.e ., subfacies (1), is a favorable target for hydrocarbons in the study area.

By means of similar tests, the stope room is scaled and the process of multiple-drawpoint ore drawing under the influence of a flexible barrier is simulated by the marking particle method. Based on the experimental phenomena and data, the shape of the barrier, the draw column, and the numerical relations for the discharge between each drawpoint are analysed. The velocity equation for ore particles flowing through multiple drawpoints is established and the relationship between ore particle flow properties and velocity fields is found. Finally, the following results are derived: 1) For each layer, the morphology of marked particles is similar to that of vertical velocity. The particles are quasi-linear in the upper part of the model and wavy in the lower part. The amplitude increases with decreasing height. 2) The distribution of thirteen concentric points of horizontal velocity in each layer illustrate that the ore particles drawn from each drawpoint are from the centreline between it and the adjacent drawpoint. 3) The barrier and the marked particles are at the lowest sag points at the top of the number two and number six drawpoints (close to the model’s side wall) because of the combination of vertical velocity and horizontal velocity.

This paper proposes a new refractivity profile estimation method based on the use of AIS signal power and quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO) algorithm to solve the inverse problem. Automatic identification system (AIS) is a maritime navigation safety communication system that operates in the very high frequency mobile band and was developed primarily for collision avoidance. Since AIS is a one-way communication system which does not need to consider the target echo signal, it can estimate the atmospheric refractivity profile more accurately. Estimating atmospheric refractivity profiles from AIS signal power is a complex nonlinear optimization problem, the QPSO algorithm is adopted to search for the optimal solution from various refractivity parameters, and the inversion results are compared with those of the particle swarm optimization algorithm to validate the superiority of the QPSO algorithm. In order to test the anti-noise ability of the QPSO algorithm, the synthetic AIS signal power with different Gaussian noise levels is utilized to invert the surface-based duct. Simulation results indicate that the QPSO algorithm can invert the surface-based duct using AIS signal power accurately, which verify the feasibility of the new atmospheric refractivity estimation method based on the automatic identification system.

Electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) surveys and physico-chemical analysis were carried out on a solid waste landfill (SWL) in Eastern Cape, South Africa to assess the impact of leachate pollution on groundwater quality. 2-D resistivity imaging was done across three profile lines (A, C and E) on the landfill. Physico-chemical properties of water samples from the leachate pond and boreholes (BH1 and BH2), located between 80 m to 200 m from the edge of the landfill were analysed. The results revealed groundwater contamination to a depth of about 75 m,well within the aquiferous zone. High electrical conductivity (EC) and total dissolve solid (TDS) values observed in the groundwater samples indicate a downward transfer of leachate into the groundwater. The difference in EC and TDS values for BH2 and BH1 (9892 μS/cm/ 4939 mg/L and 6988 μS/cm/ 3497 mg/L respectively), indicated that concentration of contaminants increased towards the centre of the landfill The direction of flow of the leachate is towards the southwestern part of the landfill. In the absence of a leachate recovery system, the uncontrolled accumulation of leachate over time at the landfill will pose a threat to the groundwater quality, hence the need to improve waste management practices in the study area to mitigate the effects of pollution

Landscape characterisation using social media photographs from popular platforms has been proposed as a landscape and ecosystem services approach. However, popular crowdsourced websites provide uncharacterized data and are only representative of the general public. Photographs from crowdsourced sports platforms, whose users are more homogeneous, could help to characterise landscape more uniformly. In this study we use automated content analysis from photographs on Wikiloc, a crowd-sourced sports platform, to characterize landscape in the Ebro Delta Natural Park, a protected area in Spain. Our approach applies big data procedures and spatial analysis to provide in-depth information regarding what draws visitors’ attention to a landscape and to ascertain their intrasite flow. Our results show that sports users are keen on natural landscapes and pay less attention to rural and degraded landscapes, and that areas closer to paths are more photographed than more distant areas.

A comprehensive transient electromagnetic interpretation method based on seismic wave impedance inversion has been proposed according to the advantages of seismic and transient electromagnetic exploration methods to mitigate of hidden water inrush disasters in coalmines. Combined seismic wave impedance inversion results and resistivity logging data, the method was used to establish a geo-electric model. The stratigraphic horizon and the stratigraphic electrical characteristics were determined by the wave impedance inversion data and the resistivity logging data respectively. Furthermore, the structure and water-bearing property in the stratum were estimated by the analysis of the difference between the measured transient electromagnetic data and the calculated data from the forward model. The numerical calculation of the fault-containing model shows that the comprehensive interpretation method could determine the water-bearing capability of the fault as well as it tendency. An advantage of this new method is the effective avoidance of the influence of low-impedance overburden on the data interpretation. The practical application can accurately explain the location and the water-bearing property of the disaster-causing factors of the hidden water inrush in the coalmines.

Large volumes of magma emplaced and deposited within sedimentary basins can have an impact on the architecture and geological evolution of these basins. Over the last decade, continuous improvement in techniques such as seismic volcano-stratigraphy and 3D visualisation of igneous bodies has helped increase knowledge about the architecture of volcanic systems buried in sedimentary basins. Here, we present the complete architecture of the Maahunui Volcanic System (MVS), a middle Miocene monogenetic volcanic field now buried in the offshore Canterbury Basin, South Island of New Zealand. We show the location, geometry, size, and stratigraphic relationships between 25 main intrusive, extrusive and sedimentary architectural elements, in a comprehensive volcano-stratigraphic framework that explains the evolution of the MVS from emplacement to complete burial in the host sedimentary basin. Understanding the relationships between these diverse architectural elements allows us to reconstruct the complete architecture of the MVS, including its shallow (<3 km) plumbing system, the morphology of the volcanoes, and their impact in the host sedimentary basin during their burial. The plumbing system of the MVS comprises saucer-shaped sills, dikes and sill swarms, minor stocks and laccoliths, and pre-eruptive strata deformed by intrusions. The eruptive and associated sedimentary architectural elements define the morphology of volcanoes in the MVS, which comprise deep-water equivalents of crater and cone-type volcanoes. After volcanism ceased, the process of degradation and burial of volcanic edifices formed sedimentary architectural elements such as inter-cone plains, epiclastic plumes, and canyons. Insights from the architecture of the MVS can be used to explore for natural resources such as hydrocarbons, geothermal energy and minerals in buried and active volcanic systems elsewhere.

As an essential carbonate reservoir parameter, porosity is closely related to rock properties. Digital rock physics (DRP) technology can help us to build forward models and find out the relationship between porosity and physical properties. In order to prepare models for the rock physical simulations of carbonate rocks, digital rock models with different porosities and fractures are needed. Based on a three-dimensional carbonate digital rock image obtained by X-ray microtomography ( μ -CT), we used erosion and dilation in mathematical morphology to modify the pores, and fractional Brownian motion model (FBM) to create fractures with different width and angles. The pores become larger after the erosion operation and become smaller after the dilation operation. Therefore, a series of models with different porosities are obtained. From the analysis of the rock models, we found out that the erosion operation is similar to the corrosion process in carbonate rocks. The dilation operation can be used to restore the matrix of the late stages. In both processes, the pore numbers decrease because of the pore surface area decreases. The porosity-permeability relation of the models is a power exponential function similar to the experimental results. The structuring element B ’s radius can affect the operation results. The FBM fracturing method has been proved reliable in sandstones, and because it is based on mathematics, the usage of it can also be workable in carbonate rocks. We can also use the processes and workflows introduced in this paper in carbonate digital rocks reconstructed in other ways. The models we built in this research lay the foundation of the next step physical simulations.

We analysed spatial development of traditional and modern settlements on active alluvial fans in the Upper Sava Valley (NW Slovenia), by using old cadastral data from the beginning of the 19th century, time series of aerial photographs from the middle of the 20th century and recent building cadastre. The valley is surrounded by the mountainous Julian Alps in the south and the Karavanke Mountains in the north where there is a lack of space for settlements due to steep slopes that are increasing the danger of slope processes, torrential processes and floods. By using a very high-resolution 1m LiDAR digital elevation model, we defined the morphometry of alluvial fans and the characteristics of the drainage system of contributing tributaries. We classified the areas according to the threat posed by the modelled torrents and debris flows. We analysed the resilience of settlement in different periods from this perspective and evaluated the integration of natural processes effects in modern spatial planning projects. We found that geomorphic processes threaten a relatively large proportion of some new and old settlements on alluvial fans and that safe planning of areas of settlement has been successful neither in the past nor in recent decades.

To address the problems of the suspended buffer spring’s safety and service life, we introduce the basic operating principles and structure parameters of the suspended buffer; followed by establishing a new numerical model of the buffer spring vibration using Femap software. The vibration characteristics of the spring form the basis for spring safety check and service life prediction. Therefore, the principles influencing the gangue particle size and feeding rate on the vibration characteristics of the buffer spring were analyzed. The results have indicated that the vibration frequency, axial pressure peak and the maximum and minimum axial pressure within the periodic vibration had power relations with gangue particle size D , while they had linear relations with the gangue feeding rate v except for the vibration frequency that had nothing to do with the feeding rate. According to the ultimate axial pressure of the spring, the relations between the shear pressure and tensile strength as well as the vibration characteristics, the spring’s safety check formula and service life formula were obtained. Based on the backfilling parameters of the working face in Dongping Coal Mine, the crushed gangue particle size and spring service life were determined. Based on the engineering practice in Dongping Coal Mine, the spring service life was obtained. And the fatigue fracture of the spring was also analyzed.

Aiming at the problem of the sudden increase of the working resistance of the support in the transition section of the mixed workface, this paper adopts the physical simulation to study the fracture and movement characteristics of the overburden strata in the backfilling section and the caving section after analysis of the system layout of mixed workface. Then, the definition of the transition section of the mixed workface is given. Next, a numerical model of the transition section length is established based on the geological conditions of the Ji 15 -31010 mixed workface of Pingdingshan No.12 Coal Mine. In the numerical simulation, it is used to study the influence of the advancing length of the mixed workface and the length of the backfilling section on the transition section length. The results show that with the increase of the advancing length of the mixed workface and the decrease of the backfilling section length, the transition section length increases continuously and eventually stabilizes. The range of variation is 6.2~13.5 m, corresponding to 4~9 hydraulic supports with a width of 1.5 m. Based on the above conclusions and the price of transitional hydraulic supports, the 4 transitional hydraulic supports used in the transition section of the Ji 15 -31010 mixed workface is determined. Filed measurement shows that as the mixed workface is advanced from 10 m to 40 m, the transition section length increases from 2 supports to 4 supports, and decreases to 2 supports again when advanced to 60 m. This indicates that the main roof of the mixed workface between 40 and 60 m experiences the initial caving. The maximum length of the transition section is 6.0 m, corresponding to 4 hydraulic supports.

In order to assess the rainfall erosivity in the Pannonian basin, several parameters which describe distribution, concentration and variability of precipitation were used, as well as 9 extreme precipitation indices. The precipitation data is obtained from the European Climate Assessment and Dataset project for the period 1961-2014, for 8 meteorological stations in northern Serbia, 5 in Hungary and 1 in eastern Croatia. The extreme values of precipitation were calculated following the indices developed by the ETCCDI. RclimDex software package was used for indices calculation. Based on statistical analysis and the calculated values, the results have been presented with Geographic Information System (GIS) to point out the most vulnerable parts of the Pannonian basin, with regard to pluvial erosion. This study presents the first result of combined rainfall erosivity and extreme precipitation indices for the investigated area. Results of PCI indicate presence of moderate precipitation concentration (mean value 11.6). Trend analysis of FI (mean value 22.7) and MFI (mean value 70.2) implies a shift from being largely in the low erosivity class, to being completely in the moderate erosivity class in the future, thus indicating an increase in rainfall erosivity for most of the investigated area (except in the northwestern parts). Furthermore, the observed precipitation extremes suggest that both the amount and the intensity of precipitation are increasing. The knowledge about the areas affected by strong soil erosion could lead to introducing effective measures in order to reduce it. Long term analysis of rainfall erosivity is a significant step concerning flood prevention, hazard mitigation, ecosystem services, land use change and agricultural production.

H-k stacking method is a standard receiver-function method to detect crustal thickness. But this method can not be applied in low-velocity sedimentary basins. To solve this problem, we propose an improved sequential H-k stacking method. The improved method needs two sequential stacks. Firstly, sediment structure is calculated using converted waves and multiples on the bottom boundary of sediments. Secondly, the sedimentary results are applied to calculate the crustal structure. Theoretical calculations and “recovery tests” indicate that the improved method can obtain accurate estimates in sedimentary basins. With the teleseismic data of North China Craton, the structure of sediments is thick in the depression and thin in the uplifted area, which is consistent with Deep Seismic Sounding results. The crust to the west of the North-South Gravity Lineament is relatively thick and has a low average Poisson ratio, whereas the east is relatively thin and has a high average Poisson ratio. This result and the structural feature from data regression imply that the eastern crust of the North China Craton has experienced wide extension, which reflect the crustal response to the severe destruction and deformation in that area compared to the western crust.

Participatory approach is useful to clarify local interests, and improve planning activities. This paper aims to evaluate local interests change and make improvements of rural development planning activities as a response. Participatory approaches were used to make rural development planning in 2007. According to the planning activities in 2007, implementation of plans and local developing requirements were tested from local perspective in 2012. Comparing local developing requirements in 2007 and 2012, local interests changes were clarified and used to advise planning activities improvements. Wangzhuang village, Hebei province, China, was chosen as the case study. The results suggest that local preference was helpful to clarify planning goals. Conflicts between different stakeholders’ interests were mainly about planning activities related to local daily life. Local interests showed a fast changeable character in a short term. These interests generally had a stable requirement on agriculture production improvement, while changed in other aspects during local community development. Participatory approach efficiently identified local interests priority and developing requirements change with a low cost. Then advised planning activities improvements consistent supported local sustainable development. We argue that taking planning activities improvements in response to local interests change through participatory approach could efficiently stimulate rural development.

The Tunisian North-western region, especially Tabarka and Ain-Drahim villages, presents many landslides every year. Therefore, the landslide susceptibility mapping is essential to frame zones with high landslide susceptibility, to avoid loss of lives and properties. In this study, two bivariate statistical models: the evidential belief functions (EBF) and the weight of evidence (WoE), were used to produce landslide susceptibility maps for the study area. For this, a landslide inventory map was mapped using aerial photo, satellite image and extensive field survey. A total of 451 landslides were randomly separated into two datasets: 316 landslides (70%) for modelling and 135 landslides (30%) for validation. Then, 11 landslide conditioning factors: elevation, slope, aspect, lithology, rainfall, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), land cover/use, plan curvature, profile curvature, distance to faults and distance to drainage networks, were considered for modelling. The EBF and WoE models were well validated using the Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (AUROC) curve with a success rate of 87.9% and 89.5%, respectively, and a predictive rate of 84.8% and 86.5%, respectively. The landslide susceptibility maps were very similar by the two models, but the WoE model is more efficient and it can be useful in future planning for the current study area.

Near-surface seismic surveys are often designed for surface wave and seismic tomographic analysis. In recent years, seismic imaging methods have been more frequently used at this scale. Recognition of near-surface structures using a single method is insufficient because of the ambiguity of the inversion problem. As a solution, the authors propose a multi-step approach, where several different seismic methods are used in a particular order, to achieve an optimal model. A multi-method approach allows utilisation of a whole spectrum of recorded data, even the elements that are treated as background noise in other techniques. In classical processing approach, information about data uncertainty is often omitted or used in the simplest way for the single method only. This work presents an updated approach to uncertainty analysis by transferring estimated uncertainty between processing steps. By assuming that every consecutively applied method is more certain, the authors were able to obtain accurate velocity fields for seismic imaging, as the main information received from the previous steps. Based on information from multiple methods, a seismic stack in the depth domain was created as a final result, with an estimate of uncertainty.

Underground coal mining activities often cause ground subsidence and damage to surface construction, which seriously threatens the lives and property of residents in mining areas. In this paper, the deformation of the Yang Juzhuang village, which is a residential area in the Huainan mining area (China), was monitored through an interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) time series analysis. The vertical displacements were detected using thirteen Sentinel-1A images that were acquired between December 2016 and May 2017. The validity and applicability of the method are verified by comparing the acquired images with the GPS measurement results. Because of the deformation characteristics of the mining area, a prediction model that is combined with a grey support vector machine regression (GM-SVR) is proposed, and the practical effects of the model are verified using the deformation monitoring results of the study area. The combination of this model and SBAS-InSAR provides rapid dynamic monitoring and enables the issuance of disaster warnings in the region.

This article presents a Geographic Information System (GIS) assessment of Landslide Susceptibility Zonation (LSZ) in North Macedonia. Because of the weak landslide inventory, statistical method (frequency ratio) is combined with Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). In this study, lithology, slope, plan curvature, precipitations, land cover, distance from streams, and distance from roads were selected as precondition factors for landslide occurrence. There are two advantages of the approach used. The first is the possibility of comparing of the results and cross-validation between the statistical and expert based methods with an indication of the advantages and drawbacks of each of them. The second is the possibility of better weighting of precondition factors for landslide occurrence, which can be useful in cases of weak landslide inventory. The final result shows that in the case of weak landslide inventory, LSZmap created with the combination of both models provide better overall results than each model separately.

Natural hazards are the most significant threats in rural areas of Romania, while landslides, floods and bank river erosion are the geomorphological processes that impose the greatest risk in the Moldavian Plateau. We have identified 189 of disappeared, displaced and partially affected villages (in the area between Siret and Prut Rivers), using old cartographic materials as primary tool, and overlapping them with the present situation: ortophoto imagery and LiDAR derived high-resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). The main natural hazards that affected the settlements were landslides (63%), floods (26%) and river bank erosion processes (11%) and in 19% of the cases the settlement completely disappeared. We also present seven study cases, three for landslides, three for floods and one for river bank erosion in order to detail how these natural hazards impacted the physical environment of the settlements. In the Moldavian Plateau the mentioned natural hazards played an important role in the dynamics of the settlement network, with variations induced mainly by the socio-political characteristics and not necessarily by the frequency variation of the natural hazard events. Such studies are needed in order to depict the vulnerability and risk scenarios, especially for the back-analysis, but also considering that future climate changes might impose changes in hazard, vulnerability and risk associated to settlements.

Rock fracture due to high-pressure fluid jetting and insert indentation was experimentally investigated. In the frame of this article, indentation designates the process of pressing a tungsten carbide insert (TCI) for roller cone bits displacement-controlled into the rock surface. Under atmospheric conditions, several crystalline and one sedimentary rock type were tested. Depending on the size, type and bonding of the mineral grains, distinct differences in fracture behaviour were observed. The influence of elevated ambient pressure regimes on the evolving cracks and fractures in the tested granite revealed that microcracking ceases with increasing ambient pressure, while the specific energy is also significantly affected. Under similar conditions, indentation experiments were performed on undamaged samples and on samples containing jetted kerfs. A distinct variation in the measured maximum force and removed volume indicated different underlying rock fracture mechanisms. By applying methods for crack visualization and three-dimensional rendering, it turned out that the dimensions of the kerf significantly affected the mechanism of fracture initiation and propagation as well as the extent of the associated fracture pattern. Furthermore, the common practice of characterizing the rock excavation process only via measurable quantities such as the specific energy, without considering the created fracture pattern, yields misleading results.

The development of high-speed railways has become an important factor influencing regional pattern changes in China. In this study, an accessibility evaluation model was constructed in combination with regional scale and regional center city to research the effect of high-speed rails on accessibility in the South Jiangsu, an urban agglomeration in China. Based on accessibility index, urban economic and social statistics data were used in conjunction with a gravity model to analyze the characteristics and evolvement of economic relations in this area. The result shows that high-speed rails improve overall regional accessibility, significantly benefit regions along rail lines, and makes middle- and long-distance journeys more convenient for the general public. High-speed rails play a particularly dominant role in the evolution of economic linkage and effectively strengthen the ties between cities. When the bonds between cities along rail lines greatly improve, a basic framework of economic relations is formed. Finally this paper discusses the imbalance arising from the effect of high-speed rails, proposing such suggestions as improving urban traffic and building expressways that connect high-speed rail stations in marginal areas to improve accessibility.

The mineral chemistry of thirteen trioctahedral chlorite samples from four regions in northwestern China, having a wide range of Fe and Mg contents and relatively constant Al and Si contents, were studied via raman spectroscopy, near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and electron - probe microanalysis. Five absorption features of the twenty samples near 4525, 4440, 4350, 4270 and 4180 cm −1 were observed, and two diagnostic features at 4440 and 4270 cm −1 were recognized. Assignments of the two diagnostic features were made for two combination bands (( ν + δ ) ( AlAl ) O − OH and ( ν + δ ) ( SiAl ) O − OH ) by regression with Raman fundamental absorptions. Furthermore, the determinant factors of the NIR band position were found by comparing the band positions with relative components. The results showed that Fe 2+ /(Fe 2+ +Mg) values are negatively correlated with the two NIR combination bands. The findings provide an interpretation of the NIR band formation and demonstrate a simple way to use NIR spectroscopy to discriminate between chlorites with different components. More importantly, a simple example of mapping Fe-rich and Mg-rich chlorites were executed using remote sensing data based on this theory. The spectroscopic detection of mineral chemical variations in chlorites provides geologists with a tool with which to collect information on hydrothermal alteration zones from hyperspectral-resolution remote sensing data.

A collapsible soil is composed essentially of a packing of mineral particles and a set of interparticle bonds holding the system together. Failure requires the bond system to fail and the soil structure to collapse. A natural hazard is presented. The soil structure may collapse inwards (consolidate), as in loess failure, or it may collapse outwards (disperse, disintegrate), as in the failure of quick-clays, some collapsing sands, some silty estuarine deposits, and in wind erosion of silty soils by saltating sand grains. Generalising about bonding systems allows two types of interparticle bond to be recognized: long range bonds and short range bonds. Long range bonds are found in clay mineral systems and allow the occurrence of plasticity. They are represented by c in the standard Coulomb equation. Short range bonds are found in inactive particle systems. These are soil systems where the constituent particles do not have a significant electrical charge. A slight deformation of a short-range bonded system causes much loss of strength. It is short range bonds which tend to dominate in collapsing soil systems, although in the complex case of loess the bond failure is initially mediated by long range bonds at the interparticle contact regions. A collapse failure involves a large scale remaking of the soil structure, and thus total failure of the bonding system. Generalising again- it can be claimed that five types of particle make up engineering soils: A active clay mineral particles (the smectites), B inactive clay mineral particles ( e.g . kaolinite, illite), C very small inactive primary mineral particles (close to the comminution limit in size- mostly in the quick-clays), D silt (usually quartz silt), and E sand (usually quartz sand). The nature of type D particles contributes to the collapse of loess soils, the most widespread of the collapsing soil phenomena. The nature of type C particles controls the behaviour of quick-clays. C and D systems are essentially dominated by short-range bonds.

The Carpathian Mountainsarc is the most seismically active area in Central Europe. Analysis of the seismicity of entire Carpathian arc requires data from each of the particular catalogues which have to be properly and uniformly entered, standardized and merged. For our study we first had to prepare a database of seismic events (M L ≥ 1.6) compiled from the data of earthquakes taken from individual national seismic networks as well as data from international seismic centers. However, a careful review of these catalogues has uncovered significant inconsistencies, particularly discrepancies in the description of the location, magnitude and completeness of seismic events. To address these inconsistencies, a newly created compound earthquake catalogue was compiled from the aforementioned seismic catalogues and included events that occurred in the Carpathian Mountains arc area between 1976 and 2017. This work is intended to point out some of the problems associated with collecting data from various seismic catalogues as well as the need for their very careful verification, in order to create a uniform set of seismic data across a large area spanning numerous countries. The results suggest that compiling a uniform and dependable earthquake catalogue is crucial for reliable seismic studies.

Digital elevation models (DEMs) play a significant role in geomorphological research. For geomorphologists reconstructing landform and drainage structure is frequently as important as elevation accuracy. Consequently, large-scale topographic maps (with contours, height points and watercourses) constitute excellent material for creating models (here called Topo-DEM) in fine resolution. The purpose of the conducted analyses was to assess the quality of Topo-DEM against freely-available global DEMs and then to compare it with a reference model derived from laser scanning (LiDAR-DEM). The analysis also involved derivative maps of geomorphometric parameters (local relief, slope, curvature, aspect) generated on the basis of Topo-DEM and LiDAR-DEM. Moreover, comparative classification of landforms was carried out. It was indicated that Topo-DEM is characterised by good elevation accuracy (RMSE <2 m) and reflects the topography of the analyzed area surprisingly well. Additionally, statistical and percentage metrics confirm that it is possible to generate a DEM with very good quality parameters on the basis of a large-scale topographic map (1:10,000): elevation differences between Topo-DEM and: 1) topographic map amounted from−1.68 to +2.06 m,MAEis 0.10 m, RMSE 0.16 m; 2) LiDAR-DEM (MAE 1.13 m, RMSE 1.69 m, SD 1.83 m); 3) GPS RTK measurements amounted from−3.6 to +3.01 m, MAE is 0.72 m, RMSE 0.97 m, SD 0.97 m. For an area of several dozen km 2 Topo-DEM with 10×10 m resolution proved more efficient than detailed (1×1 m) LiDAR-DEM.

To understand the influence of underground mining disturbances on the shallow soil moisture in the Daliuta coal mine, remote sensing monitoring of the temporal and spatial evolution of surface soil moisture and the influence of mining on multi-source, multi-temporal and high spatial resolution remote sensing data were carried out. The scale effect of monitoring the soil moisture at different scales was analyzed using the Scaled Soil Moisture Monitor Index (S-SMMI). In this paper, SPOT 5/6 and Worldview-2 were used as the data source and mainly made up two aspects of the research: 1) based on the three SPOT data sets with the use of S-SMMI from different angles from the Daliuta mine from nearly three years of soil moisture temporal and spatial changes, the results show that the perturbation has a negative effect on the shallow soil moisture in the Daliuta coal mine, and average soil moisture of the mining area is smaller than the non-mining area, but the surface ecological construction has effectively improved the impact of the underground mining disturbance on the surface soil moisture. 2) the scale conversion of Worldview-2 data was carried out based on the resampling method. S-SMMI was used to analyze the scale effect of soil moisture monitoring at different scales. The results show that the difference between the soil moisture is only 0.0016 during the conversion process of 2 m-30 m.

Logs in the petroleum boreholes indirectly records the sedimentary cycles in the deep burial formation. In order to extract and understand the periodicity and cyclicity, it is necessary to process the data by digital signal analysis method. Taking the gamma ray (GR) log as the primary material, an identification approach of Milankovitch cycles in boreholes is proposed in this paper, which is based on the Maximum Entropy Spectral Analysis (MESA). The first stage chooses the appropriate windows for calculating the frequency spectral properties in a short section of the data. In each depth window, the second stage generates the two-dimension frequency spectrum utilizing the MESA. At each depth point, the third stage finds the potential Milankovitch cycles in the one-dimension frequency spectrum, in which the average amplitude spectrum peak would be matched to the ratio of Milankovitch period. According to the frequency and wavelength of the maximum amplitude in Milankovitch cycles, the fourth stage estimates the sedimentation rate controlled by cyclical factor. Finally, the Milankovitch cycles in Lower Member of Miocene Zhujiang Formation in north slope of Baiyun Sag, Pearl River Mouth Basin, are identified and the cyclical sedimentation rate is estimated. The results demonstrate that the proposed method is feasible and effective to identify Milankovitch cycles in boreholes, which may contribute to the other geological researches.

The slurry trench has become increasingly common in underground engineering and the stability of a slurry trench has been an important design issue. Although many studies have focused on the overall stability of a slurry trench, few of that are related to its local stability. Based on the limit analysis, both two dimensional and three dimensional rotational failure mechanisms for the local failure of a slurry trench in a sandwiched weak layer are proposed, and the upper solutions of 2D and 3D safety factors for local failure mechanisms are derived to evaluate the stability of a slurry trench. Moreover, a numerical analysis combined with the strength reduction technique is performed to investigate the local stability and the local failure process of a slurry trench. The proposed analytical method is verified through the comparison with the results of FLAC3D. Finally, a parametric study on the influences of geometric and geologic parameters on the local stability of the slurry trench are investigated. The results show that the investigation on the local stability of a slurry trench is effective and reasonable, which can provide a reference for the engineers in the practical engineering.

Cenozoic basalt regions contain various natural resources that can be used for socio-economic development. Different quantitative and qualitative methods have been applied to understand the geological and geomorphological characteristics of basalt formations. Nowadays the integration of remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) has become a powerful method to distinguish geological formations. In this paper, authors combined satellite and fieldwork data to analyze the structure and morphology of highland geological formations in order to distinguish two main volcanic eruption episodes. Based on remote sensing analysis in this study, different spectral band ratios were generated to select the best one for basalt classification. Lastly, two spectral combinations (including band ratios 4/3, 6/2, 7/4 in Landsat 8 and 3/2, 5/1, 7/3 in Landsat 7) were chosen for the Maximum Likelihood classification. The final geological map based on the integration of Landsat 7 and 8 outcomes shows precisely the boundary of the basalt formations with the accuracy up to 93.7%. This outcome contributed significantly to the correction of geological maps. In further studies, authors suggest the integration of Landsat 7 and 8 data in geological studies and natural resource and environmental management at both local and regional scales.

The Late Jurassic Naokelekan and Barsarin formations of northwestern Iraq have been investigated in three wells to assess their potentiality for hydrocarbon generation. The results of Total Organic Carbon content (TOC) and Rock-Eval Pyrolysis reveal fair to excellent content of hydrocarbon and suggest that the depositional conditions were suitable for the production and preservation of organic matter. The Thermal Maturity Proxy indicates that the studied formations were mature stage of hydrocarbon generation, with an exception of three samples from the Naokelekan Formation in Shaikhan-8 well, and two samples from the Barsarin Formation in Atrush-1 and Shaikhan-8 wells were at an immature stage. The S 1 and TOC relationship shows that all the samples are indigenous in nature. Most of samples from the Naokelekan Formation belong to kerogen Type II/III, and that in the Barsarin Formation belongs to kerogen Type II is dominant. The Pr/Ph, Pr/n-C 17 and Ph/n-C 18 ratios for the extracted bitumen of both the formations indicate that they were originated from marine organic matter under reducing conditions. The δ 13 C Sat and δ 13 C Aro range from −28.7 to −27.7‰ and −28.8 to −27.7‰ respectively. These biomarkers show high contribution of marine organic matters preserved under relatively anoxic conditions in the studied formations.

The sediment sources in the southern Okinawa trough (SOT) are still controversial and few studies have focused on the effects of transport processes on the elemental composition of initial terrigenous materials. Here we present rare earth element (REE) and trace element data on siliciclastic sediments from 14 C age-dated Core S3, which was collected from the SOT, to provide reliable evidence for illustrating the modified effects of marine environments on terrigenous sediments deposited at different stages and exposing changes in sediment source over the past 3 ka. Compared with bulk sediments, the siliciclastic sediments in S3 have more variable REE fractionation parameters and lower middle REE (MREE) contents. Our REE data indicate that during river-sea processes, MREE-enriched fractions such as Fe–Mn oxides and carbonate were added to the original terrigenous sediments before deposition, weakening the degree of REE fractionation in the initial sediments; thus, care should be taken when using REE data from bulk samples to decipher source changes. The temporal changes in sediment source in S3 can be broadly identified based on the REE fractionation parameters of the residual fractions, and the results are largely consistent with the findings obtained by heavy mineral examinations. Units 1 and 3 are dominated by reworked shelf sediments of Changjiang origin,while the proportion of Taiwan-derived sediment is notably higher in Units 2 and 4. The sediment flux of Taiwan origin in the SOT was much smaller than previously thought. Huanghe-derived sediments and volcanic materials did not contribute significantly to the late Holocene sedimentation in the SOT. The large variations in sediment sources in S3 were possibly caused by changes in transport patterns driven by time-dependent changes in oceanic currents.

Shale, a heterogeneous and extremely complex gas reservoir, contains low porosity and ultra-Low permeability properties at different pore scales. Its flow behaviors are more complicated due to different forms of flow regimes under laboratory conditions. Flow regimes change with respect to pore scale variation resulting in change in gas permeability. This work presents new insights regarding the change of pore radius due to gas adsorption, effective stress and impact of both on shale gas permeability measurements in flow regimes. From this study, it was revealed that the value of Klinkenberg coefficient has been affected due to gas adsorption-induced pore radius thickness impacts and resulting change in gas permeability. The gas permeability measured from new proposed equation is provides better results as compare to existing equation. Adsorption parameters are the key factors that affect radius of shale pore. Both adsorption and effective stress have an effect on the pore radius and result gas permeability change. It was found that slip effect enhances the apparent gas permeability and also changes with effective stress; therefore, combine impact of slip flow and effective stress is very important as provides understanding in evolution of apparent permeability during shale gas production.

Narva-Jõesuu lies at the eastern southeastern coast of the Gulf of Finland, at the Estonian and Russian border. The beach is influenced by heavy winds, waves and drift ice attacks, which are seriously changing the beach. It is the longest sandy beach in Estonia and longshore drift on this beach has induced favorable conditions for the separation of heavy minerals. The aims of the study were to describe the development of the coast, discuss the influence of the destructed pier, and to identify the mineral composition of beach sands. The dynamics of the coast were mainly through comparison with older topographic maps (from the beginning of the 20th century). For mineral analysis the immersion method was applied. The heavy mineral content was found to increase from east to west. The pier was built in Narva-Jõesuu in 1987/88 for protecting the coast, but it is now broken. Consequently, storms are crashing against the coast and erosion of the sandy shore has started. Therefore, the pier should be restored to avoid further beach destruction.

The optimal selection of fracturing interval for the exploitation of tight oil reservoirs is very important for formulating a development program. In this study, the reservoir quality and the reservoir fracability are evaluated, and the criteria for the optimal selection of the fracturing interval are established, using the tight reservoir in the the Qing I Member of Qingshankou Formation in the Daqingzijing Oilfield of China as the study site. The results indicate that the porosity, the oil saturation and the effective thickness of tight reservoir are keys to optimizing the fracturing interval. The brittleness index and the difference coefficient among the horizontal stresses in the reservoir have a strong influence on fracability. The stress difference coefficient in the reservoir is smaller and the reservoir develops microfractures, the complex mesh fractures are easier to occur during fracturing. The stress difference between the reservoir and the surrounding bed is small and the thickness of the surrounding bed is thin, it is easy to communicate with adjacent oil-bearing layers when fracturing.

Lithological mapping in weathered and vegetated coastal zone is always a crucial but challenging issue for geological remote sensing. This study tested the applicability of Sentinel-2A and ASTER GDEM data for lithological mapping in the coastal zone of Shanwei district, southern China. Here, a comprehensive scheme for tuff and granite outcrops extraction and lithological classification was employed to process the remote sensing data: 1) Using the matched filtering with image-derived spectra as references, the weathered but representative outcrop-related patches were preliminarily extracted based on the fractal “DN-A” (digital number-area) algorithm; 2) The image masks of NDXI (NDVI, NDSI and MNDWI) in conjunction with spatial intersection, were conducted to minimize the influence of vegetation coverage; 3) Considering terrain features caused by differential weathering, slope analysis have allowed us to discriminate from tuff to granite outcrops; 4) A set of empirical verification criteria were established to assess the classification accuracy, which are exactly 82.4~83.2% of tuff and 91.3~92.3% of granite. The peak values of tuff and granite patch areas are 0–0.1 km 2 (51%) and 0–0.5 km 2 (60%), and 90% of patches are < 0.6 km 2 of tuff and < 3.5 km 2 of granite, respectively. The protolith of extracted weathered outcrops were further identified by several excavated trenches. This research has contributed a useful case study for remote-sensing lithological mapping in weathered and vegetated coastal zone, and the proposed approach should have a great possibility to be extrapolated for other similar cases.

The nearshore sand bar-sheet sedimentary system of the K-Successions sandstones of the Zhujiang Formation (23.8-16.5 Ma) in H21 Area of Huizhou Depression, Pearl River Mouth Basin has been identified in this research according to lithological characteristics, lithofacies, sedimentary sequence and seismic attributes. Seven lithofacies were recognized: fine-grained massive sandstone (Sm), fine-grained trough cross-bedded sandstone (St), fine-grained planar-bedded sandstone (Sp), fine-grained ripple cross-bedded sandstone (Sr), fine grained horizontally-bedded sandstone (Sh), laminated claystone with interbedded siltstone (Fl) and massive mudstone (Fm). Three sedimentary microfacies were further divided: sand bar, sand sheet and interbar. With the progradation and retrogradation process influenced by sea level changing, delta evolution of K-Successions sandstones in H21 area of Huizhou Depression can be divided into four stages: the early stage of the transgressive systems tract, A/S>1; the medium stage of the transgressive systems tract, A/S>1; the end stage of transgressive systems tract; the stage of the highstand systems tract, A/S<1. Different evolution stages controlled the sandstones distribution.

The distribution of slip faults along the fault plane plays a special role in the kinetic pattern of tectonic deformation. To better understand the coseismic deformation and geodynamics of the earthquake, this paper applied the pile-up theory and derived an analytical formula to describe the non-uniform slip distribution along the fault width. To validate the new formula, it was tested with the coseismic displacements at the global positioning system (GPS) stations for the Tohoku earthquake in 11 March, 2011. Then, the computed horizontal and vertical displacements calculated using NDSM were compared to back-slip model (BSM) using GPS data obtained from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Finally, the theoretical analysis revealed that the analytical formulas derived here can be perceived as the expansion and perfection of the uniform dislocation model. Meanwhile, our results showed that the characteristics of the spatial distribution deformation from NDSM are similar to those derived by GPS measurements. Furthermore, the near-field RMS errors indicated that the horizontal displacements estimated using NDSM is 27.5%, and 35.6% for the vertical components. Our new formulas and findings could assist better portray the crustal deformation in some region and geodynamics in specific earthquake.

Environmental justice is a normative framework for the analysis of environmental impacts on the wellbeing of individuals and social groups. According to the framework, the deprived social groups and ethnic minorities are often more exposed to environmental risks and hazards due to their disadvantaged situation, and due to the lack of representation and political power. To manage the impacts of injustices and to include the citizen in the decision-making processes, proper information is needed on local attitudes and decision-making processes. Therefore, this study sought to (i) identify the main factors shaping the attitudes towards environmental injustices and (ii) to analyse the attitudes and perception of the various social groups and (iii) to identify the main factors which are shaping the attitudes and actions of those who were affected by the floods of 2001 and 2010 through the use of decision tree method. The data for the predictive model was acquired from a questionnaire survey conducted in two disadvantaged and flood-hit Hungarian regions. Based on the survey data, a principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted, which resulted in three principal components; fear, social change, and change in the built environment. The study focused only on the elements of the “fear principal component”, due to the decision tree tool homogenous groups identified in relation to this component. Our analysis showed that ethnicity has a determinative role in the emergence and the level of fear from floods; the Roma respondents expressed a significantly higher level of fear than others.

One of the most crucial consequences of climate change involves the alteration of the hydrologic cycle and river flow regime of watersheds. This study was an endeavor to investigate the contributions of climate change to maximum daily discharge (MDD). To this end, the MDD simulation was carried out through implementing the IHACRES precipitation-runoff model in the Payyab Jamash watershed for the 21st century (2016-2100). Subsequently, the observed precipitation and temperature data of the weather stations (1980-2011) as well as 4 multi-model outputs of Global Climate Models (GCMs) under the maximum and minimum Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) (2016-2100) were utilized. In order to downscale the output of GCMs, Bias Correction (BC) statistical method was applied. The projections for the 21st century indicated a reduction in Maximum Daily Precipitation (MDP) in comparison with the historic period in the study area. The average projected MDP for the future period was 9 mm/day and 5 mm/ day under 2.6 and 8.5 RCPs (4.6% and 2.6% decrease compared with the historical period), respectively. Moreover, the temperature increased in Jamash Watershed based on 2.6 and 8.5 RCPs by 1 ∘ C and 2 ∘ C(3.7% and 7.4% increase compared with the historical period), respectively. The findings of flow simulation for the future period indicated a decrease in MDD due to the diminished MDP in the study area. The amount of this decrease under RCP8.5 was not remarkable (0.75 m 3 /s), whereas its value for RCP2.6 was calculated as 40m 3 /s (respectively, 0.11% and 5.88% decrease compared with the historical period).

The article considers the tourist traffic as possible to elements of inanimate nature in protected areas. The highest form of protection in Poland - national parks, has been taken into account. The main goal is to diagnose the situation based on the analysis of official documents elaborated by the national park authorities. One of the important elements is to diagnose the threat to nature and indicate ways to neutralize it. At the beginning, the geotouristic potential of these parks was presented, where this type of resources is considered important from the point of view of tourism. The tourist function of the most important attractions in Poland was indicated. In the top ten there are as many as 4 national parks, including Tatrzański which takes first place. The size of tourist traffic in all 23 parks was analyzed. As a result, it was shown that the most popular, where tourist flow is of mass character, include mountain parks with significant geotouristic potential. Next, the current protection plans for them were analyzed: Tatrzański, Karkonoski, Table Mountains and Pieniński, where the annual tourist flow varies between 0.5 million and almost 4 million visitors per year. Threats were assigned to 4 groups: existing internal threats, potential internal threats, existing external threats and potential external threats. In each of the types of threats special attention was paid to those related to inanimate nature. It also indicated the ways in which park managers want to influence the change of negative trends. The basic conclusion was indicated, which boils down to the postulate of a balanced approach to the protection of both types of nature: animate and inanimate. In the case of animate nature, threats and suggestions for improving the situation seem to be much better diagnosed than in the case of inanimate nature.

Organic carbon content is one of the major proxies of aquatic primary production and implication of environmental changes. However, there is a scarcity of information regarding the decadal variation of organic carbon production in inner-shelf of South China Sea (SCS) and East China Sea (ECS). To bridge this gap of information two sediment cores were collected from the inner shelf of SCS (Leizhou Peninsula) and ECS. Then, Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Total Inorganic Carbon (TIC) and Total Nitrogen (TN) content were examined. The TOC content in the Leizhou Peninsula averaged 0.56% and varied from 0.35% to 0.81%. At decadal time scale, the TOC content of Leizhou Peninsula erratically increased in the last century, and it distinctly peaked after 1990’s. This is related to increased primary production due to the increased input of anthropogenic nutrients and rainfall level. The TOC content of the inner shelf of ECS averaged 0.5% and varied narrowly from 0.46% to 0.53%. The TOC:TN ratio of ECS averaged 5.65 and varied from 4.42 to 7.85, indicating there is high degree of organic matter degradations. The TN:TP ratios were below 10 for the periods before late-1990’s, indicating that there had been a potential nitrogen limitation in the inner shelf of ECS. Generally, this study showed that the TOC and TIC of ECS and SCS inner-shelf had undergone substantial changes in the last century.

The subjects of this study are hydrogeothermal potentials of Rogozna mountain (Serbia) and possibility of their use. Thermo-mineral springs at the mountain’s foothill are the leftovers from an intensive volcanic activity during the Tertiary. The most famous and the most valuable ones are the springs in Novopazarska Spa, Banjska and in the village of Vuca, with a number of springs yet to be examined. The hydrogeothermal potential of these springs is significant, with the total thermal power of 4.6 MWt and the thermal energy of 145.4 TJ/year, but these could be greatly enlarged through the additional investigation in the interior of Rogozna. It is believed that the primary reservoir lies at the approximate depth of 2 km and that the water temperature is about 120 ∘ C. In the area of Rogozna mountain there are a lot of thermomineral springs (TM) with outlet temperature between 30 and 54 ∘ C. The main goal of this study is to determine the thermo-mineral capacity and energy potential in the area of three spas. This study allows the hypothesis that thermo-mineral springs in the area of Rogozna mountain have large potential. The researched area of Rogozna mountain is insufficiently investigated geo-space, which is rich in thermo-mineral springs. Thermal sources in Rogozna mountain produce heat power of 4.6MWt or 1.4% of heat power given by all the sources in Serbia. The waters of these springs are solely used for balneological and recreational purposes. Yet they could successfully be used in warming and cooling the space, for greenhouses in fruit, vegetable and flower production. In the end, all geospatial data with the help of GIS advanced techniques were digitized and visualized.

Talus slopes are a common sedimentary formation both in polar and high-mountain areas, but their development is still not sufficiently understood. This article discusses the environmental factors that have been influencing development of talus slopes since the deglaciation and their impact on the internal structure of slopes. Case studies of the slopes from SW Spitsbergen and the Tatra Mountains in Poland were compared in order to explore different evolution stages. Slopes’ structure was analysed using geophysical surveys based on two-dimensional electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) with a Wenner-Schlumberger array and an electrode spacing of 5 m, combined with geomorphological observations. The investigated talus slopes represent the paraglacial, periglacial and talus-alluvial environments. New data on the internal structure of talus slopes developing in the present or past glaciated areas adds to understanding talus slope evolution. There are many different views concerning the development of slopes during the paraglacial period, whose analysis seems to be crucial in the background of climate change and their record in slope structures. In addition, the study provided valuable information on the development and degradation of permafrost in slope materials.

Turkey is located in a seismically active region with a complex tectonic history. In order to perform seismic risk assessment precisely, major fault zones (North Anatolian Fault Zone and East Anatolian Fault Zone) that are well defined are monitored continuously. It is a widely known fact that intraplate settings, such as Anatolian Plate, in which devastating earthquakes may occur, need to be observed densely. In this study, we investigate the seismotectonics of Malatya Fault within the Malatya Ovacık Fault Zone (MOFZ), which is one of the major agents responsible for internal deformation acting on Anatolian Plate. Recent geological and paleoseismological studies underline the necessity of comprehending the seismicity and latency of a major earthquake in this fault zone.We applied traditional techniques to investigate data of such a region. Earthquakes that occured in the vicinity of Malatya Fault between the years 2011 and mid-2019 are employed in a detailed analysis. The results of this study are constrained by the distribution of sensor networks in the region, yet allowing to define an active structure which is not included in the active fault map of Turkey, therefore, making a significant contribution to seismic hazard estimation.

In Western-Atakent (İstanbul), population density is increasing day by day and settlement areas are expanding. Soil properties and landslide conditions of these expanding regions must be absolutely examined. In the geophysics, there are many methods used to investigate landslide risks and geotechnical structure. The most common geophysical methods used for this purpose are the Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), Multi-channel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) and Microtremor Survey Method (MSM) methods. These methods are very successful techniques for defining underground layers as geological structures, stratigraphic elements, soil layer thickness and landslide. Because of that reason in this study, soil properties and possibility of landslides of the Western-Atakent (İstanbul) region were investigated by using ERT, MASW, MSM and drilling methods. In this study the first stage, electrical resistivity data have been measured using dipole-dipole method on two profiles for ERT. In the second stage, MASW measurements have been made at 25 points on 5 seismic profiles in the field. In the third stage, MSM measurements have been made to determine the fundamental period in the 5-measure station in the study area. In the fourth and final stage, 10-pieces boreholes with a depth of 20 m were drilled to reveal the lithological structure of the study area. As a result of the evaluation of all data, parts of the region that could form landslides were revealed.

Despite being rich in groundwater resources, assessment of hard-rock aquifers in many areas of Asia is difficult given their strong heterogeneity. However, delineation of such aquifers is essential for estimation of the groundwater reserves. In addition, the vulnerability of hard-rock aquifers is controlled by the weathered/fractured zones because it is the place where most of the groundwater reserves are contained. In this work, an integrated approach of the electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), high precision magnetic, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), physicochemical analysis and pumping test data was performed to investigate the hard-rock aquifers occurring in the weathered terrains. This approach reveals seven fractures/faults (F1 to F7) and four discrete layers such as the topsoil cover, highly weathered, partly weathered and unweathered rock. The groundwater resources are estimated as a function of different parameters i.e ., aquifer resistivity ( ρ o ), transverse unit resistance ( T r ), hydraulic conductivity (K), transmissivity (T), rock formation factor (F) and rock porosity ( Φ ). These parameters divide the groundwater resources into four aquifer potential zones with specific ranges of ρ o , T r , K, T, F and Φ i.e ., high, medium, poor, and negligible potential aquifers. The results suggest that the high potential aquifer reserves are contained within the weathered/fractured and fault zones. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique analyzes quartz as the major mineral (>50%). The physicochemical and geophysical analysis suggests good groundwater quality in the investigated area. The integrated results are highly satisfied with the available borehole information. This integrated geophysical approach for the estimation of groundwater resources is not only applicable in the weathered terrains of South China, but also in many other areas of the weathered/fractured aquifer in Asia and beyond.

Carbonate rocks are believed to be proven hydrocarbon reservoirs and are found in various basins of Pakistan including Lower Indus Basin. The carbonate rock intervals of the Jakkher Group from Paleocene to Oligocene age are distributed in south-western part of Lower Indus Basin of Pakistan. However, there are limited published petrophysical data sets on these carbonate rocks and are essential for field development and risk reduction. To fill this knowledge gap, this study is mainly established to collect the comprehensive high quality data sets on petrophysical properties of carbonate rocks along with their mineralogy and microstructure. Additionally, the study assesses the impact of diagenesis on quality of the unconventional tight carbonate resources. Experimental techniques include Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), photomicrography, Helium porosity and steady state gas permeability. Results revealed that the porosity was in range of 2.12 to 8.5% with an average value of 4.5% and the permeability was ranging from 0.013 to 5.8mD. Thin section study, SEM-EDS, and XRD analyses revealed that the samples mostly contain carbon (C), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) as dominant elemental components.The main carbonate components observed were calcite, dolomite, micrite, Ferron mud, bioclasts and intermixes of clay minerals and cementing materials. The analysis shows that: 1) the permeability and porosity cross plot, the permeability and slippage factor values cross plots appears to be scattered, which showed weaker correlation that was the reflection of carbonate rock heterogeneity. 2) The permeability and clay mineralogy cross plots have resulted in poor correlation in these carbonate samples. 3) Several diagenetic processes had influenced the quality of carbonates of Jakkher Group, such as pore dissolution, calcification, cementation, and compaction. 4) Reservoir quality was mainly affected by inter-mixing of clay, cementation, presence of micrite muds, grain compactions, and overburden stresses that all lead these carbonate reservoirs to ultra-tight reservoirs and are considered to be of very poor quality. 5) SEM and thin section observations shows incidence of micro-fractures and pore dissolution tended to improve reservoir quality.

Flash flood in small catchments of hilly area is an extremely complicated nonlinear process affected by catchment properties and rainfall spatio-temporal variation characteristics including many physical-geographical factors, and thus accurate simulation of flash flood is very difficult. Given the fact that hundreds of hydrological models are available in the literature, how to choose a suitable hydrological model remains an unsolved task. In this paper, we selected five widely used hydrological models including three lumped hydrologic models, a semi-distributed hydrological model and a distributed hydrological model for flash flood simulation, and studied their applicability in fourteen typical catchments in hilly areas across China. The results show that the HEC-HMS distributed hydrological model outperforms the other models and is suitable to simulate the flash floods caused by highly intense rainfall. The Dahuofang model (lumped) has higher precision in peak runoff time simulation. However, its performance is quite poor on the flood volume simulation in the small catchments characterized by intense vegetation coverage and highly developed stream network. The Antecedent precipitation index and Xinanjiang models (lumped) can obtain good simulation results in small humid catchments as long as long-term historical precipitation and runoff data are provided. The TOPMODEL also shows good performance in small humid catchments, but it is unable to simulate the flash floods characterized by the rapid rise and recession. Our results could be very beneficial in practice, since these provide a solid foundation in the selection of hydrological model for flash flood simulation in small catchments in hilly area.

Heterogeneity analysis of conventional data, such as geophysical log data, has been still limited to the application of near-wellbore zone, which makes it difficult to optimize the hydraulic fracturing design and may render suboptimal performance. However, the fluctuation of multi-stage pumping data, manifesting nonlinear behavior of physical properties with shale reservoir during hydraulic fractures propagation stage, is usually ignored. In this study, the empirical mode decomposition technique (EMDT) was introduced and applied to the multi-stage pumping data to determine the respective Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMF). By using a relationship between the IMF number and its mean wavenumber, the heterogeneity index associated with far-wellbore shale reservoir was determined. The results indicate that the heterogeneity index from multi-stage pumping data is good coincided with the effective stimulation reservoir volume (ESRV) obtained from micro-seismic events. Not only that, but it also reveals that there is a strong correlation of heterogeneity index, IMF number, ESRV, and degree of heterogeneity within shale reservoir. This work has demonstrated that heterogeneity index analysis combined with EMDT has been significantly important and essential to quantify the degree of heterogeneity within far-wellbore shale reservoir from multi-stage pumping data, which contributes to optimizing the hydraulic fracturing design and improving good optimal performance.