Structure de socle,sismostratigraphie et héritage structural au cours du rifting au niveau de la marge d'Ifni/Tan-Tan (Maroc sud-occidental)

Seismic reflection profiles from the Ifni/Tan-Tan Atlantic margin of southern Morocco, interpreted in the light of well data and field geology from the Western Anti-Atlas, allowed us to establish the seismostratigraphic framework of the syn-rift series and to reveal (i) a compressional structural style in the pre-Triassic basement similar to that established in the adjacent outcropping onshore basement but with an opposed western vergence, (ii) the importance of inherited anterior structures in the formation of Triassic-Liassic rift structures and (iii) an east–west propagation of these rift structures. To cite this article: N. AbouAli et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

Likely effects of climate change on groundwater availability in a Mediterranean region of Southeastern Spain

Groundwater resources are typically the main fresh water source in arid and semi‐arid regions. Natural recharge of aquifers is mainly based on precipitation; however, only heavy precipitation events (HPEs) are expected to produce appreciable aquifer recharge in these environments. In this work, we used daily precipitation and monthly water level time series from different locations over a Mediterranean region of Southeastern Spain to identify the critical threshold value to define HPEs that lead to appreciable aquifer recharge in this region. Wavelet and trend analyses were used to study the changes in the temporal distribution of the chosen HPEs (≥20 mm day^?1) over the observed period 1953–2012 and its projected evolution by using 18 downscaled climate projections over the projected period 2040–2099. The used precipitation time series were grouped in 10 clusters according to similarities between them assessed by using Pearson correlations. Results showed that the critical HPE threshold for the study area is 20 mm day^?1. Wavelet analysis showed that observed significant seasonal and annual peaks in global wavelet spectrum in the first sub‐period (1953–1982) are no longer significant in the second sub‐period (1983–2012) in the major part of the ten clusters. This change is because of the reduction of the mean HPEs number, which showed a negative trend over the observed period in nine clusters and was significant in five of them. However, the mean size of HPEs showed a positive trend in six clusters. A similar tendency of change is expected over the projected period. The expected reduction of the mean HPEs number is two times higher under the high climate scenario (RCP8.5) than under the moderate scenario (RCP4.5). The mean size of these events is expected to increase under the two scenarios. The groundwater availability will be affected by the reduction of HPE number which will increase the length of no aquifer recharge periods (NARP) accentuating the groundwater drought in the region. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impacts of a large Sahelian city on groundwater hydrodynamics and quality: example of Niamey (Niger)

The management of groundwater resources is very important in the semiarid Sahel region, which is experiencing rapid urban development. Impacts of urbanization on groundwater resources were investigated in the unconfined aquifer of the Continental Terminal beneath the city of Niamey, Niger, using water level and chemical data. Hydrodynamic and chemical changes are best described by a combination of factors including the historical development of the city, current land use, water-table depth and topography. Seasonal groundwater recharge occurs with high spatial variability, as indicated by water-level monitoring in all wells, but there was no interannual trend over the 5-year study period. Groundwater salinity shows high spatial variability and a minor rising trend. The highest salinity is in the old city centre, with Na–NO₃ dominant, and it increases seasonally with recharge. Salinity is much lower and more variable in the suburbs (Ca–HCO₃, Ca–NO₃, and Na–NO₃ dominant). Nitrate is the main ionic contaminant and is seasonally or permanently above the international guidelines for drinking water quality in 36 % of sampled wells, with a peak value of 112 mg L^?1 NO₃–N (8 meq L^?1). Comparison of urban and rural sites indicates a long-term increase in groundwater recharge and nitrate enrichment in the urban area with serious implications for groundwater management in the region.     

Prediction of Flyrock in Mine Blasting: A New Computational Intelligence Approach

Natural Resources Research - Blasting is the predominant rock fragmentation technique in civil constructions, underground and surface mines. Flyrock is the unwanted throw of rock fragments during...     

Prediction of Vibration Velocity Generated in Mine Blasting Using Support Vector Regression Improved by Optimization Algorithms

Natural Resources Research - Ground vibration generated from blasting is a detrimental side effect of the use of explosives to break the rock mass in mines. Therefore, accurately predicting ground...     

Le Toarcien inférieur du Haut Atlas de Todrha–Dadès (Maroc) : sédimentologie et lithostratigraphie

The survey of sedimentological and lithostratigraphic Liassic facies of the Todrha–Dades area (southwestern part of the central High Atlas) permits to establish new data on the Tagoudite formation. Its environment deposit and its micropalaeontological content are evidenced in relation with the geodynamic evolution of the High Atlas Basin during the Early Toarcian. To cite this article: M. Ettaki, E.H. Chellaï, C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

HydrIS: An open source GIS decision support system for groundwater management (Morocco)

A regional groundwater management system has been elaborated, integrating Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) and various web services. It consists of web geospatial application so-called HydrIS (Hydrogeological Information System) based on Open Source components and technologies, leading to a feasible and low-cost solution. Therefore, HydrIS permits delivery of data from a number of heterogeneous sources to standards supported by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). The protocols used for exchanging data are also derived from OGC standards, i.e., WMS (Web Mapping Service), WFS (Web Feature Service), and WCS (Web Coverage Service). Finally, a geoportal was developed, which consists of client-applications that communicate with different Web Services (WMS, WCS, and WFS) through http-requests.     

Fe(II) oxidation by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans in pure and mixed cultures in the presence of arsenate

Fe²⁺ oxidation by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans in pure and mixed cultures was investigated in batch cultures in the presence of arsenate. The pH value was periodically monitored and Fe²⁺ content was analyzed by the 1,10-phenanthroline method. ICP-AES was employed for the analysis of As(V) concentration in the solution phase. Precipitates were collected and analyzed by X-ray diffraction. Slight enhancement of iron bio-oxidation was observed in mixed cultures with the two greatest As(V) concentrations (1.0 and 5.0 mg/L As), which were enriched from sediment samples in an abandoned copper mine site. As(V) concentrations decreased with time, indicating either the co-precipitation with or the adsorption by jarosite, the major sink of solid phase. Our data suggest that biogenically synthesized jarosite may play an important role in the attenuation of soluble arsenate in natural aquatic environments.     

A new developed approach for the prediction of ground vibration using a hybrid PSO-optimized ANFIS-based model

Ground vibration is one of the common environmental effects of blasting operation in mining industry, and it may cause damage to the nearby structures and the surrounding residents. So, precise estimation of blast-produced ground vibration is necessary to identify blast-safety area and also to minimize environmental effects. In this research, a hybrid of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) optimized by particle swarm optimization (PSO) was proposed to predict blast-produced ground vibration in Pengerang granite quarry, Malaysia. For this goal, 81 blasting were investigated, and the values of peak particle velocity, distance from the blast-face and maximum charge per delay were precisely measured. To demonstrate the performance of the hybrid PSO–ANFIS, ANFIS, and United States Bureau of Mines empirical models were also developed. Comparison of the predictive models was demonstrated that the PSO–ANFIS model [with root-mean-square error (RMSE) 0.48 and coefficient of determination (R ²) of 0.984] performed better than the ANFIS with RMSE of?1.61 and R ² of 0.965. The mentioned results prove the superiority of the newly developed PSO–ANFIS model in estimating blast-produced ground vibrations.