Exploration
Irshad Khan; Afayou Afayou; Naeem Abbas; Asghar Khan; Numan Alam; Kausar Sultan Shah
Abstract
The study utilizes the Limit Equilibrium Method (LEM) to investigate slope movements. These movements were initially generated by construction activities at the slope's base, and subsequent events were driven by seismic activities, as the study studied area lies within the Main Karakoram Thrust (MKT) ...
Read More
The study utilizes the Limit Equilibrium Method (LEM) to investigate slope movements. These movements were initially generated by construction activities at the slope's base, and subsequent events were driven by seismic activities, as the study studied area lies within the Main Karakoram Thrust (MKT) and Main Mantle Thrust (MMT) zones. Soil samples, characterized by a moisture content of 13% and a dry unit weight of 18.14 kN/m³ were analyzed. The study revealed that an increase in saturation caused by rainwater infiltration, resulted in a reduction in unconfined compression strength, decreasing from 712 kPa to 349 kPa. The shear strength and deformation parameters (cohesion, angle of internal friction, and deformation modulus) were also examined with varied degrees of saturation. The results revealed a decrease in these parameters as the percentage of saturation increased from 30% to 90%. The slope stability study revealed that the Factor of Safety (FOS) reduced from 1.85 to 0.86 as the saturation of the material raised from 30% to 90%. To assess the influence of unit weight, cohesion, and angle of internal friction on the FOS, multiple cases were considered. The analysis revealed that the FOS increased with higher cohesion and angle of internal friction, while an increase in unit weight resulted in a lower factor of safety. Furthermore, stability of the slope was evaluated by modifying the slope geometry such as lowering the height. According to the GeoStudio investigation, the slope remained steady even at saturation levels exceeding 80%.
Exploration
Ahmed Abdelhalim; Islam Abuelella; Shawky M Sakran; Said Mohamed Said
Abstract
Kharit basin is an interior Cretaceous rift basin hosted in a Precambrian basement complex of the Arabian-Nubian shield. Satellite images and potential geophysical data previously outlined the basin without a detailed field study. Kharit area is a remote and hyper-arid area; therefore, the application ...
Read More
Kharit basin is an interior Cretaceous rift basin hosted in a Precambrian basement complex of the Arabian-Nubian shield. Satellite images and potential geophysical data previously outlined the basin without a detailed field study. Kharit area is a remote and hyper-arid area; therefore, the application of remote sensing is essential for completing the process of its geo-structural mapping. A multi-spectral optical dataset of the Landsat-8 and high-resolution images of Google Earth was integrated with the field investigation to classify the lithological units and define structures. That integration between analyzed satellite images and field investigations led to a geological map of a minimum scale of 1:50,000 for the lithological rock units and a maximum scale of up to 1:7000 for the structural mapping. The map shows an elongated NW-oriented rift basin filled by a thick deposit of Cretaceous sequences bounded from the east, west, and south by Proterozoic igneous and metamorphic rocks. Additionally, rift-related volcanic rocks were mapped along the western border fault system of the basin. The main mapped faults were delineated in three trends, NW-SE, WNW-ENE, and N-S, while several folds of NW orientations are developed as a normal drag of the main bounding faults. The Early Cretaceous extension along inherited Precambrian lineaments propagated this fault pattern and its associated folds. These structural elements configured the studied area architecture as several grabens with thick Cretaceous sequences.
Exploration
Vivek Sharma; Ravi Kumar Sharma; Pardeep Kumar
Abstract
In the present work, the empirical correlations between standard penetration test (SPT) N-values versus shear modulus (Gmax), and Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) amplifications for sub-Himalayan district-Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh (India) consisting of highly variable soil/rock strata at different ...
Read More
In the present work, the empirical correlations between standard penetration test (SPT) N-values versus shear modulus (Gmax), and Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) amplifications for sub-Himalayan district-Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh (India) consisting of highly variable soil/rock strata at different depths and across the terrain are evaluated. In the first stage, the N values obtained from SPTs are conducted in the field at 184 locations covering the studied area. The shear wave velocity for each soil profile of each borehole is calculated using the best available correlation in the literature. Further, the seismic response parameters are evaluated for these values using the ProShake software. Finally, the empirical relationships between maximum shear modulus and SPT value for different soil types are determined along with the ground motion amplifications. The amplification factor for Bhoranj sub-division varies from 1.40 to 2.60 and from 1.28 to 2.30, 1.20 to 2.10, 1.22 to 1.85, and 1.22 to 1.70 for Barsar, Nadaun, Hamirpur, and Sujanpur, respectively. The studied area consists of variable soil strata including clay, silt, sand, conglomerate, sandstone, and mixture thereof. The correlation between shear modulus and N value is coherent with already reported correlations for regular soils. The amplification factor reported for the sites plays an important role in planning infrastructure in the region. The correlations between maximum shear modulus (Gmax) and SPT value for hilly terrain comprising of highly complex geological formations such as mixed soil and fractured rocks presented in the study are not available in the research work carried out earlier.
