Earth Science Malaysia (ESMY)

When assessing the safety of a slope and the environmental impact resulting from open-pit and underground mining activities, it is imperative to consider the ground surface deformation induced by mining operations. Such deformations pose a significant risk to the environment, slope stability, and man-made structures within the mining activity region. Therefore, the monitoring of mining-induced ground surface deformations is crucial, and this study employs C- band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data to demonstrate the efficacy of the Persistent Scatterer Interferometric SAR (PS-InSAR) method. Specifically, the PS-InSAR method is applied to monitor ground surface deformation in the Midroc Gold Mine Company. The findings reveal that the PS-InSAR technique is capable of effectively tracking ground subsidence time-series, even in areas characterized by dense vegetation and rural landscapes. In the Midroc Lega Dembi open- pit mining region, the highest rate of ground surface deformation is observed at -90 mm per year, with cumulative subsidence values of -200 mm and -100 mm detected for ascending and descending geometries, respectively, through InSAR techniques. Additionally, ground survey data records cumulative subsidence values of -3.99866 m and -0.000122 m for ascending and descending geometries.The discrepancy between datasets is attributed to the thick vegetation cover in the study area. Integration of PS-InSAR results with ground survey data from the Midroc Lega Dembi open-pit mining zone reveals a correlation coefficient of 0.98, validating the accuracy of the PS-InSAR approach in identifying, tracking, and mapping ground surface deformation in the gold mine. This comprehensive methodology utilizes both ground survey data and C-band SAR data for a robust assessment of mining-induced ground surface deformations.

Assessing geotechnical properties of Wetlands Area in Lagos Mainland Western Nigeria. This geotechnical research was conducted at Iyana-Ipaja community in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State. Six soil samples and control samples were collected from seven different sampling points within this region for geotechnical analysis. Geotechnical properties index was carryout on the soil samples. Grain size The analysis, Specific Gravity, Atterberg Limits, Compaction Test, and Triaxial Tests was carried-out on Sample A, Sample B and Sample C. The liquid limit (LL) values for sample A, Sample B, and Sample C were 44.40%, 44.82%, and 45.13% respectively, while the plastic limit values were 28.63%, 33.30%, and 33.46% respectively. The plastic index values for samples A, B, and C were 16.76, 11.53, and 11.67 respectively. These soil samples were classified as inorganic clays of low to medium plasticity (CL) and were considered moderately plastic based on their plasticity index (PI) values being less than 17%. The natural moisture content values for soil samples A, B, and C were 98.02%, 33.22%, and 31.19% respectively. The percentages of fine Sand passing the 200 sieves were 84.35%, 65.29%, and 59.96% for samples A, Sample B and Sample C respectively, leading to their classification as Silty Sand (SM) with uniformly graded sand and silt mixture. The OMC and MDD for Sample A, Sample B and Sample C were found to be 24.4%, 26.3%, 27.5% and .34g/cm3, 1.17g/cm3, 1.27g/cm3 respectively. Wet weight measurements indicated variability but suggested characteristics of clay ranging from Very soft to Firm. The research suggests and concluded that the soil samples from the Iyana-Ipaja area of Alimosho LGA, Lagos, requires chemical stabilization, preferably with cement or lime, to be suitable for construction and geotechnical purposes.

The variability and change in rainfall conditions have become a potential future threat, manifesting several adverse impacts on nature and society. This study examines rainfall variability and change and its impact in the Western Himalaya. Rainfall data, obtained from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (Pune) for the period 1845-2006, has been analyzed by Mann-Kendall Test and descriptive statistics to describe the evolution of the minimum, maximum, and mean rainfall patterns for monthly, annual, decadal and seasonal periods. The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology has divided the Western Himalaya into four rain seasons – (1) January and February; (2) March, April, and May; (3) June, July, August, and September; and (4) October, November, and December. Therefore, the data were analyzed based on these seasons. This study depicts high rainfall variability and change in terms of average decadal, annual, seasonal, and monthly rainfall. Rainfall variability is high in the monsoon and winter seasons. The monsoon season spanning for five months now reduced to three months with high intensity of rain. It can be observed from the data that in 1901, the average annual rainfall was only 1000 mm whereas in 1950 it was 3600 mm. The similar situation was noticed in the recent past. Similarly, the rainfall by western disturbances in December and January has been shifted to February and March with low intensity. This has resulted in low crop production and productivity and high geo-hydrological disasters. Furthermore, it also has an impact on the types and distribution of biodiversity resources.

The modern taxonomical consideration is used for the studied fifty two small porcelaneous benthic foraminiferal species of the Suborder Miliolina throughout the Bartonian-Priabonian belonging to nine genera from seventeen countries in the Norther Tethys (USA, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Hungaria, Slovenia, Turkey) and Southern Tethys (Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Libya, Egypt, UAE, Pakistan, India). Two of the recorded species are treated here as new: Massilina saidi Anan, n. sp. and Quinqueloculina alaghai Anan, n. sp. Some of the recorded species are distributed outerside its original description in neighbor localities or even far from it, but others are endemic to their original description. The recorded foraminiferal assemblage indicates an open marine environment, and represents favor warm, marginal to deep sheltered environments.

This study uses Geographical Information Systems (GIS) as a support tool for gold exploration to distinguish between true and false soil geochemical anomalies at the northern segment of the Asankragwa gold belt in the Paleoproterozoic Kumasi Basin, Ghana. The main objective of this study is to identify potentially mineralized zones within the northern segment of the Asankragwa gold belt by integrating GIS, structural and soil geochemical datasets. To reduce the probability of delineating false anomalies as true anomalies, diverse graphical threshold determination methods, namely histogram, box plot, QQ plot, mean+2SD, Jenks Natural Break and Probability plot, as well as advanced threshold determination methods like the Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD) and double MAD were employed. The threshold values established from the graphical methods are 175 ppb, 96 ppb, 335ppb, 384 ppb and 100 ppb respectively. However, the MAD and double MAD methods produced threshold values of 74.5ppb and 130ppb respectively. Based on the high variability in the threshold values, anomalous areas were delineated using thresholds values of 100ppb and 130ppb respectively established from the Jenks Natural Break and Probability plot and double MAD method. About 40%, 35% and 20% of the selected anomalous areas are located within soils overlying volcanoclastic, clastic sedimentary and marine volcanoclastic rocks respectively. These anomalies are not lithologically controlled since they are not confined to a particular rock type. Superimposing the selected aanomalies over geological structures and Landsat imagery, 90% of the anomalies can be linked to the NE-SW geological structures. Upon integrating the anomalies with structural data and illegal mining activities and using the Booleon analysis, not all anomalies may be true anomalies. True gold anomalies within the Asankragwa gold belt are consistent with the central> northern> southern portions. Hence, the discovery of gold in the Asankragwa gold belt has been enhanced using GIS as a spatial support tool.

Hydrocarbon reservoir characterization using well log in part of Niger Delta, Nigeria was done in order to examine the potentiality and productivity of the reservoir. A suite of well log data consisting of gamma ray, density, resistivity and neutron logs obtained from two wells within the area of study were used for this research. Gamma ray log was used for lithology identification and differentiation, resistivity log was used to identify the type of fluid present in the reservoir, density log was used to detect gas bearing zones in the reservoir while neutron log was used to distinguish gas from oil in sandstone and shale reservoirs. The results of this study showed sand bodies were delineated and correlated across the wells and were inferred as potential hydrocarbon reservoirs. The result also showed that there is an increase in both porosity and permeability, evaluated petrophysical parameters showed that porosity values range between 0.0391 – 0.3019, water saturation values range from 0.1660 – 1.6740 while hydrocarbon saturation values range from 0.0013 – 0.7296 and net to gross values range from 0.5332 – 0.9674.

One hundred and seven calcareous benthic foraminiferal species belong to thirty-five genera from seventeen countries in the Southern Tethys (Chile, Argentina, Tanzania, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia (SA), Yemen, Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iraq, Iran, Pakistan) have been studied. The modern taxonomical consideration of the recorded species is used, which were previously noted in the literatures, while two of them are believed here as new: Quinqueloculina tanzanica and Neoflabellina iraqensis. Fifty-seven species of them are recorded from Egypt (~51%), 19 from Pakistan (~17.5%), 15 from UAE (~13.4%), Jordan and Argentina (~0.8%), Chile (~0.3%), Tanzania, SA and Yemen (~0.2%), the others counties one species. Most of the Southern Tethyan recorded species are endemic to their original description, while some of them are also recorded in some Northern Tethyan countries (i. e. France, Poland). Most of the Southern Tethyan assemblage indicates an open marine environment, which represents middle-outer neritic environment (100 m ~ 200 m depth), and shows an affinity with Midway-Type Fauna (MTF), while the littoral zones of the Middle East represent shallow neritic environment.

This study describes and illustrates the seventy three agglutinated benthic foraminiferal species of the Suborder Textulariina across the Bartonian-Priabonian belonging to thirty seven genera from twenty one countries in the Norther Tethys (USA, England, France, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Hungaria, Slovenia, Romania, Czech, Italy) and Southern Tethys (Angola, Tanzania, Tunisia, Egypt, Iraq, Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Pakistan, Japan, New Zealand) have been studied. The modern taxonomical consideration of the species is used. The recorded species were previously noted in different literatures, while eight of them are believed here as new: Bathysiphon usamai, Asanospira franciana, Paratrochamminoides spainica, Verneuilina hungariana, Martinottiella cimermani, Textularia karimae, Cylindroclavulina spainica and Tritaxilina ozsvárti. The foraminiferal assemblage indicates an open marine environment, which represents outer shelf-lower bathyal depths of deposition. The current activity not only transported allochthonous taxa, but also brought in refractory organic matter to the seafloor, which were in turn affected by sedimentary and, ultimately, by climatic factors. Most of the recorded species are distributed not only in neighboring localities, but also far from it.

This study investigates the basement rocks in Ekiti State for the purpose of geophysical classification so as to delineate prospective area of mineralization within the State. Aeromagnetic data and satellite imagery covering the entire state were analysed using appropriate software. Reduction to equator geophysical transformation was first carried out on the residual magnetic intensity data before the application of Fast Fourier Transform filters to generate some derivative maps such as the analytic signal and tilt derivative maps which amplified lineament and enhanced both weak and strong magnetic anomalies. The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data were processed to produce lineament density map, which was analysed for various linear and curvilinear features. The study area was classified into magnetic-high anomalous zone (HMA), magnetic-intermediate anomalous zone (IMA) and magnetic-low anomalous zone (LMA) based on the analytical signal analysis. Analysis of the structures showed the dominance of northeast-southwest and northwest-southeast trends. Evaluation of Lineament density showed high value of 0.5203 km-2 around the centre and the western part of the study area, which are also HMA and IMA zones, an indication of concentration of more faults, joints and line of weaknesses which may serve as favourable tracts for mineralisation in the study area.

Statistical analysis using correlation method was carried out on radiometric data in some parts of South- eastern Nigeria. The objective was to assess the spatial relationships and potential correlations among various radioactive elements in the designated area. The study area spans latitudes 5°001′ N to 6°301′ N and longitudes 7°001′ E to 8°301′ E, covering approximately 27,225 km2. Utilising the superspectrometer RS 230, a comprehensive survey was conducted. Parameters including uranium, thorium, and potassium were measured. Radiometric data analysis and interpretation unveiled the mean concentrations of uranium (U), thorium (Th), and potassium (K) in the study area, registering at 3.02 ppm, 11.22 ppm, and 0.43%, respectively. These values align closely with the standard averages of 2.973 ppm, 11.084 ppm, and 1.342%, respectively. This examination sheds light on the distribution and levels of radionuclides within the surveyed region, contributing to a deeper understanding of its geological composition and potential implications. Statistical analysis revealed an R2 value of 0.730 between Uranium and Thorium. The value obtained is above 0.5 showing a good relationship between the two. This also indicates that their concentrations are dependent on each other in the study area. But R2 values obtained between Uranium and Potassium is 0.006 and between Potassium and Thorium is 0.004 which are both less than 0.5. This depicts a weak relationship between the concentrations of Uranium and Potassium, and between Potassium and Thorium. This in turn revealed that the concentrations of the both sets in the study area are independent of each other.