Al-Ain City is located in the eastern part of Abu Dhabi Emirate and is considered as one of the m... more Al-Ain City is located in the eastern part of Abu Dhabi Emirate and is considered as one of the most urbanized cities in the UAE (Fig. 1). The rocks outcropping around the city are made up of carbonate rocks, mainly limestone and interbeds of marl. These rock types represent the foundation bedrocks in most of Al-Ain City. They also form the rock slopes surrounding many new developing sites to the south of the city like the road to the summit of Jabal Hafit and the eastern border of Al-Ain Wildlife Park & Resort (AWPR), whereas some engineering problems appeared. Therefore, it requires knowing the geological and geotechnical characteristics of these carbonate beds. This would overcome any uncertainties that might occur at any type of engineering applications such as design of structures either upon or inside the rocks, slope instability and others. The overall rock properties are considerably controlled by their geologic setting as stratigraphy, mineralogy, petrography and tectonic structures. So, the present study aims to find the geological and geotechnical properties of these rocks which are outcropped in Jabal Hafit and extend northward under Al-Ain City. The stratigraphy of these carbonate rocks were studied in detailed by many authors among them are Abdelghany (2002), Hunting (1979), Cherif and Deeb (1984), Noweir ( 2000), Anan et al. (1992) and Boukhary et al. (2005). The rocks build up the Hafit Mountain (Fig. 1) which represents a large doubly plunging highly asymmetric anticline that developed over a thrust fault underlying its eastern limb (Noweir, 2000; Warrak, 1996 and Ali et al., 2008). Numbers of other interesting research papers were already pointed out to the relation between the geological and geotechnical properties with respect to various rock types (Willard and McWilliams, 19969; Merriam et al., 1970; Basu et al., 2009; Tsiamboas and Sabatakakis, 2004; Sabatakakis, 2008 and Arman et al., 2007).
ABSTRACT Being quick, inexpensive, non-destructive and handy, the Schmidt Hammer (SH) test has be... more ABSTRACT Being quick, inexpensive, non-destructive and handy, the Schmidt Hammer (SH) test has been widely used to determine hardness and to predict the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of rocks. However, a review of empirical equations recommended for determination of the USC of rocks based on the SH rebound number (N) suggests that one unique formula cannot be representative for all types of rocks. Even though the obtained relationship is a useful and quick reference to assign a preliminary value for UCS, geological features such as composition, texture and mineralogy influence the mechanical properties of rock masses and these factors should be carefully evaluated. In the work presented here, a case study was chosen to demonstrate and discuss the effectiveness of particular geological circumstances on laboratory SH test results concerning different carbonate rocks. Three different types of limestones, chalky, marly and dolomitic are available in the Tertiary carbonate sequence at the studied area which is Jabal Hafit, south of Al Ain city, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The results clearly show that rapid changes in carbonate rocks composition, texture and mineralogy always create problems in generalizing the mechanical properties which are essential parameters in geological and engineering practices.
Slaking behavior of rocks is an essential indicator of their ability to resist degradation and is... more Slaking behavior of rocks is an essential indicator of their ability to resist degradation and is commonly assessed via the second cycle of slake durability index (Id2, SDI) test. In Abu Dhabi area, the evaporitic rocks commonly extend from the near surface to several meters depth, so that they lie at the foundation level of buildings and other infrastructures. Evaporites pose significant challenges for the construction sectors due to the easily degradable nature of these rocks. This study presents new and definitive data for evaporites that provides essential information for the construction businesses, engineers, and decision makers. Eighty-six rock blocks from eleven locations were collected. A representative sample of each block was extracted for slake durability testing. Samples were prepared and tested according to ASTM standards. Before and after the slaking process, the mineralogical composition and characteristic textures of the samples were examined in petrographic thin section and via XRD (X-ray diffraction), XRF (X-ray fluorescence), and SEM (scanning electron microscopy) analyses. Based on multiple cycling, Id1 to Id4, the slake test data for evaporitic rocks from Abu Dhabi indicate high to very low values. The weight loss values from the first to the fourth cycle (Id1–Id4) of all samples lie in the range 40 to 93 wt%. This is attributed to chemical and mineralogical properties of the evaporites, which allow rapid development of hydration-dehydration effects. The evaluation of the slaking behavior of evaporitic rocks provides explanations for durability problems associated with these rocks in the study area and elsewhere.
Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, Mar 31, 2017
The Schmidt hammer (SH) test, which is quick, inexpensive, non-destructive and simple to use, has... more The Schmidt hammer (SH) test, which is quick, inexpensive, non-destructive and simple to use, has been widely applied to determine hardness and to assess the unconfined compressive strength of rocks. Lithofacies (composition and texture) and environmental conditions (mainly climate) influence the mechanical properties of rock masses as shown by the investigation presented here. To evaluate these effects, a range of carbonate rocks from Al-Ain arid region in the United Arab Emirates were used for extensive in situ and laboratory SH tests. The results expose a wide range of Schmidt hardness rebound (SHRcor) values for both the in situ and the laboratory tests, but show comparable correlation coefficients between the in situ and laboratory natural surface data. This indicates that field SH measurements can be a simple and reliable tool to obtain data on rock mechanical properties; however, caution should be taken in generalization even in a small locality or a region. Although our data are within the wide range of SH values in the published literature, it is apparent that they represent unique values for the rock type investigated and the environment and thereby provide better constraints for engineers in planning for the safety aspects of constructions.
Latest Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian) microfossils are used to correlate the carbonate rock... more Latest Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian) microfossils are used to correlate the carbonate rocks of the Simsima Formation in the northeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula (Northern Oman Mountains, United Arab Emirates and Oman) with the Akveren Formation in Kandira (Northwest Turkey, near Black Sea region). Both formations have characteristically rich planktonic foraminiferal and calcareous nannofossil faunal assemblages that permit the recognition of the Globotruncanella havanensis Zone and Quadrum sissinghii Zone CC22. The palaeontological data is used to build an appropriate palaeoenvironmental model for the latest Cretaceous Aruma Group in the Oman Mountains foreland basin. The study reveals that the Late Cretaceous formations of UAE and Turkey can be divided into an open marine carbonate shelf facies (planktonic foraminifera/calcareous nannofossil biomicrite) and a shallow-marine carbonate facies (rudistids, coralline algal foraminiferal biomicrite).
Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, Sep 25, 2020
In engineering applications of rock materials, predicting the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS)... more In engineering applications of rock materials, predicting the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) is essential, particularly in the preliminary stage of a project. The UCS of rock materials is profoundly affected by the rock type, porosity, grain size, water content, etc. The rigor and cost of sampling as well as sample preparation are more than those of the Brazilian (indirect tensile strength, ITS) and 2nd cycle of slake durability index (I d2) tests. Therefore, ITS or I d2 values can be used to predict the UCS value of rocks through correlation. In this study, evaporitic rocks from Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE) were examined. Forty-eight representative rock blocks were collected, while avoiding anisotropy effects of thinly bedded rocks along with the gypsiferous layers. The relations between UCS and ITS and UCS and I d2 were estimated with representative empirical equations. Results reveal moderate correlation between them. Moreover, Student's t and F tests show that there is a significant correlation between UCS and ITS and I d2. Further, the fit between the predicted and measured values was evaluated in terms of the 1:1 line, a good index to confirm the reliability of the empirical relationship. Finally, the study demonstrates that ITS or I d2 can estimate the UCS of evaporitic rocks within a certain correlation coefficient, R. Keywords Correlation Á Uniaxial compressive strength Á Indirect tensile strength Á Second cycle of slake durability index Á Evaporitic rocks Á Gypsum
Evaporitic rock durability induced by groundwater cause several construction challenges, but repr... more Evaporitic rock durability induced by groundwater cause several construction challenges, but representative experimental studies to evaluate such conditions are still missing. Therefore, this study intended to provide better and more realistic degradability features of evaporites with groundwater besides a comparison with distilled water as slaking fluids. Forty-eight evaporitic rock blocks were collected from Abu Dhabi area, United Arab Emirates. 96 slake durability index (SDI) tests were performed, 48 with each of the slaking fluids; groundwater and distilled water, and their textural, mineralogical, and geochemical attributes were also examined before and after the SDI tests. In comparison to mineralogical and textural modifications, slaking fluid had a greater impact on the chemical composition of evaporitic rock. The study shows that the degradability of evaporites with groundwater and distilled water indicates a wide range from very low to high. The mean weight loss values after four cycles with groundwater and distilled water vary from 11 to 77 and from 4 to 81 wt.%, respectively. Consequently, slaking with groundwater illustrates a wide range compared to the slaking with distilled water. This could be due to quick interactions between groundwater and evaporites and fast hydration-dehydration process than distilled water due to the chemical composition of the groundwater. It is recommended to investigate the attributes of evaporitic rocks as well as groundwater geochemistry for safe, cost-effective, and sustainable structures. Slake durability index (SDI) test is practical, has a relatively easy test sample preparation and is extensively used and accepted for assessing the durability of specifically soft, fragile and easily soluble rocks like evaporites, mudstone and shale. The SDI test is required for sustainable, durable, reliable and safe engineering structures and provides a critical index parameter (I d) for estimating the mechanical and chemical breakdown characteristics of rocks under cyclic (I d1-I d4) drying and wetting conditions with various slaking fluids. The mineralogical and textural features of rocks and the slaking fluid properties greatly control the rock degradability 1-16. The study of evaporitic rocks is valuable in basic geology, mineral deposits, petroleum geology, and engineering geology of which its dissolution has been a research highlight for several decades 17-21. Subsurface evaporitic rocks are susceptible to being dissolved in water and forming cavities, sinkholes, and karst features, which can lead to unfortunate disasters due to the collapse of infrastructure, foundations, and dams 22-26. So, it is critical to investigate the degradability of evaporitic rocks in order to provide significant long-term savings for mitigation measures and sustainable development. Studies on evaporites (gypsum) degradability with different slaking fluids and the relation to their mineralogical and textural compositions are limited. Through field and laboratory studies, Yilmaz and Karacan 5 investigated and correlated the slaking degradability and the textural features of various gypsum in terms of texture and crystal size. Their study revealed that fine-grained gypsum is more karstified and depicts a doline formation due to its crystal size, texture and effective porosity, which are essential parameters governing the gypsum slake durability and the doline formation. Meanwhile, Kayabali et al. 6 performed many SDI tests on eight different gypsum types using various slaking fluids of the pH level to study the effects of mechanical and chemical slaking processes on the degradability of gypsum aside from the macroscopic and microscopic descriptions and XRD (X-ray diffraction) analyses of gypsum. They revealed that gypsum degradability ranges from medium to very high under various pH levels and the effect of the slaking fluid pH levels is limited in the slaking durability of gypsum. By contrast, the slake durability of gypsum is considerably affected by its mineralogical and textural
IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science
The slake durability index (SDI) test is a well know and extensively used to measure the degradab... more The slake durability index (SDI) test is a well know and extensively used to measure the degradability behaviour of rocks especially for weak rocks like mudstone, shale, evaporites, carbonates, etc. The degradability of rocks plays a critical role in engineering design process either on or in the rock mass for safe and sustainable structures. Evaporitic and carbonate rocks are vulnerable to physical, chemical and mechanical weathering, break down, as result of wetting-drying processes during the SDI test. Evaporites and carbonates are outcropped at the surface and subsurface of the Al Ain city, which is located on the south-eastern of Abu Dhabi, capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at various level, and it is one of the rapid growing cities in the UAE. However, the detailed comparative data on the slaking behaviour of evaporites and carbonates are not available presently in the study area. Therefore, this paper provides a comparative study on the degradability characterist...
This study focuses on detecting trends for climate change indicators, such as average monthly tem... more This study focuses on detecting trends for climate change indicators, such as average monthly temperature, rainfall, humidity, and wind speed for fourteen stations located between Al Ain and Abu Dhabi cities of the United Arab Emirates. Mann-Kendall non-parametric test was run on monthly time series data for the period 2003-2015 with consideration of seasonality. Significant increasing/decreasing trends in rainfall (for four stations), humidity (for six stations), and wind speed (for nine stations) were detected while no significant trend was observed in temperature for all stations.
IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 2020
The surface soil properties control the groundwater aquifers system characterizations. Quantifyin... more The surface soil properties control the groundwater aquifers system characterizations. Quantifying and measurements of these parameters are a challenging attempt in arid region like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Al Ain and Al Suleimei Valleys in Al Ain city. Permeability and hydraulic conductivity of clastic sediments play crucial role in surface water seepage. Soil’s permeability depends on number of factors such as the size of soil grains, the properties of pore fluids, the void ratio of the soil, the shapes and arrangement of pores and the degree of saturation. To asses these features, detailed field and laboratory studies such as soil sample collections, sieve analyses and permeability tests (constant head permeameter) were carried out. Hydraulic conductivity of both valleys were approximated from grain size analyses of collected soil samples. The average permeability varies from 0.796 to 2.120 cm/s for Wadi Al Ain and from 0.566 to 2.133 cm/s for Wadi Al Suleimei and the hydr...
International Journal of Thermal and Environmental Engineering, 2015
Hydropower energy is a renewable, sustainable and clean energy in the other alternative energy so... more Hydropower energy is a renewable, sustainable and clean energy in the other alternative energy sources. Moreover, it does not deprive future generations in terms of raw materials, or burdening them with pollutants or waste. Hydroelectric power plants utilize the basic national and renewable resource of the country. Although the initial investment cost of hydropower seems relatively high, the projects have the lowest production costs and do not depend on foreign capital and support, when considering environmental pollution and longterm economic evaluation. Hydropower is available in a broad range of project scales and types. Projects can be designed to suit particular needs and specific site conditions. As hydropower does not consume or pollute the water it uses to generate power, it leaves this vital resource available for other uses.
The aim of this chapter is to provide that hydroelectric energy production in Sakarya and Eastern... more The aim of this chapter is to provide that hydroelectric energy production in Sakarya and Eastern Black Sea Basins which are selected as pilot region in Turkey. Hydroelectric energy has an important place in energy sector is generated from 26 main Basins in Turkey. Sakarya and Eastern Black Sea Basins are very important water resource in Turkey. In this study, hydro energy potential for electricity generating has been investigated in Turkey and hydro energy potential determined for the selected small streams in the Sakarya and Eastern Black Sea Basins by using hydro energy calculating methods.
This study concerns the occurrence of pollutants in Zakher Lake, Al Ain, UAE, which are relevant ... more This study concerns the occurrence of pollutants in Zakher Lake, Al Ain, UAE, which are relevant to the water supply and impact on ecosystem. Lake water and sediment samples were collected from the lake and were analyzed for different chemical and physical properties. In-situ measurements of temperature, pH, EC and TDS and Rn-222 activity were carried out using a WTW-COND-330I and RAD7 instrument with errors of < 5%. The analyses of trace and major elements were performed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) Varian 715 with errors < 5%. The results reveal high concentrations of Na, K, Mg and Ca, Fe, Mn, Al, Sr, Ba and Pb in water samples of the lake, which are higher than permissible limits for drinking and irrigation. Variable concentrations of these elements were found in the sediment samples. In addition, radon isotope (Rn-222) data in the lake water indicate activity values below the detection limit of the instrument. The high concentrat...
Al-Ain City is located in the eastern part of Abu Dhabi Emirate and is considered as one of the m... more Al-Ain City is located in the eastern part of Abu Dhabi Emirate and is considered as one of the most urbanized cities in the UAE (Fig. 1). The rocks outcropping around the city are made up of carbonate rocks, mainly limestone and interbeds of marl. These rock types represent the foundation bedrocks in most of Al-Ain City. They also form the rock slopes surrounding many new developing sites to the south of the city like the road to the summit of Jabal Hafit and the eastern border of Al-Ain Wildlife Park & Resort (AWPR), whereas some engineering problems appeared. Therefore, it requires knowing the geological and geotechnical characteristics of these carbonate beds. This would overcome any uncertainties that might occur at any type of engineering applications such as design of structures either upon or inside the rocks, slope instability and others. The overall rock properties are considerably controlled by their geologic setting as stratigraphy, mineralogy, petrography and tectonic structures. So, the present study aims to find the geological and geotechnical properties of these rocks which are outcropped in Jabal Hafit and extend northward under Al-Ain City. The stratigraphy of these carbonate rocks were studied in detailed by many authors among them are Abdelghany (2002), Hunting (1979), Cherif and Deeb (1984), Noweir ( 2000), Anan et al. (1992) and Boukhary et al. (2005). The rocks build up the Hafit Mountain (Fig. 1) which represents a large doubly plunging highly asymmetric anticline that developed over a thrust fault underlying its eastern limb (Noweir, 2000; Warrak, 1996 and Ali et al., 2008). Numbers of other interesting research papers were already pointed out to the relation between the geological and geotechnical properties with respect to various rock types (Willard and McWilliams, 19969; Merriam et al., 1970; Basu et al., 2009; Tsiamboas and Sabatakakis, 2004; Sabatakakis, 2008 and Arman et al., 2007).
ABSTRACT Being quick, inexpensive, non-destructive and handy, the Schmidt Hammer (SH) test has be... more ABSTRACT Being quick, inexpensive, non-destructive and handy, the Schmidt Hammer (SH) test has been widely used to determine hardness and to predict the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of rocks. However, a review of empirical equations recommended for determination of the USC of rocks based on the SH rebound number (N) suggests that one unique formula cannot be representative for all types of rocks. Even though the obtained relationship is a useful and quick reference to assign a preliminary value for UCS, geological features such as composition, texture and mineralogy influence the mechanical properties of rock masses and these factors should be carefully evaluated. In the work presented here, a case study was chosen to demonstrate and discuss the effectiveness of particular geological circumstances on laboratory SH test results concerning different carbonate rocks. Three different types of limestones, chalky, marly and dolomitic are available in the Tertiary carbonate sequence at the studied area which is Jabal Hafit, south of Al Ain city, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The results clearly show that rapid changes in carbonate rocks composition, texture and mineralogy always create problems in generalizing the mechanical properties which are essential parameters in geological and engineering practices.
Slaking behavior of rocks is an essential indicator of their ability to resist degradation and is... more Slaking behavior of rocks is an essential indicator of their ability to resist degradation and is commonly assessed via the second cycle of slake durability index (Id2, SDI) test. In Abu Dhabi area, the evaporitic rocks commonly extend from the near surface to several meters depth, so that they lie at the foundation level of buildings and other infrastructures. Evaporites pose significant challenges for the construction sectors due to the easily degradable nature of these rocks. This study presents new and definitive data for evaporites that provides essential information for the construction businesses, engineers, and decision makers. Eighty-six rock blocks from eleven locations were collected. A representative sample of each block was extracted for slake durability testing. Samples were prepared and tested according to ASTM standards. Before and after the slaking process, the mineralogical composition and characteristic textures of the samples were examined in petrographic thin section and via XRD (X-ray diffraction), XRF (X-ray fluorescence), and SEM (scanning electron microscopy) analyses. Based on multiple cycling, Id1 to Id4, the slake test data for evaporitic rocks from Abu Dhabi indicate high to very low values. The weight loss values from the first to the fourth cycle (Id1–Id4) of all samples lie in the range 40 to 93 wt%. This is attributed to chemical and mineralogical properties of the evaporites, which allow rapid development of hydration-dehydration effects. The evaluation of the slaking behavior of evaporitic rocks provides explanations for durability problems associated with these rocks in the study area and elsewhere.
Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, Mar 31, 2017
The Schmidt hammer (SH) test, which is quick, inexpensive, non-destructive and simple to use, has... more The Schmidt hammer (SH) test, which is quick, inexpensive, non-destructive and simple to use, has been widely applied to determine hardness and to assess the unconfined compressive strength of rocks. Lithofacies (composition and texture) and environmental conditions (mainly climate) influence the mechanical properties of rock masses as shown by the investigation presented here. To evaluate these effects, a range of carbonate rocks from Al-Ain arid region in the United Arab Emirates were used for extensive in situ and laboratory SH tests. The results expose a wide range of Schmidt hardness rebound (SHRcor) values for both the in situ and the laboratory tests, but show comparable correlation coefficients between the in situ and laboratory natural surface data. This indicates that field SH measurements can be a simple and reliable tool to obtain data on rock mechanical properties; however, caution should be taken in generalization even in a small locality or a region. Although our data are within the wide range of SH values in the published literature, it is apparent that they represent unique values for the rock type investigated and the environment and thereby provide better constraints for engineers in planning for the safety aspects of constructions.
Latest Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian) microfossils are used to correlate the carbonate rock... more Latest Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian) microfossils are used to correlate the carbonate rocks of the Simsima Formation in the northeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula (Northern Oman Mountains, United Arab Emirates and Oman) with the Akveren Formation in Kandira (Northwest Turkey, near Black Sea region). Both formations have characteristically rich planktonic foraminiferal and calcareous nannofossil faunal assemblages that permit the recognition of the Globotruncanella havanensis Zone and Quadrum sissinghii Zone CC22. The palaeontological data is used to build an appropriate palaeoenvironmental model for the latest Cretaceous Aruma Group in the Oman Mountains foreland basin. The study reveals that the Late Cretaceous formations of UAE and Turkey can be divided into an open marine carbonate shelf facies (planktonic foraminifera/calcareous nannofossil biomicrite) and a shallow-marine carbonate facies (rudistids, coralline algal foraminiferal biomicrite).
Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, Sep 25, 2020
In engineering applications of rock materials, predicting the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS)... more In engineering applications of rock materials, predicting the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) is essential, particularly in the preliminary stage of a project. The UCS of rock materials is profoundly affected by the rock type, porosity, grain size, water content, etc. The rigor and cost of sampling as well as sample preparation are more than those of the Brazilian (indirect tensile strength, ITS) and 2nd cycle of slake durability index (I d2) tests. Therefore, ITS or I d2 values can be used to predict the UCS value of rocks through correlation. In this study, evaporitic rocks from Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE) were examined. Forty-eight representative rock blocks were collected, while avoiding anisotropy effects of thinly bedded rocks along with the gypsiferous layers. The relations between UCS and ITS and UCS and I d2 were estimated with representative empirical equations. Results reveal moderate correlation between them. Moreover, Student's t and F tests show that there is a significant correlation between UCS and ITS and I d2. Further, the fit between the predicted and measured values was evaluated in terms of the 1:1 line, a good index to confirm the reliability of the empirical relationship. Finally, the study demonstrates that ITS or I d2 can estimate the UCS of evaporitic rocks within a certain correlation coefficient, R. Keywords Correlation Á Uniaxial compressive strength Á Indirect tensile strength Á Second cycle of slake durability index Á Evaporitic rocks Á Gypsum
Evaporitic rock durability induced by groundwater cause several construction challenges, but repr... more Evaporitic rock durability induced by groundwater cause several construction challenges, but representative experimental studies to evaluate such conditions are still missing. Therefore, this study intended to provide better and more realistic degradability features of evaporites with groundwater besides a comparison with distilled water as slaking fluids. Forty-eight evaporitic rock blocks were collected from Abu Dhabi area, United Arab Emirates. 96 slake durability index (SDI) tests were performed, 48 with each of the slaking fluids; groundwater and distilled water, and their textural, mineralogical, and geochemical attributes were also examined before and after the SDI tests. In comparison to mineralogical and textural modifications, slaking fluid had a greater impact on the chemical composition of evaporitic rock. The study shows that the degradability of evaporites with groundwater and distilled water indicates a wide range from very low to high. The mean weight loss values after four cycles with groundwater and distilled water vary from 11 to 77 and from 4 to 81 wt.%, respectively. Consequently, slaking with groundwater illustrates a wide range compared to the slaking with distilled water. This could be due to quick interactions between groundwater and evaporites and fast hydration-dehydration process than distilled water due to the chemical composition of the groundwater. It is recommended to investigate the attributes of evaporitic rocks as well as groundwater geochemistry for safe, cost-effective, and sustainable structures. Slake durability index (SDI) test is practical, has a relatively easy test sample preparation and is extensively used and accepted for assessing the durability of specifically soft, fragile and easily soluble rocks like evaporites, mudstone and shale. The SDI test is required for sustainable, durable, reliable and safe engineering structures and provides a critical index parameter (I d) for estimating the mechanical and chemical breakdown characteristics of rocks under cyclic (I d1-I d4) drying and wetting conditions with various slaking fluids. The mineralogical and textural features of rocks and the slaking fluid properties greatly control the rock degradability 1-16. The study of evaporitic rocks is valuable in basic geology, mineral deposits, petroleum geology, and engineering geology of which its dissolution has been a research highlight for several decades 17-21. Subsurface evaporitic rocks are susceptible to being dissolved in water and forming cavities, sinkholes, and karst features, which can lead to unfortunate disasters due to the collapse of infrastructure, foundations, and dams 22-26. So, it is critical to investigate the degradability of evaporitic rocks in order to provide significant long-term savings for mitigation measures and sustainable development. Studies on evaporites (gypsum) degradability with different slaking fluids and the relation to their mineralogical and textural compositions are limited. Through field and laboratory studies, Yilmaz and Karacan 5 investigated and correlated the slaking degradability and the textural features of various gypsum in terms of texture and crystal size. Their study revealed that fine-grained gypsum is more karstified and depicts a doline formation due to its crystal size, texture and effective porosity, which are essential parameters governing the gypsum slake durability and the doline formation. Meanwhile, Kayabali et al. 6 performed many SDI tests on eight different gypsum types using various slaking fluids of the pH level to study the effects of mechanical and chemical slaking processes on the degradability of gypsum aside from the macroscopic and microscopic descriptions and XRD (X-ray diffraction) analyses of gypsum. They revealed that gypsum degradability ranges from medium to very high under various pH levels and the effect of the slaking fluid pH levels is limited in the slaking durability of gypsum. By contrast, the slake durability of gypsum is considerably affected by its mineralogical and textural
IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science
The slake durability index (SDI) test is a well know and extensively used to measure the degradab... more The slake durability index (SDI) test is a well know and extensively used to measure the degradability behaviour of rocks especially for weak rocks like mudstone, shale, evaporites, carbonates, etc. The degradability of rocks plays a critical role in engineering design process either on or in the rock mass for safe and sustainable structures. Evaporitic and carbonate rocks are vulnerable to physical, chemical and mechanical weathering, break down, as result of wetting-drying processes during the SDI test. Evaporites and carbonates are outcropped at the surface and subsurface of the Al Ain city, which is located on the south-eastern of Abu Dhabi, capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at various level, and it is one of the rapid growing cities in the UAE. However, the detailed comparative data on the slaking behaviour of evaporites and carbonates are not available presently in the study area. Therefore, this paper provides a comparative study on the degradability characterist...
This study focuses on detecting trends for climate change indicators, such as average monthly tem... more This study focuses on detecting trends for climate change indicators, such as average monthly temperature, rainfall, humidity, and wind speed for fourteen stations located between Al Ain and Abu Dhabi cities of the United Arab Emirates. Mann-Kendall non-parametric test was run on monthly time series data for the period 2003-2015 with consideration of seasonality. Significant increasing/decreasing trends in rainfall (for four stations), humidity (for six stations), and wind speed (for nine stations) were detected while no significant trend was observed in temperature for all stations.
IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 2020
The surface soil properties control the groundwater aquifers system characterizations. Quantifyin... more The surface soil properties control the groundwater aquifers system characterizations. Quantifying and measurements of these parameters are a challenging attempt in arid region like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Al Ain and Al Suleimei Valleys in Al Ain city. Permeability and hydraulic conductivity of clastic sediments play crucial role in surface water seepage. Soil’s permeability depends on number of factors such as the size of soil grains, the properties of pore fluids, the void ratio of the soil, the shapes and arrangement of pores and the degree of saturation. To asses these features, detailed field and laboratory studies such as soil sample collections, sieve analyses and permeability tests (constant head permeameter) were carried out. Hydraulic conductivity of both valleys were approximated from grain size analyses of collected soil samples. The average permeability varies from 0.796 to 2.120 cm/s for Wadi Al Ain and from 0.566 to 2.133 cm/s for Wadi Al Suleimei and the hydr...
International Journal of Thermal and Environmental Engineering, 2015
Hydropower energy is a renewable, sustainable and clean energy in the other alternative energy so... more Hydropower energy is a renewable, sustainable and clean energy in the other alternative energy sources. Moreover, it does not deprive future generations in terms of raw materials, or burdening them with pollutants or waste. Hydroelectric power plants utilize the basic national and renewable resource of the country. Although the initial investment cost of hydropower seems relatively high, the projects have the lowest production costs and do not depend on foreign capital and support, when considering environmental pollution and longterm economic evaluation. Hydropower is available in a broad range of project scales and types. Projects can be designed to suit particular needs and specific site conditions. As hydropower does not consume or pollute the water it uses to generate power, it leaves this vital resource available for other uses.
The aim of this chapter is to provide that hydroelectric energy production in Sakarya and Eastern... more The aim of this chapter is to provide that hydroelectric energy production in Sakarya and Eastern Black Sea Basins which are selected as pilot region in Turkey. Hydroelectric energy has an important place in energy sector is generated from 26 main Basins in Turkey. Sakarya and Eastern Black Sea Basins are very important water resource in Turkey. In this study, hydro energy potential for electricity generating has been investigated in Turkey and hydro energy potential determined for the selected small streams in the Sakarya and Eastern Black Sea Basins by using hydro energy calculating methods.
This study concerns the occurrence of pollutants in Zakher Lake, Al Ain, UAE, which are relevant ... more This study concerns the occurrence of pollutants in Zakher Lake, Al Ain, UAE, which are relevant to the water supply and impact on ecosystem. Lake water and sediment samples were collected from the lake and were analyzed for different chemical and physical properties. In-situ measurements of temperature, pH, EC and TDS and Rn-222 activity were carried out using a WTW-COND-330I and RAD7 instrument with errors of < 5%. The analyses of trace and major elements were performed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) Varian 715 with errors < 5%. The results reveal high concentrations of Na, K, Mg and Ca, Fe, Mn, Al, Sr, Ba and Pb in water samples of the lake, which are higher than permissible limits for drinking and irrigation. Variable concentrations of these elements were found in the sediment samples. In addition, radon isotope (Rn-222) data in the lake water indicate activity values below the detection limit of the instrument. The high concentrat...
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