Journal of Engineering Geology

Evaluation of permeability, karst development potential and karst conceptual model of Ghareikan dam construction – Razavi Khorasan

Hossein Mohammadzadeh

Due to the complex hydrogeology of karst areas, the sealing of dams in such areas is more difficult, time-consuming and expensive, and the possibility of water leaksge is higher. After the dewatering of the Gharetikan dam and appearance of downstream springs and the leakage of water from the abutment of the Tirgan limestone formation, the possibility of karst development is considered to be the most important problem of this dam. In this article, the potential of karst development in the area and supports of the Gharetikan Dam has been studied by carrying out geological studies, structural geology and joint studies, geotechnical permeability and analysis hierarchy method (AHP).. The results show that about 14.6% of the Gharetikan dam area has a high potential for karst development. The area of Gharetikan dam area is affected by the Sarroud fault zone system, which has caused the collapse of the left side of the dam axis. The joint studies in the abutment of Gharetikan dam show three main types of joints. Two groups of joints are located at the intersection with the dam axis and the slope of the other group of joints is towards the dam basin. The investigating of Lugeon permeability tests in the dam construction shows that the highest permeability can be seen in the left abutment with turbulent flow, and then under the river bed with linear and turbulent flow, but there is no permeability in the right abutment. And the flow is mostly linear. According to the structural-conceptual model prepared from the location of the Gharetikan dam, to the location of the dam axis in the Sarroud fault system, and the amount opening and the slope direction of the joints in each station, it is expected that the amount of water leakage and escape and the possibility of karst development from the left side and the bed of the dam will be more than the right side of the dam.

Assessment and spatio-temporal zoning of groundwater drought risk in Hashtgerd aquifer by groundwater resource index

Amin Mohebbi Tafreshi

A sharp drop in groundwater level as a result of indiscriminate extraction over a long period of time leads to the drying up of groundwater flows, which is called the phenomenon of groundwater drought. In this regard, this research aims to investigate the process of change and reduction of groundwater level, which is characterised by the phenomenon of groundwater drought. Based on this, the Groundwater Resource Index (GRI) was used to evaluate the drought condition of groundwater and analyse its spatial and temporal patterns based on groundwater level data of 21 observation wells between 1993 and 2019. ArcGIS software was used to create zone maps. The results of the research show that certain areas of the study area have experienced moderate to severe drought since 2001. In addition, the GRI zonation maps show that the southern and south-eastern regions of the aquifer have been more sensitive to drought than other parts of the aquifer during the defined period. The spatio-temporal pattern of groundwater drought in the aquifer shows that after a period of moderate drought from 2001 to 2003, the condition of the aquifer improved slightly, and generally stable conditions were established from 2001 to 2010, but since 2011, the occurrence of drought has intensified and the aquifer has been in severe to very severe drought conditions. These conditions highlight the need for careful attention and implementation of management measures. One of the study's recommendations is to use satellite data on groundwater levels to assess the progress of the drought, and compare it with the findings of this study.

Hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical investigation of Vorskharan karsitic spring in Firoozkooh county

Soroor Mazrae Asl

The Vorskharan karst spring with a catchment area of 50 square kilometers and an average discharge of about 1.35 m²/s is one of the most important springs in the city of Firouzkouh. In order to asses the hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical charachteristics of the spring, the physical and chemical properties of the spring water were measured and analyzed for several months. The results showed that the recession curve of the spring has a slope and the value of its coefficient is about 0.003. The low coefficienof the discharge variation t, electrical conductivity and major ions, as well as the single slope of the spring’s recession curve , are mainly due to the elongated shape of the aquifer and the long-term presence of snow in the catchment basin of the spring. Considering the relatively high water level of the spring and the existence of a sinkhole and a polje in the spring’s catchment area, as well as the coefficient of small changes in the physical and chemical parameters of the spring, it can be said that the dominant flow system in the aquifer which recharges Vorskharan spring,is conduit-diffusive. According to the field studies and the evaluation of the percentage of soil cover, the development of dissolved spaces and other morphological effects of karst, the percentage of annual recharge in the catchment area was estimated at 56%. With the amount of precipitation, the percentage of annual recharge, the annual recharge volume of the preliminary water catchment basin equal to 19.2 MCM and the annual discharge volume of the spring through the annual hydrograph of the spring was calculated to be equal to 20.1 MCM. It was also observed that the type of water is Ca-HCO3, and the lithology of the aquifer is calcareous and dolomite.

Shear Strength Study of Sand Reinforced by Waste Concrete

Masoud Amelsakhi

This research is a laboratory study to improve the geotechnical properties of sandy soils. Concrete waste with a grain size of 1.2 to 1 inch was used for this purpose. The effect of using concrete waste at 0, 10, 20 and 30 weight percent on dry sandy soil in two loose and dense states was investigated. Based on the results of the direct cutting test, the addition of concrete waste has increased the shear strength and the internal friction angle of the soil; The loose samples made with ٪30 of concrete waste had the greatest effect, so adding ٪30 of concrete waste to loose sand increased the internal friction angle of the soil by ٪32 and the shear strength by ٪42 Similarly, adding ٪10 of concrete waste to dense sand increased the internal angle of friction of the soil by ٪4 and the shear strength by ٪6.

Numerical investigation of groundwater fluctuations affected by climate changes in Khorramabad River watershed

Seyed Yahya Mirzaee

This study investigates the effects of climate change on the Khorramabad Central Plain aquifer. The climatic variables of temperature and precipitation were studied and downscale using GCM and LARS-WG models for a 45-year base period (October 1971 to September 2015). Temperature and precipitation values were then projected for a 30-year period (October 2024 to September 2054) under the climate scenarios SSP1.2.6, SSP2.4.5 and SSP5.8.5. The rainfall runoff simulation was carried out in the Khorramabad basin using the IHACRES model. The groundwater flow in the central plain of Khorramabad was calibrated using MODFLOW code for a period of 120 months (October 2010 to September 2020). This model was validated for a period of 36 months (October 2020 to September 2023). According to the results, the values of precipitation in the future period compared to the base period will decrease by 42.6, 47 and 61.9 mm in the scenarios SSP1.2.6, SSP2.4.5 and SSP5.8.5 respectively. The annual mean of minimum and maximum temperatures increases in all three scenarios. After calibration of the IHACRES model, NSE=0.74, RMSE=1.46 and R2=0.64 were obtained. According to the results, the predicted discharge of the Khorramabad River in the future period will increase by 2.38 m3.sec in the SSP1.2.6 scenario and decrease by 0.42 and 0.94 m3.sec in the SSP2.4.5 and SSP5.8.5 scenarios, respectively, compared to the base period. The average 30-year aquifer balance under the SSP1.2.6, SSP2.4.5 and SSP5.8.5 scenarios was 27494.5, -12335.3 and -41823.3 m3, respectively. The groundwater level of the Khorramabad Central Plain aquifer will decrease in the future period.

Surface water pollution assessment in Shamil-Takht Plain using WRASTIC index and optimization of quality monitoring network

massoud morsali

In order to design and optimize the quality monitoring network in areas with several sub-basins, it is necessary to know the criteria that affect them, so that in each sub-basin the presence or absence of a monitoring station and the required parameters can be determined. In this respect, the use of the surface water pollution index, namely WRASTIC, can be effective. The WRASTIC model is a practical and advanced method for assessing the risk and potential of pollution in sub-basins. Due to its role in the drinking water supply of the city of Bandar Abbas, monitoring the quality of the Shamil-Takht study area is very beneficial. Therefore, to assess the risk of pollution in this plain, the basin was divided into 16 sub-basins using Global Mapper software. The WRASTIC index was presented as different layers of information, and its value was calculated for each sub-basin by rating by expert judgement method, weighting by hierarchical analysis method, and merging layers using weighted overlap. The results showed that three sub-basins have high risk and three sub-basins have low risk. Then, according to the condition of the streams in each sub-basin, the pollution index and its importance, the number of quality monitoring stations and the necessary parameters in this area were determined. Accordingly, five stations were added to the existing ten hydrometric stations at different locations. In the final 15 stations, the measurement of general parameters and major ions was included in the proposed agenda. The measurement of parameters such as phosphate/phosphorus and nitrate/nitrite was also included in six sub-basins, and heavy metals in three sub-basins.