by Alick R Mwanza, Edwin Nyirenda and Wilma S Nchito
Original Research
The Lukanga swamps are a part of the Kafue River catchment. It lies about 30km to the east of the Kafue River. It is connected to the Kafue River mainly through the Munwinu and Lukanga channels and during peak floods some waters of the Kafue River are said to back into the Lukanga swamps. This study thus modelled the surface water exchange between the Kafue River and the Lukanga swamps in order to understand the surface flow interactions between the Kafue River and the Lukanga swamps. The modelling employed graph theory through which the water system was recognised as a graph of 3 nodes and 3 edges. Historical water levels observed over a period of 81 months were used as input variables whereas elevations obtained from channel profiles from a corrected SRTM DEM were used as the input constants. The elevations represented channel floor. The results showed that there were 56 months in which the network had flow in all the edges, that the Lukanga channel flowed throughout the year from the Lukanga swamps to the Kafue River and that the Munwinu channel only flowed from the Kafue River to the Lukanga swamps whenever there was flow. Thus the Munwinu channel as well as the Lukanga channel does not present bidirectional flow at all.
Journal of Geosciences and Geomatics. 2019, 7(3), 145-156. DOI: 10.12691/jgg-7-3-5
Pub. Date: June 26, 2019
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by Doris N. Ndubueze, Magnus U. Igboekwe and Ebong D. Ebong
Original Research
The electrical resistivity method involving vertical electrical sounding procedure was employed in assessing the groundwater potentials of Ehime Mbano area with the aim of delineating aquifer for sustainable groundwater development. Over sixty vertical electrical sounding were acquired within the study area using the Schlumberger electrode configuration. The results show relatively less resistive northern portions and highly resistive southern parts based on the contrast in geoelectrical values. Occasional truncation of lateral continuity of the sands and sandstones by shaly sediments were observed around the southern parts of the study which influences groundwater circulation and may constitute a factor hindering the even distribution of groundwater resources in the area. Based on the results of the inverted resistivity models the depth to aquifer should be >90 m. The sands at this depth have the capacity to permit groundwater circulation. Dar Zarouk parameters were estimated and the results mimicked the geology of the area. Longitudinal conductance values were low in the southern portion dominated by sands and sandstones while the northern portion possessed high values of longitudinal conductance resulting from clays and shales. On the contrary, the transverse resistance show higher values in the northern part. Based on the sands and sandstones that dominate the southern portions and the values of the aquifer parameters estimated in the southern parts favours groundwater circulation and possesses good groundwater exploration prospects.
Journal of Geosciences and Geomatics. 2019, 7(3), 134-144. DOI: 10.12691/jgg-7-3-4
Pub. Date: June 19, 2019
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by Tchaptchet. T.W., Tematio. P., Njiki. C.C., Guimapi. T.N., Hapi. F., Tiomo. I., Tchuenkam. D.B. and Momo. N.N.M.
Original Research
This paper focuses on the use of morphological, mineralogical and geochemical characterization of weathering profiles from mineralized rocks in Meїganga, a locality in the South-East of Cameroon. It is aimed at assessing weathering processes that induced the lithogenic concentrations of useful elements, and eventually residual mineralization indices in weathered products. Seven weathering profiles derived from four distinct mineralized rocks (micaschists, orthogneiss, granite, and quartzite veins) were studied. The profiles exhibit shallow weathered A/B/C or A/C soil profiles with a moderate thickness (less than 4m). Minerals identified in the weathered products in decreasing contents (%) were: quartz (60.3-93.9), kaolinite (0.8-22.3), phlogopite (0.2-15.3), goethite (1.9-13.0), hematite (0.5-8.5), halloysite (0.2-4.6) and smectite (0.5-4.3). The SiO2contents generally decrease upward in these weathering profiles, except for those from granitic parent rock. Inversely, Al2O3, Fe2O3 and TiO2contents increase upward, except for the weathering profiles from granite and orthogneiss. Alkaline and alkaline earths are more or less completely exported during weathering. Chemical weathering parameters have revealed intense rocks weathering in Meїganga, resulting to the important accumulation of quartz in association with 1:1 clay minerals. Trace elements that prevail in these weathered products arranged in decreasing order of abundance include: S, Ba, Sr, Zr, Cr, V, Zn, Rb, Ni, Y, Sb, Cu, Pb, Li, Co, Ga, Nb, Th, Sc, Cs, Hf, Sn, U, Mo, and W. The most significant useful elements identified in these weathered products are arranged in decreasing order of abundance include: Zr, Cr, V, Sb, U, Cu, Nb, Hf, Mo, and W. The weathered products present a CI-chondrite normalized pattern of REEs characterized by the fractionation of HREEs relative to LREEs. The accumulation of trace elements (Ga, W, Y, Sn, Hf, Nb, Cu, Sc, V, Zn, Cr, Sb, Pb, Ni, Co, Li, Mo, Th, Rb, Cs, U, Zr and Ba) and REEs in the weathered products of Meїganga has been attributed to the effects of weathering. The main host minerals are the residual primary minerals (epidote, apatite, pyrite, titanite, zircon, or opaque minerals) and the newly formed secondary minerals (phlogopite, hematite, goethite, kaolinite and smectite). Correlation matrices between useful elements (Cr, Mo, U, V, Nb, Zr, Sb, Hf and W) and major oxides (Fe2O3, TiO2, P2O5 and Al2O3) indicates a strong affinity (>0.80), suggesting the trace elements are noble metals. Therefore, major oxides used as tracers for residual mineralization indices are: Al2O3 (Nb, Mo, U, W and Hf), Fe2O3 (Mo, Cr, V, Zr, Hf and Sb), P2O3 (U, Hf and Sb), and TiO2 (Nb, Zr, V and Cr). In the Meїganga soil profiles, mineralization indices could be assigned to W, V, Hf, Nb, Mo, Cr, Sb and U.
Journal of Geosciences and Geomatics. 2019, 7(3), 112-133. DOI: 10.12691/jgg-7-3-3
Pub. Date: June 10, 2019
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by Wondwossen Mindahun Eshetu and Bedasa Asefa Jinfessa
Original Research
The research entitled with spatial location based accessibility assessment of healthcare institutions in Debre Berhan Zurya Woreda, North Shewa Zone, Regional State of Amhara, Ethiopia. Debre Berhan Zurya woreda is found in the southernmost part of Amhara reginal state and approximately 130kmrs to the North from the Capital Addis Ababa and Characterized by rigorous dynamic topography approximately at 3000m altitude above . The Total Population of the This Woreda as eatimated by CSA for 2017 is 115, 815 thousands in urban and 138,264 thousands in rural. The study is principally aimed to assess the spatial location and Accessibility of health institutions at lower level from Health Posts (HPs) to higher level Referal Hospitals (RHs) in the district which are owned both government and privately. Specifically the study is aimed to assess spatial location of currently working institutions; to show service scarce areas where lacking population actually live and to suggest locational remedies to drawbacks whenever exist in the current institutions. and techniques have been employed with primary and secondary data inputs. The methodology comprises of data preprocessing, processing, analysis and display stages. After systematical approaches of analysis stage, it became possible to identify that accessibility and spatial locations of the health institutions in Debre Berhan Zurya Woreda particularly those of higher Clinics, Health Centers and hospitals are guaranteed only for urbanized population. Lack of road infrastructure in rural area to access the discriminatively established institutions aggravated the problem too.
Journal of Geosciences and Geomatics. 2019, 7(3), 105-111. DOI: 10.12691/jgg-7-3-2
Pub. Date: May 25, 2019
9431 Views1492 Downloads
by Bedasa Asefa and Wondwossen Mindahun
Original Research
Wastewater treatment plant is one of the most serious problems the world facing, the problem gets more serious in developing countries. The city of Debre Berhan is currently generating wastewater simply discharging on the road, open fields and waterway sites that has not been selected by scientific study which is environmentally sound and socio-economically acceptable. Hence, it is found necessary to study and select new wastewater treatment plant site for the city that is environmentally, socially acceptable and economically feasible. This study was conducted by using Geographic Information System technique for selecting suitable wastewater treatment plant sites. Factors such as slope, elevation (altitude), proximity from ground water table, depth of ground water well, soil types, wind direction, geological types, land use/ land cover, proximity from roads and proximity from water bodies were used for selecting suitable wastewater treatment plant within the study area. The factor maps were reclassified and standardized in ArcGIS environment followed by preparation of their suitability maps. The weighted overlay analyses of the final map with final weighted factor map were integrated and produced the final suitable wastewater treatment plant site map using ArcGIS Spatial Analyst tools. As a result, 0.41km2(0.72%), 10.24km2(18.09%), 22.21km2(47.91%), 18.35km2(32.37%) and 0.9km2(0.91%) of the total study area was found to be very highly suitable, highly suitable, moderately suitable, lowly suitable and unsuitable for wastewater treatment plant siting, respectively. The area of very high suitable are preferable for wastewater treatment plant sites, because of their minimum effect on environment, public health and cost effective than other parts of the study area. Therefore, the study will help the concerned authorities to formulate their development strategies according to the selected suitable wastewater treatment plant site available to the area.
Journal of Geosciences and Geomatics. 2019, 7(3), 97-104. DOI: 10.12691/jgg-7-3-1
Pub. Date: May 24, 2019
10081 Views1220 Downloads