The Alteration and Mineralization Characteristics of Miocene Porphyry Cu-Au Deposits of Chagai Magmatic Belt, District Chagai, Balochistan, Pakistan

Subduction related Miocene porphyry type deposits are found in the east-west trending Chagai magmatic belt (CMB) in Pakistan's western margin, Balochistan. This arc exists on the west segment of the Tethyan metallogenic belt in the south-west of Pakistan. Tethyan metallogenic belt is widely spread over 12,000 km from east to west direction from Indochina, Tibet, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Alpine mountain range in Europe. During the last thirty to forty years several porphyry deposits have been reported in the Chagai magmatic arc, including the very large Reko Diq H14-H15, large Saindak, Tanjeel, H35, H8 and medium Dasht-e-Kain porphyry deposits and many small porphyry copper deposits. These porphyry deposits were developed within the phase of calc-alkaline type magmatism in the Chagai arc. Tonalite, quartz diorite, and monzonite host the porphyry deposits within the adjacent sedimentary wall rock units of Sinjrani Volcanic Group, Juzzak, Saindak, and Amalaf Formations. The concentric zonal pattern of hydrothermal alteration in these porphyry deposits of the Chagai magmatic arc follows the world's major porphyry deposits' alteration pattern. Zones of hydrothermal alteration from distal to proximal part includesa potassic alteration, sericitic-clay-chlorite alteration, sericitic alteration, argillic alteration and propylitic alteration. Major ore mineralization in these deposits is of copper, gold, silver, molybdenum, and minor constituents of other base metals that have been reported to occur within hydrothermal alteration zones in the Miocene porphyry Chagai magmatic arc

Monte Carlo Simulation and Scenario Analysis Based Limestone Quarry Production Planning

The key factor behind raw mix design in the cement factory is the appropriate production planning, resulting in high-quality raw material. Quarry managers usually come up with uncertainty-related raw materials due to variations in chemical composition. These uncertainties required efficient planning in terms of useful insight into this problem. This research provides a detailed explanation of scenario analysis of raw materials used in cement manufacturing using Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) and indices. Scenario analysis is used to predict the possibility of best, worst and most likely cases of raw material’s quality. Whereas, Monte Carlo simulation is used to evaluate the inherent uncertainty associated with chemical composition values in order to analyze the impact of truly unpredictable scenarios. The predictive results help in decisions related to production planning, raw mix design optimization and increasing the probability of designing the best plan.

Sediment Characterization and Monsoonal Impact on Beach Morphology at the Three Beaches along the Karachi Coast, Pakistan

Sediment characteristics plays important role in the determination and functioning of coastal ecosystems. The present study is an attempt to evaluate the variability in sediment characteristics of the three beaches: Clifton, Sandspit and Buleji, at the Karachi coast. The samples were collected during pre-monsoon and south-west monsoon seasons to evaluate the seasonal differences. The sediments of the three sites showed variations in moisture content, organic matter and grain size. The highest mean moisture (27.17%) and organic contents (3.5 %) were recorded from the sediments of Clifton. The maximum fraction of sediments (> 80 %) consist of fine to very fine sand at all studied sites. The sediments of Clifton were high in very fine sand fraction and low in coarse sand fraction as compared to Sandspit and Buleji. The sediments of all the three studied sites are moderately sorted, negatively coarse-skewed and showed leptokurtic distribution. The studied beaches of Clifton, Sandspit and Buleji shows dissimilarity in sediment characteristics as indicated through Cluster and PCA analysis. The monsoonal influence on sediment characteristics was also observed at all the three studied beaches. The strong wave action during SW monsoon season results in the deposition of the coarser sediments at the high tide level thus increasing the steepness of the beaches.

Spatial and Temporal Variations of Temperature in the Punjab Province, Pakistan

Identifying the temperature change at a regional level is one of the essential parameters to determine the intensity of climate change. The current investigation provides an examination of changing trends of temperature in the Punjab province from 1970 to 2019. Sen's slope estimator method is applied to monthly data of mean temperature (Tmean), maximum temperature (Tmax), and minimum temperature (Tmin) to calculate the rate of temperature change. Statistical methods were used to find out the level of significance in terms of negative or positive trends to examine the variability among various weather observatories. Moreover, predicted values have also been observed for a detailed analysis of temperature variability and trends. Significant and pronounced changes in the mean temperature (T mean) are distinguished all over the Punjab regions with an increasing trend from North to South Punjab. In the case of maximum temperature (Tmax), a faster rate of rising in temperature is observed over the Southern and Western regions of Punjab. In contrast, the minimum temperature (Tmin) shows an increasing trend in Central Punjab. The findings provide detailed insight to policymakers for the planning of mitigating efforts and adaptation strategies in response to climate change.

Spectrophotometric Quantification of Trace Elements and Toxic Metals in Raw Milk Samples of Peshawar City, Pakistan

The present study focused on the physicochemical characterization and spectrophotometric determination of the concentrations of trace elements (Zn, Cu, Fe and Mn) and toxic heavy metals (Cd and Pb) in raw milk samples collected from various commercial sites of Peshawar city, Pakistan. Evaluation of the nutritional values as well as the possible health concerns associated with the consumption of contaminated milk shown the average percentage composition of protein, fats, solid non-fats, lactose, salts and added water in the milk sample as 2.78, 4.81, 6.41, 3.05, 0.47 and 31.1 %, respectively. The values of pH, conductivity, density and freezing point were observed as 6.59, 3.51 mS/cm, 1.04 g/mL and -0.3674 ºC at 26 ºC. The physicochemical characteristics such as percentage protein, fat, lactose, salts, water, solid not fat, total solids, pH, conductivity and density were evaluated and found in the safe limits of the WHO/FAO. The average concentration of trace elements such as zinc and copper were found to be 1.4035 mg/L and 0.2588 mg/L, respectively. The concentration of Zn and Cu was found within permissible limits suggested by WHO. However, the average concentration of Fe, Mn, Cd and Pb were found higher than the permissible limits of WHO. The observed concentrations were: Fe = 1.5553, Mn = 0.4354, Cd = 0.1865 and Pb = 1.1162 mg/L. The presence of the non-essential and hazardous Cd and Pb in milk samples even in lower concentrations may cause severe health problems since these are the most noxious pollutants due to their non-biodegradable and bio-accumulative nature. Over-dose of Fe and Mn also leads to several health issues. A thorough and more precise investigation of raw milk consumption in Peshawar is highly recommended to ascertain the actual reasons and sources in the larger public interests.

Exploration of Shallow Geothermal Energy Aquifers by Using Electrical Resistivity Survey in Laki Range Jamshoro district Sindh, Pakistan

Geothermal water is increasingly used around the world for its exploitation. Bulk electrical resistivity differences can bring significant information on variation of subsurface geothermal aquifer characteristics. The electrical resistivity survey was carried out in Laki range in lower Indus basin in the study area to explore the subsurface geothermal aquifers. The Schlumberger electrode configuration with range from 2 m to 220 m depth was applied. Three prominent locations of hot springs were selected including Laki Shah Saddar, Lalbagh and Kai hot spring near Sehwan city. After processing resistivity image data, two hot water geothermal aquifers were delineated at Laki Shah Sadder hot springs. The depth of first aquifer was 56 m and its thickness 38 m in the limestones. The depth of second aquifer of 190 m and with thickness of 96 m hosted in limestone. In Lalbagh hot springs two geothermal aquifers were delineated on the basis of apparent resistivity contrast, the depth of first aquifer zone in sandstone was in sandstone 15 m and thickness 12 m, while the depth of second aquifer was 61m and thickness was 35m. In Kai hot springs two hot water geothermal aquifers were delineated. The depth of first geothermal aquifer was 21m and thickness was 18 m and the depth of second aquifer was 105 m and thickness was 61m present in sandstone lithology. Present work demonstrates the capability of electrical resistivity images to study the potential of geothermal energy in shallow aquifers. These outcomes could potentially lead to a number of practical applications, such as the monitoring or the design of shallow geothermal systems.

Microbial Contamination in Drinking Water of Saggiyan-Lahore, Pakistan

The present study was carried to evaluate the physico-chemical parameters and microbial contamination of drinking water in the area of Saggiyan, Lahore. The tested water samples (S1-S30) were found to contain 199.6-402 mg/L TDS, 196-260 ppm EC, 196-260 ppm Hardness, 0.8-17 NTU turbidity, 169-290 mg/L alkalinity, 0-0.1 ppb arsenic and 0-0.1 ppm fluoride contents. 95% of the water samples were found contaminated with fecal coliforms while 27% of the samples had shown the presence of E. coli. Though the physico-chemical parameters of most water samples were found in the safe limits of WHO, however, the presence of microbial contamination rendered it non-suitable for drinking purposes.

Assessment of Spatial Distribution of Waste Bins in Karachi Through GIS Techniques

Karachi has been facing various issues of municipal solid waste management. In the early 1960s, Karachi was the centre of leisure, now it has stretched out due to its increasing population. However, due to insufficient facilities and ineffective strategies, issues related to waste management are also increasing. For the problems related to waste management, the fundamental units available are municipal trash bins. In this study, 409 GPS point data of collection points of waste have been assembled from various areas of Karachi for assessment of the spatial distribution of waste bins. A spatial variation of distance between the trash bins is also identified through ArcGIS 10.3.1 cartography tool of generalization, which aggregates the points of trash bins by making polygon shape of the same distance. Globally, Geospatial techniques are used for changing the system of waste management. This is the first study that assessed the suitable distance of bins placement in the area under focus. The results revealed that there are no principles acquired by the government for the placement of trash bins with appropriate distance. In many towns of Karachi like Landhi and Korangi, bins are absent which impels people to throw their trash anywhere in the city

Appraisal of Water Quality Measurements for Canal and Tube Well Water Systems for Agriculture Irrigation in Rechna Doab, Pakistan

The present study was an attempt to assess the surface and ground water quality for irrigation suitability in Rechna Doab. Irrigation water quality at canals and tube well water were analyzed by physicochemical parameters including pH, Electric Conductivity (EC), important cations such as Calcium (Ca2+) Magnesium (Mg2+), Potassium (K+), Sodium (Na+), important anions such as Chloride (Cl-), Bicarbonate (HCO3-), Sulphate (SO42-), three heavy metals including Zinc (Zn), Nickel (Ni) and Copper (Cu). Twelve water samples were collected from the main canals (Lower Gogera canal, Jhang branch canal and Rakh branch canal) while fifty water samples were collected from the tube wells. Statistically, data were analyzed by generating correlation coefficients. Canal water quality parameters i.e. Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Magnesium Adsorption Ratio (MAR), Sodium Percentage (Na %), Kelly Ratio (KR), Soluble Sodium Percentage (SSP), Residual Sodium Bicarbonate (RSBC), Permeability Index (PI) and Potential Salinity (PS) with their mean values 0.16,38.18, 8.03, 0.08, 10.17, 0.08, 28.34 and 0.024 respectively were calculated. Piper and Durov diagrammatic representations provided the suitability of the canal water regarding ionic composition. Results revealed that the status of the canal water was fit for agriculture. On the contrary, the data about Electric Conductivity (EC), Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) and Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC) of tube well water (with their maximum values 4.80, 29.65 and 13.60, respectively) was exceeding the FAO limits owing of sodium hazards. Thus, the scenario of groundwater is alarming due to unfit status of tube well water regarding irrigation purposes. Out of total 50 water samples of tube wells, 11 samples were found to be fit. While 39 samples were unfit for crop irrigation. Geo-statistical analysis was performed by using Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) technique created in Arc map.

Resident’s Perceptions towards the Economic, Socio-Cultural, and Environmental Impacts of Tourism: A Case Study of Nathiagali, District Abbottabad, Pakistan

The tourism industry poses both favorable and unfavorable consequences to the local communities of tourist destinations. This study aims to analyze the economic, social, and environmental impacts of tourism on the host community in Nathiagali. In this study, the data were collected through structured questionnaires from 200 residents of the selected tourist destinations. The study applied factor analysis approach for empirical results. It is found that the local community perceives positive and significant economic and social impacts from tourism in the form of job or business opportunities, raising the standard of living and infrastructural development in the area. On the other hand, tourism brings environmental threats including health hazards from air and noise pollution, environmental degradation, and traffic congestion issues for the local community. Based on the results, it is recommended that appropriate policies are needed at the government and local levels to get maximum benefits from tourism in Nathiagali, Pakistan.