Soil erosion represents one of the most critical threats to land productivity and watershed sustainability in mountainous regions of South Asia. In Upper Dir, located in the Eastern Hindu Kush of Pakistan, accelerating deforestation, rapid urbanization, and unsustainable land management have exacerbated erosion risks over recent decades. This study quantified spatio-temporal soil erosion dynamics using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) integrated with GIS and multi-temporal remote sensing data for the years 1992, 2007, and 2022. Landsat imagery was classified using a Random Forest algorithm in Google Earth Engine, yielding overall classification accuracies exceeding 91
The present study ascertains the reservoir characteristics of the Sokor-1 Formation and Yogou Formation in the Termit Basin of the Eastern Niger Basin. An integrated approach, including structural analysis, petrophysical evaluation, sedimentological and petrographic analyses, was performed to successfully delineate reservoir litho-units and evaluate their hydrocarbon potential. Seismic data interpretation reveals the predominance of NNW-SSE and NW-SE-trending fault systems, which affect the Cretaceous and Paleogene sedimentary succession, influencing hydrocarbon migration and accumulation. The reservoir’s petrophysical evaluation delineates several intervals, exhibiting good to excellent reservoir quality. Detailed petrophysical analysis indicates average effective porosity and permeability of 0.286 and 551.2 mD, respectively, in the interbedded Eocene reservoirs (Sokor-1 Formation), while the Campanian interlayer reservoirs (Yogou Formation) exhibit an average effective porosity and permeability of 0.205 and 316.78 mD, respectively. Both reservoir units are classified as mature quartz-rich sandstones, with average quartz, K-feldspar, and clay weight percentages of 94.78
Comprehensive understanding of the lithostratigraphy and depositional settings is critical in successful hydrocarbon exploration. Early Cretaceous Lower Goru Formation, a widely distributed in the Lower Indus Basin of Pakistan, is of utmost importance due to its stratigraphic traps. Distribution of shale facies greatly influences the reservoir quality of this sand reservoir. This study presents a wireline log–based lithostratigraphic and depositional interpretation of the Lower Goru Formation using data from three wells located in the Kadanwari, Sawan, and Tajjal fields. The analysis focuses on evaluating the influence of shale distribution on reservoir characteristics as inferred from log responses. Lithostratigraphic analysis based on the wireline log data demonstrates intermixed lithological sequence comprising sands, shaly sands and shale facies. Fine-grained shale facies dominate in the western part of the study area whereas the eastern part shows a significant decrease in the shale percentage. The B interval of the reservoir exhibits comparatively favorable log-derived reservoir properties in the eastern part, averaging about 11
This study investigates the relationship between sediment characteristics and benthic molluscan communities at the mouth of Nayband Bay in the northern Persian Gulf. Sampling was conducted in spring 2017 at 55 stations along coastal–offshore transects in the study area. Sediment and molluscan samples were collected using a Van Veen grab at depths of 3–20 m and subsequently analysed to explore spatial patterns in community structure. An overall mollusc density of 248,424 individuals m⁻2 was recorded across all stations, comprising 107 species across four molluscan classes: Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Scaphopoda, and Polyplacophora. The sediments were classified into seven types. Muddy sand was the most widespread, covering 38
The carbonate factories in tropical and subtropical regions show various facies that are influenced by both biotic and abiotic factors. The carbonate factories of the Jurassic Jaisalmer Basin are composed of fine- to coarse-grained carbonates rich in bioclast grains, include brachiopods, bivalves, echinoderms, gastropods, ostracods, algae, and foraminifera, alongside non-bioclast grains like oncoidal, ooids, peloids, and intraclasts. The microfacies of the Jurassic Jaisalmer Basin carbonates were analyzed in relation to their paleoenvironmental setting to elucidate facies distribution and platform geometry. This platform geometry is characterized by a gently sloping ramp composed of ooidal grainstones, oolitic bioclastic packstone, peloidal grainstone, oolitic-bioclastic-grainstone, bioclastic packstone and bioclastic wackestone. Both skeletal and non-skeletal grains, along with their associated fauna, show various indicators related to paleoclimate and paleogeography. The microfacies indicate a wide tropical climate belt in the Paleo-Tethys during the Jurassic period. In subtropical and tropical regions, ooids and divers faunas indicate warmer paleoclimates than today. The ramp platform’s characteristics are shaped by varying wave and tide influences, particularly during low-to-moderate energy storm. The lacks of evaporites alongside the presence of dolomite, in coupled with euryhaline conditions, indicate a humid climate. This study reveals paleoenvironmental and paleoceanographic similarities with the Kutch Basin (western India), Indus Basin (Pakistan), Tanzania, Iran, Afghanistan, and Western Australia, indicating a shallow-marine depositional environment. The oceanic parameters are comparable to those of the present-day Jaisalmer Basin, western Rajasthan, India, reflecting a similar paleoceanographic conditions in the Paleo-Tethys.
