The Oligocene–Pleistocene aquifer system in West Mallawi, El Minya Governorate, Egypt, serves as a critical groundwater resource supporting domestic, agricultural, and industrial activities in a region characterized by aridity and scarce surface water availability. Rapid population growth and increasing dependence on groundwater for irrigation have intensified concerns about aquifer depletion and deteriorating water quality. This study provides one of the first comparative hydrochemical assessments of groundwater quality between 2016 and 2024 in the under-monitored West Mallawi aquifer, integrating established multivariate statistical and geochemical modeling techniques within a consistent analytical framework to evaluate changes between two sampling campaigns. Key physicochemical parameters—including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), and major ion concentrations—were evaluated using geochemical modeling, multivariate statistics, and water-quality indices (WQI). Results indicate a marked decline in groundwater quality between the two sampling periods; because the dataset comprises two discrete campaigns rather than a continuous time series, these results describe a comparative change between 2016 and 2024 rather than a verified long-term trend. While pH remained relatively stable (7.6–7.8), EC increased from 1217 to 1327 µS/cm and TDS from 779 to 849 mg/L, both exceeding WHO (2022) drinking-water limits and the Egyptian national standards. Chloride concentrations rose sharply (110 → 287 mg/L), whereas sulfate levels decreased markedly (298 → 89 mg/L). The dominant hydrochemical facies, SO₄–Cl–Na, reflects evaporation, evaporite dissolution, and minor carbonate interaction as key controlling processes. Multivariate analysis of physicochemical variables showed an increase in the variance explained by PC1 from 49.9
In the context of increasing pressure on natural resources, oases, ecosystems characterized by ecological fragility and socio-economic vulnerability, are particularly exposed. This study proposes an integrated assessment of interactions among water, energy, food, and ecosystems (the Nexus approach) in the oases of the Wadi Guir watershed in southeastern Morocco. The primary objective of this study is to develop a synthetic index, the Water-Food-Energy Nexus Index (WFENI), to assess the efficiency of cropping systems in terms of resource consumption and physical and economic productivity, while accounting for ecosystem sustainability through soil conservation practices and agricultural resource management. The adopted methodology is based on data collected from 41 farms and the calculation of six key indicators related to water and energy consumption, their respective productivity, and the economic profitability of crops. The survey highlights an agricultural duality between traditional, small-scale, low-mechanization farming and large-scale, modern, export-oriented agriculture driven by major investors and supported by public policies. Date palm ranks as the leading crop, followed by olive. Localized irrigation accounts for 57
The Lutetian lamprophyres of the Bou-Izourane fluorspar district, associated with the Tamazeght (Tamazert) magmatic complex in Morocco, crop out as numerous NNW–SSE to NNE–SSW-trending mafic dykes, often clustered into swarms. The integration of field relationships, petrography, and geochemistry allows classification of these rocks as alkaline lamprophyres in general, and, more specifically, as sannaites. The rounded to ellipsoidal calcite ocelli, locally associated with minor Fe-sulfides, are consistent with a magmatic origin and likely crystallized from a CO2-rich residual melt or a fluid exsolved during the late stages of fractional crystallization. Bulk-rock geochemistry reveals host-rock-dependent compositional variations that may reflect localized magma–wall-rock interaction, with limestone-hosted dykes enriched in CaO and the syenite-hosted dyke enriched in SiO2 and K2O. The distribution of trace elements suggests that the Bou-Izourane lamprophyres represent a southeastward extension of the Tamazeght magmatic complex in the Liassic sedimentary rocks. The incompatible trace element composition of the lamprophyres indicates a strong resemblance to Ocean Island Basalts (OIB). High Nb/La ratios indicate derivation from an enriched asthenospheric mantle source, with high Nb contents and low La/Sm ratios, consistent with carbonatite-type metasomatism. These lamprophyre dykes can be interpreted as a late magmatic pulse of the Eocene Tamazeght magmatic complex, generated by an OIB-type mantle thermal anomaly (mantle plume) and the reactivation of faults inherited from Triassic–Jurassic rifting during the Atlasic orogeny. They were emplaced in an intraplate tectonic setting that evolved from transpression to transtension, associated with lithospheric thinning and asthenospheric upwelling within the Atlas system. The Sr–Nd isotopic composition of these lamprophyres indicates an intraplate alkaline affinity dominated by asthenospheric mantle input, distinct from other circum-Mediterranean Cenozoic lamprophyres associated with subduction (enriched lithospheric mantle modified by slab-derived fluids; Italy and the Western Alps) and from hybrid post-collisional systems involving mixed mantle sources (Central Europe and the Eastern Pontides). This highlights the diverse mantle sources and geodynamic settings that influence lamprophyre formation across the Mediterranean region.
The urbanized alluvial fan of Wadi Ayellou in Gafsa, southern Tunisia, is examined here from the perspective of fan-landscape driving forces dominated by major tectonic lateral displacements. The sedimentary record is used to outline signs of hazardous debris-flow activity in the transport and fan zones. The fan landscape is primarily driven by the tectonic uplift of Jebel Ben Younes, which creates steep gradients and supplies sediment. Geomorphic analysis reveals major tectonic offsets in the drainage network, ranging from 55 to 146 m in Wadi Jioush and from 57 to 400 m in Wadi Ayellou. Offsets are accentuated by tectonic shutter ridges and fault scarps related to right-lateral strike-slip and dip-slip motions. Channel deflection has influenced the drainage history in the transport and fan zones. Wadi Jioush fed the fan during the early deposition stages before being deflected by tectonic displacements. Four sedimentary facies and depositional processes were recognized: (1) clast-supported debris flow facies with large boulders (> 1 m), (2) matrix- to clast-supported debris flood facies, (3) water flow facies, and (4) pedogenic facies. Urbanization has transformed fan landscapes into a hazardous environment with impermeable surfaces, leading to rapid rainwater runoff into waterways. Signs of debris flow activity in the transport zone include: boulders much larger than could be moved by flood flow, large scour marks incised into the bedrock, and well-defined pebble lobes. On the other hand, the fan zone includes angular boulders and a lack of sorting or imbrication. Excavations in the streambeds of Wadi Jioush and Wadi Ayellou revealed large boulders in abundance, indicating the susceptibility of these wadis to flood flow and debris flow hazards. Compilation of dating and correlation data for the fan indicates a Late Pleistocene age (70 to 30 ka). The pebble-orientation data and the cross-bedding azimuths of sandstones indicate a segmented telescopic fan with variable provenance.
The 2026 flood in Morocco’s Sebou Basin was a catastrophic compound event triggered by unprecedented precipitation following seven years of severe drought. Between November 2025 and February 2026, the basin recorded 172
