The Cretaceous of Lebanon is remarkable for having within it at least four levels where fossils, notably fish, occur with a remarkably good degree of preservation. These famous horizons also bear a number of soft-bodied forms such as crustaceans, annelids, and octopods that are otherwise almost unknown from the fossil record. This study will be the first to look at the environment of formation of these beds using modern techniques. Reconnaissance work was conducted in summer 1995. P. Allison* and C. D. Walley.
The explosion of research on the geology of Yemen due to the discovery of oil has revealed a complex stratigraphy sequence. In order to deal with this new data, and the large number of names generated as a result, a full revision of Yemeni stratigraphy is needed. The aim of this official study is to complete a new lexicon of stratigraphic terminology for the area. Z. R. Beydoun. (Supported by Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Yemen; Mayfair Petroleum Ltd.)
The project is part of a major study to plan the water resources for Lebanon for the future. The territory of Lebanon has been subdivided into four regions and each region into systems. The population within each system has been estimated and the need for water assessed up to the year 2015. The study has looked at the rivers, springs, wells, pipelines and reservoirs in each system to see whether or not these can provide an adequate amount of water for the future. In the case of wells, pipelines and reservoirs a key issue is whether or not rehabilitation or replacement is needed. Where the quantity of water is inadequate the question of whether water can be transferred from an adjacent system is being examined. J. Davey* and N. Aker.
The project included building an isolated wood model filled with sand under a steady water flow. This allowed investigation of the boundary conditions for resistivity laterally and vertically, and the observation of the change of resistivity upon salination and desalination (dilution). Work completed. K. Khair and C. Skokan*. (Supported by Fulbright grant to K. Khair to visit the Department of Geophysics at the Colorado School of Mines, Colorado, USA, February-June 1994.)
The project was aimed at assessing the bed, suspended and dissolved loads of the coastal Lebanese rivers, and investigating the extent of human impact on the quantity and quality of the load, together with natural charges on the precipitation rate, and subsequently the discharge of the rivers. Five rivers (Awali, Damour, Beirut, El Kalb and Ibrahim) were selected for observation once or twice a month during the wet season of 1992-1993. Other coastal rivers were also observed. By the end of this season, the results of the suspended load indicated a large difference in its concentration for the same rivers with time, and for different rivers sampled on the same day. In the 1993-1994 wet season a systematic observation of the river sediment load for Beirut River was carried out. K. Khair and F. Haddad. (Supported by URB.)
The study investigated the yearly fluctuations of precipitation for five stations in the Eastern Mediterranean: Beirut, Ksara, Jerusalem, Amman and Nicosia, and applied different mathematical methods to find repetition patterns, i.e. “cycles” of rainfall in the region. Research completed and presented at 1st LAAS International Conference on Computer Simulation. K. Khair. (Supported by Fulbright grant to K. Khair to visit the Department of Geophysics at the Colorado School of Mines, Colorado, USA, February-June 1994.)
The study included investigating the tools accuracy of instrumentation in the measurement of the compressional velocity of elastic waves for soil, gravel and sand samples with different sizes, both dry and saturated, under a pressure range of 15 to 325 psi, which is analogous to unconsolidated material in the shallow subsurface. K. Khair and A. W. Ibrahim*. (Supported by Fulbright grant to K. Khair to visit the Department of Geophysics at the Colorado School of Mines, Colorado, USA, February-June 1994.)
The central aim of this project is to describe spreading-induced faults and fractures developed during the genesis of oceanic crust and to define the role that they play in the emplacement of ophiolites. This has been achieved in part through detailed examination of bathymetric and side-scan sonar data from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and through detailed structural mapping in the Troodos ophiolite of Cyprus. Project is ongoing. S. Spencer. (Supported by URB.)
The Yammouneh-Serghaya fault system (YSFS) represents the Lebanese/ Western Syrian segment of the Levant transform fault (LTF). This is a major strike-slip plate boundary which accommodates the southern displacement of the Levantine plate relative to the Arabian plate. The history of the motion has been documented by the historical seismic record and by regional geological surveys in the southern part of the LTF. These data indicate that 100-110 km of displacement has been accommodated along the southern LTF. There is no data presently available on the amount of displacement on the YSFS. This project, which is being undertaken in collaboration with the Earth Sciences department at Leeds University, UK, aims to determine the displacement history of the YSFS and to identify active faults in Lebanon. This will not only provide data on the geological evolution of the Levantine area but will also identify areas of seismic risk. S. Spencer and R. W. H. Butler*. (Supported by Natural Environment Research Council, UK; URB.)
This propriety study for the oil industry examined all the published data available on the sedimentary basins of eastern Mexico. These basins include a variety of structures and sedimentary sequences. A key feature is that these basins differ in many ways from the better-known sequences of the Texas and Louisiana portions of the northern Gulf of Mexico. The tectonic setting of the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico is complicated by uncertainties over the movement history of the Yucatan Peninsula. The 360 page report submitted to the client in 1993 outlines a number of new hydrocarbon plays concepts within the eastern Mexico area. C. D. Walley. (Supported by Conoco Advance Exploration, Houston, USA.)
The Jurassic sequence in the Nahr Ibrahim area is probably the thickest Jurassic succession exposed at the surface in the Middle East. Despite this, and the fact that these rocks are the oldest strata known in Lebanon, this sequence has been little studied. The intention of this work is to describe and precisely date these rocks for the first time. Initial work has involved a reconnaissance of the area and some sampling of both the top and bottom units. This has revealed major discrepancies with the few published accounts of the sequence. A key discovery is that the basal beds (of presumed Liassic age) are supratidal in character and show evidence of having contained evaporites. This supports the belief that the Jurassic succession in Lebanon is underlain by Late Triassic evaporites which may be a seal for hydrocarbons. C. D. Walley. (Supported by URB.)
Jurassic strata occur widely in the Middle East at outcrop and in the subsurface. These rocks are a very major petroleum source and reservoir units and have enormous economic importance. This is the first work to summarize the entire Jurassic of the region stretching from SE Turkey to Oman and from Sinai to SW Iran. This large study (over 300 pages) is nearly completed and will be initially published as a non-proprietary report for the oil industry. It may subsequently be turned into a book. C. D. Walley. (Supported by Earth Resources Institute, University College Swansea, UK.)