015782   Varghese T I;Prakash T N;Hameed T S S (Coastal Processes Group, National Centre for Earth Sciences Studies, Trivandrum-695 011, Email: thiru.prakash@gmail.com) : Post M-9 event changes on bathymetry and sediment characteristics of innershelf zone off Kayamkulam, Southern Kerala, India. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(3), 504-12.

Significant changes in the bathymetry and variation in the sediment distribution is recorded in the innershelf region off Kayamkulam in southern Kerala India. A relative deepening of the innershelf, particularly shallower portions of depths less than 15 m is noticed based on bathymetric records. Generally the innershelf is dominated by sand-silt-clay (mud), except in the region where the inlet is seen, the silty sand dominates. Sand percentage has increased even upto 75% near the northern shelf where the run up levels goes to as high as 5 m. The sediment distribution along the southern shelf is unimodal whereas along the northern shelf the sediments are mixed nature with poorly sorted distribution. Organic matter in the sediment varies from 0.6 to 6.1%. Predominance of kaolinite (av. 70%) and montmorilllonite (av. 22%) with illite (av. 6%) and gibbsite (av. 3%) is recorded from these sediments. Fine clayey type sediments are enriched towards the offshore, which could be related to the tsunami backwash.

10 illus, 3 tables, 28 ref

015781   Tyulenev M;Zhironkin S;Kolotov K;Garina E (Open Pit Mining Dep, Kuzbass State Technical Univ, Kemerovo, 650000, Vesennyaya st., 28, Russia, Email: tma.geolog@kuzstu.ru) : Background of innovative platform for substitution of quarry water purifying technology. Pollut Res 2016, 35(2), 221-7.

The complex character of open pit mining's harmful influence on the environment requires integrating efforts of government, universities, research organizations and mining enterprises for cooperative solving of ecological problems. One of the kinds of such cooperation is a technological platform of geo-ecology which must inspire mining enterprises to implement innovative technologies of quarry wastewater purifying to the norms of maximum permissible concentration. The main advantages of - 125 - wastewater filtering technology described in the article are the low cost and ability to substitute expensive water treatment facilities. This is especially important due to match tightening ecological requirements for mining enterprises set by government in many countries. The innovativeness of proposed technology is that it makes possible to use overburden rock and machinery currently exploiting at open pits to create filter arrays. The article contains description of a stepwise research of implementing of the new technology of quarry water purifying using filtering arrays with proved efficiency.

3 illus, 1 table, 23 ref

015780   Tsai C S;Yang C F (Computer Science and Engineering Dep, Tatung Univ, Taipei, Taiwan, Email: cstsai@ttu.edu.tw) : Novelty location-based routing scheme and dynamically vary the transmit power in deep sound channel of acoustics. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(2), 250-8.

Many papers have examined the current state of underwater sensor networks (UWSN) technologies. The UWSN could be recorded by hydrophones that are suspended in the channel to monitor seismic events on or below the seafloor generated energy that caused by earthquake. In the deep ocean Sound Frequency and Ranging channel, acoustic waves carry the information of seismic events for long range propagation over a few thousands kilometers. In this paper, we present a novel approach of sensor devices as well as routing protocol towards Sound Frequency and Ranging channel for Sound Fixing and Ranging channel technologies. The sound speed increases towards sea surface as water temperature increases. Therefore, we use the oceanography to find a more efficient way of utilizing routing protocol to obtain more effective detection and identification capabilities, and also to dynamically vary the transmit power for underwater sources. We devise a low cost robust routing protocol based on the long-distance transmission Sound Frequency and Ranging channel. The transmission distance can be determined passively by UWSN with minimum control overhead. The routing scheme integrates position and routing functionalities while leveraging different levels to provide high link layer reliability and energy efficient. We developed an algorithm for underwater acoustic power control at different layers of the UWSN signal power which depends on oceanography requirements. Our approach gives a straightforward interpretation of an adaptive location-based routing protocol, which can overcome the location-based UWSN without GPS position. It reduced costs of deployment for the case of long range propagation. The performances are measured according to the number of collisions, energy consumption per bit, and average end-to-end packet latency. The result of simulation is better than other routing protocols such as FBR and static methods.

7 illus, 1 table, 25 ref

015779   Srinivas K;Krishna K S;Ismaiel M;Mishra J; Saha D (NO, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Regional Centre, 176, Lawsons Bay Colony, Visakhapatnam-530 017, Email: krishna@nio.org) : Island chain lost in the Bay of Bengal. Curr Sci 2017, 112(6), 1095-6.

2 illus, 14 ref

015778   Sreenivasulu G;Jayaraju N;Reddy B C S R; Prasad T L;Lakshmanna B;Nagalakshmi K (Geology Dep, Yogi Vemana Univ, Kadapa-516 003, Email: seenu9441@gmail.com) : Coastal morphodynamics of Tupilipalem coast, Andhra Pradesh, southeast coast of India. Curr Sci 2017, 112(4), 823-9.

Coastal zones are dynamic interfaces of land and water of high ecological diversity and critical economic importance. The boundaries, shape and size of this coast change constantly under the influence of both natural and anthropogenic factors. The study area, Tupilipalem is one of the proposal sites for constructing a major port, to be named Dugarajapatnam Port, along the east coast of Andhra Pradesh, India. We have used multitemporal satellite images of IRS P6 LISS-III and Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS data from 2011 to 2015 to delineate changes in Tupilipalem coast. The subsequent short-term lagoon mouth closure and the long-term coastal erosion and accretion rates have been calculated for the periods between 2011 and 2015. Low river inflow, wind, tides, the movement of the waves and littoral currents play a key role in the closure of the lagoon mouth and also for the dynamic activities of erosion and accretion. Moreover, the impact on - 124 - socio-economy and ecology of the study area during the lagoon mouth closure period has been studied.

6 illus, 1 table, 41 ref

015777   Slabunov A;Singh V K;Joshi K B;Li X (NO, Institute of Geology, Karelian Research Centre, RAS, Petrozavodsk, Russia, Email: kr.batukjoshi@gmail.com) : Paleoarchean zircons from quartzite of South Bundelkhand supracrustal complex: Origin and implications for crustal evolution in Bundelkhand craton, Central India. Curr Sci 2017, 112(4), 764-801.

The present study reports trace elemental data from 39 Paleoarchean (3.43 and 3.25 Ga) zircons separated from quartzite near Girar, which forms a part of the South Bundelkhand Supracrustal Complex in Central India. The zircons are prismatic, have well-developed oscillatory zoning and their Th/U ratio ranging from 0.27 to 8.62 is comparable to that of typical magmatic zircons. Crystallization temperature of 620-776°C using titanium-in-zircon thermometer, positive slope of zircon REE patterns, positive Ce anomalies along with mineral inclusions like quartz, muscovite, magnetite and monazite suggest a granitic source for these quartzites. Sm-Nd isotopic data (TDM age = 3.29 Ga) along with zircon trace elemental data indicate the presence of granitic continental crust in southern Bundelkhand Craton at least during the Paleoarchean (3.4 Ga).

4 illus, 1 table, 55 ref

015776   Singh K K;Negi H S;Kumar A;Kulkarni A V; Dewali S K;Datt P;Ganju A;Kumar S (Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment, , Chandigarh-160 036, Email: kama.kant@sase.drdo.in ) : Estimation of snow accumulation on samudra Tapu glacier, western himalaya radar. Curr Sci 2017, 112(6), 1208-18.

In this study an airborne ground penetrating radar (GPR) is used to estimate spatial distribution of snow accumulation in the Samudra Tapu glacier (the Great Himalayan Range), Western Himalaya, India. An impulse radar system with 350 MHz antenna was mounted on a helicopter for the estimation of snow depth. The dielectric properties of snow were measured at a representative site (Patseo Observatory) using a snow fork to calibrate GPR data. The snow depths estimated from GPR signal were found to be in good - 123 - agreement with those measured on ground with an absolute error of 0.04 m. The GPR survey was conducted over Samudra Tapu glacier in March 2009 and 2010. A kriging-based geostatistical interpolation method was used to generate a spatial snow accumulation map of the glacier with the GPR-collected data. The average accumulated snow depth and snow water equivalent (SWE) for a part of the glacier were found to be 2.23 m and 0.624 m for 2009 and 2.06 m and 0.496 m for 2010 respectively. Further, the snow accumulation data were analysed with various topographical parameters such as altitude, aspect and slope. The accumulated snow depth showed good correlation with altitude, having correlation coefficient varying between 0.57 and 0.84 for different parts of the glacier. Higher snow accumulation was observed in the north- and east-facing regions, and decrease in snow accumulation was found with an increase in the slope of the glacier. Thus, in this study we generate snow accumulation/SWE information using airborne GPR in the Himalayan terrain.

14 illus, 2 tables, 50 ref

015775   Singh A K;Rani Kumari;Singh D K (Zoology Dep, B.D. College, Patna, Bihar, Email: ranikumari2474@gmail.com) : Structure and dynamic of phytoplankton in two floodplain lakes (Chaurs) of North Bihar, India. Life Sci Bull 2016, 13(2), 161-8.

The present study analyses the phytoplankton community (composition, diversity, abundance and dominance) associated with physical, chemical and climatic variables of floodplain lakes of river Kosi basin, North Bihar. Five groups of phytoplankton were recognized in this study comprised of 43 species. Out of these, Chlorophyceae was the dominant group with 20 species, followed by Bacillariophyceae (11 species) and Cyanophyceae (9 species). Euglenophyceae and Dinophyceae were the less dominant groups with 2 species and 1 species, respectively. During investigation, 33 species were recorded from Tarawe chaur and 26 species from the Gamharia chaur. The abundance and population density of the all groups of phytoplankton were recorded. Closterium lunula, Oedogonium globosum, Chlorella vulgaris, Cladophora sp. and Spirogyra sp. contributed bulk of the Chlorophyceae population. Bacillariophyceae was represented by Navicula trivialis, followed by Melosira granulate and Fragillaria sp. Cyanophyceae was dominated by Oscillatoria limosa, followed by Microcystis elongate and Anabaena constricta. The abundance of Melosira granulate, Navicula trivialis, Chlorella vulgaris, Closterium lunula, Desmidium sp., Anabaena constricta, Microcystis elongate and Oscillatoria limosa indicate that the Gamharia chaur is under the threat of eutrophication. Various ecological factors exerted influence on species composition and abundance of phytoplankton. Sorenson's index analyses for phytoplankton community show 57.63% similarity among two lakes and Cyanophyceae indicates greater similarity 71.43% in species composition.

5 illus, 6 tables, 37 ref

015774   Sewnet D;Naqvi H R;Athick A S M A (NO, , ) : Zonation of potential groundwater and its spatial correlation with indices and boreholes: Western region of blue nile basin, Ethiopia. J Remote Sensing GIS 2016, 7(3), 22-34.

Water has a significant role in day to day life of people to fulfill their requirements. Although, study area is a part of Blue Nile basin but it has great water scarcity because of its topographic and geological nature. It has been observed (luring the field visit that people are travelling long to get the water from remote areas. Productivity through groundwater is quite high as compared to surface water, but groundwater resources have not yet been properly exploited. The present study attempts to identify Groundwater Potential (GWP) zones in the Sede River Watershed of the Blue Nile Basin using an integrated remote sensing and GIS techniques employed Satty's Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The thematic layers were - 122 - integrated using weighted overlay analysis method to delineate GWP map of the study area. Study highlighted the different potential sites where the water could accumulate and resist long time. Geology and lineament are the mainly control for the occurrence and movement of groundwater in the study area. Normalized Differentiate. Water Index (NDWl) results showed the positive value less than 0.09 which highlights no existence of water where the community struggling a lot. Finally extracted pixels (<62>0.20) of NDMl and resulted groundwater potential sites has been validated by existing borehole data. Interestingly, study found very close relationships between them and out of 58 boreholes, approximately 15 were found under very good and good ground water potential zones and vicinity of extracted moisture pixels of NDMI.

015773   Sen S;Sen G;Chatterjee M (Bangabasi College, Calcutta Univ, Kolkata-700 019, Email: sayantisen_ju@yahoo.co.in) : Coastal vulnerability: A case study along digha sankarpur coast, West Bengal, India. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(2), 259-65.

This study attempts to study the socio-economic impacts of coastal hazards on the vulnerable zone populace, identify the probable factors that are responsible for inducing worst impact and to suggest methods to manage the impact of coastal hazards to reduce damage on the coastline. Analysis has been carried out by preparing a map of the vulnerable coastal stretch and their related threat on coastal habitation. Prediction has been attempted to indicate points of coastal disaster on the study site. Protection option has an effective outcome with consequent degradation and loss of the beach amenity. Within a framework of increasing population pressure and Greenhouse driven climate change, the potential for conflict between development and the coastal processes will surely increase.

7 illus, 6 ref

015772   Sasikala V;Saravanakumar A;Balasubramanian T (Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Sciences, Annamalai Univ, Parangipettai-608 502, Email: sasiselvam2009@gmail.com) : Spatial and temporal distribution of macrobenthos in point calimere of southeast coast of India. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(2), 377-84.

This paper deals with the spatial distribution and diversity of macrobenthos and their relationships with physico-chemical parameters in Point Calimere (Kodiakkarai). Sampling was done during 2006 to 2007. The diversity value was found above 3. A total of 75 species of benthic fauna were recorded in Point Calimere. Among these polychaetes were represented by 39 species, 14 species each by bivalves and gastropods and 7 species by crustaceans and1other group such as Siphunculid. Surface water temperature ranged from 26.18°C to 31.92°C. Salinity varied from 26.15 to 34.86 ppt, while water pH fluctuated from 7.9 to 8.2. Dissolved oxygen concentration ranged from 4.18 to 5.42 mg/l. However, there were obvious differences in the population density of macro fauna in the inshore and offshore stations.

17 illus, 1 table, 60 ref

015771   Raj K B G;Martha T R;Vinod Kumar K (Remote Sensing Applications Area, Natrional Remote Sensing Centre, Indian Space Research Orfanisation, Balanagar, Hyderabad-500 037, Email: - 121 - babugovindraj@gmail.com) : Bird's-eye view of landslide Dammed lakes in Zanskar Himalaya, India. Curr Sci 2017, 112(6), 1109-12.

4 illus, 19 ref

015770   Radhakrishna T;Ram Chandra (NO, National Centre for Earth Science Studies, Thiruvanathapuram-695 031, Email: tradha1@rediffmail.com) : Geodynamic significance of the updated Statherian-Calymmian (at c. 1.65 and 1.46 Ga) palaeomagnetic results from mafic dykes of the Indian shield. Curr Sci 2017, 112(4), 811-22.

A reassessment of the recent palaeomagnetic data on Proterozoic mafic dykes in the Bundelkhand and Bastar cratons permits a robust estimate of 1.466 Ga (Calymmian) pole (λ = 49.4°N; φ = 132.9°E; A₉₅ = 6.6°; N = 11) for the Indian shield. The pole corresponds to a mean direction of D = 40.5°; I = 56.4° (α₉₅ = 5.5°; K = 70). The Indian pole at c. 1.65 Ga (Statherian) is suggested to have been situated at λ = 59.6°N and φ = 47.9°E (A₉₅ = 8.1°; N = 6); it is estimated from a mean direction of D = 336.4°; I = 66.0°N (α₉₅ = 5.3°; K = 159). The 1.466-Ga-old dykes are confined to the Eastern Ghats orogenic front in the easternmost part of the Bastar craton. Geochemically, the shoshonitic/ high-K calc-alkaline affinity of these dykes is uniquely distinct from the tholeiitic composition found in Mesoor Palaeoproterozoic dykes in other parts of the Indian shield. Testing the existing pre-Rodinia Mesoproterozoic tectonic reconstructions negates the Columbia reconstructions in which the Indian shield is shown in juxtaposition with North China/Laurentia. On the other hand, palaeomagnetic and geological data suggest that the linkages between the Indian shield and Western Australia proposed earlier for the Palaeoproterozoic appear to persist during the Mesoproterozoic as well. The linkages may be further extended into Baltica.

7 illus, 4 table, 92 ref

015769   Qing F;Xia-oping L;Yan-shuang Z (NO, Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research, Zhengzhou 450003, China, Email: jamesfq@126.com) : Discussion on a general formula of sediment - 120 - diffusion coefficient and sediment fluctuating intensities in the sediment-laden flow. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(3), 466-79.

According to the research achievement of velocity fluctuating intensities, the formula of sediment fluctuating intensities is raised analogically and is verified with the experimental data. The results show that the formula structure could preferably conform to the distribution tendency. A general expression about SDC (sediment diffusion coefficient) is deduced to describe the three types of SDC. Meanwhile, a simple-structure SSC (suspended sediment concentration) profile formula is obtained for depicting the situation largest SSC absent from the bottom. The classic field data as well as experimental results of three types SDC and the measured data in the hyper concentration flow are applied to calibrate the SDC profile formula, and the data of flume experiments and pipeline tests are utilized to validate the SSC profile formula. With a discussion of the value range of relevant parameters of the SDC and SSC equations in different water-sediment environments, the conclusion is gained that the parameters in higher concentration flow are relatively steady while the mutative amplitude of the ones in lower concentration is comparative larger.

16 illus, 3 tables, 21 ref

015768   Panhalkar S S;Jarag A P (Geography Dep, Shivaji Univ, Kolhapur-416 004, Email: panhalkarsachin@gmail.com) : Flood risk assessment of Panchganga river (Kolhapur district, Maharashtra) using GIS-based multicriteria decision technique. Curr Sci 2017, 112(4), 785-93.

Flood hazard causes great loss to lives and properties leading to disturbance in human society. Flood is the single most hydrometeorological hazard causing substantial losses. To gain better understanding of the flood phenomena especially for planning and mitigation purposes, flood risk analysis is often required. For the present study, the middle part of Panchganga river of Kolhapur district, Maharashtra was selected. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the potential flood risk areas of Panchganga river using GIS-based multicriteria decision analysis. The flood scenario across the Panchganga river was analysed using RADARSAT SAR data of 5 August 2005. To remove the speckle of SAR image, a median filtered technique was used. Thresholding technique was applied on RADARSAT SAR data to segregate flooded areas from non-flooded areas. Factors considered for evaluation of the flood risk analysis were flood layer, elevation, infrastructure and land use/ land cover analysis. The spatial multicriteria analysis with ranking, rating and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method was used to compute the priority weights of each criterion. Accuracy assessment reveals that AHP is the most accurate technique to assess flood risk of Panchganga river.

15 illus, 4 table, 26 ref

015767   Nirmal Kumar J I;Barot M;Kumar R N (Environmental Science and Technology P.G. Dep, Institute of Science and Technology for Advanced Studies and Research, Vallabh Vidya Nagar-388 120, Email: nirmalkji@gmail.com) : Distribution and biochemical constituents of different seaweeds collected from Okha coast, Gujarat, India.. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(2), 349-57.

It was observed that seaweeds were not found continuously during study period but some species were observed only for short periods whereas other species occurred for two to three months. A total of 70 species has been recorded with highest number of Rhodophyta (51.42%) species than Phaeophyta (25.71%) and Chlorophyta (22.85%). From the recorded groups of seaweeds, carbohydrate and chlorophyll contents were higher in Chlorophyta while protein was maximum in Phaeophyta and Rhodophyta, respectively. On the other hand, phenol, flavonoids and carotenoids were recorded more in members of Phaeophyta.

8 illus, 6 tables, 44 ref

015766   Nicknam A;Khanzadi M;Motaghed S;Yazdani A (Civil Engineering Dep, Iran Univ of Science & Technology, Narmak, Tehra 16844, Iran, Email: motaghed@bkatu.ac.ir) : Applying b-value statistical variation to seismic hazard analysis. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(2), 391-6.

b-value of the Gutenberg-Richter law is known as a critical parameter in seismic hazard analysis and prediction. b-value is considered as random variable because it is obtained through regression analysis - 119 - based on available seismic data. Considering the probability distribution of b-value can yields more accurate hazard curves. In this paper, Gutenberg-Richter relation is revised and then applied to PSHA. So, calculating b-value variance, based on bootstrap sampling of the seismic catalog, we attempt to develop a systematic numerical approach for the b-value uncertainty application in probabilistic seismic hazard analysis using normal distribution. This approach illustrates the effects of b-value fluctuations on hazard curve. So considering parameter uncertainty in hazard computations we can reduce epistemic uncertainty and give more rational hazard estimates.

2 illus, 3 tables, 21 ref

015765   Naveen babu M;Vijaya Bhanu C;Annapurna C (Zoology Dep, Andhra Univ, Visakhapatnam-530 003, Email: annapurna.chandrabhotla@gmail.com) : Five new records of free-living marine nematodes (nematoda: enoplida) from indian waters. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(2), 310-16.

The present study provides information about the systematics of nematodes along the continental shelf region of the Visakhapatnam, Bay of Bengal during the period from March 2009 to February 2010. Monthly samples were collected from six GPS selected locations i.e., 10, 20, 30, 50, 75 and 100m. 4996 specimens were enumerated belong to 125 nematode species, 78 genera and 31 families. Among these five species were found which proved to be new records from India. Species are described below as Enoploides longispiculosus and Enoplolaimus subterraneus (Thoracostomopsidae), Phanoderma albidum (Phanodermatidae), Leptosomatum elongatum (Leptsomatidae) and Rhabdodemania major (Rhabdodemaniidae).

6 illus, 1 table, 34 ref

015764   Murkute Y A (Geology PG Dep, RTM Nagpur Univ, Law College Square, Nagpur-440 001, Email: yogmurkute@rediffmail.com ) : Petrographic texture of sediments vis-a-vis aquifer characteristics from WGAMG'0 watershed, Chandrapur district, Maharashtra, India. Curr Sci 2017, 112(4), 849-55.

The present study deciphers the interrelationship between petrography and texture of sediments with aquifer characteristics. Sandstones representing the aquifers around Minjhari-Murpar village (lat. 20°34'05"N: long. 79°18'05"E), Chimur Tahsil, Chandrapur district, Maharashtra, India corresponding to the watershed WGAMG'S have been selected for the study. These sandstones are grouped as arenites and wackes to unravel the aquifer distinctiveness. The values of transmissivity from 102.28 to 450.42 m²/ day, and for wackes from 58 to 165.59 m²/day. The values of specific yield (storativity) for arenites range from 20% to 35% and for wackes from 10% to 17%. The computed values of transmissivity as well as specific yield are attributed to the petrographic texture of the rocks. It is propounded that the percentage of detrital grains and matrix is the prime factor that governs the characteristic of aquifers. In addition, it is also found that the sorting of rocks also influences the aquifer performance. The high values of transmissivity and specific yield in arenite aquifer are accountable for higher percentage of detrital grains, lesser amount of matrix and moderate sorting of the grains. Conversely, the lower percentage of detrital grains, higher amount of matrix and poor sorting of the grains are responsible for low values of transmissivity and specific yield in the wacke aquifer.

2 illus, 6 table, 12 ref

015763   Mukherjee P K;Singhal S;Adlakha V;Rai S K; Dutt S;Kharya A;Gupta A K (NO, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, 33, General Mahadeo Singh Road, Dehradun-248 001, Email: mukerjeepkddn@gmail.com) : In situ U-Pb zircon micro-geochronolgy of MCT zone rocks in the lesser Himalaya using LA-MC-ICPMS technique. Curr Sci 2017, 112(4), 802-10.

A multi-collector (MC) inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICPMS) was used in combination with an Excimer (193 nm) laser to carry out in situ U-Pb dating of zircons. High performance twovolume sample cell provided unmatched laser ablated aerosol transportation efficiency resulting in reducing laser-related down-hole fractionation. Three wellcharacterized natural zircon reference standards (Harvard zircon 91500, GJ-1 zircon, Plesovice) were repeatedly measured in different sessions to evaluate the analytical figures of merits. Precision of <1% was achieved for spot sizes 20.m with accuracies well within 2% of the reference values for these standards. Zircons from MCT Zone in the inner Lesser Himalaya reveal a highly discordant Palaeo-proterozoic (1901. 11 Ma) magmatic crystallization age inferred from the upper intercept in the concordia plot. The 207Pb/206Pb ages are also internally consistent with the disconcordia age with a weighted mean of 1900. 10 Ma and in turn suggest a major phase of Palaeo-proterozoic magmatic activity along the northern margin of Indian craton, while Early Miocene - 118 - (<126>25 Ma) Pb loss in zircon inferred from lower intercept in disordria may be related to tectono-thermal activity along MCT.

6 illus, 2 table, 34 ref

015762   Misra P S;Das A;Balakrishnan S;Anand A (NO, Geological Survey of India, Lucknow-226 024, Email: psm28gsi@rediffmail.com) : Incidence of gold associated with copper mineralization in Garhwal Lesser Himalaya, Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand, India. Curr Sci 2017, 112(6), 1115-17.

2 illus, 5 ref

015761   Krishnamoorthy N R;Suriyakala C D (NO, Sathyabama Univ, Rajiv Gandhi Salai, Sholinganallur, Chennai-600 119, Email: moorthy26.82@gmail.com) : Performance of underwater acoustic channel using modified TCM OFDM coding techniques. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(3), 629-37.

Factors that limits the achievable data rate in Underwater Acoustic Channel (UAC) are high path loss, Inter-Symbol Interference (ISI), and Doppler Shift. To overcome these difficulties, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is combined with Trellis Coding Modulation (TCM) techniques. In our paper, the error rate are calculated with code rate of 1/2 and 2/3 with all possible polynomials and the best five polynomial with least error rate are listed for discussion. The result shows that the polynomial whose code word having minimum hamming distance gives least error rate for UAC channel. Error rate is also compared with the Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK), Error Correcting Codes like Walsh, Hadamard, Pseudo Noise (PN) Sequence with both binary data and sample image.

6 illus, 2 tables, 24 ref

015760   Khan T A (Geology Dep, A.M.U., Aligarh-202 002, Email: taqveemk@yahoo.co.in) : Trace elements in the potable water and their probable health effects: A geologic thought. Pollut Res 2016, 35(2), 409-14.

Trace elements play an important role in the proper growth and development of the homo sapiens. Human beings consume trace elements through food and beverages in order to fulfill their daily requirement. Groundwater in the form of agriculture and potable water supply is the main contributor of trace elements to the human beings. The trace elements are characterized as essential and non essential elements. The trace elements iron, copper, zinc, manganese, lead and cadmium are analyzed in the groundwater of Sahaswan Sub-division district Budaun, and compared with the concentration of these elements in the urban settings of the region. Non communicable diseases cause 50 percent of - 117 - the total mortality and are the major cause of death in India. The possible effects of these elements on the health of the inhabitants have been discussed. The analytical data is viewed in the backdrop of health burden in India. Copper and zinc concentration in the groundwater samples of the area was found lower than the desirable level for drinking water. Lead and cadmium are found to be higher than the permissible limit for the drinking water. Iron and manganese are high at some locations and low at some.

1 illus, 28 ref

015759   Karmakar G P (NO, , ) : Oilfield disaster management. J Petrol Engng Technol 2017, 7(2), 21-8.

Recently a significant number of accidents in offshore oil and gas industry have made us more concerned about enhancing the operational safety in offshore drilling and production worldwide. There is an urgent need of looking into the above problems by the operators, regulators and the stakeholders of the oil and gas industry. Compiling and analyzing the key factors, facilitating the sharing of the learning experiences, and interacting with the industry and the government can identity the areas where industry can continuously improve the operational safely and environment management. Since it is difficult for any regulator to inspect the quality of the safety management system in oil and gas industry, the safely culture has to be inculcated within the industry to ensure safe operations under protected environment in offshore installations. In most cases, human factors in the management of emergency response are more important to reduce the risk of accidents. Lack of positive safety culture by the individuals, poor qualities of inspecting, reporting and auditing, and sharing of actual data complicate the above issue. In this paper, a critical assessment has been carried out on the operational safety and environmental issues and their management systems in offshore oil industry in India and abroad. Based on a few case studies, possible recommendations have been made which may be helpful for the oil and gas industry.

015758   Hong C;Xiaode Z;Mengjing G;Wei W (NO, State Key Laboratory Base of Eco-Hydraulic Engineering in Arid Area(Xi, Xi'an, 710048, China, Email: cuihong_1314@11.com) : Land use change and its effects on water quality in typical inland lake of arid area in China. J envir Biol 2016, 37(4), 603-9.

Land-use change is very important for determining and assessing the influence of human activity on aquatic environment of rivers and lakes. The present work with Bosten River basin as the subject, analyzes features of dynamic land-use change of the basin from 1993 to 2013, in order to study the influence of land-use pattern change on the basin water quality, according to the land-use / land-cover(LUCC) chart from 2000 to 2013 made by ArcGIS and ENVI. It shows cultivated land, wetland and - 116 - forestland constitute most of Bosten River basin, taking up over 41.7% of the total; from 1993-2000, LUCC of the basin is relatively small, with an increase of cultivated land, residential-industry land, water wetlands by 15.09%-18.33%,most of which are transformed from forestland, grassland and unused land; from 2000-2013, LUCC of the basin is relatively significant, with a continuing and bigger increase of cultivated land and Residential-industry area, most of which are transformed from water wetlands and unused land. Based on analysis of land-use pattern and water quality index, it can be told that water pollution is positively correlated to cultivated land and residential-industry area and negatively correlated to water and grassland. Also, the influence of land-use pattern change on water quality has been discussed, whose finding can serve as the scientific evidence for land-use optimization and water pollution control.

4 illus, 3 tables, 36 ref

015757   Hegde V S;Shalini G;Kanchan Gouri K;Girish G K;Lavanya G;Krishnaprasad P A;Bhagwat T N (NO, S D M College of Engineering and Technology, Dharwad-580 002, Email: vshegde2001@yahoo.com ) : Potentials of rare earth and other placer mineral occurrence along the Northern Karnataka coast, India. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(3), 605-11.

Preliminary study indicated rare earth minerals like Zircon, Garnet, Titanite, and opaque non rare earth mineral Ilmnite are the dominant placer minerals along the coast. Integration of the results of the preliminary studies along with the results of earlier works suggest that beaches in the vicinity of the river mouths are the potential sites for rare earth and placer mineral occurrence. Beaches of the Northern Karnataka coast are unexplored in the context of rare earth minerals and needs systematic exploration using modern tools.

7 illus, 1 table, 39 ref

015756   Harisha J;Pandian R;Thulasidharan M; Raghunathan V (NO, , ) : Satellite based monitoring of water resource project using google earth: A case study of Bhima lis. J Remote Sensing GIS 2016, 7(3), 10-21.

Monitoring of physical progress of water resources projects is challenging because the field inspection has serious limitations us the canal network isn't uniform across the command area. The canal network consists of main canals, distributaries and minors of varying dimensions right from head works awards tail end. Hence, use of remote sensing and geographical information system (RS and GIS) offers tremendous scope in monitoring of progress of water resources projects as the field visits are limited by accessibility to command area, time constraints and constraints to choose the location. But the varying dimensions of canal network in command area is also challenging for RS and GIS as it demands very high resolution satellite images to map the alignment of canal network that varies as less as 50 cm and discriminate the breaks in canal network. Bhima lift irrigation scheme (Bhima US) in southern Indian state of Karnataka has been chosen for the present study. The study illustrates how the challenges encountered during monitoring of physical progress in Bhima. LIS such as limitations of India's Cartosat images were overcome using Pleidas satellite images and GIS tools of Google Earth. The present study then unravels the various short comings in the execution of canal network of Bhima LIS through use of RS and GIS techniques of Google Earth which could have been impossible with either field visits as well as Cartosat satellite images.

015755   Han Y;Wang X (Key Laboratory of Geo-detection (China University of Geoscienes, Beiji, Ministry of Education, China Univ of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China, Email: wangxc@cugb.edu.cn) : Relocating ocean-bottom seismometers. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(3), 462-5.

A time-slice relocation method was used to relocate the position of Ocean bottom seismometers (OBSs) on the sea bottom in the South China Sea because this method has a high level of accuracy. Commonly used three-point relocation method was also used to compare the accuracy of the two techniques. Results indicated that the time-slice relocation method was more accurate than the three-point relocation method.

5 illus, 14 ref

015754   Ghude S D; (NO, Indian Institute of Tropical Management, Pashan, Pune-411 008, Email: sachinghude@tropmet.res.in) : Winter fog experiment over the Indo-Gangetic plains of India. Curr Sci 2017, 112(4), 767-84.

The objectives of the Winter Fog Experiment (WIFEX) over the Indo-Gangetic Plains of India are to develop better now-casting and forecasting of winter fog on various time- and spatial scales. Maximum fog occurrence over northwest India is about 48 days (visibility <1000 m) per year, and it occurs mostly during the December-February time-period. The physical and chemical characteristics of fog, meteorological factors responsible for its genesis, sustenance, intensity and dissipation are poorly understood. Improved understanding on the above aspects is required to develop reliable forecasting models and observational techniques for accurate prediction of the fog events. Extensive sets of comprehensive groundbased instrumentation were deployed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi. Major in situ sensors were deployed to measure surface micrometeorological conditions, radiation balance, turbulence, thermodynamical structure of the surface layer, fog droplet and aerosol microphysics, aerosol optical properties, and aerosol and fog water chemistry to describe the complete environmental conditions under which fog develops. In addition, Weather Forecasting Model coupled with chemistry is planned for fog prediction at a spatial resolution of 2 km. The present study provides an introductory overview of the winter fog field campaign with its unique instrumentation.

14 illus, 37 ref

015753   Gebremedhin K (NO, , ) : Improvement of a geospatial web-network for road substructure management in Mekelle city, Ethiopia. J Remote Sensing GIS 2016, 7(3), 35-46.

Infrastructure is a framework which covers the basic facilities and capacities of material, institutional and personnel kind which are essential for the functioning of a national economy. Road is key infrastructure which leads to an overall better standard of living: it is currently the heart of regional connectivity of a continent. Road substructure management is a challenging task to many developing countries, due to limited technical resources. This is a challenging issue too in Ethiopia in general, and in Mekelle city in particular. In Mekelle road - 114 - substructure is poorly managed, mainly caused by a lack of appropriate organization and access of spatial information timely, leading to poor and unhurried decision making processes. Due to the fast expansion and urbanization developments, the city urgently needs to upgrade its road management system, while optimizing its limited resources. This study was conducted first to assess the existing road substructure management in Mekelle city, and second to exploit the use of available low-cost geo-spatial Web technologies so as to improve it. Methods included the use of PostgreSQL to create a geospatial database that will store road substructure information and the use of the Open Geo-spatial Consortium (OGC) standard's Web Map Service (WMS) for disseminating this information over the Internet, through an interactive geo-portal. A Geo-spatial Web prototype has been developed and tested: and its relevance was validated by users in Mekelle city. The study showed that with the use of Geo-spatial Web technologies, road substructure management can be improved significantly in places where resources are limited.

015752   Garg N;Joshi H C;Pandey I P (NO, , ) : Lithological characterization and reservoir characteristics by computerized tomography assisted micro density log of the rock. J Petrol Engng Technol 2017, 7(1), 9-14.

Lithological characterization of the unconsolidated rock from heavy oil field has been attempted using X-ray computerized tomography imagine techniques. A micro density log is generated to obtain the hidden information of such variations along the depth ill micro level, which normally is not available through conventional log. Useful exploratory leads have been obtained through characterization of the nature of reservoir using simple petro-physical techniques on conventional cores by defining reservoir grade pore throat sorting and irreducible water saturation. The present study is based on the determination of mineralogical variations present within the rock.

015751   Dipova N (Civil Engineering Dep, Akdeniz Univ, Dumlupinar Bulvari, 07058 Kampus, Antalya, Turkey, Email: ndipova@akdeniz.edu.tr) : Geotechnial and geo-environmental characterization of the lara-kundu coastal zone (SW Turkey). Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(2), 272-83.

This study assesses geotechnical properties and probable natural hazards of the Lara-Kundu area, regarding the impacts of urbanization on the geological environment and vice-versa. Soils of the area are of dune and lagoon origin. Plasticity index of the clays varies from 39 to 57 % and the water content is between 26-45%. Plasticity index of peats varies from 65 to 117 % and the water content is between 226-405%. S_u values are 29-91 kPa. Compressibility index of clay samples are C_c=0.217-0.385 and OCR values range from 0.86 to 1.06. Compressibility index of peat samples range from 0.387 to 0.637. Some buildings constructed in the study area suffer from foundation-settlement problems. Tilting or differential settlement in the study area occurs due to high compressibility. Seismic activity can be grouped into two; crustal earthquakes (0-40 km) and subduction zone earthquakes (40-140 km). Maximum observed magnitude of the subduction earthquakes is M_w=6.0, and that of the crustal earthquakes is M_w=6.6. It can be concluded that the study area is prone to hazardous earthquakes. Another issue which should be considered is that saturated soft clay, peat and loose sand can result in ground amplification. For some loose sand levels liquefaction potential should be considered. Antalya has Mediterranean climate and after a dry summer a heavy rainfall comes resulting in flood with economic and life loss.

12 illus, 27 ref

015750   Daud Z;Mohamed C B R (Faculty of Science and Technology, Kebangsaan Malaysia Univ, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia, Email: carmohd@ukm.edu.my) : Distribution and behavior of rare earth elements in the southern south China sea. Pollut Res 2016, 35(2), 235-46.

The aim of this work is to review the distribution and behavior of rare earth elements (REE) in the southern South China Sea region especially in the atmosphere, land, seawater, river, surface sediment and in suspended particulate matters (SPM). The South China Sea is a strategic ocean basin with currently undergoing vast development. China has been the largest REE producer in the world since 2010 producing about 90% of the world's REE supplies followed by the United States of America, Australia and ASEAN countries. In the southern South China Sea, the geological texture plays an important role for the abundance of REE. REE is widely distributed throughout northern South China Sea continental shelf within the boundaries of several ASEAN zone countries especially Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, west Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. REE is used as a tracer and proxy in geochemistry and marine sedimentation disciplines as an indicator of the origins and patterns of sediment and soil and in both dissolved and particulate phases. It is extremely important to understand the chemical properties and behavior of REEs so as to be able to clarify the natural bioavailability and scavenging and absorption processes, complexes and precipitation during biogeochemical reactions. REE is transported and accumulated during the natural weathering process on land and moves to rivers and oceans, affecting the distribution and deposits of elements. There is no specific or systematic REE cycle model developed in the world. REE research was carried out and documented by Piper and Henderson in the early 1980s. This manuscript will address the relation and effect of REEs on the marine ecosystem and ecology, as well as its impact on human civilization especially in the realms of politics, the environment, society and economy. As a conclusion the distribution of REE as reviewed in past research is presented in the model REEsurface sediment <62> REEorganism <62> REEtotal suspended solid <62> REE PM10 <62> REE river <62> REE seawater.

^iia1 illus, 1 table, 121 ref

015749   Daghigh H;Khaniki A K;Bidokhti A A;Habibi M (Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, Tehran Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad Univ (IAU), Tehran, Iran, Email: hamidehdaghigh@yahoo.com) : Prediction of bed ripple geometry under controlled wave conditions: wave-flume experiments and MIKE21 numerical simulations. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(3), 529-37.

Laboratory experiments using a wave flume were designed to examine the characteristics of ripple formed on a sandy bed. Ripples were formed on the sediment surface under a variety of surface wave conditions for a period of 33min. Profile measurements were taken all over the flume for each wave conditions. Examples of data collected by the sand ripple profiler after these experiments are presented, showing the sand ripple profiles under variety of wave conditions. In order to evaluate the experimental data, MIKE 21/3 Coupled Model FM numerical model was run with the same initial and boundary conditions.

10 illus, 3 tables, 38 ref

015748   D'Costa S;Pai I K (Zoology Dep, Goa Univ, Goa, Email: succorinad@yahoo.com) : Trace metal variability in nearshore waters along the central west coast of India. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(2), 304-9.

Copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) concentrations in water and zooplankton were studied along the central west coast of India to assess spatial and temporal variations. The water and zooplankton samples were collected during different seasons. They were subjected to AAS to know the metal concentrations. Results showed that zinc showed higher concentrations at the study sites while cadmium showed - 112 - the least content. Anthropogenic sources did not seem to significantly influence the metal concentrations in water and zooplankton.

1 illus, 2 tables, 27 ref

015747   Chitari R R;Anil A C;Kulkarni V V;Narale D D; Patil J S (NO, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa-403 004, Email: acanil@nio.org) : Inter- and intra-annual variations in the population of Tripos from the Bay of Bengal. Curr Sci 2017, 112(6), 1219-29.

Tripos, a species-rich ubiquitous thecate dinoflagellate, serves as an excellent biological indicator of the water mass in the oceans. The inter- and intra-annual variations in the surface-water distribution of Tripos along the shipping routes of Chennai (C)-Port Blair (P)-Kolkata (K) in the Bay of Bengal was evaluated from October 2006 to September 2011. The highest numbers were recorded during fall intermonsoon (October 2007) in the C-P transect, and southwest monsoon (July 2010) in the P-K transect. In the C-P transect high numbers of T. furca can be attributed to mesoscale eddies, whereas in the P-K transect, it can be attributed to riverine discharge. The results point that, Tripos persists throughout the year in the Bay of Bengal and tend to increase with the elevation of nutrients.

4 illus, 3 tables, 60 ref

015746   Bhanu C V;Rao M S;Annapurna C;Ambedkar A (Zoology Dep, Andhra Univ, Visakhapatnam-530 003, Email: annapurna.chandrabhotla@gmail.com) : Functional diversity of nematode communities in the Nizampatnam bay, Bay of Bengal. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(2), 322-37.

During the present study the relationship between taxonomic and biological trait approaches in relation to the abiotic environment were studied from the nematode samples collected from 64 subtidal stations during the four seasons in the Nizampatnam Bay, East coast of India. 19 categories of five biological traits known to represent an important ecological function were employed. These were related to buccal morphology, tail shape, body size, body shape and life history strategy. Data on trait membership was provided by biological information on species and genera. A total of 34 different trait combinations were recorded. In the present study, the most common morphotypes were non-selective deposit feeding nematodes, with colonizing abilities of 2-4 (in a scale of 1-5). Their abundance was correlated with depth. Inspite of a high turnover of species, functional diversity of assemblages did not change notably in space and time. A comparison of spatial and temporal patterns of nematode functional diversity between Nizampatnam Bay and other semi enclosed Bays in temperate and tropical regions suggests that two features are common: (1) in detecting spatial patterns, taxonomic approach is more powerful tool than biological trait approach; (2) biological trait approach offers more reliable correlative links with environmental factors than taxonomic one.

5 illus, 6 tables, 25 ref

015745   Barathikannan K;Ramasamy K P;Manohar C S; Meena R M (NO, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa-403 004, Email: cathrine@nio.org) : Diversity and decolorization potential of fungi isolated from the Coral Reef regions of Kavaratti, India. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(3), 497-503.

Forty-six marine-derived fungi were isolated from sea water, sand, sea grass and coral mucus collected from the coral reef regions off Kavaratti, Lakshadweep Islands, Arabian Sea. Of these, six cultures were screened for their extra-cellular enzymes and decolorization potential by qualitative plate assay method. A basidiomycete isolate F-38 was identified as the most potential fungus as it exhibited maximum cellulase, xylanase, laccase and decolorization activity on plate assay. It has maximum similarity with Pseudoglarobasidium acaciicola based on the BLASTn analysis of its ITS rDNA gene sequence. The isolate was able to decolorize Poly-R at three different concentrations; 40, 80 and 120 mg L^-1 up to 82%, 35% and 30% respectively. Major lignin degrading enzymes such as laccase, MnP and LiP activity was determined in the culture filtrate. The culture could also grow on corncob, utilizing it as a nutrient source and effectively decolorized Poly-R (40 mg L^-1) and the laccase activity increased a thousand fold.

3 illus, 2 tables, 17 ref

015744   Annapurna C;Bhanu C V;Rao M S;Sheeja C; Sanjeevi P;Babu M N;Satyanarayana A;Ambedkar A (Zoology Dep, Andhra Univ, Visakhapatnam-530 003, Email: sriveer_136@yahoo.co.in) : Lorcifera, and under known phyla: first record of higgins larva of Armorloricus (Loricifera: nanaloricidae) from indian waters. Indian J Geomar Sci 2017, 46(2), 317-21.

Lorcifera is the scarcely known phylum in the animal kingdom. Only twenty-two species in eight genera were described till today around the world. In the present study, a Higgins larva of Armorloricus (Loricifera: Nanaloricidae) is reported for the first time from the Indian waters. This record will contribute to the meiofaunal group of Indian seas. Morphological characteristics and distribution of the Higgins larva is provided.

1 illus, 1 table, 23 ref

015743   Aloys E M T;Delphine T E A;El-Ayachi M;Joseph K (NO, , ) : Contribution to the improvement of water supply network maintenance in cameroon using movile GIS and web mapping. J Remote Sensing GIS 2016, 7(3), 47-56.

The management of (he water supply networks (WSN) of Cameroon is a very big challenge, particularly in terms of maintenance and monitoring. This paper aimed at contributing to the improvement of the reactive maintenance of the water networks of Cameroon but also to open a way towards a proactive maintenance in this country. It demonstrated the great advantage offered by a tablet using a mobile GIS (Geographic Information System) for visualizing and finding underground network elements. Another tool that was essential in this document was Google's Fusion Tables (GFT) which is a free data visualization web tool. Based on some sample data of pipes and valves collected in Ekounou quarter, thematic web maps displaying data points and spatial information were developed in order to demonstrate how Web Mapping can help decide when and what network element to change. A mechanism of updating databases and then web maps was also highlighted in the last part of the paper where it is suggested a proactive schema for maintenance and monitoring of Cameroon's WSN.

015742   Al-Obaidi S H;Guliaeva N (NO, , ) : Effect of hydro confining pressure on the flow properties of sandstone and carbonate rocks. J Petrol Engng Technol 2017, 7(1), 44-7.

There is a significant effect of the hydro confining pressure of the core holder on the flowing properties of the formation rocks. This effect is caused due to the mechanical elastic deformation of the core when carrying out laboratory studies of the water shutoff and polymer compositions. Consequently, this deformation will cause changing in the permeability and voids storage capacity of the studied core samples. Therefore, under the laboratory conditions and when dealing with such studies on formation cores, it is necessary to consider the changes of permeability and voids storage capacity of these cores.

015741   Al-Obaidi S H (NO, , ) : Calculation improvement of the clay content in the hydrocarbon formation rocks. J Petrol Engng Technol 2017, 7(1), 1-3.

Natural radioactivity of reservoir rocks of oil and gas East Baghdad field is due not only to their content of clay material, but also the existence of uranium that located in the skeleton of rocks. In connection with this, for the shale content determination of reservoir rocks, it is necessary to exclude the uranium contribution from the overall intensity of the gamma radiation. The paper presents the results of a research, using the data of spectral (standard) gamma ray logs-SGR, in which more accurate determination of the shaliness (day content) in the productive zones of the Zubair section of East Baghdad field (In Iraq) is proposed.

014695   Yedage A;Harmalkar S (Geography Dep, Parvatibai Chowgule College of Arts and Science (Autonomous), Margao, Goa) : Analysis and simulation of landuse/land cover - 72 - change in the Quepem tehsil Goa, India. Int J Adv Remote Sens GIS 2017, 5(1), 67-76.

Land use/land cover study is an important component in understanding the interactions of human activities with the geo-environment. The present study illustrates an integrated approach of remote sensing and GIS that is Geo-spatial techniques for land use land cover changes in Quepem tehsil based on the need and purpose to predict future scenario of Quepem taluka. Change detection study gives service to analyze temporal data and detect changes which have been taken place in study region. This paper is an attempt to assess the decadal changes in land use land cover of Quepem tehsil. Over a 10 year period. The aim of this study is to detect land use, land cover changes between 2005 to 2015 using satellite images to Landsat 7 and Landsat 8 were digitizes in ArcGIS and by using the Markova chain model in IDRISI software the future probability change of LULC is predicted. In this study major changes occurred in forest, agriculture, settlement and water body. Population growth increase presser on land resources. The result of present study help to the researcher for understanding to real time condition manage land use more effectively according to the provide needs Geographical information system and Remote sensing techniques play important role in land use land cover change detection study.

2 illus, 5 tables, 25 ref

014694   Tomar C S;Saha D;Das S;Shaw S;Bist S;Gupta M K (India Meterological Dep, Meterological Centre, Guwahati, Email: cstomar2002@gmail.com) : Analysis of temperature variability and trends over Tripura. Mausam 2017, 68(1), 149-60.

Attempts have been made to study the temporal variations and trends in monthly, seasonal and annual temperature over two stations - Agartala and Kailashahar in Tripura, India for the period 1969 to 2014. Analysis has been carried for four temperature indices, namely - minimum temperature (T_min), maximum temperature (T_max), mean temperature (T_mean) and diurnal temperature range (DTR). Non-parametric Mann-Kendall (MK) test was used to detect the trends and the magnitude of the trends were determined with Sen's estimator of slope. The analysis of the temperature data revealed significant increasing trends in T_min, T_max and T_mean variables at both the stations on annual scale, while decreasing trend in DTR was significant over Agartala only. On the seasonal scale, the increasing (decreasing) trends were observed in T_min, T_max and T_mean (DTR) temperature indices in all the four seasons - winter, pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon except non-significant decreasing trend in T_max in winter season over Agatala. On the monthly scale, significant rising trends in T_min, T_max and T_mean were observed in the most of the months and significant decreasing trend in DTR was found only in the months of January and December.

5 illus, 2 tables, 22 ref

014693   Sivaram K;Gade M;Raghukanth S T G;Saikia U; Kanna N (NO, CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad-500 007, Email: sivaramk@ngri.res.in) : Estimation of strong ground motion in southern Peninsular India by Empirical green's function method. Curr Sci 2017, 112(11), 2273-83.

In the present study, strong motions are estimated at 17 stations in Southern Peninsular India (SPI) for the 7 February 1900 Coimbatore earthquake (M_w 6) using the empirical Green's function (EGF) method. The broadband recordings of three small earthquakes of ML 3.5, 2.9 and 3.0 respectively, are taken as EGFs to simulate ground motion. The slip distribution of the main event is considered as a von Karman random field. The stress drops of the three small events estimated from finite fault stochastic seismological model lie between 130 and 140 bars. The peak ground acceleration (PGA) values, an ensemble of acceleration time histories and response spectra, are estimated at all the 17 stations using corresponding EGFs, and the mean response spectra are reported. Another estimate of PGA is also obtained using the stochastic seismological model. The estimated PGA values from the two methods are compared to check the consistency of the results. It is observed that the mean PGA values are within the bounds of the maximum and minimum PGA values obtained from the EGF method, while the differences at some stations can be attributed to the local site conditions. The ground motions simulated in the present study can be used to perform nonlinear dynamic analysis for future and existing structures in the SPI region for any event of magnitude M_w 6.

6 illus, 4 tables, 29 ref

014692   Singh S (Geography Dep, Banaras Hindu Univ, Banaras, Uttar Pradesh) : Land evaluation using geospatial technologies for cropping system analysis of Mohan Rao watershed. Int J Adv Remote Sens GIS 0000, 5(1), 77-84.

In this study, physiographic analysis and soil resource mapping of Mohanrao watershed was carried out using satellite remote sensing data and GIS. Topography of the land and nature of parent material along with the time factor seemed to have played a vital role in the genesis of soils. Majority of the mapping units are Typic Haplustepts with Typic Ustorthentsbeing the major soil orders. The soils of the Siwalik hills experiences severe erosion, which prevents the maturation of soil profile. Soil profiles have been classified according to Soil Taxonomy and FAO-Unesco soil map of the World legend classification systems. Land Evaluation Procedure for Soil Site Suitability for various land utilization types have been used to assess the land suitability for different crops and for generating cropping pattern in a watershed. The database on soil, land use/land cover rainfall, and temperature was generated from data derived from IRS 1-C remote sensing satellite and soil survey to perform an integrated analysis in the geographic information system environment. Arable and non-arable lands were delineated in the watershed using the USDA LCC and non-arable areas were masked for removal from future analysis. Different land quality parameters soil texture, depth, erosion, slope and course fragments under various land units were evaluated for a number of crops. All of them were integrated using a sequence of logical operations to generate the land suitability maps for various crops. It was also found that better land use options could be implemented in different land units as the conventional land evaluation methods suffer from limitation of spatial analysis for the suitability of various crops.

7 illus, 3 tables, 10 ref

014691   Sarkar G;Matin A;Sensarma S (Geology Dep, Calcutta Univ, Kolkata-700 019, Email: abdul.aindia@gmail.com) : Submagmatic Fabric in the 2.6 Ga Bundelkhand Granitoid, India: evidence from Microstructure. Curr Sci 2017, 112(2), 348-54.

Primary foliations in igneous rocks are the key to understanding processes within the magma chamber, cooling history, paleostress regime and strain during emplacement of granitoid plutons. In the 2.6 Ga Bundelkhand granitoid rocks, weak to moderately strong regional fabric is the result of submagmatic grainsupported flow during syn-kinematic emplacement of the magma. Microstructural and outcrop-scale evidences provide an excellent record for interpreting the significance of this fabric development vis-a-vis rheological state during fabric formation. Preferentially oriented tabular feldspar phenocrysts in the granitoid show deformation such as reformed shape, marginal fragmentation and recrystallization, whereas the finer interstitial grains of quartz remain undeformed or mildly deformed. On the basis of the characteristic foliated structure of the Bundelkhand granitoid and the specific contrasting deformation characteristics of feldspar and quartz grains, we propose that the fabric is submagmatic in origin and perhaps formed during syn-emplacement deformation environment of the granitoid.

11 illus, 33 ref

014690   Sankar C;Senthamil Kumar S;Lakshumanan C (NO, , ) : Geological, geomorphological and geotechnical investigation for Orathanadu block using GIS and remote sensing techniques, Thanjavur district Tamil Nadu. Archiv appl Sci Res 2016, 8(1), 20-9.

Subsurface investigation is ascertaining, Properties and types of soil at various depths in study area. This finding is useful for geologist, geotechnical engineers and Agricultural scientist. Selected site in study area, the envoy sub surface soil sample has collected with help of Standard Penetration Test (SPT) sampling techniques. Collected sub surface soil sample has tested in Laboratory and resulting soil properties are tabulated. From geo referenced Tamil Nadu soil prepared by National Bureau of soil survey and Land use Planning (ICAR), Nagpur, Department of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu, the soil unit has mapped with help of Arc MAP. Study area Key map, soil sample location map has - 70 - prepared From LISS IV image data and Survey of India Topo sheets. Using Garmin GPS the Geo coordinate has observed while sampling on different site on the Study area.

ref

014689   Roy A B;Chatterjee A;Chauhan N K (NO, , Niloy Apartment, Flat3/2G, 46A, R.N Das Road, Kolkata-700 031, Email: ashitbaranroy@gmail.com) : Geological evolution of Kachchh: an epitome of successive phanerozoic events. Curr Sci 2017, 112(5), 1051-6.

Kachchh geological province is conventionally referred to as 'Kachchh basin' or 'Kachchh rift basin' or even 'Kachchh aulacogen'. The geological records, however, recount a different history of the diverse depositional environment under diverse tectonic situations. The earliest Phanerozoic event was the deposition of Palaeozoic sediments during upper Permian and lower Triassic. Next event was a major marine incursion along rift zones coinciding with the Gondwana break-up and the initiation of northward drifting of the 'Indian land mass'. This was followed by the Reunion Plume related magmatism centring on the K- T boundary. Overlying this occur lignite deposits in the Naredi Formation correlatable with the global Eocene excursion. The Cenozoic basin closure corresponds to the major uplift in the Himalayas during the early Quaternary. Finally, the evidence of recurrent youngest block-movement-type active tectonics transformed the terrain into a zone of high seismicity.

5 illus, 39 ref

014688   Roy A B;Bhu H;Sharma P;Vaishnav K (NO, , Niloy Apartment, flat 3/2G, 46A, R.N Das Road, Kolkata-700 031, Email: ashitbaranroy@gmail.com) : Deserted Nineteenth century Paliwal villages around Jaisalmer, Western Rajasthan, India: Historical evidence of Palaeoseismicity. Curr Sci 2017, 112(2), 402-5.

Seismicity or seismic susceptibility implies proneness to earthquake incidence in a region. For this we cannot depend entirely on instrumental records, because this facility was almost unknown about 70-odd years ago, whereas the 'period of - 69 - quiescence' between two successive major earthquakes in a region may be hundreds of years and sometimes more. This places a severe constraint on the understanding of the regional variability of seismic susceptibility or the proneness of any particular region to the occurrence of an earthquake. In such cases, the necessity is to look for evidence of palaeoseismicity in historic/pre-historic and archaeological records, and for much older events the different fault features preserved in geomorphic features. Here we cite an incidence of seismic event based on the examination of a large number of deserted early nineteenth century houses scattered around Jaisalmer region in western Rajasthan, India. Lying unoccupied for about 190 years or more, evidence of destruction is observed in each and every house, which is not generally witnessed in disused old houses standing for hundred years or more. Looking into the nature of collapse-related flattening features such as collapsed roofs, fallen joists, lintels and pillars in all these houses, we suggest that these are manifestations of earthquake-related destruction. Such an assumption finds strong support from the observed evidence of recent tectonic activities and from the observed ground movements along several major faults in the region covering Jaisalmer and the adjoining areas.

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