Djamel Boubaya | Universite de Tebessa (original) (raw)

Papers by Djamel Boubaya

Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration, 2017

In order to satisfy a need for aggregates required to build a section of the Algeria East-West Hi... more In order to satisfy a need for aggregates required to build a section of the Algeria East-West Highway, a geophysical study was carried out. Seventy-five soundings were conducted in three different sectors, with twenty-five soundings per sector. The goal of the investigation is to study the deep limestone. The chosen method is sensitive to the formation types that characterize the area under investigation made of high-resistivity limestone and more conductive marls. The study site is located near Didouche Mourad city (eastern Algeria). Measurements were achieved using a Shlumberger device whose AB line length is equal to 650 m. Erroneous values were eliminated using the median filter. To invert the electrical sounding, the "smoothed model" technique was used. Based on the electrical sounding interpretation, we ended up with several conclusions. They can be summarized as follows: The electrical sounding method seems to have solved the problem raised from the beginning. Indeed, the electrical resistivity contrast between the limestone and the surrounding marl formations was very useful in precisely determining their geometry and evaluating their extension, depth and thickness. Sector 1 has an appreciable limestone thickness in its central part. Sector 2 indicates the presence of a substantially uniform limestone layer over almost the entire site. The layer's small depth (a few meters) and its relative important thickness (50 m on average) make this sector very promising. Sector 3 is the least favorable in terms of limestone presence. Aggregate reserves in the first two sectors seem interesting.

Journal of the Geological Society of India, Feb 1, 2019

Arabian Journal of Geosciences

The main objective of this work is to map the Curie dep th of the West African Craton (WAC) using... more The main objective of this work is to map the Curie dep th of the West African Craton (WAC) using satellite magnetic data with the aim to provide first order evaluation, within this vast territory, for the spa tial association between Curie-depth surface and known kimberlite locations. Taking into account Clifford’s rule, the first and foremost exploration guideline for diamond exploration is th e existence of a sufficiently thick lithosphere that expected to have a low surface hea t flow. The Curie depth is closely related to the surface heat-flow conditions and lithosphere th ickness. In actual fact, the only few regions that have sufficient density of surface heat flow m easurements corroborate the association of these conditions with the diamond resources. To bet ter xplore in an efficient way the spatial relationship between the Curie depth and known diamondiferous primary sources within the WAC, we used GIS-based weights of evidence method t o provide a quantitative analysis.

Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 2016

Analysis and integration of geological/metallogenic data and digitally processed gravimetric/aero... more Analysis and integration of geological/metallogenic data and digitally processed gravimetric/aeromagnetic data to the oriental Saharan Atlas domain were carried out to understand the spatial distribution and structural control on Pb-Zn (Ba) deposits of the oriental Saharan Atlas. The use of this combined technique suggests that most of mineral deposits appear to be regionally controlled by structural trends (subparallel NE-SW-trending) along margins of subsiding sedimentary basins. Mineralization occurs along or near major NE-SW-trending faults, locally intersected by NW-SE-trending faults. In addition, mineral deposits are usually either inside anticlinal hinge zones (example, Merouana, Ichmoul and Ain Mimoum ore deposits) or on the flanks of anticlinal structures (example, Ain Bougda ore deposit). In “diapiric zone”, mineral deposits are generally located on diapiric structures borders (peridiapiric concentrations), related to NE-SW/NE-SW and E-W-trending faults. Other mineral concentrations occurs along the margins of tectonic troughs zones (example, Morsott trough) resulting probably by NW-SE-trending deep faults movement. In summary, our research suggested that regional parameters, such as NE-SW/NW-SE-trending lineaments, intersections of these lineament zones and margins of subsiding sedimentary basins/diapiric structures, serve as significant indicators and provides a valuable framework for guiding the early stages of Pb-Zn (Ba) mineral exploration; other considerations must then be applied in this region, like integration of surficial geochemical anomalies that allows better delineation of targets for further mineral exploration.

Environmental Research, Engineering and Management

industry is not sufficient as the priority goes for domestic use. To meet the increasing populati... more industry is not sufficient as the priority goes for domestic use. To meet the increasing population growth and development, the authorities have considered building a new water retaining structure on some major temporary water streams. For this purpose, Chebabta Site on Meskiana Wadi was chosen as the future dam site. It is large enough to store the desired volume of water. This study investigates the conditions of the site and the adequacy of the ground as a foundation for the projected dam. The conditions of the site include the geological structure and mainly the presence of discontinuities in the formation on which the dam will be built, the nature of the lithologies under the foundation and the future lake, and the presence of any hazard. This site characterization is usually carried out using different methods in order to highlight any underground buried problematic structure. In this context, the different geophysical techniques remain the most used ones. Four geophysical met...

Journal of African Earth Sciences

Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, 2021

The Tiaret-Saida is a new high-speed railway under construction in northwestern Algeria. The main... more The Tiaret-Saida is a new high-speed railway under construction in northwestern Algeria. The main objective of this study is to map the shallow subsurface geological features and soil characterization. A geophysical tool comprising ground penetrating radar (GPR) has been applied for identifying the possible presence of cavities and fractures in the subsoil. GPR measurements were taken from a total of 24 profiles. The total length of the profiles was 240 m. The results of the GPR profiles obtained by two central frequencies 200 and 400 MHz indicate the existence of several anomalies that can be attributed to cavities and fractures in the bottom of several excavations, at depth ranging from 1 to 2.2 m. The interpreted results of GPR data were calibrated with the available lithological data from five boreholes drilled.

Journal of Applied Geophysics

Mining Science, 2017

Several sinkhole collapses were occurred in the many sites in urban areas and/or their rural peri... more Several sinkhole collapses were occurred in the many sites in urban areas and/or their rural periphery; in NE Algeria, in the last few years. The abrupt collapse causes damages to properties, infra-structures, and even lives. The most spectacular oneoccurred in February 2009 inside the Cheria city, Northwest of Tebessa department, with a diameter of more than a hundred meters. This abrupt collapse is due to a sudden rupture of the roof of a large underground karst cavity. It caused panic-stricken among the population living near the crater. In order to investigate the origin of this phenomenon, we combine several geophysical and geotechnical methods, such as Ground Penetrating Radar, Electrical Resistivity Tomography, Standard Penetration Test, Mechanical Drill Core, Cave Survey Photogrammetry, etc. It appears that each method may provide specific information. Their comparison allows to precise the results itself, the limits and the application field of each. Consequently a number o...

Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration, 2021

The Algerian–Tunisian border area is affected by active tectonics that have resulted in the creat... more The Algerian–Tunisian border area is affected by active tectonics that have resulted in the creation of significant collapsed basins. Here, we present a case study in which gravity data were used to investigate the subsurface structure of the Hammamet-Tebessa and Foussana-Talah collapsed basins (Tunisia–Algeria). This included the computation of the Bouguer anomaly (BA) and the horizontal and vertical gravity gradients (HGG and VGG), the application of the upward continuation (UC) technique and Euler deconvolution (ED), and lineament interpretation (LI). The reduction density (RD = 2.4 g/cm3) provided information on the variation in underground density, with the BA map showing a strong regional gradient. Deep faults and folding under the sedimentary cover were revealed. A deterministic analysis highlighted a number of structures by combining the calculated HGG and VGG and the UC technique. The results of our study established a structural map of the study area that confirmed the pre...

Summary Landslides are widespread in many mountainous regions of Algeria. Hazardous Landslides st... more Summary Landslides are widespread in many mountainous regions of Algeria. Hazardous Landslides start to appear in the slope of Ain Torki village, just after the construction of new buildings. The main triggering factor in the study area is water flow down-slope in the near-surface aquifer until reaching the top of the impermeable marls. Human activities can also play an important role in affecting the susceptibility of a slope to failure, especially in the Ain Torki region, where slopes are extensively urbanized and farmed for agriculture. 2D electrical resistivity tomography has been applied to characterize the internal geometry of the slide. We used an ABEM Terrameter LS Imaging System with a multi-electrode system and Wenner-Schlumberger configuration with an array of 64 electrodes. The results of four Wenner-schlumberger lines covering the landslide are presented. For each line, more than 977 measurements were acquired with an electrode spacing of 3 and 5 m respectively. The sli...

Electrical resistivity tomography method is considered among the best non-destructive and non inv... more Electrical resistivity tomography method is considered among the best non-destructive and non invasive geophysical techniques for detecting and characterizing the underground cavities and associated disorders. The detection of cavities in urban areas is important to prevent against different causes of accidents related to possible collapse and subsidence. This study focused on the application of electrical resistivity measurements to locate and identify cavities in the soil. The survey site is located in Biskra City, south-east of Algeria. This field contains cavities of natural origin and different sizes. The procedure using the electrical resistivity tomography of Wenner array permitted to detect the cavities in the range of depth 2 to 4m. These cavities were caused by the dissolution phenomena of carbonate materials. Also mechanical and dynamic penetrometer tests were performed in order to propose a solution for foundations building.

The aim of this work is to evaluate the efficiency of six electrode arrays used in electrical res... more The aim of this work is to evaluate the efficiency of six electrode arrays used in electrical resistivity imaging. Pole-Pole (PP), Pole-Dipole (PD), Wenner-Alpha (WA), Wenner-Schlumberger (WS), Dipole-Dipole (DD) and multiple Gradient (MG) electrode arrays have been selected to detect underground cavities at shallow depth. Numerical simulation has been made for three synthetic models that have been generated using Res2dmod program. Each model represents three cavities with 2m diameter, spaced 6m from each other and located at a depth of 1.5m from the surface of the ground: 1) air-filled cavity, 2) half-watered cavity and 3) full-watered cavity. The background resistivity of each model was chosen equal to 10, 50 and 250 Ωm respectively. The resistivity of the air and water were set at 106 Ωm and 1 Ωm respectively. The results show that the PD, MG, PP and WS arrays gave good resolutions and clear images, and are less contaminated by noise. The DD array is very sensitive to noise and f...

Engineering Geophysics 2013 - Conference and Exhibition, 2013

An innovative exploration GIS-based method has been developed by Reford et al. (2004) using neura... more An innovative exploration GIS-based method has been developed by Reford et al. (2004) using neural network analysis to improve integrated interpretation of variety of geosciences data for predictive mineral potential mapping. the Asseo area, Southern Hoggar, Algeria, was selected to apply this method on its recorded regional aerial magnetic and gamma-ray spectrometric survey data. Our choice for this area is justified by its distinct geological and structural setting and the existence of known uranium deposit, located close to the contact between an Eburnean crystalline basement and sedimentary basin; it is a challenging area for uranium exploration. Numerous processed geophysical maps are prepared for predictive targeting. They include: total magnetic intensity map, analytic signal and structural complexity grids of magnetic data as well as the radiometric variables (eU, eTh and K). the methodology consists to define the spatial distribution of the known uranium deposit and calculate its multi-map geophysical signature, which is then employed to predict and locate other uranium deposits targets with similar signatures using neural network training analysis. the final predictive map identifies new interesting unrecognized mining areas as targets for uranium mineralization, where one of them coincide with a number of well-known uranium occurrences

Journal of Geological Research, 2017

The Maghnia plain in western Algeria is filled by Plio-Quaternary and Miocene sediments that rest... more The Maghnia plain in western Algeria is filled by Plio-Quaternary and Miocene sediments that rest unconformably on a basement of Jurassic rocks. Electrical sounding (VES), magnetic data, well information, and hydrogeological data have been used to explore for groundwater potential in the Maghnia plain. The interpretation of Schlumberger sounding data was first calibrated with the lithology of available nearby wells. Four geoelectrical layers were identified within the study area. They are a thin near surface topsoil layer with variable resistivities, a moderate resistive aquifer (15–30 ohm-m), a resistive aquifer (40–70 ohm-m), and a conductive clay layer (1–10 ohm-m). Near Sidi Mbarek, the geoelectric section is reduced to three layers: a topsoil layer, a conductive layer corresponding to the Miocene marls, and a deep resistive layer that correlates with the Oxfordian sandstones. The interpretation of VES data and the enhancement techniques of magnetic data enabled the identificati...