Geology Reports⌕ Search

Geology topics

Habib M. Merghelani

Publications and source records attributed to Habib M. Merghelani.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1979

Seismicity of the Tihamat-Asir region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Knowledge of the seismicity of the west coast of Saudi Arabia is vitally important to the Kingdom. The eastern margin of the Red Sea, which includes all of the west coast of Saudi Arabia, is possibly cut by transform faults that may be capable of producing earthquakes large enough to cause damage in the heavily populated areas or in the industrial complexes under construction. Prior to this study, there were no seismic stations in Saudi Arabia and no studies of microearthquake activity. It was generally assumed that there were no active faults along the west coast. During the period 20 January to 22 February, 1978, five portable seismic stations were deployed in the Tihamat Asir in the southwest part of the country. A significant level of microearthquake activity was detected at a location that approximately coincides with the landward extension of the proposed transform fault. The recording of these earthquakes demonstrates that there are active faults at this location, probably associated with the currently active Red Sea tectonic system. The practical significance of these earthquakes cannot be evaluated from the few data available, and further studies should be undertaken to determine if there are significant seismic hazards along the west coast of Saudi Arabia.

Tihamat-Asir Region↗
USGS1976

Evaluation of the Umm Al Khabath copper prospect, Jabal Ibrahim quadrangle, sheet 20/41C, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Umm Al Khabath copper prospect (lat 20°10'N.; long 41°23'E.) was tested by 815 m of diamond drilling in three holes. Meager metallization of copper, zinc, gold, and silver is related to a distinct phase of quartz-pyrite veinlet stockworks and associated silicification, sericitization, and pyritization. Alteration and metallization are within a major north-trending shear zone, 10-50 m wide. Lithologies cut by the shear zone are pyroclastic agglomerate and tuff with intercalated ferruginous chert, wacke, and basalt flows, all belonging to the Precambrian Baish Group. The outcrop of the shear zone for a length of 1400 m contains scattered gossan, local zones of abundant malachite and chrysocolla veinlets, patches of malachite-rich calcrete cap, and several shallow ancient workings. Composite chip samples taken from the surface across the sheared and altered zone contain anomalous concentrations of copper and zinc in amounts greater than can be expected from the weathering of the slightly metallized rock of the sheared and altered zone.

Jabal Ibrahim quadrangle↗