Publications Section

AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO SLOPE STABILITY ANALYSIS: A CASE STUDY OF THE HUMARRI LANDSLIDE IN NAGAR

Landslides are dangerous natural events that can cause serious damage to
buildings and put lives at risk, especially in areas with complex ground conditions.
It is important to understand and manage slope stability. The focus of the review is
on the challenges in the Humarri region. The techniques covered are traditional, like
the limit equilibrium method, and newer ones, like finite element analysis. Slope
stability can be affected by factors like soil properties and water content. It stresses
the importance of combining real-world data with advanced modeling for more
accurate predictions, as it looks at recent advances in stabilization methods. The goal of
this review is to encourage more in-depth studies that take into account geological,
hydrological, and soil related factors in order to improve safety in landslide prone
areas.

By moadat hussain
Landslides are dangerous natural events that can cause serious damage to buildings and put lives at...

A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF GEMSTONES, MINES, MINERS AND PROBLEMS IN GILGIT-BALTISTAN, PAKISTAN

Gilgit-Baltistan possesses a complex history of crustal evolution and rich diversity of geological
environments, and is favorable for various types of mineralization and production of gemstone all
over GB. Two batholiths; Kohistan Batholith and Karakorum Batholith which are hosting gemstones
mineralization. This investigation reveals that thirty-two precious and semi-precious stones are mined,
95% of the total gemstones produced in Pakistan come from GB. These varieties of gemstones come
from 2150 mines which are in working conditions scattered all over GB and number of miners involved
is 25000. Miners face problems like lighting, ventilation and drilling. They lack the basic safety
equipment like helmets, mining shoes, gloves, googles and masks. Due to the fumes of explosives,
miners are suffering from different diseases like Silicosis. The main gemstone-producing areas are
Hunza valley, Sumayar (Nager Valley), Shengus and Haramosh (District Gilgit), Bulachi and Mir Malik
(District Astore), Istak Nalah and Shiger Valley. The common gemstones mined are ruby, pargasite,
spinel, corundum, sapphire, calcite, aquamarine, tourmaline, beryl, quartz, topaz, albite, microcline,
apatite, fluorite, emerald, marganite, diopside, tanzanite, axinite, felsite, kunzite, emerald and
garnet.
KEYWORDS: Gemstones, prospects, miners, primitive methods, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB)

By Tehseen Ullah Qureshi
Gilgit-Baltistan possesses a complex history of crustal evolution and rich diversity of geological...

Rockglacier inventory, permafrost probability distribution modeling and associated hazards in the Hunza River Basin, Western Karakoram, Pakistan

Thedestabilization of rock glaciers and permafrost variations is of great importance to the safety of the population
and infrastructure in the Karakoram region because of their effects on land stability and river obstructions. In this
study, we compiled the first complete rock glacier inventory for the Hunza Basin, western Karakoram, of 616 rock
glaciers with an areaof 194 km2between2800and5700ma.s.l.Wecategorizedtherockglaciersasintactorrelict,
andtheir distributions and destabilization were further analyzed and used along with in situ climate and elevation
dataset to model the permafrost probability distribution. The modeled areas where the permafrost zonation index
(PZI)is0.5–1.00 indicate that permafrost occurs over85% of the catchmentareaandlies above3525 m a.s.l., which
closely matches the zero-degree isotherm of 3800 m a.s.l. Based on the sensitivity analysis of the independent var
iables, elevationisthemostsensitivevariable,followedbynetradiation,forpredictingtheprobabilitiesofthepres
ence and absence of permafrost. The model distributions are quite precise, with median posterior areas under the
curve of0.98and0.96formodeltrainingandtesting, respectively. Weanalyzedtherockglacier destabilization for
68 rock glaciers that interacted with river channels, of which 50 blocked or diverted river channels. Destabilized
rock glaciers can be closely linked to the 0 °C isotherm between 3400 and 4600 m a.s.l. The significant damage
caused by periodic floods from the subsequent blockage of river channels by landslides can be attributed to vari
ations in permafrost. Which demolished infrastructure, including a hydropower plant, suspension bridge and
water supply system in Hassan-abad catchment. Quantification of rock glacier dynamics and permafrost in the re
gion can further improve policies related to the reduction in disaster risk and mitigation of associated hazards.
©2021ElsevierB.V.Allrightsreserved

By Tehseen Ullah Qureshi
Thedestabilization of rock glaciers and permafrost variations is of great importance to the safety o...

GIS-based landslide susceptibility mapping using analytical hierarchy process: a case study of Astore region, Pakistan

In this study, landslide susceptibility analysis were undertaken in the Astore region, Pakistan. The Geographical Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) techniques were used along with the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to find out the landslide susceptibility of the region. The Astore, lying in the Himalayan mountains, experiences frequent landslides due to several triggering factors. Factors including slope, lithology, aspect, topographic wetness index (TWI), plan curvature, stream power index (SPI), distance from drainage, land use land cover (LULC) and soil were used. Each factor was processed in the GIS environment and weighted through the AHP technique. AHP weights were derived with a consistency ratio of 0.06. Finally, the five zones, very low, low, moderate, high, and very high are respectively covering 20.5% (28.98 km2), 33.1% (46.78 km2), 30.6% (43.26 km2), 10.8% (15.28 km2), and 4.9% (6.92 km2). Slope, lithology and LULC were the most important factors in triggering landslides.

By Muhammad Usman
In this study, landslide susceptibility analysis were undertaken in the Astore region, Pakistan. The...

Did the Kohistan-Ladakh island arc collide fi rst with India?

Did the Kohistan-Ladakh island arc collide fi rst with India?

By Tehseen Ullah Qureshi
Did the Kohistan-Ladakh island arc collide fi rst with India?