Mehdi Khalid

Université Sultan Moulay Slimane · Department of Earth Sciences

In this study, the geohydraulic parameters of aquifers in the Sahel Doukkala region, western Morocco were estimated using a geostatistical method to transform vertical electrical soundings (VES) data into electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) profiles. The resulting ERT profiles covered a larger area than the original VES data, allowing for a mor...

This work attempts to solve the knowledge gap in the Sharyoof oil field within Block 53, Say’un-Masilah basin, eastern Yemen using acquired wells logs data. In this area, the Qishn Sandstone is considered to be the major member of the Qishn Formation, which exhibits good reservoir features. To determine the traps of hydrocarbons, this Member was di...

The complex geological structures, of the Sharyoof field in the Say'un-Masilah Basin of Yemen, make obtaining accurate information about the hydrocarbon entrapment style difficult. This situation adversely affects the efficiency of the exploration. Therefore, the present study provides a detailed character analysis of subsurface structural features...

The Say’un-Masilah basin is one of the most prolific sedimentary basins in Yemen, and therefore it has attracted the attention of geologists and geophysicists for hydrocarbon prospection and exploration. The main objective of this research is to study the structural and stratigraphic subsurface features as well as to determine the lithological cont...

The Moul El Bergui area has been known since the 1980s for its high agricultural potential and its permanent irrigation systems. Recently, this area has suffered significant material damages due to collapse dolines that still threaten the population, infrastructures, and agricultural lands. Accordingly, this study was carried out aiming at identify...

Northern Morocco, landslides play a role in the evolution of slopes. The geological and geotechnical studies of the ground are most often motivated by the search for solutions to a movement said. Thus, the objective of this work is to study the stability of the embankment with the passage of the vehicle PV113 section of the A2 highway between Oued...

Groundwater resources in Morocco are increasingly scarce. The study area which is Central Haouz belonging to the Marrakech plain is not immune to this phenomenon. This is due to the semi-arid climate on the one hand, and on the other hand, due to accelerated population growth and the economic development implications. The Plio-Quaternary aquifer of...

This study aims firstly, to build the collapse dolines susceptibility maps in the Sahel-Doukkala area of central Morocco, using the modified frequency ratio (FR) method. Secondly, to determine the relationships between factors responsible for collapse doline occurrence and their spatial distribution. To accomplish these objectives, a total of 58 co...

L’aquifère de la Chaouia côtière constitue une ressource importante pour le secteur agricole, caractérisé par une exploitation intensive à des fins d’irrigation. Cette zone enregistre une variabilité climatique qui montre une alternance de périodes humides, normales et sèches. De plus, les fluctuations saisonnière et annuelle de la nappe sont impor...

Seasonal variations of sea level have an important impact on coastal groundwater level and salinity. Consequently, they cause spatiotemporal changes in the seawater/freshwater interface. The oceanic tide effect on groundwater dynamics and salinity was investigated in the coastal aquifers of Sahel Doukkala, Morocco. Continuous monitoring of water le...

The area of Jorf Lihoudi, located south of the city of Safi, is known for its coastal karst. The latter is characterized by the presence of several of collapse sinkholes that pose a risk to the population, infrastructure and agricultural lands. GIS Matrix Method (GMM) was used to construct a collapse sinkholes susceptibility map (Boualla et al., 20...

The Bleida fractured aquifer is not well studied in terms of water resources as previous geophysical investigations in this area were undertaken for mining purposes. This study utilized magnetic resonance sounding surveys in order to define the distribution of water resources in the region of Bleida and to locate areas favorable for the drilling an...

This study aims to establish susceptibility maps for the Moroccan Safi region, which is affected by karstification processes. This process is the predisposing factor for various landslide types such as debris flows and rock falls. In the first phase of this study, a landslide inventory was prepared by geomorphological approach based on visual inter...

Cette étude porte sur la région de Safi, au sud de Casablanca, au nord-est d'Agadir et à l’Ouest de Marrakech. Elle se caractérise par un système karstique très développé. Les aquifères de la région sont : l’aquifère Plioquaternaire et celui du Jurassique supérieur. L’aquifères karstique se localise au niveau de la formation calcaire (Calcaire de D...

The area of Moul El Bergui is located at the border between the Sahel, known by its coastal karst, and the plain of Doukkala-Abda. This area has been developed in the early 1980s for agricultural irrigation. In recent decades, several collapse dolines associated with the opening of fractures have been observed in this region. Collapse dolines pose...

This study aims to identify groundwater salinization origin and to determine seawater intrusion extension toward the inland in Chaouia, Morocco. To reach these objectives, firstly, 46 groundwater samples were analyzed for major chemical elements during January 2012 and, secondly, 10 electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) profiles were performed pe...

Contributions of Geographical Sciences to Tsunami Risk Prevention in Morocco By focusing on Morocco, this article shows how the geographical sciences can contribute to improving the knowledge of tsunami risk and its prevention following an integrated and spatial approach based on the concept of scenario. The main results presented here come from t...

L’aquifère libre de la Chaouia côtière constitue un exemple des aquifères les plus exploités au Maroc. Ce travail est consacré à l’étude des processus de la salinisation des eaux souterraines par l’analyse physico-chimique de 39 puits répartis dans la zone. Deux types de faciès ont été révélés, l’un est chloruré-sodique dans la frange côtière ; l’a...

The unconfined aquifer of coastal Chaouia is an example of groundwater resources subjected to intensive withdrawals in Morocco. In this study, we focus on the salinization of groundwater in coastal aquifers, by physic-chemical analysis of 39 groundwater samples collected from wells during May 2011. The hydrochemical results show two facies types, t...

This study was based, firstly, on observations and analysis of water table level variations in the PlioQuaternary and Hauterivian aquifers, Oualidia (Morocco), and secondly, on comparing this behavior to oceanic tidal variations. Recordings were made in the well located at 1318 m from the coast, where the two aquifers are in direct contact. This in...

The coastal aquifer system of Chaouia is recognized as one of the most important aquifers in Morocco that is affected by salinization in the coastal fringe. The purpose of this study is to highlight the origin of salinization by sampling and analyzing groundwater from 44 wells for major elements. This study was carried out in May 2011. The results...

The Doukkala-Abda region, rich in karst forms (caves, dolines, karren…) underwent in the recent years several collapse dolines, essentially due to the presence of caves or underground cavities. These collapse dolines are a risk, especially for densely populated areas, for man-made structures and for areas with agricultural interest. Thus, it’s esse...

L'aquifère de la Chaouia côtière constitue un exemple des aquifères les plus exploités au Maroc, ce travail est consacré à l'étude de la minéralisation des eaux souterraines par la caractérisation hydrochimique et la tomographie des résistivités électriques. Les résultats de l'état piézométrique et l'hydrochimie, ont pu mettre en évidence un avance...

The coastal aquifer system of Chaouia is recognized as one of the most important aquifers in Morocco that is affected by salinization in the coastal fringe. The purpose of this study is to highlight the origin of salinization by sampling and analyzing groundwater from 44 wells for major elements. This study was carried out in May 2011. The results...

Oualidia city is located on the Moroccan Atlantic coast. Groundwater is the only resource for agriculture irrigation in this area. This operation is done by intensive pumping mainly in the coastal fringe. In this study, hydrochemical and geophysical methods were conducted to evaluate both composition and processes which control groundwater minerali...

Deep seismic data represent a key to understand the geometry and mechanism of continental rifting. The passive continental margin of NW-Africa is one of the oldest on earth, formed during the Upper Triassic–Lower Liassic rifting of the central Atlantic Ocean over 200 Ma. We present new and existing wide-angle and reflection seismic data from three...

This chapter addresses the relations between inlet dynamics and nearshore wave regime at a coastal lagoon in the Atlantic coast of Morocco. The study of wave climate indicates a southward trend for the net annual longshore sediment transport, which modifies previously reported conclusions fundamented upon limited series of observations on waves and...

Deep seismic data were acquired on the Atlantic Moroccan margin offshore Safi during the MIRROR cruise, a joint project between Ifremer, the Universities of Brest, El Jadida and Lisbon and the german BGR. A total 1206.05 km of reflection and wide-angle seismic profiles were acquired using 42 ocean-bottom seismometers, 15 landstations, a 7250 cu inc...

Registration of piezometric fluctuations analyzed simultaneously with those of the tide permit characterizing the hydrodynamic behavior of aquifers. This study was based, firstly on the observation and analysis of the water level variation in the plioquaternaire unconfined aquifer with that of the Hauterivian, Oualidia (Morocco), and, secondly, on...

This study focuses on the application of the new method, GALDIT, for the cartography of aquifer vulnerability due to seawater intrusion in the area of Chaouia coast (Morocco) which is characterized by intense agricultural activity and low depth of the groundwater. The method was developed by Chachadi and Lobo-Ferreira in 2001 after that modified in...

Le retour d’expérience mené à la suite du tsunami du 26 décembre 2004 en Indonésie dans le cadre du programme Tsunarisque, nous a permis d’appréhender ce risque sur d’autres territoires exposés. Cette communication développe une approche d’évaluation intégrée du risque de tsunami sur le littoral atlantique Marocain, focalisée sur la ville d’El Jadi...

The study of conjugate margins is important to test different hypotheses of rifting and initial opening of an ocean. In this scope, seven wide-angle seismic profiles were acquired on the Moroccan Atlantic margin (at the latitudes between 32° and 33° N) together with coincident deep frequency reflection seismic data during the MIRROR cruise in May a...

Rich by its karst phenomena, the Doukkala-Abda region delivers the most diverse karst forms; ranging from exokarst to endokarst: lapies, sinkholes, ouvalas, poljes, avens or sinkholes, caves with halls, galleries .... Among the most attractive forms include, among others, the Goraan cave is a tourist site arousing much interest (Ecotourism, Caving,...

Major ion geochemistry and environmental isotopes were used to identify the origins and the mineralisation processes of groundwater flowing within the three aquifer levels of the multilayer system of the Gafsa-south mining district (Southwestern Tunisia). It has been demonstrated that groundwaters are characterised by a Ca–Mg–SO4 water type. Geoche...

The metal content in surface sediments (0–2cm, 26 samples), in a sediment core (120, 1cm slices), taken from Moulay Bousselham (Morocco) was investigated. Concentrations of Al, Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Cd, As, and Hg were evaluated in surface and cored sediments of Moulay Bousselham lagoon. Significantly high concentrations in μgg−1dw of Pb (31....

Résumé - L’inversion des données de sondages électriques verticaux réalisés en 1992 dans la région du Sahel Doukkala au moyen d’une méthode d’optimisation fondée sur des algorithmes globaux tels que les essaims particulaires (PSO) a permis d’estimer, le long d’un profil perpendiculaire à la côte, la position du biseau d’eau salée. Cette méthode a p...

The structural organization of the area of Northern Gharb was done by the slanting of an interpretative cartography where all the hydrographical charachters are taken into account with the analysis of its topographic elements and those of the inter lands. This morphostructural analysis is original and sheds light particularly on the relationship wh...

L'inversion des données de sondages électriques verticaux réalisés en 1992 dans la région du Sahel Doukkala au moyen d'une méthode d'optimisation fondée sur des algorithmes globaux tels que les essaims particulaires (PSO) a permis d'estimer, le long d'un profil perpendiculaire à la côte, la position du biseau d'eau salée. Cette méthode a permis d'a...

The recent discovery of emerged and lifted lagunal deposits near the Moulay Bouselham lagoon (North Moroccan Atlantic coast), up to 32 m above sea level, requires a new model to explain the evolution of this ecosystem. All the studies on these deposits seem to indicate that we are dealing with very recent lagoonal levels. The main problem is to exp...

The Oualidia lagoon is known for its heavy metal pollution resulting from mining and smelting activities since the late 19th century. Here, we report 137Cs and 210Pb activities and heavy metal concentration depth profiles from sediment cores retrieved in 1997. High mean sedimentation rates of 0.6–1 cm/y are indicated by 210Pb and 137Cs dating. The...

A recent high-resolution seismic survey of the El Jadida continental shelf allows the characterization of the Cenozoic evolution of the Northern Atlantic Moroccan Shelf, which belongs to the Western Meseta structural domain. Seismic stratigraphy indicates a subdivision of the Cenozoic deposits into four sequences (Sca1 to Sca4) restricted to the no...

The seismic reflection studies carried in the Essaouira Basin, intermediate zone between the High Atlas and the Atlantic Margin, show the presence of halokinetic structures that played a significant role in the evolution of the basin. Salt dynamics was controlled by the Atlantic rifting and the Atlasic orogen. These tectonic controls and the margin...