Understanding the Mechanisms of Earth Fissuring for Hazard Mitigation in Najran, Saudi Arabia

Mabkhoot Alsaiari, Basil Onyekayahweh Nwafor, Maman Hermana (), Al Marzouki Hassan H. M. and Mohammed Irfan
Additional contact information
Mabkhoot Alsaiari: Empty Quarter Unit, Chemistry Department at Sharurah, Najran University, Najran P.O. Box 1988, Saudi Arabia
Basil Onyekayahweh Nwafor: Department of Geoscience, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Malaysia
Maman Hermana: Department of Geoscience, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Malaysia
Al Marzouki Hassan H. M.: Saudi Geological Survey, Jeddah 21514, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed Irfan: Electrical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Najran University, Najran P.O. Box 1988, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 7, 1-22

Abstract: Being a fast-growing city with a high rate of urbanization and agricultural development, the city of Najran, situated in the southwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has witnessed a series of earth fissuring events and some other geo-environmental hazards in recent times. These fissures have posed a significant threat to inhabitants and infrastructure in the area. A few studies suggest that excessive groundwater withdrawal is responsible for fissuring activities. Because of the intensity of this geo-hazard, this article presupposes that groundwater extraction alone cannot be responsible for the magnitude of fissuring activity in the area and discusses other severe factors that could be responsible for the earth fissures. The study proposes that the cause of the problem is multifaceted and synergistic, and outlines threatening factors that can inherently trigger more fissures in the region, based on the geologic history of the area and a critical review of investigative studies conducted in the area and beyond. Predicated on the region’s structural history, some undiscovered elements that can potentially cause fissuring in the region were identified and discussed. Some of these include the pre-existence of a fault system, a crack from the bedrock ridge, the existence of paleochannels, the collapsibility of loess, the tectonic (earthquake) history of the area, and differential compaction due to heterogeneity. The use of a metaheuristic and a combined application integrating other optimization algorithms can be utilized to determine optimum hyperparameters and present their statistical importance, thereby improving accuracy and dependability in fissure prediction in Najran. Reliable models would primarily be used to monitor active fissures and identify key factors utilizing spatial information, subsidence, groundwater-related data sets, etc.

Keywords: earth fissures; groundwater; subsidence; geo-hazard; environmental; Najran (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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