The main and general objective of this work is to define how to use the spatial analysis of top Turonian (top Ajlun group, Wadi As Sir formation) through geographic information systems (GIS). This research created to define and determine the ancient topography of the top turonian age. This is the upper or shallow aquifer in Jordan. In order to obtain these objectives a several geological and structural maps were collected and digitized by using geographic information systems (GIS). The structural map of the top of Turonian was issued. This structural map was used to study the historical of the upper aquifer or shallow aquifer that named Wadi As Sir formation of the upper turonian in the eastern highlands of the Jordan Valley. More than one thousand locations as a points by using GIS. The structural maps were used to define the structure features as lineaments and faults along the study area. Many maps were created for this study by using the GIS. These maps will be used with other researcher as base for the hydrogeology software in order to create a hydrogeological model of the Jordan Valley area.
Research Article
Using GIS to Determine the Ancient Geomorphology of the Upper Aquifer in Eastern Highland of the Jordan Valley
https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6375741/v1
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Turonian
Jordan Valley
Structural Map
Aquifer
More than two-third of Jordan covered by Upper Cretaceous which consists of carbonate rocks. Most of Jordan was covered by shallow, warm seas during the Cenomanian and Turonian Ages. In these geological ages, layer of the Ajlun Group which consists of different formations as Naur, Fuheis, Hummar, Shuayb, and Wadi As Sir formations were deposited in Jordan (Bandel and Geys (1985), Powell (1989), Abed and Kraishan (1991), Bandel et al. (1999), Ahmad and Al-Hammad (2002)). The early turonian age formation “Shuayb” is named by (Wetzel and Morton, 1959; Basha, 1978; Dilley, 1985). This formation overlain by Wadi As Sir Formation. Which is the upper shallow aquifer in Jordan. It consists of thinly bedded limestone and marly limestone rocks.
The age of the Ajlun Group is Cenomanian-Turonian is missing in the south of Jordan due to erosion factors where a consequence of the recent uplift associated with formation of the Dead Sea Transform (DST) in the Middle Miocene age according to Bender, 1974; Powell, 1989. The Ajlun group is fully crops out in different wadis throughout the western mountains range forming the eastern shoulder of the Dead Sea Transform
Outcropping rocks which are distributed on foothills, the escarpment, and highlands of considering area are from the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous ages. The deposits that cover the rift valley are from Tertiary and Quaternary ages. Table 1 shows the different geological formations in the considering area.
Table-1: Simplified hydro-geological rock units classification of the considered area
Quennel (1951) divided the Upper Cretaceous into two groups. These groups are a lower Ajlun Group and Belqa Group. The first group includes all the marine sediments of Cenomanian–Turanian age. It is represented by a sequence of carbonates rocks. It consists of limestone, marly limestone, marl, shale, dolomite, and sandstone in a few locations. The second one is composed of all sediments from the Late-Turonian to Early-Oligocene. The younger group is Jordan Valley (JV) Group consists of sediments from Tertiary age. It is outcropping in the Jordan Valley and along the Jordan Rift side. The following three formations: Lisan formation (JV3), Ghor El-Katar formation (JV2) and Shaquar Formation (JV1) are the three parts of the JV group. This group consists of sand, marl, and conglomerate, overlain by Quaternary gravel, sand, and soil. The Jordan Valley deposits were overlain by the Quaternary deposits.
The main objectives of this research are determine the ancient topography of the top Turonian age (top Ajlun group, the Wadi As Sir formation). This is the shallow or upper aquifer in Jordan. Create a structural maps and create a hydrogeological maps of the study area. These maps will be used for a hydrogeological model for the study area.
This research covered an area of the Eastern highlands of the Jordan Valley. This area extends from Lake Tiberias at the north at a coordinate of 32.7964° N, 35.5778° E. to the northern corner of the Dead Sea at coordinate of 31.5007° N, 35.4224° E. as a GS84. The location map of the study area is shown in Fig. 1.
A geographic information system (GIS) can be explained as system programmed to captivate, store, analyze, manipulate, administer, and exist all types of geographical information. GIS can be used as tool for solving problems and for decision making processes, in addition to visualization of data in spatial circumstances. Geospatial data can be analyzed in order to determine several features related position and locations on Earth’s surface. Therefore different kinds of data can be shown on maps by using GIS.
The geological data were extracted from geological maps with 1:50,000 scale that generated by Natural Resources Authority and topographic maps of scale 1:25,000 generated by Royal Geographic Center. The geological maps cover an area at the eastern side of the Jordan Valley toward the highlands to the East of the Jordan Valley. These Geological maps sheets are Al-Karameh, Al-Salt, Amman, Jerash, Daer Alla, Daer Abu Saaid, North Shwaneh, and Irbid. A digital copies of these maps were generated by scanning. After that each sheet of the geological map was registered, geo-referenced, verified, and finally saved by using Datum WGS 84 into geographic information system “ArcMap”. These steps were repeated for each sheet of the geological map to create a mosaic for these maps. A final mosaic map was obtained as defined in figure-2. A shape file point was chosen and the top of Touronian was recognized. More than 1000 points were selected for the top of Touronian and then they were interpolated. These points were actual top of the Touronian age and some of these points were virtual of the top of the Touronian age. The data were analyzed in order to issue a structure map of top Touronian. As well the accident lineaments and faults maps were generated for the study area. The main research approach is shown below. Different structural maps for the study area were created by using geological software. While line shape file was chosen to identify the structures features of the study area.
The mosaic map of the eight sheets of the geological maps is shown in the figure-2. This map was used to define the topography of the top Turonian (top Ajlun group) and the structures features of the study area.
The structure features of the study area are shown in figure-3. The study area has many mean faults and lineaments. Most of these faults are normal faults. These faults uplifted the considered area and as a final result the turonian age was weathered and eroded at southern parts of the study area.
The results of the topographic points for the top Turonian age are shown in the figure-4. These points were covered all the study area. These points were used to create a structural maps of the Turonian. Some of these points shows that the top turonian locate beneath the topography and the other points show that the top Turonian is missed and locate over the topography.
The map of the top Turonian age (Top Ajlun group) is shown in figure-5. The distribution of the top Turonian height are – 320 m at the flat area of the shore of the Jordan Valley and reach to about 1100 m at the mountains that locate to the eastern part of the Jordan Valley.
The topography of the study area is shown in figure-6. It shows that the topography of the study area are distributed between – 250 m at the shore of the Jordan Valley to about 1090 m at the mountains. This is mean that at some locations the topography were higher than that of the top Turonian and at some locations the top Turonian are higher than the topography which is mean that the top Turonian is missed by erosion or the Turonian did not sediment because at these locations the topography were higher than the surrounding area.
Figures 5 and 6 were merged. After merging these two figures a new figures were issued. These figures 7 and 8 show that at southern and middle parts of the study area the top Turonian (Top Ajlun) was present while the top Turonian was apsent at the northern part of the study area due to that the topography was higher at the time of top Turonian settlement or the area uplifted due to a main earth movement and then the top Turonian was eroded.
For more clearance image for the distribution of the top Turonian age (Top Ajlun group, Wadi As Sir formation). Arc Scene image was issued. The brown color indicate to top Turonian in this image and the topographic layer is in yellow color.
This research shows that the top Turonian age (Top Ajlun Group, Top Wadi As Sir formation) which is the shallow top aquifer in the study area are distributed along the southern part of the eastern high lands of the Jordan River while this formation are missed at the northern part of the study area towards the Lake Tiberius (Sea Galilee) due to different factors as a tectonic activities and depositional environments. Results from this research are coincide with the results that found by other researchers.
Conflicts of interest
The author has no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Research Financing
This research was done with self-support with no any financing support from any establishments.
Author Contribution
The corresponding author responced for the data and writing the manuscript.The second author responced for editing the manuscript.
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No competing interests reported.