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Evaluation of Fault Setback in Urban Area (A case study: South Mashhad Fault) 
Naser Hafezi Moghaddas, Abolfazl Soltani,
Volume 15, Issue 2 (9-2021)
Abstract
Safety design of structures concerning surface faulting effects such as shear and differential subsidence are very costly and in some cases are impossible. Then the appropriate approach for encountering surface faulting is to determine a suitable fault-avoidance zone. In this study, firstly the theorem of avoidance fault zone is presented, and then the setback area from the fault zone of South Mashhad fault is proposed. Recent studies show that South Mashhad fault is a right-lateral strike-slip fault with a normal component that cut the Quaternary sediments. In this work, the average slip rate and estimated return period for South Mashhad fault are 0.59 mm/yr and 2930 years, respectively.  Accordingly, the proposed avoidance zones in the south (hanging-wall) and north (foot-wall) of the fault are 80 and 70 meters, respectively. Considering the avoidance zones, many residential and other important structures are located in the avoidance zone of the South Mashhad fault../files/site1/files/152/%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B8%DB%8C.pdf
 

 
Investigation of the effect of mineralogy in strenghth of schist rocks in Mouteh gold mine
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Volume 15, Issue 3 (12-2021)
Abstract
In this study, due to the landslide in schist rocks, in the wall of Mouteh gold mines, including of the eastern wall of ChahKhatoon mine, it is important to identify the effective factors. Therefore, due to the diversity of schists in Chah Khatoon and Sanjadeh gold mines (two active mines in Mouteh Complex), to survey the mineralogy of schist rocks in Moteh gold mine has been done by identifying important factors in changes in rock strength. Cosequently, 10 schist samples from walls of these mines were considered for mineralogical, XRD studies. In the next step, these schists were subjected to uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and Brazilian tests to estimate the mechanical properties and quality of rock mass in different zones of mineral walls. The results showed that the UCS and Brazilian index in these schists are directly and inversely related to the SiO2 and Al2O3 contents of the rocks, respectively, as well as the secondary structures.Some factors such as the presence of secondary structures, continuous surface area, particle size, and mineralogical composition play an important role in the failure modes of these rocks. UCS and Brazilian strength of schists vary from 10 MPa to 72 MPa and 1.9 to 10.2 MPa, respectively. The lowest UCS occurs in strongly weathered rocks with low silica content. However, the type of clay minerals is effective in the stability of the mineral wall. Considering the presence of montmorillonite clay mineral in the eastern wall of Chahkhatoun mine, the rock resistance is moderate despite the high percentage of silica. UCS values of wet and dry rock samples containing muscovite and montmorillonite clay minerals were more different from those of other rocks. In this regard, the rocks with Illite clay minerals are more resistant than Smectite and montmorillonite minerals. In general, the resistance of schists depends on various factors such as mineralogy, which is of great importance because of its involvement in the formation of secondary structures.

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Investigation of geomechanical properties of rock units of the eastern tunnel of Pervadeh Tabas coal mine and presenting experimental relationship
Mohadeseh Sadeghi, Naser Hafezi Moghads, Mohammad Ghafoori, Mehrdad Amiri, Ali Bashari,
Volume 16, Issue 2 (9-2022)
Abstract
 The design of underground or terrestrial structures on the rock bed depends on the physical and mechanical properties. Considering the mining method in Tabas coal mine extraction method is long and destructive, the evaluation of the geomechanical properties of the rocks is more necessary. In this research, the characteristics of the rock units of the eastern tunnel No. 3 of Tabas coal Pervadeh mine were investigated. In this study, 3 samples of shale, sandstone and mudstone were examined.  Considering the importance of the subject in this research, new experimental relations have been proposed, and their application shows desirable results. In order to obtain geomechanical characteristics and empirical relationships, physical tests such as porosity, water absorption percentage, unit volume weight, and mechanical properties such as uniaxial compressive strength, point load index, Brazilian tensile strength, direct cutting test, durability and brittleness index were carried out. To achieve the desired objective, the most appropriate relationships are presented using the regression method. Statistical analysis shows good correlation between different parameters in shale, sandstone and mudstone samples.
 

Evaluation of permeability, karst development potential and karst conceptual model of Ghareikan dam construction – Razavi Khorasan
Hossein Mohammadzadeh, Vahid Naseri Hesar, Hamid Ghalibaf Mohammadabadi,
Volume 17, Issue 4 (12-2023)
Abstract
Due to the complex hydrogeology of karst areas, the sealing of dams in such areas is more difficult, time-consuming and expensive, and the possibility of water leaksge is higher. After the dewatering of the Gharetikan dam and appearance of downstream springs and the leakage of water from the abutment of the Tirgan limestone formation, the possibility of karst development is considered to be the most important problem of this dam. In this article, the potential of karst development in the area and supports of the Gharetikan Dam has been studied by carrying out geological studies, structural geology and joint studies, geotechnical permeability and analysis hierarchy method (AHP).. The results show that about 14.6% of the ​​Gharetikan dam area has a high potential for karst development. The area of ​​Gharetikan dam area is affected by the Sarroud fault zone system, which has caused the collapse of the left side of the dam axis. The joint studies in the abutment of Gharetikan dam show three main types of joints. Two groups of joints are located at the intersection with the dam axis and the slope of the other group of joints is towards the dam basin. The investigating of Lugeon permeability tests in the dam construction shows that the highest permeability can be seen in the left abutment with turbulent flow, and then under the river bed with linear and turbulent flow, but there is no permeability in the right abutment. And the flow is mostly linear. According to the structural-conceptual model prepared from the location of the Gharetikan dam, to the location of the dam axis in the Sarroud fault system, and the amount opening and the slope direction of the joints in each station, it is expected that the amount of water leakage and escape and the possibility of karst development from the left side and the bed of the dam will be more than the right side of the dam.

Development of a Model for Predicting Elastic Modulus in the Alluvial Deposits of Mashhad Plain Using Basic Soil Parameters
Mr. Mehdi Abbasi, Prof. Gholamreza Lashkaripour, Prof. Naser Hafezi Moghaddas, Dr. Hossein Sadeghi,
Volume 19, Issue 1 (6-2025)
Abstract
The elastic modulus is considered one of the most essential parameters in the analysing and designing deep foundations and underground structures. Accurate determination of this parameter usually requires expensive and time-consuming in-situ testing, and validating its accuracy poses significant challenges. Therefore, researchers have consistently focused on developing  empirical models based on geotechnical parameters. In the present study, multiple linear regression models, including general, coarse-grained soil, and fine-grained soil models, were developed to predict the elastic modulus using data obtained from 180 boreholes totaling 5,783 meters in the Mashhad Metro Line 3 project.. Out of 489 pressuremeter tests, 160 datasets were selected based on the availability of complete geotechnical parameters at the same depth. The analysis incorporated the influence of various parameters, including the percentage of sand, silt, and fine particles; grain size characteristics (D10, D30, D60, uniformity coefficient, and coefficient of curvature); Atterberg limits; moisture content; natural and dry density; specific gravity; and cementation indicators (gypsum, carbonate, and organic matter), as well as depth and in-situ stress. The final regression models were developed using a backward stepwise method, implemented through Python programming. The resulting regression equations were derived, and comparative plots between predicted and actual elastic modulus values were presented. The findings demonstrate that the proposed model offers reliable accuracy in estimating the elastic modulus. To evaluate the accuracy of the proposed models in predicting soil elastic modulus, an independent dataset of 39 pressuremeter test results, including both fine- and coarse-grained soils, was used. Statistical indicators demonstrated that the overall model performed best (R²=0.79, MAPE=9.86%). Additionally, the low values of normalized RMSE confirmed the stability and acceptable accuracy of all models.

Prediction of the Strength Characteristics of Limestones in the Sanandaj – Sirjan Zone Using Statistical Methods and Neural Network
Mojtaba Rahimi Shahid, Gholam Reza Lashkaripour, Naser Hafezi Moghaddas,
Volume 19, Issue 2 (10-2025)
Abstract
The Sanandaj–Sirjan Structural-Sedimentary Zone is one of the most important geological regions in Iran. The limestone formations in this area play a key role in civil engineering and mining projects. Knowing the precise mechanical properties of these rocks, especially the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS dry) and dry point load index (Is₅₀-dry), is essential for safely and economically designing structures. Because direct testing methods are costly and time-consuming, this study uses indirect modeling techniques, such as regression and neural networks, to predict these properties. First, a comprehensive database was compiled by collecting the physical, mechanical, dynamic, and chemical data of limestone samples from the region. Then, univariate, bivariate, and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to extract statistical relationships among the variables. Finally, multilayer perceptron neural network models with various architectures based on the Levenberg–Marquardt learning algorithm were developed. The comparison results of the model performance indicated that neural networks, due to their ability to identify complex and nonlinear relationships between parameters, provide more accurate predictions of the limestone mechanical properties compared to statistical models. A comparison of the correlation coefficients of multivariate regression equations and neural network models showed that, overall, using neural network models improves the accuracy of UCS Dry predictions by 14.89% and the Is ₅₀-Dry predictions by 4.70%. The results show that predicting UCS Dry in the presence of Is ₅₀-Dry among the input parameters has a significant impact on improving the accuracy of the models. For example, the model with the inputs Is ₅₀-Dry, SH, γ Dry and n showed very good performance. For predicting Is ₅₀-Dry, the models that included the parameters SDI1 and BI Dry as inputs also performed very well. The application of these models can contribute to cost reduction, increased speed of rock engineering studies, and improved safety in civil projects.

Assessment of the Mashhad-Chenaran aquifer quantitve sutainability in Mashhad city area
Hossein Mohammadzadeh, Nazanin Nesari Ashkzari, Mahmoud Arjmand Sharif,
Volume 20, Issue 1 (6-2026)
Abstract
The intensive exploitation of groundwater resources in arid and semi-arid regions poses serious challenges to the quantitative sustainability of aquifers. The Mashhad–Chenaran aquifer, one of the most important alluvial aquifers in north-eastern Iran and the main source of drinking water for the city of Mashhad, has experienced increasing stress in recent years. This study evaluated the quantitative sustainability of the aquifer during the 2015–2016 to 2021–2022 hydrological periods, based on an integrated analysis of well discharge, aquifer saturated thickness, specific yield (Sy), specific capacity (Q/s) and specific drawdown (S/Q). The results indicate a notable decline in well discharge, particularly in the southeastern and central parts of the aquifer. Concurrently, the saturated thickness of the aquifer decreased. Specific yield declined from approximately 0.95 to 0.25, corresponding to a reduction of around 74% in aquifer storage capacity. Additionally, the specific capacity decreased from approximately 0.63 to 0.43 MCM·yr⁻¹·m⁻¹, representing a reduction of around 32%. Meanwhile, specific drawdown increased from approximately 1.56 to 2.30 m, indicating a 47% increase in water-level decline per unit discharge, as well as a reduction in the hydraulic efficiency of groundwater exploitation. Areas of the aquifer were assessed for sustainability during the 2021–2022 hydrological period, and it was found that approximately 35% of the aquifer area was classified as unstable, 42% as semi-stable, and only 23% as stable. Overall, the findings demonstrate an intensification of quantitative instability in the Mashhad–Chenaran aquifer, emphasising the need to revise groundwater abstraction practices, control pumping rates and implement continuous monitoring to ensure the aquifer is exploited sustainably.

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