Cases and solutions
Geophysical investigations for the
location of a proposed dam in Al
Bishriyya (Al Aritayn) area,
northeast Badia of Jordan
Awni T. Batayneh á Abdallah S. Al Zoubi á Abdelruhman A. Abueladas
Abstract Vertical electrical sounding and seismic
refraction geophysical surveys were conducted on
the northeast Badia of Jordan over the location of a
proposed dam, as part of a national project to de-
velop the Jordan Badia at the same national level.
The objective of the study was twofold: (1) to eval-
uate the possibility of mapping of volcanic medium
in areas where little is known about the subsurface
geology and to infer a shallow geological structure
from the geophysical data interpretation, (2) to
identify formations that may be present, and (3)
subsequently estimate the relationship between
groundwater resources and geological structures.
Geoelectrical data collected at 12 locations and
refraction data collected along two pro®les were
interpreted utilizing both manual and automatic
techniques. Vertical electrical sounding data were
pieced together along the survey lines to make a
geoelectrical cross section. From the surface down,
the cross sections reveal a thin layer of alluvial and
wadi sediments, alluvial fans, alluvial mud¯ats and
soils of Holocene to Recent age with high resistivity
values. A layer of dense basalts of medium resistivity
values, 100±400 Wm, was recognized beneath the
upper unit. Porous and fracture volcanic tuff bodies
that have high resistivity value signatures were re-
solved at different depths along the eastern and
western ¯anks of Wadi Tahawi. The seismic refrac-
tion data reveal three different units. From the sur-
face down, the upper unit was 20±35 m thick and the
velocity was 3,710±3,800 m/s underlain by a
Received: 19 May 2000 / Accepted: 6 November 2000
Published online: 13 March 2001
ã Springer-Verlag 2001
A.T. Batayneh (&) á A.S. Al Zoubi á A.A. Abueladas
Natural Resources Authority, Geophysics Division,
P.O. Box 7, Amman, Jordan
E-mail: nra@nra.gov.jo
Tel.: +962-6-5857600
Fax: +962-6-5811866
918 Environmental Geology (2001) 40:918±922
20-m-thick low velocity unit of ~1,560±2,000 m/s
and lower dense basalt unit with a velocity ranging
from 4,400 to 4,580 m/s.
Keywords Al Aritayn á Jordan á Seismic
refraction á Vertical electrical sounding
Introduction
As part of the Jordan Badia Research and Development
Program activities to develop the Jordan Badia at the same
national level, a reserve dam, as an earth-®ll dam, was
proposed for construction in the Wadi Tahawi in the Al
Aritayn area, 6 km southeast of Al Bishriyya village (Fig. 1).
The runoff ¯ow along Wadi Tahawi is from north to south,
and discharges in the Azraq Basin. It is hoped that the
proposed dam will save about 250,000 m3 of water in the
winter season.
Al Bishriyya village is the largest settlement in the area
and lies along the Al Mafraq±As Safawi highway. The area
has grown rapidly during the last decade because of na-
tional development plans, and about 2,000 people live in
the area.
The Al Bishriyya (Al Aritayn) area falls within an arid to
semi-arid climatological zone and forms part of the
northeastern Badia of Jordan. Rainfall varies annually, and
the temperature also varies seasonally. Data gathered from
1963 to 1989 in the As Safawi Climatic Station (Abandah
1990), about 30 km east of Al Bishriyya village, show that
minimum and maximum temperatures recorded are ±6.8
to 46.4 °C. Rainfall is erratic and varies from 150±50 mm
annually. The topographic relief in the area varies from
580±1,071 m. The area has a geological importance as a
prospective area for some important industrial minerals,
especially zeolitic tuff and pozzolanic tuff.
Geological setting
The surface geology in the area is of Neogene basalt, which
is exposed in northeast Jordan and covers about
DOI. 10.1007/s002540100270
 Cases and solutions

Fig. 1
a Site map. The location of the study area is shown as a black rectangle. b Al Bishriyya (Al Aritayn) research site map with simpli®ed geology
and tectonics

Table 1 11,000 km2. There is no evidence of tectonic activity along

Stratigraphy of the Harrat Ash Shaam Basaltic Super-Group (after either the eastern or western ¯anks of Wadi Tahawi. A
Ibrahim 1997) NE±SW trending fault was observed and occurs 300 m
Formation Group Age (Ma) south of the proposed site.
Figure 1 shows a simpli®ed geological and tectonic map of
Fahda vesicular basalt Bishriyya 1.45±0.1 the area. The exposed volcanic rocks in northeast Jordan
Wadi Manasif basalt
Aritayn volcaniclastic Rimah 2.94±2.01 have been divided into ®ve groups (Table 1). They belong
Hassan scoriaceous to the Harrat Ash Shaam Basaltic Super-Group (Al Ma-
Mahadda basalt Asfar 3.41±1.96 labeh 1989; Ibrahim 1993, 1996, 1997). Age determinations
Madhala olivine phyric basalt for these ®ve groups based on K±Ar dating (Barberi and
Hashimyya aphanitic
Ushayhib pyroxene phyric others 1979; Moffat 1988) show that the basaltic succes-
Ufayhim xenolithic basalt sions range from 10.5 to <0.5 Ma.
Salaman basalt Safawi 9.30±8.45 The sediments in the area include alluvial, wadi sediments,
Abed olivine phyric basalt alluvial fans, alluvial mud¯ats and soils of Holocene to
Ali doleritic basalt recent in age, which develop in low topographic areas.
Undi€erentiated as yet Wisad 10.50±9.37
These sediments are composed of gravels, sand, and silt.

Environmental Geology (2001) 40:918±922 919

 Cases and solutions
Structurally, the Al Bishriyya area represents the northern
extension of the Azraq Basin, which is a monocline basin
plunging towards the northwest (Batayneh and others, un-
published data). The Fuluk Fault Zone, a NW±SE-trending
fault, is the major structural element in the region and forms
the northern and northeastern border of the Azraq Basin.
Abdelhamid and Fadda (unpublished data) conclude from
Landsat TM and MSS Satellite imagery data that most
lineaments in the area are in NW±SE, N±S, and NE±SW
directions. In addition, Batayneh and others (unpublished
data) concluded from gravity data interpretation that the
majority of gravity lineaments in the Al Bishriyya area are
in a NW±SE direction.
Approach
The investigation at Al Bishriyya dam site consisted of a
two-phase approach. Phase I was a reconnaissance phase
to determine that the problem existed, to review previous
geophysical and geological data, and to specify the geo-
physical method(s) to achieve the goal. Phase II was a
detailed investigation to speci®cally assess the details of
the subsurface conditions.
In the present study, vertical electrical sounding (VES),
applied to the Schlumberger (A-MN-B) con®guration,
and seismic refraction geophysical surveys were per-
formed at the site by the Geophysics Division of the
Natural Resources Authority of Jordan. These two
varying data sets with auxiliary geophysical and geolog-
ical data were used to provide an improved level of
interpretation.
Twelve VES points were measured in August and Septem-
ber 1998 at the ®eld site along two pro®les (I and II, Fig. 1).
These were in a N±S direction. The distance between every
920 Environmental Geology (2001) 40:918±922
two VES points was 50 m. Maximum spacing between the
current electrodes A and B was taken at 250 m. The data
were recorded on a Campus GeoPulse Resistivity Meter.
The sounding curves were interpreted by curve-matching
techniques using three-layer master curves (Orellana and
Mooney 1966) and auxiliary point charts (Zohdy 1965).
The graphic interpretation of the VES point curves auto-
matically modeled the results on a computer using a
program based on the work of Mooney and others (1966).
The computer program is a direct inversion, and allows a
model to be obtained that best ®ts the data in a less square
sense. The starting model included the number of layers,
layer thickness or depth, and resistivity. The agreement in
interpreted layer thicknesses and resistivities between
partial curve matching and automatic interpretation
techniques was generally better than 5%.
Seismic refraction data were acquired in August and
September 1998 at the ®eld site along two lines (S1 and S2,
Fig. 1). Seismic lines were carried out in a N±S direction
along resistivity pro®les I and II. For the refraction ac-
quisition, a Bison Instrument Geopro Model 8024 with a
24-channel seismograph was used. Acquisition parameters
were a 0.2-ms sampling rate and 192-ms sweep time.
Single, vertical, 8-Hz Mark Product's geophones were used
(one geophone per channel). Geophone spacing along the
refraction lines was 10 m.
A 350-kg weight drop energy source was used for data
acquisition. Source spacing to the nearest receiver offsets
on line was equal to 10 m. Mid-shots at the middle of
spreading lines were taken. The ®eld was level, so elevation
corrections were not necessary.
Data were processed manually and automatically utilizing
the REFRACT computer program. The processing con-
sisted of picking ®rst arrivals of the direct and head waves.
After picking these arrivals, a plot of arrival time versus
distance was made and velocity analysis was computed.
Fig. 2
North±south geoelectrical cross
section along resistivity pro®le I.
Location of resistivity pro®le is
shown in Fig. 1b
 Cases and solutions

Fig. 3
North±south geoelectrical cross
section along resistivity pro®le II.
Location of resistivity pro®le is
shown in Fig. 1b

Fig. 4 Fig. 5
a Record from seismic line S1 and the ®rst arrival peaks. b Time a Record from seismic line S2 and the ®rst arrival peaks. b Time
versus distance plot. c Depth section versus distance plot. c Depth section

Environmental Geology (2001) 40:918±922 921

 Cases and solutions

Field results 3. Porous and fracture volcanic tuff bodies that have high
resistivity value signatures were resolved at different
Figures 2 and 3 illustrate two geoelectrical cross sections depths along the eastern and western ¯anks of Wadi
for the resistivity pro®les I and II. The two sections show Tahawi. The presence of these bodies is positive or
thin layers of sediments with high resistivity values negative, depending upon their distribution, connec-
ranging from 600±900 Wm and the thickness varies from tion, and extension.
a few centimeters to about 2 m. This layer represents the
topmost part. These sediments are underlain by a unit of Acknowledgments The authors thank the Natural Resources
Authority of Jordan for contribution of personnel, and funding
relatively medium resistivity of about 100±400 Wm, which for this work. Thanks are also extended to the AL Al-Bayt Uni-
represents dense basalt formation. The relatively medium versity, Jordan, for the use of their electrical instruments. We
conductivity is a result of its mineral composition. Ta- would also like to thank Mrs. Merriam Koshby for tracing the
rawneh (unpublished data) reveals that, from a mineral- ®gures. The following employees of the Natural Resources Au-
ogical study of the northeast Jordan basalt plateau, the thority, Jordan are thanked for their aid in acquisition of ®eld
conductive minerals are aluminum and iron oxides. data: Eng. M. Daradka, A. Al-Jundi, M. Batayneh, A. Hamad,
Rounded, semi-globular, and oval porous and fracture tuff M. Shiyab, S. Khatib, J. Khatib, Y. Ainbosi, and Dh. Al-Rossan.
Computations and acquisition were carried out at the Geophysics
bodies with high resistivity values ranging from 1,000± Division of the Natural Resources Authority of Jordan on a
3,200 Wm were also indicated along the eastern and Gateway 2000 computer.
western ¯anks of Wadi Tahawi at varying depths. The
occurrence of such porous and fracture bodies of basalts
will act as an additional reservoir in the subsurface and
will feed and support the dam by water. References
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922 Environmental Geology (2001) 40:918±922