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Pakistan, like many south Asian countries, is home to a multitude of natural hazards. In the aftermath of the October, 2005 earthquake, there was a strong realization of the need of a reliable database consisting of hazard maps, inventories, demographic statistics, critical facilities and vital installation maps. In this context, we prepared a database, several hazard maps of the Mansehra District using GIS/RS tools. Such mapping not only delineated the hazard prone areas but also identified suitable sites for urban and agricultural development. The research primarily relied on secondary datasets that were acquired from a variety of sources. Our analyses demonstrate that the dominant form of hazard in the district is land sliding. Areas exposed to land sliding are randomly distributed. About 622 km² of the district (13% of the total land) falls under High Risk zone. Another 2266 km² of the district (46% of the total land) falls under Moderate risk from a landslide hazard perspective. The remaining 2054 km² area of the district (44% of the total land) makes up the No or Low risk zone. The study concludes that the land of the district has huge potential for developing the forest and agriculture sector. Taken together, our hazard and agro-forestry analysis yields four prominent land uses: 1) about 759 km² or 15% of the total land is determined to be fit for residential purposes, 2) one third of the total land (1681km² or 34%) is found to be suitable for agriculture, 3) one fifth of the total land (1043 km² or 21%) is robust for pastures and, 4) another one third of the total land (1460 km² or 30%) can be assigned to forests. Our analysis further show that at the current population growth rate (2.17) the available residential land (759 km²) would not be sufficient after fifty years to support the rapidly growing population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of marble as a building or dimension stone is one of the most growing commodities throughout the world. Due to the rapid increase in urbanization, dimension stones are commonly used in building interiors as well as exteriors. Marble, being a metamorphic rock is very desirable to be utilized in structural as well as decorative purposes. The study presented herein evaluates the geotechnical characteristics of the Gahirat marble in the Chitral area, Pakistan. For this purpose, 40 representative samples of the Gahirat marble from ten different vicinities of the Chitral area were collected and tested to determine the correlation amongst the different geotechnical properties of the studied rock. The uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), Brazilian tensile strength (BTS), water absorption, specific gravity, point load strength (PLS), Schmidt rebound hammer, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), and soundness, tests were performed to evaluate the strength of the Gahirat marble for its possible use as a dimension and building stone. An average of 12 measurements for each of the ten rock sample collection vicinities were performed. The statistical analysis shows that a fairly strong linear positive correlation (R2 = 0.80, 0.81, 0.84, 0.92) exists between UCS along with BTS, specific gravity, water absorption PLS and UPV. The maximum values obtained for the 12 measurements regarding the mechanical properties such as UCS, BTS, PLS and Schmidt hammer rebound number were 97.25 MPa, 11.34 MPa, 6.75 MPa and 51, respectively. The maximum values of the physical properties such as water absorption, soundness, specific gravity and UPV tests were calculated to be 0.08%, 0.38, 2.68 and 5.04 km/s, respectively. The results of the uniaxial compressive strength, Brazilian tensile strength, point load strength and Schmidt hammer rebound tests indicate that the Gahirat marble shows high resistance to crushing and bending effects while the specific gravity values indicate its ability to bear the impact of the degree of polishing and grinding. The water absorption and soundness test values indicated that the Gahirat marble is appropriate to be utilized for floor tiles and outdoor cladding due to its resistance against weathering and low rate of the water absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of marble as a building or dimension stone is one of the most growing commodities throughout the world. Due to the rapid increase in urbanization, dimension stones are commonly used in building interiors as well as exteriors. Marble, being a metamorphic rock is very desirable to be utilized in structural as well as decorative purposes. The study presented herein evaluates the geotechnical characteristics of the Gahirat marble in the Chitral area, Pakistan. For this purpose, 40 representative samples of the Gahirat marble from ten different vicinities of the Chitral area were collected and tested to determine the correlation amongst the different geotechnical properties of the studied rock. The uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), Brazilian tensile strength (BTS), water absorption, specific gravity, point load strength (PLS), Schmidt rebound hammer, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), and soundness, tests were performed to evaluate the strength of the Gahirat marble for its possible use as a dimension and building stone. An average of 12 measurements for each of the ten rock sample collection vicinities were performed. The statistical analysis shows that a fairly strong linear positive correlation (R2 = 0.80, 0.81, 0.84, 0.92) exists between UCS along with BTS, specific gravity, water absorption PLS and UPV. The maximum values obtained for the 12 measurements regarding the mechanical properties such as UCS, BTS, PLS and Schmidt hammer rebound number were 97.25 MPa, 11.34 MPa, 6.75 MPa and 51, respectively. The maximum values of the physical properties such as water absorption, soundness, specific gravity and UPV tests were calculated to be 0.08%, 0.38, 2.68 and 5.04 km/s, respectively. The results of the uniaxial compressive strength, Brazilian tensile strength, point load strength and Schmidt hammer rebound tests indicate that the Gahirat marble shows high resistance to crushing and bending effects while the specific gravity values indicate its ability to bear the impact of the degree of polishing and grinding. The water absorption and soundness test values indicated that the Gahirat marble is appropriate to be utilized for floor tiles and outdoor cladding due to its resistance against weathering and low rate of the water absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]