A remotely sensed tracking of forest cover and associatedtemperature change in Margalla hills

Worldwide, forest degradation is a serious environmental issue, and inPakistan, forest wealth is depleting at the highest rate in South Asia. Toensure sustainable development goals of environmental stewardship,social development and economic growth, a sound monitoring andregulatory mechanism is essential for tracking forest cover changes. Thisstudy aims to quantify the decline of forest reserves and associatedtemperature variations in a relatively unexplored biodiversity hotspot ofIslamabad, Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP). Imagery acquired byLandsat TM (Thematic Mapper) for the year 1992, 2000 and 2011 areused to assess the spatial and temporal changes occurred over the lasttwo decades (from 1992 to 2011). A robust hybrid-classification routineis implemented to monitor the changes in forest cover and ANOVAalong with Tukey’s HSD (Honestly Significant Difference) test is used totest the significance of temperature variation associated with a shift inland cover classes. The results showed a significant growth insettlements, agricultural area and barren soil whereas water body, lowervegetation, scrub and pine forest are diminishing. In both decades, thetemperature alteration associated with a change in land cover classesare statistically significant (confirmed by ANOVA and Tukey’s HSD tests)for most of the land use/land cover classes. Based on these findings, thisstudy concludes that forests are dwindling at MHNP and the degradingcondition of the forest is below par and necessitates the promotion ofconservation practices to minimize ecological disturbances.

Organic geochemistry and source rock potential assessment of Late Paleocene Patala Formation in Margalla Hill Range,North Pakistan

Black shales of the Paleocene Patala Formation are proven source rocks for conventional hydrocarbons in southern Potwar Basin of Pakistan and are assumed to be effective source rocks towards north in the Margalla Hill Range of Pakistan.In this regard,the current study focuses on source rock geochemistry of the Paleocene Patala Formation to assess its source rock potential,organic matter types and thermal maturity levels in the Margalla Hill Range of North Pakistan.Source rock generative potential,kerogen types and thermal maturation of the analysed rock samples were unraveled by using Rock-Eval pyrolysis T_(max),TOC(total organic carbon)and vitrinite reflectance(R_(0))analyses.TOC analysis coupled with S_(2) yield revealed poor to fair source rock quality encountered within the formation.The pyrolysis T_(max) vs Hydrogen Index(HI),showed mostly Type Ⅲ kerogen dominated by thermally immature to mature organic matter.The HI and genetic potential is low and revealed poor hydrocarbon generation potential of the formation.The S_(1) vs TOC plots confirm the indigenous nature of the hydrocarbons hosted by Patala Formation.The vitrinite reflectance outcomes indicated immature to mature source rock beds lying in dry gas zone.The HI and OI signatures and abundance of Type Ⅲ kerogen are indicating dominance of terrestrial organic matter within the formation.Overall,the investigated Patala Formation exposed at the studied section of Margalla Hill Range,Pakistan acts as a poor source rock unit for liquid hydrocarbon generation but holds prospects for dry gas generation in the study area.