Seismotectonics zoning of Morocco and adjacent region

In the present work, a new seismotectonics zoning of the Morocco and adjacent region is proposed. It is supported on a new database including recent geological (active faults, slip rates, geometrical characteristics, chronology of some recent tectonic phases) and geophysical (both instrumental and historical seismicity, focal mechanisms, nature of the crust) studies. In addition, the geodynamic context of the convergence of the Africa-Europe plates in the area, going from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar, has been taken into account. The newly suggested seismotectonics zoning is not limited to the borders of northern Morocco. It considers all the seismic sources (up to 400 km of distance) able to generate large and destructive earthquakes, such as the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, located in the Azores-Gibraltar transforming fault. New catalogues including the historical and instrumental seismicity since 1045 to 2005, and active faults were elaborated and used in this work. The most influential parameters having effects on the definition of the source area characteristics were determined with a suitable accuracy. The new performed zoning includes 12 shallow seismotectonics sources, each one corresponding to a certain volume of the Earth’s crust, whose known data were used to determine its static and dynamic conditions. Each seismotectonics zone has been analysed and interpreted, presenting certain homogeneity in the seismic potential and mode of deformation, obtained from the seismicity data, the strain and the stresses. For zones including faults, we have specified the geometrical characteristics, the chronology of the different movements corresponding to the successive tectonic episodes, and the associated seismicity. This new zoning will provide an improved contribution for both future probabilistic studies on seismic hazard, determining the ground acceleration, and seismic risk in the north of Morocco

L’esthétique Théâtrale De L’objet Récupéré : De La Matérialité Quotidienne À La Représentation Scénique

This paper focuses on highlighting the particular contribution of the recovered object in the change of artistic techniques and the aesthetic modalities of theatrical representation. It is an opportunity to emphasize this alliance between everyday materiality and the space of the scenic representation in the form of the recovery of the forgotten and an attribution of a second life which is relative to objects marked by obsolescence. Objects loaded from reality, familiar use, and social sharing acquired rhetorical functioning captivated by their use in unusual space. Our approach consists of stopping on this particularity of the recovered object from a comparative study of its different uses by the directors and the playwrights. This is done in order to highlight the artistic potentialities which it generates and the various aesthetic reports that it triggers in the theatrical field. This type of representation highlights the fight against the obsolescence in favor of a new spectacular load so as to mobilize the spectators' imagination. For this purpose, it seems to us that the recovered object is able to find the base of its aesthetic representation. It is about a reflection object which makes the usual the origin of a rhetorical expressivity in order to place it at the very center of the theatrical creation

Vs30 Mapping and Soil Classification in Tiznit Region Based On H/V Spectral Ration Method

The average shear wave velocity measured to a depth of 30 meters (VS30) is an important parameter for determining soil characteristics. As part of the seismic risk assessment in the Tiznit region, ambient noise recordings were made during the geophysical investigation campaign using the (H/V) method. The spectral analysis of these recordings enabled the determination of dominant frequencies and the estimation of VS30 values for each site. The aim of this study is to map the spatial variation of VS30 and classify soil types in the Tiznit region. The results show that the soil in the study area is divided into two classes according to the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) classification: Class C refers to soft rock and very dense soils with VS30 greater than 360 m/s, while Class D represents stiff soils with VS30 values between 180 m/s and 360 m/s

Thermal performance assessment of an indirect solar dryer: A case study of Bananas

This study presents a design for an absorber used in a solar air collector for an indirect solar dryer. The absorber comprises two aluminium plates corrugated and joined together to form parallel cylinders, enabling airflow within the collector. This research aims to experimentally examine the drying process of two types of bananas, one from Morocco and the other from abroad, using the designed solar air collector. Additionally, the study aims to investigate the peculiarities of the drying process and the performance of the solar dryer employed. The experiments were conducted by subjecting the bananas to the designed solar air collector, and the evolution of drying was monitored. The initial mass of the bananas used was 631.6 g for the Moroccan banana and 713.6 g for the Export banana. After the drying process, the mass of the Moroccan banana reduced to 77.5 g, while the Export banana reduced to 137.3 g, indicating significant moisture removal. The percentage of the amount of water extracted (Q) from the bananas was found to be 87.7% for the Moroccan banana and 80.8% for the Export banana. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the corrugated aluminium plate absorber in facilitating the drying process in the solar air collector. The significant reduction in the mass of the bananas and the high percentage of water extraction highlight the efficiency of the solar dryer in removing moisture from the agricultural produce. The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of the drying process of bananas and offer valuable insights for the design and optimization of solar drying systems for agricultural applications

La transformation digitale de la ville ou la Smart City : Terminologie et Définitions

Le concept de la Smart City a connu une croissance sans précédent car il traite toutes les problématiques posées par le développement urbain ainsi que plusieurs sujets qui touchent le quotidien de chaque citoyen. La Smart City a pour objectif principal de proposer des solutions innovantes dans de nombreux domaines tels que la sécurité, la Big Data, la mobilité, les transports, l’environnement, etc. A l’instant, Les chercheurs ne sont pas parvenus à un consensus sur la définition, les éléments clés et les limites de la Smart City. Le concept étant utilisé dans le monde entier sous différents noms et dans différents contextes, il existe de nombreux termes similaires à la «Smart City». Dans cet article, nous allons présenter l'évolution de la terminologie du concept Smart City et exposer les définitions les plus citées afin de contribuer à la conceptualisation de cette nouvelle approche de gestion urbaine.   &nbsp

Optimal tilt angles for solar collectors facing south at Fez city (Morocco)

The main objective of this paper is to determine the optimal tilt angles for south-facing solar collectors at Fez city in Morocco. This is this would allow collectors to receive the maximum of the incident solar energy. Thirteen models were used to calculate the global solar radiation reaching an inclined surface facing south. To determine the optimal tilt angle we varied the inclination angle from -20° to 90° by a step of 5°. The performances of each model are evaluated by comparing the calculated and measured global solar radiation on a surface facing south and tilted by 34°. Results of the best found model show that the optimum tilted angle is varying between 62° (December) and -6° (June). Also, the yearly-average optimal tilt angle is found to be 32° for Fez. Keywords: Optimum tilt angle; global solar radiation; diffuse solar radiation; Fez (Morocco)

Crustal shortening and vertical strain partitioning in the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco

Copyright 1998, American Geophysical Union. See also: http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/1998/98TC01439.shtml; http://atlas.geo.cornell.edu/morocco/publications/gomez1998.htmThe NE-SW trending Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco are obliquely oriented within the late Cenozoic regional stress field, resulting in deformation that is partitioned into strike-slip faulting and thrust-related folding. In the central Middle Atlas, thrusting is confined to a 20 km wide fold belt between two relatively rigid crustal blocks that are obliquely converging. We suggest that in addition to strain partitioning observed in plan view, a partitioning of deformation between the upper and lower crust may be necessary to reconcile estimated crustal thickening and horizontal shortening within the fold belt. Cross-section balancing based on field observations demonstrates a relatively modest amount of Cenozoic horizontal shortening (~ 4.7 km) normal to the fold belt producing 800 m of structural relief. Yet, the geophysical data suggest this contraction has not produced a significant crustal root beneath the fold belt; that is, the belt does not appear to be isostatically compensated. Assuming all horizontal shortening was accommodated by crustal thickening beneath the fold belt implies much greater thickening than is suggested by constraints on the preshortened crustal thickness. It thus appears that thickening does not accommodate all of the contraction. We suggest one possible solution: The upper crust shortens by thickening (faulting and folding), whereas the lower crust deforms laterally

Assessment and characterization of the physicochemical parameters of Moroccan leachate during the confinement period (coronavirus).

This work was carried out to respond to a major environmental issue which is water pollution and its repercussions on receiving environments, in particular the problem of leachate in the city of Fez-Morocco. The leachates generated by many economically relevant industrial activities contain recalcitrant organic compounds that remain unchanged at the biological stage of the treatment plant, which could make it difficult to comply with the discharge standard limits currently in force. During this work, we evaluated the elements present in the leachate as well as a physicochemical characterization study such as the chemical oxygen demand (COD), the biochemical oxygen demand over 5 days (BOD5), the pH, the electrical conductivity, the total phosphorus, the ammonium, suspended matter, and heavy metals, before and during the period of coronavirus containment.

Learning Processes to Predict the Hourly Global, Direct, and Diffuse Solar Irradiance from Daily Global Radiation with Artificial Neural Networks

This paper presents three different topologies of feed forward neural network (FFNN) models for generating global, direct, and diffuse hourly solar irradiance in the city of Fez (Morocco). Results from this analysis are crucial for the conception of any solar energy system. Especially, for the concentrating ones, as direct component is seldom measured. For the three models, the main input was the daily global irradiation with other radiometric and meteorological parameters. Three years of hourly data were available for this study. For each solar component’s prediction, different combinations of inputs as well as different numbers of hidden neurons were considered. To evaluate these models, the regression coefficient (R2) and normalized root mean square error (nRMSE) were used. The test of these models over unseen data showed a good accuracy and proved their generalization capability (nRMSE = 13.1%, 9.5%, and 8.05% and R = 0.98, 0.98, and 0.99) for hourly global, hourly direct, and daily direct radiation, respectively. Different comparison analyses confirmed that (FFNN) models surpass other methods of estimation. As such, the proposed models showed a good ability to generate different solar components from daily global radiation which is registered in most radiometric stations