The main objective of this study is to investigate the effect of granite waste powder on the behavior of compacted clay soil in both field and laboratory environments. Samples were collected from clay soil exposed at Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The sampled soils contain kaolinite, illite, and montmorillonites. The samples were mixed with various quantities, i.e., 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% by weight of granite waste powder collected from various stone industries in district Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. They were then subjected to a variety of geotechnical testing in both the laboratory and the field, following the standard ASTM procedures. The results show that mixing with granite-cutting waste enhances the quality of the soil in both the field and laboratory settings by increasing its bearing capacity (BC), dry density (DD), California-bearing ratio (CBR), unconfined compressive strength (UCS), penetration resistance, and angle of internal friction and by reducing the optimum moisture content, cohesion, porosity, void ratio, and saturation potential. The resulting improvement is mainly due to the stronger, denser, and less hydrophilic character of the constituents of the added rock powders than the raw soil. It is observed that adding 40% granite waste powder produces the best outcome. However, there is a significant difference in the magnitude of the impact on soil quality between the laboratory and field testing. Owing to differences in the testing environment, soil volume, and compaction effort and energy, the amount of improvement is higher in laboratory testing than in field testing.

Rockfall is a natural mountain hazard posing a severe threat to people, infrastructure, and vehicles along the transportation corridors. In this research, the standard Rockfall Hazard Rating System (RHRS) is slightly modified for the mountainous terrains of Pakistan through the quantification of animal activity along the highways. In the modified Rockfall Hazard and Rating System for Pakistan (RHRSP), animal activity is scored based on permanent and random animal tracks, shallow and higher altitudes, and shoulder width. The model is applied along the Karakoram Highway (KKH), which traverses a suture between Besham and Dasu (≈78 km), for Rockfall hazard and risk assessment mapping. An inventory of rockfalls, topples, and debris slides is compiled at 30 stations. Results show that rockfalls are mostly of the wedge and topple type failures. Fifty-seven percent of the area falls under the very-high to high hazard zone, 18% under moderate hazard, and 25% covers the low to very low hazard zone. Sixty-seven percent of the stretch is at very-high to high risk, distributed from Dubair to Dasu. The main reason for this risk is associated with narrow road width and limited shoulder width for vehicles. The RHRSP model is also applicable for other highways with the same geological and morphological settings.

The Mayoon landslide in the Hunza District is a slowly developed, non-catastrophic landslide that has gained its importance in the last few years after its rapid activation and fast slip rate. The area is characterized by high earthquake...

This study reports the first-ever detrital zircon provenance investigation of sandstones of the Kamlial Formation, exposed in Kashmir Basin along the Kohala–Bagh road section (Muzaffarabad, Pakistan). Analysis of probability density plots of detrital U-Pb zircon ages displayed a major age population clustered around ≈400–1200 Ma and a minor age population clustered around ≈1600–1900 Ma. In addition, scattered ages existed between ≈2000 and 3000 Ma. This age pattern resembled strongly the Himalayan sources, including the Tethys Himalaya, Greater/Higher Himalaya, and Lesser Himalaya. The younger ages (<150 Ma) present in the studied samples indicated the Asian provenance. The Lesser Himalayan component (≈166–1900 Ma) was more pronounced in the 2015KM03 and 2015KM04 samples, representing the middle to the upper portion of the formation. The recycled orogen provenance of the Kamlial Formation as deduced from the sandstone petrography supports the mixed detrital zircon provenance. Considering the provenance, we propose a tectonic model that suggests that large-scale exhumation occurred in the Himalaya as a result of Panjal thrust activation during 25–14 Ma (age of Kamlial Formation), which uplifted the hinterland zone that acted as a source area that fed the foreland basin, where the Kamlial Formation deposited.