INSAR TECHNIQUE TO ALLOCATE LAND SUBSIDENCE IN

KARAJ AND TEHRAN (SHEHRIAR, WARAMINAND DJADJROUD) AREAS

Jafar Najihamodi Ramin Sadeghi

Power Water University of Technology (PWUT) Power & Water University of Technology (PWUT)
Damawand Ave., Iranabzar Ave., Ab Ave. Tehran, IRAN -
Tehran, Iran [email protected]
Tel: 0098 21 77313062
Fax: 0098 21 77006660
Email: Naji_237@ Yahoo.com
Email: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

Aquifer and hydro system compaction is a worldwide phenomenon, where there is a sudden sinking or gradual downward settling of
the earth's surface with little or no horizontal motion. This phenomenon is noticed to take place in many countries, among which is
Iran. Water well casing and installations in areas such as Hamedan , Kerman, Meshhed, Tehran and others seem to rise into the air, or
some times to produce fissures in the sediments and/or showing sinkhole in carbonated rocks. Soil compaction and / or land
subsidence could cause damages to surface and subsurface urban installations.

UNISCO was interesting in this worldwide phenomenon and tried to study it in different countries by work group using GPS, SAR
and InSAR techniques that uses radar satellite image. Iran in cooperation with other countries was interesting to see the extension
and reasons for Tehran's subaburbs land subsidence by using the new InSAR techniques. The later studies indicated the existence of
subsidence areas in north west, south - south west and south east of Tehran with an average soil sink of about 15 cm This
subsidence is mostly in a flat area with no special activities except for agriculture and a heavily water well production. Therefore, it
is concluded that this sediment compaction is due to depletion of aquifer (i.e. water level drop), which causes aquifer compaction.

INTRODUCTION Natanz, and Yazd. In some of the above areas, water well
installations seem to rise into the air or showing to be sticking
Soil subsidence is a worldwide phenomenon, where there is a out of the land surface, or sometimes produces fissures in the
sudden sinking or a gradual down ward settling of the earth’s sediments and/ or showing as sinkholes in carbonated rocks
surface with little or no horizontal motion. The soil subsidence that damage canals, water networks, gas pipelines, oil
may be due to many factors among which is aquifer over pipelines and dams (Figure 1).
production and declining in water table of ground water,
compaction of unconsolidated or new sediments, tectonic
movement (i.e. earthquake, plate movement and others).

UNISCO has reported soil subsidence in the USA for about

twenty years. Moreover, UNISCO started to study this
phenomenon worldwide through a group of work in different
parts of the world by using GPS, SAR and InSAR.
This phenomenon is noticed to take place in Iran in Aber
Kuh,Kharaj, Faminin, Kerman, , Meshhed, Rafsinjan,
Hamadan (Kabodder Ahan Valley), and Tehran(Kharaj,,Maain
Abad, Shehriar and Waramin Valleys). Likewise,similar cases Figure 1: Water well installations seems to rise in the air due
were also reported in Arak, Khumain, Kolbaigan, Nahawand, to sediment's compaction

Paper No. 1.06a 1

Topography of the area is sometimes changed which will
affect flood regime and water recharging into aquifers. This Table 1: Land Subsidence in some areas in Iran and causes
phenomenon becomes distinct physically and sometimes
dramatically visible. No Period Place Depth of water Using
year subsidence, purposes
mm
People in Iran were concerning about this phenomenon.
Therefore, they seeked help (from Oxford and Cambridge 1 1 971- 1 981 Zarand 8 000 Agriculture
Universities) to study and explore the reasons and extend of
2 1 971- 1 981 Rafsanjan 7 500 Agriculture
soil subsidence around Tehran City and suburbs by using
InSAR and GIS tools. 3 1 971- 1 981 Kashoyiah 7 000 Agriculture
4 1 971- 1 981 Kerman 6 500 Agriculture
arean
AREA MOVEMENT 5 1 971- 1 981 Sierjan 6 000 Agriculture

Tehran and suburbs are located on the south side of Elburz

From above table, it is obvious that the people of Iran were
Mountains that are N of Iran extended from Korasan in the
acquainted with the soil subsidence phenomena for a while.
east till Atherbaijan in the west, which is a part of ALP-
HAMALAIA active and young mountains.
LAND SUBSIDENCE IN OTHER COUNTRIES
Elburz Mountains were formed from processes of faulting and
mountains movements (towards N of Iran) due to Arabic Plate
Land subsidence was also reported in some countries (table 2).
movement and collapsing with Eurasian Plate (Figure 2).
Table 2: Land Subsidence in some other countries and causes

Period Place Depth of

No
year subsidence,
mm
1 1 930-1 973 Venz-Italy 150 Drinking+Ind
ustry
2 1 865-1 931 London,Engl 180 Drinking+Ind
and ustry
4 - Tiaba 1 000 Drinking+Ind
ustry
5 1 928-1 943 Tokoyo- 3 000- 4 000 Drinking+Ind
Ozako ustry
6 - Huston-Bay 2 700 Drinking+Ind
Town ustry
7 1 938-1 969 Mexico City 8 000 Drinking+Ind
ustry
8 1 947-1 948 Arizon-USA 2 300 Irrigation

9 - California- 4 000 Irrigation

Figure 2: Arabic Plate movement towards Eurasian Plate Santa-Clara

10 - California- 8 500 Irrigation

Therefore, the layers in the area and their structures were not
Sanjwan
uniform (except in Eocene Era), where Hezar Derahe - New 4 000 Hot Spring
11
formations were formed in Tehran-Kharaj area. Zealand-
Wayrocki
Hezar Derahe formations are divided into Hezar Derahe 12 - Willington + 9 000 Hot Spring
alluvial (sediment A), inhomogeneous alluvial sediment of
north Tehran (Bn), where it is silt in Kehrizig sediment (Bs)
and (sediment C) is in Tehran alluvial. Table 2 shows how serious this phenomenon could be where
there was down to 9 meter land sinking in some area of the
world. The possible damages to installations over the
LAND SUBSIDENCE IN IRAN AND OTHER COUNTRIES surface as well as the subsurface can include buildings, dams,
pipelines, canals, roads, railroads and others.
Moreover, land subsidence was reported in some areas in Iran
as shown in table 1 with their causes.

Paper No.1.06a 2
AREAS UNDER INVESTIGATION
Aquifers description
It encloses Kharaj, and Tehran (Shehriar, Waramin and
Djadjroud areas. The aquifers in the area are divided into 3 aquifers namely:
-Northern aquifer: It is extended from Elburz Mountains
Valleys down to Abassabad-Yusifabad of Sediment A with a little
permeability, the water of which flows into the main aquifer.
Valleys such as Shehriar, Tehran and Waramin that are
-Main aquifer: It is extended from Louizan Hills down to
located between 35° 28’06”- 35°49’42” north Latitude and 51°
Bibi Sherbano, west (Shehrekahe Karb) and Kharaj's Aquifer
06’ 37”– 51° 33’ 13” east Longitude were under
and eastward to Shehrekahe Hezar's Fault. The sediments of
consideration, with a total area of about 8250 square
the aquifer are C and B (with an average thickness of 130
kilometer, 350 square kilometer mountains (with a maximum
meter and decreasing towards S and E) with medium to high
height of 3 138 mDSL at Tojal peak) and 1900 square
permeability. The aquifer layers inclined at 50 per 1 000 at N
kilometer are valleys. The average height of the valleys is 1
and NW while it is about one per 1000 at middle of the
100 mDSL. These valleys started from Elburz Mountains in
aquifer. Water flows mostly from N to S (and NW to SE in
the north and ended in Azad-Fisha Boyiah in the south. From
the west part of the aquifer). Water recharge into aquifer
east is Se Pajah, Bibi Shehrbano and from west is Kharaj's
consists of floods, permanent rivers, seasonal rivers, waste
aquifer.
water and agricultural water. Transmissibility factor of the
aquifer is variable between 50 m²/d in NE, 2 000 m²/d in W
Valleys’ Conditions (Sherhriar valley) and 2 000 m²/d at the middle of the aquifer.
Moreover, the average storage factor varies from 1 to 3
The valleys have the following conditions: percent (less at S and more at NE (15%).
-Average rainfalls are about 250 mm/y (less at south and more
at north). -Perched aquifers: They consist of separated small aquifers in
-Average relative humidity at Mehraabad airport is about 40 separated thin sediments of A and B.
percent.
-Average annual temperature variations are from 10 °C in the Geology of the aquifers
mountains up to 17°C at Mehraabad airport.
-The average evaporation from the valleys is about 2 500 mm Elburz Mountains are old Paleocene-Eocene rocks with a
per year (more at south and less at north). medium permeability that recharge the aquifers and surrender
-The wind flows normally from west with an average of 20 it from N. The aquifers sediments are made of above
kilometer per hour in winter and from SE in summer. mentioned sediments (i. e. mainly quartz toward S with a high
permeability) which came from weathering process of the
Water resources mountains.

The water resources in the area consist of surface as well as Geophysics of the aquifers
ground that are described briefly below.
The geophysics of the area were done through CGG of France
Surface water by using about 300 electrical sondages (mostly with AB= 2
000 meter). Electrical resistivity of new sediments is 300 Ω -
There are 7 seasonal rivers and only 2 permanent rivers, m and decreasing towards S, while the old sediments have a
namely Khan and Kharaj, from which the required water is resistivity of 25 Ω -m. This study indicates that the aquifer
maintained for the valleys. In the past years, part of Tehran’s thickness is mostly in N(400 meter) and NW(300 meter)(as a
water is maintained from ground water from 522 canals, with syncline basin) that changes to 25 meter in E , SE and SW due
a total water production of 393 MCM. Drilling a big number to uplift in basement rock.
of wells in the two valleys caused most of the canals to go dry
once ground water level went down. Aquifer's water level changes

Ground water The average annual water level drop in the main aquifer is less
than one meter as computed from the aquifer's unit
Ground water is coming from aquifers. hydrograph.

Aquifers

There are actually 3 alluvial aquifers in the area.

Paper No.1.06a 3
In SAR SATELLITE AND THEIR DATA

Data were obtained from satellite, where InSAR method, was

used to study the area. InSAR (Interferometer Synthetic
Aperture Radar) is a powerful new tool that uses radar signals
to measure deformations of the Earth's Crust at an
unprecedented level of spatial detail and high degree of
measurement resolutions. . It is a remote sensing technique
that uses radar satellite image to sense small changes in land Figure 4: Analysis of land subsidence at diff day’s periods
surface elevation. Radar satellite shoots constantly beams of
radar waves towards the earth and records them after they InSAR satellite radar pictures show that there are three
bounced back off the Earth's Surface in database and / or maps subsidence areas (two in V shape in KHARAJ and
TEHRAN) and another in south east Tehran at
DJADJROUD with a total average subsidence of all three is
FORMULAS AND INTERPRETATION 15 cm. The cross-section of these land subsidence are shown
in the figure 5.
Following formulas are used for soil compaction calculation
and interpretation of the data:

Su =Z1 ((e1-e2) / (e1+1)) = Z1 Cu log (Pi2/Pi1)

Su = log ∫ Pi

Where:
Su= subsidence depth
Z1 = total thickness (total volume per square unit)
Cu=soil compaction factor
e= soil porosity
Pi1- Pi2=ΔP =infinitesimal P changes

Subsidence and location

By analyzing the satellite radar pictures from InSAR as a

database, it was able to allocate land subsidence in north west
of Tehrah namely KHARAJ AREA and south of Tehran
namely Shehriar and Waramin Valleys. Moreover, there is
another subsidence in south east TEHRAN, NAMELY
DJADJROUD. Software (ROI-Pac) with digital height
model helped in allocating these subsidences. However, the
accuracy of the analyzed data base was determined within 2
cm at different time periods of 2, 3, 4, 6, 12, and 18 months
(Figure 3).

Figure 3: Accuracy of analyzed data at diff time periods

From satellite color data and the analysis of land subsidence Figure5: land subsidence and their cross- section in KHARAJ
maps, land subsidence rates were determined at 70, 175, and TEHRAN AREAS
315 days, where there was no difference between the results
(Figure 4).

Paper No.1.06a 4
CONCLUSIONS Ibid [1998]. “Studying and preparing quantitative and
qualitative model for Tehran,Waramin and Shehriar aquifers”,
Following conclusions were drawn: Mahabe Kodis co., Tehran, Iran.
-InSAR data show that there is a land subsidence in north
west, southwest and south of Tehran in V shape. Shamshaki, A. [2000]. “Hydrogeology and water balance of
-This study shows that there is a land subsidence region in Waramin valley”, MSc thesis, Shahid Behishti University,
Shehriar valley (profile number two). Tehran, Iran.
-The indicated area in Kharaj -Tehran is V shape with an
average continuous yearly subsidence of 15 cm.
-Land subsidence is mostly in a flat area with no activities
other than agricultural , therefore, it is concluded that the land
subsidence is mainly due to the over production of ground
water (depletion of aquifer) and decreasing in aquifer water
level that causes compaction of aquifer’s soil.

SUGGESTIONS

Moreover, following suggestions are recommended:

-Controlling ground water production to minimize aquifer
water level decreasing in order to minimize damages resulted
from them.
-To prevent further land subsidence need to apply artificial
water recharge into the aquifer as soon as possible.
-Applying water resources management technique to save
guard the ground water aquifers and minimize damage to
surface and subsurface installations.

REFERENCES

Barbarian,M., Koroishi,M., Archanek,R. [1985]. “Studying

the effect of earthquake upon building structure in Tehran”,
National Geological Association (NGA), Report 56, Tehran,
Iran.

Bidrami, M. [1978]. “Notes on quartz sedimentation around

Tehran’, NGA, and Tehran, Iran.

Darwishzadeh, A. [1991]. “Geology of Iran, Danish Imroz

Publication”, Tehran, Iran.

Najihamodi,J. [2007]. “Ground water overproduction and its

geoenvironment effect in Kerman”, PWUT, Tehran, Iran.

Tehran Water Association (TWA) [1968]. “Characteristics of

deep and shallow water wells in Tehran”, Tehran, Iran.

Ibid [1986]. “Report on pies meter wells in Tehran valleys and

Khan”, Tehran, Iran.

Ibid [1994]. “Report upon water balance and ground water

resources of Tehran valley”, Tehran, Iran.

Ibid [2001]. “Quantitative control: Tehran ground water and

its effect upon overproduction”, Tehran, Iran.

Paper No.1.06a 5