Southwestern Libya Research Articles

Water quality indices for the evaluation of the groundwater quality in southwestern Libya

ABSTRACT An investigation was undertaken to consider the quality of the groundwater. The samples were collected from the Southwestern Libya. Forty-one water samples (41) were analyzed for hydrochemical characteristics and suitability for drinking purposes. The parameters for water quality, including calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride and bicarbonate, sulfate, nitrate, pH and total dissolved solids (TDS), were examined. The most common worldwide used standard (ST-WQI) and the weighted arithmetic (WA-WQI) water quality indices were selected. The majority of the samples (87.5% wells) described the quality of groundwater in the Alshatti area as excellent to moderate and in the Ghat region (three wells) water quality ranges from excellent to good and is appropriate for direct consumption. In the Wadi al-Ajal areas, 62.5% (10 wells) of samples described the groundwater quality as excellent to good and the rest of the others were poor or unsuitable water. In contrast, most of the obtained results from the Sabha and Ghadduwah areas showed poor to unsuitable water quality for drinking use. Furthermore, samples are higher with pH and alkalinity values. The alkalinity does not pose a health risk but can cause esthetic problems. Generally, most of the areas’ water quality indices for physicochemical parameters indicated suitability for drinking purposes.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Teledentistry in Periodontal Diagnosis Among Dental Interns at a College in Sebha, Libya: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study.

Background Teledentistry, a subspecialty of telemedicine dedicated to dentistry, has shown promise in improving access to dental care, particularly in rural and isolated areas.It integrates digital and telecommunication technology with dentistry, allowing for the remote distance exchange of relevant clinical information and digital dental imaging for dental consultation and treatment planning. Periodontal disease diagnosis is crucial for effective treatment and prevention of irreversible loss of periodontal structures. Early identification of periodontal disease can be pivotal in preventing periodontal tissue destruction and tooth loss and improving the overall quality of patients' lives. Sebha is a city located in the Fezzan region of southwestern Libya. It is the capital of the Sabha District and the Sabha Governorate. The city is situated in the Libyan part of the Sahara desert and is known for its strategic location as a gateway to the Sahara desert. However, there is a lack of information on the use of teledentistry in Libya in general and the use of teleperiodontics, especially in periodontal diagnosis. Hence, the aim of this questionnaire study was to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practice of teledentistry among dental interns at Sebha, Libya. Materials and methods A paper-based questionnaire consisting of 28 close‑ended Likert scale questions, including sections assessing the knowledge, attitude, and practice of teledentistry and teleperiodontics, was administered to dental interns at the Faculty of Dentistry, Sebha University, Sebha, Libya. Results The study surveyed 42 dental interns of the Faculty of Sebha, Libya, in total, with an 82.35% response rate among them. The majority of participants (59.5%) felt that teledentistry is reliable in arriving at periodontal diagnosis. The majority of participants (64.3%%) also had acceptable levels of trust in teledentistry equipment. However, over 45% percent of dental practitioners voiced their worries about patient privacy. Most of the participants suggested using teledentistry in some form in their future practice. Conclusion Teledentistry and its branch teleperiodontics are recent developments and its penetration among dental healthcare workers, and their knowledge, attitude, and practice remain to be thoroughly understood. The changing trends in attitudes and practice as a consequence of changes in Internet and technological awareness and the effects of the pandemic warrant closer observation and study.

Identifying Foremost Factors Relevant to Blood Pressure Level Using Logistic Regression Analysis: A Case Study (Desert Dwellers Data)

The current research investigates the use of logistic regression as a statistical technique for modelling real blood pressure (BP) data. This study uses a dataset collected from a desert community in southwestern Libya. Six factors that are widely believed to play an important role in the process of BP were considered. Statistical analyses of the available dataset revealed that the main cause of hypertension in such community is age. The proposed multiple logistic regression analysis also revealed that two factors, age and systolic BP, showed greater significance among the six examined variables. These two variables were identified as having a significant effect on blood pressure performance. Based on a determined criterion, each page as the main cause of hypertension in such community participants was classified as hypertensive or not, significant variables were selected based on the p-value associated with the model significance level, and these factors were selected based on the criteria to achieve the model significance level (p < 0.05). The statistical analysis was carried out using R language.

Facies Analysis of Middle Ordovician Hawaz Formation and the Major effect of the Ichnofacies on the Reservoir Quality, an Example from the NC115 Block in Murzuq Basin, Southwestern Libya

Facies Analysis of Middle Ordovician Hawaz Formation and the Major effect of the Ichnofacies on the Reservoir Quality, an Example from the NC115 Block in Murzuq Basin, Southwestern Libya

Significance of the Fezzan Region in French Policy in Libya and the Sahel

For a hundred years, since the French colonization of Chad and Niger, the Libyan region of Fezzan has played a significant role in the French strategy in Africa. The determining factor in the importance of the region for the policy of Paris was played by the transnational processes of the Fezzan border. The ethnic proximity of Fezzan and the northern regions of the Sahelian countries catalyzed the Franco-Libyan clashes in Chad in the 1900s, when the colonialists faced the resistance of the Senussi order, which was suppressed only with the beginning of the Italian conquest of Libya. The desire of Paris to establish control over the region to ensure the security of its possessions in the Sahel and their connection with the Algerian departments formed the basis of its policy in the middle of the 20th century. The significant influence of the region on the Sahel after decolonization prevailed, most clearly manifested in the 1970s and 1980s, when the Libyan Arab Republic tried to use ethnic contradictions in Chad to establish its hegemony in the north of the country, which, in turn, led to a conflict with Paris, in which the Fifth Republic, thanks to skillful work with the tribes of the Libyan-Chadian borderlands. After the outbreak of the civil war in Libya in 2011, Fezzan regained its importance for French politics due to the emergence in the region of terrorist structures associated with transnational Sahelian crime, the Chadian opposition and the forces of other great powers. The article examines the patterns of the French strategy towards Fezzan, in particular the French security policy in the Fezzan borderlands. The study of the historical retrospective of French politics allows us to more thoroughly determine the motives and intentions of the strategy of the Fifth Republic in southwestern Libya at the present stage.

Multiporate Pollen of Poaceae as Bioindicator of Environmental Stress: First Archaeobotanical Evidence from the Early–Middle Holocene Site of Takarkori in the Central Sahara

This paper reports on the most ancient unusual morphological trait of the apertures of Poaceae pollen found in archaeological layers. In Poaceae, high levels of hybridization, polyploidy, apomixis, and multiporate pollen are often related. Multiple genomes in polyploids are critical for the adaptation of plant species to stresses and could be revealed by anomalies in pollen development. Therefore, the paleoenvironmental research can gain great benefits from identifying polyploids in past contexts by observing anomalous pollen morphology during pollen counts. The occurrence of multiporate pollen in Poaceae has also been related to special features of the ecology of the species showing this anomaly, as well as to climatic and environmental stresses experienced by Poaceae living in a given region. Multiporate and bi- or tri-porate instead of monoporate pollen grains have been observed in samples taken from Takarkori rockshelter, an archaeological site in southwestern Libya (central Sahara) that has been occupied between ~10,200 and ~4650 cal BP. Multiporate pollen was found in organic sands and coprolites of ovicaprines. On the basis of archaeobotanical research, this work aims to investigate whether the presence of supernumerary pores in Poaceae pollen may be an effect of both climatic/hydrological changes and continued anthropogenic pressure on the wild grasses living in the region. The presence of multiporate pollen reveals that Poaceae that lived in central Sahara tackled several kinds of stress during the early and middle Holocene. The Takarkori pollen record suggests that climate change could have played a major role in the early Holocene, while human pressure became stronger during the middle Holocene. The change in environmental conditions determined adaptive responses of polyploid grasses even in the form of multiporate pollen.

Site Organization and Mobility Strategies: The Early and Middle Holocene Stone Structures from Takarkori Rock Shelter (Southwestern Libya)

ABSTRACT The identification of mobility patterns in prehistoric communities is crucial for the understanding of their social and economic strategies. Though factors such as economics, environment, and cultural choices are strictly related to mobility, it has been demonstrated how anticipated mobility is pivotal in generating different aspects of site structure and spatial organization. Considering the stone structures uncovered at Takarkori rock shelter (southwestern Libya, central Sahara), we performed morphometrical and spatial analysis to provide appropriate indicators of mobility patterns, site structure, and activity areas among hunter-gatherers and pastoral groups that inhabited the shelter during the Early and Middle Holocene. We recognized year-round semisedentary patterns and shorter seasonal occupations, based on the number, size, typology, and topography of stone structures. The paper discusses how, through the analysis of stone structures, it is possible to recognize mobility patterns in the archaeological record.

A tentative tale of Stone Age human dynamics in Pleistocene south-western Libya (central Sahara)

AbstractThe area encompassing the Acacus and Messak mountains in South Western Libya, similarly to the other central Saharan massifs, is characterized by a deeply eroded landscape where Quaternary geo-archaeological archives are rare, especially Pleistocene ones, making it difficult to understand and contextualize past human dynamics within a solid chrono-paleoenvironmental framework. Except for the few caves and open-air contexts where Pleistocene sedimentary sequences are preserved, the vast majority of archaeological evidence from the region is represented by lithic artefacts found on the surface of deflated open-air sites. Nonetheless, artefacts still stand as the main references used to build a rough framework for population dynamics through time. Although the evidence is not as solid as we would like, it allows us to at least reconsider connecting the human presence solely to ‘green’ phases, as a number of population dynamics related to arid landscapes have inferably occurred in the late Middle Pleistocene and in the Late Pleistocene. Coping with changing or difficult ecological settings could have been a driver at different times for behavioral adjustment, large scale displacement, increased interactions between populations and diffusion of technological innovations.

A subfossil spirostreptid millipede from SW Libya (Diplopoda, Spirostreptida, Spirostreptidae)

ABSTRACT Two fragments of millipedes, referred to the genus Archispirostreptus, are reported from an archaeological site in the Tadrart Acacus region of southwestern Libya. Radiocarbon dating of the specimens shows that one of them dates to between ca. 9100 and 8800 years ago, and the other one between 6400 and 6300 years ago (calibrated dates). The site lies far from known present-day occurrences of spirostreptid millipedes, and the Libyan subfossils probably, like other isolated occurrences of Archispirostreptus species in the Sahara and the Middle East, represent geographical relicts of a former, continuous distribution. The millipedes were probably able to survive at the Libyan site during the early and middle Holocene periods thanks to the more humid conditions, and may descend from animals that initially colonised the area during the even more humid, and longer, last interglacial period.

Biogeochemical Analyses of Four Crude Oil Samples to Confirm the Presence of Terrestrial-organic Matter, Collected from the Murzuq Basin- Libya

The Murzuq Basin, in Southwestern Libya, is one of Libyan’s most productive petroleum basins, with reserves estimated at 23 billion barrels recoverable of hydrocarbon equivalent within giant oil fields. Four crude oil samples collected from A1-NC186, E1-NC101, E2-NC101, H10-NC115 wells from Murzuq Basin, Libya, were suggested for bulk analysis and physical proprieties, alkane distribution and isoprenoids and the hopane, tricyclic terpane and sterane distributions of the oils, to confirm the presence of non-marine organic matter sources and/or any evidence of its existence. The oils show no significant variation in the ratios of the carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur content (CHNS) composition. All samples recorded high to very high API° gravity, ranges 33.8 to 40.3; the sulfur values ranged from 0.31 to 0.45%, the wax ratio in crude oils is showing a great variety, E1-NC101and E2-NC101 oils show higher wax content, ranging from 6.1 to 6.7%. Pristine to Phytane ratios (Pr/Ph) range from 1.61 to 2.22 and the Pr/n-C17, Ph/n-C18, n-C17/n-C27 and CPI values determined as indicators of the depositional environment of the crude oils. The data of search confirmed that the crude oils were derived from marine, mixed and terrestrial sediments.

Aquatic fauna from the Takarkori rock shelter reveals the Holocene central Saharan climate and palaeohydrography.

The abundant faunal remains from the Takarkori rock shelter in the Tadrart Acacus region of southwestern Libya are described. The material that covers the period between 10,200 to 4650 years cal BP illustrates the more humid environmental conditions in the Central Sahara during early and middle Holocene times. Particular attention is focussed on the aquatic fauna that shows marked diachronic changes related to increasing aridification. This is reflected in the decreasing amount of fish remains compared to mammals and, within the fish fauna, by changes through time in the proportion of the species and by a reduction of fish size. The aquatic fauna can, in addition, be used to formulate hypotheses about the former palaeohydrographical network. This is done by considering the possible location of pre-Holocene relic populations combined with observations on the topography and palaeohydrological settings of the Central Sahara.

Technical Efficiency and Resources Use among Wheat Producers in Southwestern Libya; An Application of Slack-Based Measure of Efficiency

Technical Efficiency and Resources Use among Wheat Producers in Southwestern Libya; An Application of Slack-Based Measure of Efficiency

Intraspecific genetic diversity and distribution of North African hedgehogs (Mammalia: Erinaceidae)

Despite growing efforts to halt biodiversity loss, knowledge of species diversity and distribution is highly geographically biased, leaving some areas unexplored. Taxa distributed in remote, desert areas, such as hedgehogs (Mammalia; Eulipotyphla) in North Africa, are good examples of current knowledge gaps in systematics and biogeography. Here we studied the geographical distribution and intraspecific genetic diversity of hedgehogs in North Africa. Specimens belonging to North African and Eurasian species were analysed with mitochondrial (control region, CR) and nuclear (recombination activating gene 1, RAG1) gene fragments. This revealed a broader geographical distribution of Atelerix algirus in south-western Libya and of Paraechinus aethiopicus along the Atlantic Sahara. High intraspecific genetic differentiation was found in A. algirus and A. albiventris at the mitochondrial level, with nuclear haplotype sharing across their ranges. These findings suggest that biogeographical patterns of hedgehogs in North Africa are more complex than previously suggested, highlighting a need for further investigation in this remote and poorly known area.

Determination of the suitable drilling operating parameters in different geological formations El-Sharara Oil Field (South-Western Libya)

The authors declare that the paper has not been originated under any project and no funding has been raised for this research.

Microbial Contamination of hemodialysis Catheter Tips among Renal Failure Patients in Brack Hospital, Southwestern Libya

Indwelling Medical Devices are significant in patient care and, critical patients easily become infect-able microbial contamination. The isolate and identify the bacterial biofilm that contaminated indwelling catheter tips for renal dialysis machines among patients and the associated resistance of antibiotics in Brack Hospital. One hundred of catheter tips were collected from patients. 2 inches of the distal tip of the catheter were clipped directly into a sterile broth. The culture was by rolling the tip across blood agar and incubated aerobically at 37C° for 18-24 hours. Bacterial isolates were Staphylococcus aureus 33%, Bacillus spp. 9.7%, Klebsiella. pneumoniae 8.3%, Escherichia. coli 8.3%, Staphylococcus albus 8.3%, Enterobacter aerogenes 8.3% Enterobacter spp. 6.9%, Proteus mirabilis 6.9%, Klebsiella ozaenae 6.9%, and Acinetobacter 2.7%. The resistance was 100% against Ampicillin. The 100% were resistant to Ceftazidime, Aztreonam but variable with the others and 100% sensitive to Imipenem with statistically significantly difference (P = 0.00).

Using instantaneous frequency and colored inversion attributes to distinguish and determine the sandstones facies of the Late Ordovician Mamuniyat reservoir, R-field in Murzuq Basin, Libya

The Mamuniyat petroleum reservoir in southwestern Libya is comprised of clean sandstones and intercalated shale and sand facies that are characterized by spatial porosity variations. Seismic reflection data from the field exhibit relatively low vertical seismic resolution, side lobes of reflection wavelets, reflection interference, and low acoustic impedance contrast between the reservoir and the units underneath the reservoir, which make mapping those facies a difficult task. In the absence of broadband seismic data, optimizing frequency bands of bandlimited data can be used to suppress pseudoreflectors resulting from side-lobe effects and help to separate the clean sandstone facies of the reservoir. We have optimized the data based on our investigation of seismic frequency bands and used instantaneous frequency analysis to reveal the reflection discontinuity that is mainly associated with the reservoir boundary of the sandstone facies of the clean Mamuniyat reservoir. We also preformed rock-physics diagnostic modeling and inverted the seismic data using spectral-based colored inversion into relative acoustic impedance. The inverted impedance matches the up-scaled impedance from the well data and the inversion of relative acoustic impedance confirms the conclusion that was drawn from the instantaneous frequency results. The interpretation of facies distributions based on the instantaneous frequency was supported by the inversion results and the rock-physics models.

Panicum spikelets from the Early Holocene Takarkori rockshelter (SW Libya): Archaeo-molecular and -botanical investigations

This paper deals with the extraction, amplification and sequencing of ancient DNA (aDNA) from spikelets of wild cereals dated at ca. 9000 cal yr BP, representing the most ancient plants with preserved genetic material from the Sahara desert. The sub-fossil records were collected from the archaeological excavation carried out at Takarkori, an archaeological site located in south-western Libya. Morphological and genetic analyses were made on 100 well preserved dried spikelets. Ten DNA extraction protocols were performed to evaluate nucleic acid recovery in terms of DNA yield, purity and amplification success of the chloroplast barcode region matK. The extraction protocol that returned the most suitable DNA to be amplified is the Kistler and Shapiro (2011: J Archaeol Sci 38: 3549-3554) modified protocol. In our study, the results from matK amplification suggested that four specimens are the most appropriate number of spikelets for these analyses. DNA was then used for PCR amplifications of four chloroplast barcode genes: rbcL, matK, trnH-psbA and trnL. A phylogenetic analysis shows the strict relation between the archaeological specimens and modern Panicoideae, supporting the morphological identification. The results indicate that spikelets have a close relation to Panicum laetum Kunth, a wild cereal still collected in tropical Africa.

Theses Abstracts in English on Libya 1936–2012

The Maghreb Review, Vol. 41, 1, 2016 © The Maghreb Review 2016 This publication is printed on longlife paper THESES ABSTRACTS IN ENGLISH ON LIBYA 1936–2012 COMPILED AND EDITED BY MOHAMED BEN-MADANI EDITORIAL NOTE Given the large number of theses that are covered in this compilation, we think it best to dedicate this issue of The Maghreb Review to Libyan Theses as it will be a useful reference tool for students, scholars and librarians for years to come. The following theses abstracts in English on Libya covering all fields of research, are published here for the benefit of interested scholars and students. These abstracts have not been included in any bibliographical work in the past and are arranged in Alphabetical order. The largest number of theses on Libya were presented in United Kingdom Universities (297) followed by United States universities (26), Canada (1), Ireland (3) and Sweden (1). We have included some older theses which were not included in our Abstracts of English Language Theses on Libya that was published in Volume 23, Nos. 1-4, 1998. In earlier Volumes we have published similar Abstracts on Morocco (Volume 26, Nos. 2-4, 2001, Volume 39, No. 4, 2014, and Volume 38, No. 2, 2013), Algeria (Volume 27, Nos. 2-4, 2012), Tunisia (Volume 24, Nos. 3-4, 1999), Maghreb (Volume 21, Nos. 3-4, 1996) and Mauritania, (Volume 24, Nos. 1-2, 1999). These Volumes are still available and can be ordered through our website: www.maghrebreview.com. Some theses included here are comparatively short (as few as 74 pages!) and beg the question as to how closely supervised they were and how stringent the criteria are for awarding a PhD in some institutions. 4 COMPILED AND EDITED BY MOHAMED BEN-MADANI ABSTRACTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY INACCESSIBLE The following titles are those theses which I have not been able to access. Some are still under embargo imposed by the authors and will not be publicly accessible for many years. Aburdene, Odeh Felix, An Analysis of the Impact of the Economies of Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Libya and Saudi Arabia upon the United States Balance of Payments for the period 1963-1968, PhD., Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts University), 1974 Alkhazmi, Rajab Abdussalam, Preliminary Study of the Geology and Geochemistry of Jabal arkeno Ring Complex, Southeast Libya, PhD., South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, 1981 Askew, William C, Europe and Italy’s Acquisition of Libya: A Study in Mediterranean Politics and European Alignments, 1911-1912, PhD., Duke University 1936. Brown, Robert Wylie, A Spatial View of Oil Development in the Desert: Libyan in the First Decade, 1955-1965, PhD., Columbia University 1970. Cuthbertson, Susan Elyse, Politics, empire, and the Italian Nation, 1896-1949 (Libya, Somalia), PhD., University of Virginia, 2006. Dafer, Mohsen Ahmed, An Evaluation of the Educational Psychology Program at Alfateh University, Tripoli, Libya, PhD., The University of New Mexico, 1980. El-Zein, Salah, A, The Tuareq of South-Western Libya, PhD., Hull University, 1979. Feder, Milton, Great Power Relations in the Origin and development of the Kingdom of Libya, PhD., University of Michigan, 1960. Finaish, Mohamed Ali, Libya’s Petroleum Policy, PhD., University of Southern California, 1972. Fowler, Gary Lane, Italian Agricultural colonization in Tripolitania, Libya, PhD., Syracuse University, 1969. Ghuma, Mohamed Ali, The Geology and Geochemistry of the Ben Ghnema Batholith Tibisti Massif, Southern Libya, L.A.R., PhD., Rice University, 1976. Hammuda, Omar Suleiman, Eocene Biostratigraphy of the Derna area, Northeast Libya, PhD., University of Colorado at Boulder, 1973. Khalidi, Ismail Raghib, Constitutional Development in Libya, PhD., Columbia University, 1957. Khoja, Elhadi Razzagh, Petrography and Diagnosis of Lower Paleocene Carbonate Reservoir Rock, Dahra Field, Libya, PhD., Rice University, 1971. Ranck, Gary Laval, The Rodents of Libya: Taxonomy, Ecology and Zoogeographical Relationships, PhD., The University of Utah, 1966. THESES ABSTRACTS IN ENGLISH ON LIBYA 1936–2012 5 ABSTRACTS Abdalaziz, Mohamed, Measuring taxable capacity in Libya, PhD., University of Gloucestershire, 2012. This thesis measures the tax effort and taxable capacity in Libya and examines an important research question: “Has the tax burden reached the level of full tax capacity in Libya?” The main motivation of the study is the need to diversify the sources of the...

The origins and development of Zuwīla, Libyan Sahara: an archaeological and historical overview of an ancient oasis town and caravan centre

Zuwīla in southwestern Libya (Fazzān) was one of the most important early Islamic centres in the Central Sahara, but the archaeological correlates of the written sources for it have been little explored. This paper brings together for the first time a detailed consideration of the relevant historical and archaeological data, together with new AMS radiocarbon dates from several key monuments. The origins of the settlement at Zuwīla were pre-Islamic, but the town gained greater prominence in the early centuries of Arab rule of the Maghrib, culminating with the establishment of an Ibāḍī state ruled by the dynasty of the Banū Khaṭṭāb, with Zuwīla its capital. The historical sources and the accounts of early European travellers are discussed and archaeological work at Zuwīla is described (including the new radiocarbon dates). A short gazetteer of archaeological monuments is provided as an appendix. Comparisons and contrasts are also drawn between Zuwīla and other oases of the ash-Sharqiyāt region of Fazzān. The final section of the paper presents a series of models based on the available evidence, tracing the evolution and decline of this remarkable site.

Hydrocarbon probability of Middle Ordovician Hawaz Formation, Murzuq Basin, Southwestern Libya

The Middle Ordovician Hawaz clastic reservoir on the Murzuq Basin is a new exploration play of great importance in the NC186 concession. H-field is one of the new discoveries in this concession. The main target of this investigation is to detect and evaluate the hydrocarbon play of Hawaz Formation in H-field. Petrophysical characteristics and seismic interpretations of the Hawaz Formation in H oil field, Concession NC186 of Murzuq basin have been evaluated through the analysis of well-logging records of ten exploratory wells and 3D seismic sections distributed in H oil field. These data have been analyzed and interpreted through utilizing some analytical cross-plots. The lithosaturation analysis indicates that the Hawaz Formation is mainly oil-bearing with some water-bearing sand levels with thickness ranging from 550 ft in the northwestern part of this field and increasing to more than 640 ft. The average cutoff of H-field illustrated that the water saturation is 45 %, the porosity is 12 %, and the reservoir thickness is 190 m. This surface was picked at 840 ms (TWT) in the northwestern part of the study area and increased to 1060 ms (TWT) in the southeastern part of the study area. The Hawaz surface was located at depths ranges from 4360 ft in the H1-NC186 well in the northwestern part and increased to 4611 ft in the H3-NC186 well in the southeastern part of the H-field. The analytical formation evaluation reveals that the lithological facies consists mainly of sandstone and little shale. This sandstone is coarsening upward. The lateral distribution of the petrophysical parameters portrays that the Hawaz Formation is a good reservoir rock where H4 and H5 horizons are the main productive zones.