In the present study, an assessment of land suitability potential for agriculture in the study area of IBB governorate, Republic of Yemen has been conducted through close examination of the indicators of land characteristics and qualities. The objective of this study is to evaluate the available land resource and produce the potential map of the study area. Remote sensing data help in mapping land resources, especially in mountainous areas where accessibility is limited. Satellite imagery data used for this study includes data from multi-temporal Landsat TM which dated June 2001. The parameters taken into consideration were 16 thematic maps i.e., slope, DEM, rainfall, soil, land use, land degradation as well as land characteristics maps. Satellite image of the study area has been classified for land use, land degradation and soil maps preparation, while topo sheet and ancillary data have been used for slope and DEM maps and soil properties determination. The land potential of the study area was categorized as very high, high, moderate, low and very low by adopting the logical criteria. These categories were arrived at by integrating the various layers with corresponding weights in a Geographical Information System (GIS). The study demonstrates that the study area can be categorized into spatially distributed agriculture potential zones based on the soil properties, terrain characteristics and analyzing present land use. This approach has the potential as a useful tool for guiding policy decision on sustainable land resource management.

This study reports the findings of resistivity surveys which were conducted at the initiation area of debris flow at KM 9, Fraser’s Hill Gap road (FT148). The study involves three slope parallel survey lines and two lines perpendicular to the slope face. The parallel lines are FH01, FH02, and FH03, while the lines FH04 and FH05 are perpendicular. A granite body was detected at the central part of the east line and is nearest to the ground surface along FH02. The existence of low resistivity zones within the granite body is interpreted as highly fractured, water conducting zones. These zones are continuous as they have been detected in both the east-west as well as the north-south lines. The residual soil layer is relatively thin at zones where weathered granite dominates the slope face of the failure mass. The weak layer is relatively thick with an estimated thickness of 80 m and water flow occurs at the base of it. The high water flow recorded from the horizontal drains further supports the possible existence of these highly fractured, water conducting zones located within the granite. The shallow fractured granite is virtually “floating” above the water saturated zone and therefore is considered unstable.

Geotourism is a responsible and sustainable type of tourism package development, equivalent to ecotourism, and other nature-based derivatives of tourism with deeper level considerations on local landscapes and the underlying geological foundation. The area was investigated from the perspective of tourism geoscience sub-discipline with a focus on nonextractive natural resources. Taking into consideration the beach alluvial plain, human community, the biophysical components and the mining artifacts, mineralization, geological formation, mining history and people lifestyle during the active mining period. Bukit Besi's rail transit system as example, with eleven stations, used to transport people, goods and ores between Bukit Besi and a coastal town of Dungun. Geology of Bukit Besi consist of dominance of shale, quartzite, limestone; intrusion rocks of granite and quartz vein, and metasediment rock. Iron mineralization occurs as a result of replacement in shale, limestone, granite and along the developed fractures. Further study relates the interconnection between iron mineralization and cultural of the residents. Mineralization had created the mining operation in Bukit Besi. History of mining process, life of Bukit Besi residents and railway is part of intrinsic information that make higher value of monument left in Bukit Besi in tourism context. Historical narration of the mining region goes beyond events related to human time frame but spans the geological history of the regions and the story of interactions between human and their environments. These form the basis for the creation of anthrobiogeoasset for regional planning of the region. Secondary utilization of the non-extractive natural resource should incorporate tourism and business components for sustainable geotourism package development of Bukit Besi, Malaysia ABSTRAK Geopelancongan adalah sejenis pembangunan pakej pelancongan yang bertanggungjawab dan mampan, setara dengan ekopelancongan dan pelancongan berasaskan alam semula jadi dengan pertimbangan tahap yang lebih mendalam terhadap landskap tempatan dan asas geologi yang mendasarinya. Kawasan ini dikaji daripada perspektif sub-disiplin geosains pelancongan dengan tumpuan kepada sumber alam bukan ekstraktif, dengan mengambil kira kawasan pantai, komuniti manusia, komponen biofizikal dan artifak perlombongan, permineralan, formasi batuan, sejarah perlombongan dan gaya hidup penduduk semasa tempoh perlombongan aktif. Sistem transit kereta Bukit Besi antaranya, dengan sebelas stesen, pernah digunakan untuk mengangkut orang, barang dan bijih di antara Bukit Besi dan Dungun. Geologi Bukit Besi terdiri daripada dominasi syal, kuarza, batu kapur; batu intrusi granit dan telerang kuarza dan batuan metasedimen. Pembentukan mineral besi adalah akibat penggantian syal, batu kapur dan granit di sepanjang rekahan yang terbentuk. Kajian lanjut menunjukkan hubung kait yang rapat antara pemineralan bijih besi dengan budaya penduduk. Pemineralan telah membentuk operasi perlombongan di Bukit Besi. Sejarah, proses perlom...