Many stone tools were found on a hill south of the Hor Al-Dalmaj which is located in the central part of the alluvial plain of Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The types of rocks ...from which the studied stone tools were made are not found in the alluvial plain, because it consists of friable sand, silt, and clay. All existing sediments were precipitated in riverine environments such as point bar, over bank, and floodplain sediments. The collected stone tools were described with a magnifying glass (10 x) and a polarized microscope after they were thin sectioned. Microscopic analysis showed that these stone tools are made of sedimentary, volcanic igneous and metamorphic rocks, such as: sandstones, limestones, chert, conglomerate, rhyolite, basalt, mica schist, and quartzite. The current studied stone tools were used by ancient humans as pestles, querns, scrapers, and knives. The present study showed that these tools were transported from outside the alluvial plain of Mesopotamia. A stone tool at the archaeological site of Al-Dalmaj indicates that there were some trade routes that connected this site with its surrounding; in addition to the economic, and that might occurred cultural exchanges during the Neolithic Period.
The study area is located near Razazza Lake, southwest Karbala City, middle of Iraq. Data collections depended on field natural surveys. Geodiversity includes: rocks and minerals, land forms, type of ...soil and water resources. The main rock bed units are: sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, marl, limestone, dolostone, and gypsum. Landforms are: plateaus, dry wadis, hills, caves, sand sediments, lakes, marshes, ephemeral streams, Shithatha Plain, springs and sabkha. Types of soil are sandy on the plateau and near south part of Razaza Lake peach, while muddy and clayey soil near Shithatha and surrounding. Water resources are: Al-Majara canal, Al- Hassainiya canal, Karbala drainage canal, Razaza Lake, Shithatha springs and drilled wells, Ephemeral stream (Wadi Al-Ubaidh). Geodiversity is provides habitats and enhance biodiversity, therefore many habitats has been recognized, such as: Plateaus, Hills, Cliffs and Wadis, Sand sediments, Razaza Lake, marshes, Wadi Al- Ubaidh, Shithatha plain, Springs, sabkha. Vertebrate diversity in Razzaza Lake and adjacent areas belongs to five classes; Pisces, Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves, and mammalian. It comprises 89 species including 78 genera, 57 families and 22 orders. It is found that structural units of habitats of the area have their own vertebrate faunas. Results showed that some species are common to all habitats mentioned here for example Merops superciliosus, Upupa epops ,Vulpes vulpes and Pipistrellus kuhlii; others seem to be utilize more than one habitat in the area for example Gambusia affinis, Canis aureus, Hyaena hyaenam Hystrix indicam Prinia gracilis, Phoenicopterus ruber, and Uromastyx microlepis. Few species were recorded from one type of habitat for example Diplometopon zarudnyim Stenodactylus affinis, Bubo bubo, Scincus scincus and Taphozous nudiventris magnus. Of the species recorded, some were found of special interest from the conservation point of view for example Stenodactylus affinis and Hypocolius ampelinus. A comparison between the statuses of present vertebrate biodiversity and three decades ago was provided emphasizing on the environmental changes happened to the Razzaza Lake and the adjacent areas with the shortage of water quantity and deterioration of its quality.
The study area is located near Injana area; about 140 Km north of Baghdad City, middle Iraq. The Late Miocene – Pliocene site of the Mukdadiya Formation which is exposed in the northeastern limb of ...Hemrin South Anticline is a good example for the vertebrate fossil bones. The fossil bones can be studied by multidisciplinary sciences; tectonics, sedimentology, vertebrate fossils taxonomy and volcanic activities to understand the taphonomic processes of the involved fossil assemblages. The Alpine Orogeny in the Late Miocene increased the uplifting, folding and shortening of the Zagros Thrust Fold Belt and subsidence of the Zagros Foreland Basin in middle Iraq. Large fluvial systems, especially alluvial fans have been flowing from the northeast to the southwest in relatively humid climates. The current study concluded the following: The appearance of 21 species in the site refers to the humid and more luxurious environment. Availability of water and sediments (sand, mud, and clay) near fluvial sub environments enriched the diversity of plant that helped a different kind of amphibians such as crocodiles and turtles to living and breeding. The plant diversity provided the food for herbivores such as deer, giraffes, horses, mastodons, and later for the predators and carnivores. The presence of tuff stone, glass shards, pyroclastic crystals, tuffaceous sandstone, tuffaceous mudstone and tuffaceous claystone refer to volcanic activities and caused the suffocation and mass mortality of animals during the Late Miocene – Pliocene. Soft parts of dead animals were decay, while the bones transported by fluvial channel during heavy rain and mixed with the channel bed loads. They might be deposited and reworked by many cycles of deposition and finally, the redeposit within channel lag deposits in the lower part of point bars of the fluvial environment.
The study area is located in the southern desert of Iraq, near the Al-Salman Depression, about 130 km southwest of Al-Samawa City. The Collection of data of this study depends mainly upon field ...surveys, sample collection of rocks, soil, plants, and animals besides interviews with locals as well as photographing of interesting aspects. The geodiversity of the study area comprises geological features, geomorphological features, soil types, and water resources. The exposed rocks of study area are composed mainly of carbonate rocks, in addition to marl, sandstone, and claystone, which belong to the Middle member of the Dammam Formation (L. Eocene). The main landforms found near the Al-Salman area are flat terrain, depressions (faidhats), wadis, caves, and sinkholes. Three types of soils were recognized; silty clay, clayey silt, and sandy soils. The main water resources are the ephemeral streams (wadis), and water wells in sinkhole, besides the mechanical and hand-dug wells. Geodiversity features formed many habitats in the study area such as Wadi Al-Owja, depressions (faidhats), flat terrain, and sinkhole. The present study reveals that biodiversity includes a wide diversity of plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates. Some species were restricted to certain habitat types in the study area, while other species proved to be more generalist.
لقد جمعت البيانات عن طريق المسوحات الميدانية لمواقع التراث الطبيعي، والمواقع الآثارية، والدينية والتراثية؛ وزيارة بعض المؤسسات الحكومية ذات العلاقة للاطلاع على المصادر المتنوعة المتوفرة في مكتباتهم، ...والقيام بالأعمال المكتبية، وغيرها. وقد توصلت الدراسة إلى أهمية التراث الطبيعي مثل، وجود هور الحويزة، الذي يعد أحد المكونات الأربعة التي سجلت على لائحة التراث العالمي، لوجود الأنظمة البيئية الطبيعية المتنوعة، والغنى في التنوع البيولوجي، ولاسيما وجود الأنواع المهددة ذات القيمة العالمية الاستثنائية. ووجود أكثر من ٤٤٠ موقع التراث الثقافي أو الآثاري، موزعة على جميع أقضية ونواحي محافظة ميسان، التي تضم حضارات عصور حجرية، وسومرية، واكدية، وبابلية، واخمينية، وفرثية، وساسانية، وحضارات إسلامية. ووجود المواقع الدينية الإسلامية مثل مرقد علي الغربي، وعلى الشرقي، وعبيد الله بن علي؛ والمواقع المسيحية مثل كنيسة أم الأحزان، وكنيسة مار يوسف؛ واليهودية مثل مرقد نبي الله العزير؛ والصابئية؛ إلى جانب المواقع التراثية مثل سوق العمارة الكبير، والمكتبة العصرية، والمساكن التراثية. وتعد السياحة أحد القطاعات الاقتصادية الإنتاجية التي تسهم في زيادة الدخل المحلي والوطني؛ وعليه يجب دعم وتنشيط السياحة البيئية والآثارية المستدامة لإيجاد فرص العمل وتحسين المستوى المعاشي للسكان المحليين من خلال توفير البنى التحتية وإعداد الخطط والبرامج التي تنمي السياحة البيئية في هور الحويزة والمناطق الطبيعية المجاورة، والمواقع الآثارية، والسياحة الدينية والآثارية، والسياحات الأخرى في محاولة لاستدامة عناصر التراث الطبيعي والثقافي والديني وتوفير فرص العمل للسكان المحليين.
This work deals with the sedimentology of the Hussainiyat Formation (Lower Jurassic) and Rutbah Formation (Upper Cretaceous) in the Western Desert of Iraq with special emphasis on their depositional ...environments and nature of their source rocks. These formations are particularly chosen since they belong to different episodes, which are before (Hussainiyat Formation) and after (Rutbah Formation) the late Kimmerian deformation phase. Both units comprise supermature sandstone and contain a fairly similar suite of heavy detrital accessories (almost ultrastable minerals only). Such nature of the clastics impairs the identification in the usual methods, commonly carried out by sedimentary petrologists, although petrographic textures of quartz sand grains and the polycrystalline quartzitic pebbles are found useful. Five sections were described from both formations, and a total of 58 sandstone samples were collected, in addition to 153 gravel samples. The Hussainiyat Formation represents the classic model for high-sinuosity (meandering) river system, and the Rutbah Formation represents deposition in low-sinuosity (braided) river system resembling Platt-type model. Paleocurrent analysis of the Hussainiyat sandstones showed a southeasterly flow, and the Rutbah sandstone showed a northeasterly flow. Provenance analysis of the Hussainiyat and Rutbah Formations showed that they have different sources. Petrographic analysis of the quartz sand grains and the heavy minerals indicates derivation from sedimentary rock and plutonic or medium- to high-rank metamorphic rocks, but there is a marked difference between the percentages of the constituents in each formation. The textural features encountered in the majority of the studied pebbles characterize low-grade metamorphic rocks, and the statistical procedure (ANOVA) used shows that they have been derived from two different sources. Petrofacies studies show that the tectonic setting of the provenance area of both sandstones is craton interior of the continental block.
In the valley of the Euphrates River to the south of the Haditha city (West Iraq), the dissolution of the carbonate rocks which underlie residual soil gives rise to numerous sinkholes. These ...sinkholes are a potential hazard to human safety and damage to the existing infrastructure. The exposed rocks in the area under consideration belong to the Euphrates Formation of the Early Miocene age, specifically the Middle Member of the formation. Tens of sinkholes have developed with different shapes, sizes, activities, and maturities, others are under development indicating that the karstification process is still ongoing. Some of the sinkholes have spectacular scenes and can be used for touristic purposes. The karstification process has a negative impact on the infrastructure in the Haditha vicinity, especially the Hadith Dam, where extraordinary treatments to the foundation of the dam were considered to be in a safe status. We have studied different published articles and reports, which dealt with the karstification in the Haditha vicinity. Moreover, we have interpreted satellite images, and topographical and geological maps to recognize the existing sinkholes and study them. Filed trips were performed for long interrupted intervals (1984 until 2022) to collect significant data and perform field photographs for the interesting scenes.
Basalt stone tools were collected from some Iraqi Archaeological Sites. Twenty-one samples were studied petrographically, mineralogically, and chemical composition. Five samples were from the Gaara ...Depression north of Rutba town, seven samples from Tarmiya, north Baghdad, seven samples from Dalmij site, east of Diwaniya city, and two samples from Jordan, which were used for comparison. The studied samples were classified into three groups, according to their mineralogy and texture: Group A: Vesicular Basalt, Group B: Dolerite, and Group C: Olivine Basalt. These stones most probably were used as a hand axe, grinder, hammer, and other uses, as well as for buildings, like those used in Qasar Al- Azraq and Umm Al- Jamal archaeological sites in Jordan. These basalt rocks most probably were transported by an ancient man from Harrat Al-Sham, which extends through Syria-Jordan-Saudi Arabia, or from NE Syria through a trade route that connected between source areas and the studied archaeological sites in Iraq.
Removal of cephalexin residues from wastewater is one of the most concerned issues in treatment plants due to the growing of the antibiotics consumption level around the world. In this study, the ...impact of the initial concentration of cephalexin residues on its removability by lemna minor was investigated by developing a grau model accounting for the cephalexin initial pH value. In the model, the second-order kinetic constants of adsorption were linked linearly with the influent pH values. Results showed that using lemna minor along with phytoremediation process increased the removal efficiency value to 86.5% and dropped chemical oxygen demand (COD) to 0.012 mg/L in effluent, making the removability of cephalexin from the polluted water easier. In addition, it was found that changing the grau model kinetic constants linearly (positively or negatively) with pH affects the removal efficiency. Based on the results, the best removability can be noticed at the pH level of 7 with a value of 71%.
PDF
