Shanidar Cave is located in north Iraq (Kurdistan Region), it is one of the most well-known caves in the region due to its archeological significance. It is an archaeological site which is located ...within Bradost Mountain north of Erbil city. In the cave, eleven skeletons of Neanderthals, have been found dating back to 65000 – 35000 years B.C., they were called Shanidar (1-11). The cave also contains two later proto-Neolithiccemeteries. The cave is developed due to dissolution of limestone beds of the Qamchuqa Formation which forms the carapace of Bradost Mountain (anticline). Currently, the cave and the downslopes to the foothills of the mountain are limited by a fence. The cave can be reached by a paved road to the foothills level, then by stepping following artificially constructed leader which is designed and constructed by local materials from stones and wood giving to the leader a natural view. The Shanidar cave is highly recommended to be a national Geopark due to its archeological significance
The Safeen Mountain is one of the main mountains in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, it forms one of the long anticlines trending NW – SE. The exposed formations on the top of the mountain are Qamchuqa, ...Bekhme, and Shiranish, with carbonate rocks of different types and thicknesses. Sampling took place in the exposed rocks on the top of the mountain where a road crosses the mountain, and a total of 20 samples out of 84 m thickness of the outcrop were collected. The distance between sampling intervals was depending on the lithological variation of the bedrock and each sample was collected to represent the sampling interval. The samples were subjected to XRF to indicate the main oxides percentages in each sample. The acquired results from the XRF showed the studied rocks can be used for cement and paper industries based on Iraqi Standards. They can also be considered using it in the sugar industry after a slight modification as well as in the drug industry.
Groundwater is an essential water source in many areas in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). The groundwater can be used for many purposes such as municipal, agricultural, and domestic. The ...objective of this study is to assess the quality of groundwater in the Kani-Qirzhala area. The study area covers 60 km2, and includes twenty-seven water wells, which have been selected and used to study the water quality parameters in such area. Canadian Council of Ministers for the Environment Water Quality Index method was used to evaluate Water Quality Index and SPSS software version 25 even to study the correlation between Water Quality Index and water quality parameters. The results indicated that the quality of water in most of the wells is fair, except the quality of water in wells 19, 24, and 27 is found to be poor. Well19 is located close to the Erbil landfill site (Kani-Qirzhala) and this poor quality is due to the effect of Landfill site leachate. The Well 24 is in the Erbil store area where the leachate of landfill is discharged to this surrounding area. The quality of water in well 27, on the other hand, was marginal and existed on the eastern side of the study area. The significant correlation revealed a good correlation between WQI and water quality parameters such as (pH, EC, TDS, Ca2+ Na1+, Mg2+, NO3-1, K1+, SO42-, Cl1-, Hardness, Alkalinity, Iron, and Copper).
The Khurmala Formation is exposed in restricted areas in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, usually between the Kolosh and Gercus formations. One of those exposed areas is the Haibat Sultan Mountain which ...extends from Koya town and eastwards to Sulaymaniyah city with NW-SE trend, where it passes to the Sinjar Formation. The rocks of the latter are used as the raw materials in five cement plants in Sulaymaniyah Governorate. The rocks of the Khurmala Formation were sampled near Kalka Smaq village along the road which crosses Haibat Sultan Mountain to perform an industrial assessment of the rocks. The sampled section is 65 m thick; 13 samples were collected as channel samples with regular intervals of 5 m. In the field, the samples were lithologically described and checked with HCl acid. The samples were powdered, and subjected to XRF to detect the main oxides in the samples. The obtained results of CaO, MgO, Fe2O3, Al2O3, Na2O, K2O, SiO2, SO3, Cl, and L.O.I. as weight percentages were checked with Iraqi standards to find for what industrial uses can be suitable. Accordingly, the samples were found to be suitable for the cement industry and for the paper industry, but after slight treatment.
Iraqi Kurdistan Region is located in the northeastern part of the Arabian Plate which is colliding with the Eurasian (Iranian) Plate and is located within the Zagros Foreland Basin. This collision, ...which is still active with convergent type of tectonic boundary, has caused deformation of the rocks in the Zagros Foreland Basin with different intensities. The deformation intensity decreases southwest wards since the exerted stresses from the collision is in a NE–SW direction. Depending on the deformation intensity and many other factors, the tectonic framework of the region which is part of the main tectonic frame of Iraq is divided into three main tectonic units among them only two units are within Kurdistan Region. The two zones are from NE–SW direction: (1) Shalair Terrane, and (2) Outer Platform. In the current study, evidences about Neotectonic activities are presented from different parts of Kurdistan Region depending on different geomorphological and structural features. Among those features are: abnormal trends of valleys, dislocated and dissected alluvial fans, regional lineaments, water and wind gaps, faulted rocks of Pliocene–Pleistocene age, active faults. The Neotectonic evidences were recognized using satellite images and the existing Neotectonic data, and validated in the field.
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.
The Tectonic Activity of regions with active tectonics can be assessed by using of the geomorphic indices. Six Geomorphic indices including stream-gradient index (
SL
), drainage basin asymmetry (
Af
...), drainage basin shape (
Bs
), hypsometric integral (Hi), valley floor width-valley height ratio (
Vf
), and mountain-front sinuosity (
Smf
) were calculated using GIS technique in Kifri Chai Basin; northeast Iraq, which belongs to the Western Zagros Mountain. The basin was divided into eighteen sub-basins depending on the 4th, 5th and 6th stream orders of the drainage within Kirfi Basin. It was found that the
SL, Af, Bs, Hi, Vf,
and
Smf (J)
values are uniform and exhibit almost the same classes. However, few exceptions occur, especially in
Bs
values, but the exceptional values do not influence significantly on the acquired results, in each of the eighteen sub-basin. From these indices the relative active tectonics index value (
Iat
) was determined. The results of average
Iat
values (2.35) showed that the tectonic activity in the whole basin is Moderate. Moreover, an attempt was carried out to compare the regional Neotectonic activity with the relative tectonic activity in the basin. The results showed that there is a positive relation between the two comparatives; especially the subsidence amount and scored relative tectonic activity.
Safeen anticline is one of the most complicated anticlines in Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR), with NW–SE trend. Structurally, the anticline is truncated by different types of faults; some of them are ...deep-seated faults, which have complicated the subsurface form of the anticline. The anticline includes two domes with two parasitic anticlines and synclines along both limbs. Moreover, two hanging synclines exist northeastwards and one southwestwards. Six possible deep seated transversal faults may occur along the anticline, dissecting the anticline in NE–SW trend and extending northeastwards and southwestwards. Moreover, the deep-seated faults dissect many anticlines on both sides of the Safeen anticline. The deep-seated faults have contributed to the complexity of the anticline, as compared to other anticlines in the Zagros Fold–Thrust Belt, especially inside IKR, and have negative impact to the oil exploration activities in the anticline. Therefore, the drilled Safeen Oil well 01 has missed the target. We have used satellite images from land viewer website + Terraincognita app to study the structural style of the anticline, and to recognize different structural features. Field investigation was carried out to check the interpreted data.
Abstract
Al-Anbar Governorate has the largest coverage area among the 18 Iraqi gover-norates. The coverage area is about 138 579 km2 forming about 32% of the whole coverage area of the Iraqi ...territory. The governorate forms the western part of Iraq representing the Iraqi Western Desert and a small part north of the Eu-phrates River within the Jazira Plain. This large coverage area with diversity of rock types with large time span (Permi-an – Pleistocene) and different topographic forms have contributed to develop-ment of different types of geological hazards, which act at different parts of the governorate with different intensities and different damages caused to the infra-structure and community, even life losses. Three main types of geological hazards are active in the governorate; these are: 1) Floods, 2) Karstification, and 3) Swell-ing (Expensive) clays; however, other types like mass movements, depressions, active tectonic areas are also present but with less significance as their risks and caused damages to the community and infrastructure is concerned.
Mosul Dam is an earth fill dam, with a storage capacity of 11.11 km
3
constructed on highly karstified gypsum beds alternating with marl and limestone. After impounding in 1986, seepage locations ...were recognized. The dam situation now indicates that it is in a state of extreme relative risk. If it fails, then 6 million people will be affected and 7202 km
2
area will be flooded. Grouting operations will elongate the life of the dam but will not solve the problem. Building a protection dam downstream will be the best measures to secure the safety of the downstream area and its’ population.
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