Iraqi Bulletin of Geology and Mining

The fossils of the Mishrif Formation for well Amarah-1 in southeastern Iraq was studied, where 312 thin sections have been used for litho-and biostratigraphic studies. Two biozones have been distinguished within the studied succession; these are from older to younger:

1- Praealveolina cretacea partial range zone
2- Praealveolina tenuis range zone

According to these zones, the age of formation was Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian – Early Turonian). Microfacies analysis showed six environmental indicative facies associations within the Mishrif carbonate platform; these are: deep open marine, shallow open marine, shoal barriers environment, rudisted barriers, back barrier and restricted marine environments.

Landslide probability along the rock slopes and their hazards along the edges of Al-Salman Depression, 130 Km southwest of Samawa city, south Iraq was evaluated with Landslide Possibility Index System (LPI). The application of this system is based on field observations and measurements only, by considering ten characteristic features of the slopes and their rock forming.

Only four sites of rock slopes were studied along the edges of Al-Salman Depression, where some rock slopes failures have occurred. The four studied sites comprise the rock slopes of exposures of Dammam Formation (Middle Eocene), which consists of alternations of white, grey and yellowish grey Nummulitic limestone. They are strong (rock material strength between 50 – 100 MPa), moderately weathered, medium to very thickly bedded and widely to very widely spaced joints. The joints apertures range between (0 – 30) cm, with tough and moderately weathered surfaces. The filling materials are soft, clayey and silty sand.

The results of LPI calculations showed that the sites 1, 2 and 3 are of Very Low LPI values, whereas the site-4 has Low LPI value, because the slope height factor was estimated as high. Accordingly, the studied rock slopes in sites 1, 2 and 3 have Low Hazard categories, whereas the site-4 has Moderate Hazard category.

The Hab'bariyah Depression is one of the largest depressions in the Iraqi Western Desert, its length in Iraq is 230 Km; extends southwards into Saudi Arabia, whereas its width ranges from (5.1 –16.5) Km, covering an area of about 2530 Km2. Its depth; on the surface ranges from (22 – 51) Km, along the eastern and western rims, respectively. The depression is filled by Quaternary sediments derived by tens of valleys that drain very large area in the Western Desert, east of longitude 40° E (east of Wadi Hauran), and some of them drain farther southern areas; in Saudi Arabia. Only two of the main valleys cross the depression, others drain in it.

The Quaternary sediments that fill the Hab'bariyah Depression include gravels; called "Hab'bariyah Gravels" (Pleistocene), alluvial fan sediments (Pleistocene – Holocene) and depression fill sediments (Holocene). The development of alluvial fans needs a drop in gradient, beside many other factors. However, the drop in the gradient of the valleys and the present gradient of the depression is not sufficient to develop the studied alluvial fans. Therefore, the development of the alluvial fans had occurred in different conditions than those are present nowadays. The Hab'bariyah Depression was developed due to a structural reason accompanied by karstification. However, neotectonic activity also has contributed in the development of the depression, consequently contributed in the development of the alluvial fans, in the depression.

Ali Al-Gharbi area is located in the eastern part of the Mesopotamia Plain. It covers 6569.9 Km2 and falls within the arid climate region. Most parts of the study area are covered by Quaternary sediments. Pre-quaternary rocks are represented by Mukdadiya and Bai Hassan formations, which are exposed in the eastern part of the study area. It is suffering from land degradation due to sand creep. Haphazard irrigation habits led to an increase of saline soil under arid environmental conditions.
Supervised classification using Maximum Likelihood technique was carried out on the ETM 2002 and TM 1990 images in addition to image indices applications. ERDAS Imagine 9.1 was used for preparation and processing of the data and ArcGIS 9.3 was used for final layout of the maps. Depending on the results of supervised classification and image indices applications of Land Use Land Cover (LULC) classes, different land degradation types and environmental changes detection, between two dates are determined.
The Field checking was conducted to verify the supervised classification results. It includes determination of check points using GPS, description of the surface features, soil and sediments, supported by taking photos.
The supervised classification results distinguished the following classes: Barren Land, Water, Wetland, Vegetated Land and Agricultural Land Non-Vegetated (Idle and Cultivated land). The Barren Land class is divided into three sub-classes: Mixed Barren Land, Sand Dunes and Salt Flats. Distinguishing between dry barren land and salt flat also between aeolian sediments types: like sand dunes, sand sheets and some areas which are covered by aeolian sediments are difficult because there are mixed pixels between these units according to spectral resolution of available ETM and TM data.
The classification accuracy of both ETM 2002 and TM 1990 images data was examined and showed good accuracy results. They have showed 92% accuracy for ETM 2002 image with Kappa (K^) coefficient 0.8448 and 90.22% accuracy for TM 1990 image with Kappa (K^) coefficient 0.8260.
The main problems in the study area are erosion of dry soil, salinization of agricultural land, rising of dust storms and active sand dunes. All these factors have contributed in the increasing of desertification phenomenon.

Nine water samples from eight different resources were collected from the southern part of Al-Razzazah Lake and the adjacent area, which is located West of Karbala city. It has been found that the lake water is characterized by high content of T.D.S., while that near the shore has suffered dilution by the irrigation drainage water and the wells water is mixed with the domestic wastewater of Karbala city via Karbala northern drainage, which is much lower in T.D.S.. The samples R0, R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5 are considered very hard but still can be used for irrigation but care should be taken to sensitive crops. R6 and R7 can be also used for irrigation but gypsum should be added to the soil, moreover this water can be used for non-sensitive crops. The lake water (R8) is not suitable for irrigation as it may cause severe damage to the soil and plants. Sand washing slightly contributes in increasing the Mg2+ concentration and alkalinity in the pumped well water used in washing the sand, which changes the water type from Na+ + Ca2+ to Na++ Mg2+ + Ca2+. The near shore water sample were found to be of very low concentration compared with those from the interior of the lake, indicating that the Northern Karbala Drainage water pumped to the lake and the spring water are slightly mixed with the lake water due to the difference in densities.

Baghdad City, the capital of Iraq, is characterized by high population density and great variation in land use. The Tigris River divides the city into two sides: Rasafa (east) and Karkh (west). The army canal is an artificial water course in the Rasafa side. Baghdad is covered by Quaternary flood plain deposits of variable nature in which silt is the predominant fraction.
Mineralogical analysis of the samples collected from the recent surface, subsurface and river deposits show wide range of heavy and clay minerals, which indicate the complexity of the depositional processes and the numerous genetic factors affecting their properties in addition to significant human influence on these sediments. The geochemical distribution of trace elements in the surface sediments of the study area show positive anomalous concentration of Pb, Zn, Co, Cu, and Sr, and negative anomalous concentration of Mn, Cr, and Ni which were observed in both sides of the city. Rasafa side is more complex due to the greater population density and dispersion of various human activities (agricultural, municipal and industrial). Comparing the activity concentrations of uranium of the studied samples, with those of the world average soils, it is clear that the Baghdad City is free from the radioactive pollution and uranium concentrations were within the normal limits.
Statistical factor analysis of the sediments properties reflect the main factors controlling the mineralogy, texture and geochemistry of the studied sediments. These are mainly the parent rocks of the source area, (including sedimentary, basic igneous and metamorphic rocks in the north and northeastern parts of the country), dynamic energy of the river system as well as human activities. The mineralogy, texture and trace elements concentrations of the Tigris River sediments are comparable to those of the surrounding flood plain deposits in Baghdad which reflects the genetic relation of the two sampling media.

A field survey to investigate the environmental impact of Abu Skhair uranium mine, closed for more than two decades, has been carried out. The survey included total count radiometric measurements, soil, stream sediments, rocks, water and plant sampling. The area covered by this survey is about 1 Km2. All samples were analyzed for uranium, in addition to major ions in the water.
The results revealed higher intensity of total count radiation around the mine opening accompanied by higher uranium concentration in soil samples. Both rapidly decrease to normal background values away from the mine. Stream sediments showed lower uranium concentrations relative to soil. Limestone fragments, left over from previous mining works at the site, showed normal background values, except for one sample, which may represent part of the excavated radioactive horizon. Surface water and groundwater samples showed variable concentrations of uranium, most of which are within the permissible limits for drinking water. All groundwater samples are with high salinity, contain dissolved H2S and not suitable for drinking. Plant samples (shrubs and small trees around the mine opening) showed variable uranium concentrations, generally normal, with higher concentrations in the roots. The results of this survey indicate minor and negligible environmental impact of Abu Skhair uranium mine on the surrounding area. However, in view of the high salinity of the H2S-rich groundwater in the area, it is suggested that the present wells should be perfectly sealed and the water of the springs diverted to specific drainage system and pools where they can be treated.

In this research a representative sample from Tellol Al-Kiend clay deposit (Injana Formation), Naenava Governorate, Iraq, was evaluated for lightweight aggregates preparation. Two methods of heat treatment were carried out. Iso-thermal treatment conducted at (1180 – 1200) °C range, for aggregates made from clay only, using different socking time. Whiles, rapid (or flush) firing, were carried out at 1200 °C, for aggregates made from clay with different types and amounts of additives (dolomite, waste engine oil, and straw). The iso-thermal tests reveal that bloating can occurs at 1180 °C only for 45 minutes holding time. The aggregates obtained, have a specific gravity of about 1.38 and 0.8% water absorption. In rapid firing, it was found that, the bloating of the clay can be significantly improved by the addition of dolomite. The results obtained indicated that aggregates having 1.35 specific gravity with about 1% water absorption value could be produced from aggregates made of clay and 5 wt.% dolomite. The firing time has been about 5 minutes. Thereupon, it can be suggested that, Tellol Al-Kiend clay can be used for the production of lightweight aggregates by rapid firing. Concrete made from these lightweight aggregates shows a compressive strength (28 days) of about 173 kg/cm2, which can be designated as structural and insulating concrete.