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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 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.

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.

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 structural forms (folds and faults) in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region exhibit more complexity in the northern and northeastern parts of the region; accordingly, complicated geomorphic forms were developed too. This is attributed to the collision of the Arabian and Eurasian plates with a convergent boundary that runs about 35 – 40 km northeast of the studied area. Many long and tight anticlines exist in the studied area, the majority of them exhibit very complex forms, such as being faulted and their axes being bent. The main characteristic structural and Geomorphic recognized forms based on the interpretation of high-quality satellite images are: Domes, en-echelon plunges, overturned beds, faulted anticlinal and synclinal axes, abandoned and recent alluvial fans, water and wind gaps, wine glasses, and different valley shapes. The recognized structural forms are quite different from those previously presented on the geological maps of different scales, and the forms are good indications for the lateral growth of the anticlines. A Field check was carried out to check some ambiguous interpreted data and to confirm the new findings.

Visual interpretation of satellite images is a very significant technique to recognize and interpret geomorphological features. We have used Esri World Imagery and Google Earth images to recognize geomorphological features at Pira Magroon, Surdash, and Azmar anticlines in Sulaymaniyah vicinity, Kurdistan Region, north of Iraq. The mentioned anticlines are outstanding geomorphological features in the Sulaymaniyah vicinity. The recognized and interpreted geomorphological features include: wine glasses, water gaps, wind gaps, abandoned and recent alluvial fans, different types of valleys, flat irons, karstification features …etc. All these features were discussed in detail with many images to show the discussed cases, most of the interpreted data and presented figures were never mentioned previously.

The study area lies in the Lower Folded Zone of the Outer Platform of Iraq, which belongs to the Arabian Plate. The Outer Platform is a part of the Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt, which is in the Zagros Foreland Basin. Due to the collision of the Arabian and Eurasian plates, tens of folds were developed among the anticlines that occur in the study area. The course of the Greater Zab River in the study area crosses several anticlines before merging with the Tigris River. Different river terrace levels were recognized locally as three levels along the course of the river. It is clear from the achieved data that the rates of an incision during the Early, Middle and Late Pleistocene are: 5.036 mm/ 100 years, 8.979 mm/ 100 years, and 18.117 mm/ 100 years, respectively. The maximum rate of upward movements (3.485 mm/ 100 year) was recorded at 700 m from Bekhme gorge, where the first exposures of the Fatha and Injana formations exist. The maximum rate of downwards movement (13.769 mm / 100 year) was recognized at the southeastern part of Barda Rash anticline. The rate of the upwards movement decreases towards the southeast, and the minimum rate of downwards (7.314 mm / 100 year) was recorded in Sarta oil well 1 location, near the Greater Zab River. The rates of the upwards and downwards movements are not regular. This is attributed to the existence of anticlines and synclines, which means Neotectonic activities.

A new highway is under construction since few years to join the capital; Erbil city with many main towns connecting; in the plan to the northern boarders of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. It is a double lane road constructed according to modern standards. It crosses many mountains, and two tunnels are already completed, one is almost completed and another one is abandoned: hitherto. The completed part of the highway reaches the Hareer town with some parts being under construction before and after the Shaqlawa town. Because parts of the Highway are not completed yet; therefore, those parts suffer from slope stability problems; mainly due to the drainage problems. Other completed parts; however, suffer also from slope stability problems; mainly due to steep slope road cuts and/ or irrelevant treatments for the road cuts. Among those unstable slopes, we have chosen six stations, which experienced the most severe failures. At those six stations, we have applied field method to estimate the possibility of failure following Bejerman’s method. We have found that the failure possibility is high in the station Nos. 1- 4, and is Low in the station Nos. 5 and 6.

The main lithological composition of different formations in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region is the carbonate rocks; some of those rocks are suitable for cement production; such as Qamchuqa Bekhme, Sinjar, Pila Spi and Anah formations. However, the six existing cement plants in are using limestone beds, five of those plants are using limestone from the Sinjar Formation, and one plant is using limestone from the Anah Formation. Recently, performed research works confirmed that the limestone beds within the Qamchuqa, Bekhme and Pila Spi formations are very suitable for cement production. The current research work deals with studying the exposed limestone beds within the Bekhme Formation at Hareer Mountain in the central part of IKR to check their suitability for the cement industry. Accordingly, we collected 12 rock samples from a section within the Bekhme Formation at an almost constant sampling interval (5 m); however, for two samples the sampling interval was 6 and 8 m (sample No. 2 and 12, respectively). Each sample represents a channel sample for the concerned sampling interval to be representative for the thickness of the sampled interval. The total thickness of the sampled section is 64 m with a covered interval of 30 m, totaling up to 94 m. The collected 12 samples were prepared at the laboratory of the University of Kurdistan Hewler and were subjected to XRF test at Mass Cement Plant (Sulaimaniyah) to check the concentration of certain oxides that are used in the Iraqi Standard for cement production. The acquired concentrations of the main oxides (CaO, MgO, Al2O3, Fe2O3, Na2O, K2O, SO3), and Cl and L.O.I. at each sample were changed to weighted averages and the results were compared with the Iraqi standards for cement industry. The result was the sampled rocks are excellent for cement production.

The road that crosses the Haibat Sultan Mountain in the northern part of Iraq; is one of the dangerous roads in this region. To perform a slope stability analysis for the dangerous parts of the road, we have used Bejerman’s Method. We have reviewed satellite images of the road and all those potential areas were checked in the field; accordingly, eleven stations were recognized. Landslide Possibility Index was determined at the studied stations following Bejerman’s field method. The road climbs the southern face (dip slope) of the mountain through very hard carbonate rocks of the Pila Spi Formation, where the bedding planes daylight in the slope face near the road cuts. This produced many large landslides. Along the northern face of the mountain, the road runs through soft clastic rocks where joint planes in the rock mass intersect and daylight in the slope face near the road cut. In order to prevent future wedge failures, a 30 m offset was created from the toe of the slope to the road. In almost all cases, the Landslide Possibility Index indicated a moderate to very high likelihood for failure along all road cuts.

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