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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 Pirmam and Bana Bawi anticlines are two elongated anticlines located in the central northern part of the Kurdistan Region of north Iraq (KRI), in the northeastern part of the Arabian Plate. We have used satellite images and geological maps to interpret the presented data and to calculate the rates of uplift and down wards (subsidence) amounts, besides estimating the rates of deposition and incision of some alluvial fans and stream terraces. Most of the achieved data were checked in the field. In the Pirmam anticline the rate of the uplift and subsidence is 8.613 mm/ 100 year and 7.962 mm/ 100 year, respectively, whereas in the Bana Bawi anticline the rates are 3.036 mm/ 100 year and 4.365 mm/100 year, respectively. The indications of the lateral growth are the presence of water gaps, wind gaps, en-echelon plunging, whale-back shape and different types of valleys. We have calculated the depositional and incision rates in the Kori and Bastoora streams. They are 5.204 mm/ 100 year and 5.555 mm/ 100 year, respectively in the former, whereas in the latter are 3.469 mm/100 year and 8.731 mm/ 100 year, respectively. Moreover, we have calculated the depositional and incision rates in old and recent alluvial fans. In the former, they are 1.665 mm/ 100 year and 0.722 mm/ 100 year, respectively, whereas in the latter are 3.036 and 4.365 mm/ 100 years, respectively. Godkänd;2023;Nivå 0;2023-03-30 (hanlid)

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.

There are many hazardous roads in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR) which traverse through mountainous terrains. One of these roads was selected for a geotechnical assessment in this paper. The road crosses the Haibat Sultan Mountain, north of Koya town in IKR; it is one of the most dangerous roads in this region. Annually, traffic is blocked by various types of slope failures along this road. There are numerous observed examples where bedding planes in the slope face daylight next to the road. To assess the road geotechnically, several stations of the Haibat Sultan Crossing road were studied to determine their stability using the Kinematic Analysis Method. A total of 11 stations were identified with the highest potential for slope failure. It was determined that only four stations (Nos. 4, 5, 7 and 9) could be evaluated using kinematic analyses. The kinematic analyses for the four stations were performed using DipAnalyst 2.0 software. The analyses identified the potential failure areas and their factors of safety (F.S.). The factors of safety at these four stations were calculated and ranged between 0.66 – 0.85 indicating unstable slopes. Based on this information, remedial measures were recommended at these locations and along associated sections of the road.

A stream survey was conducted in the Sidakan vicinity in the northeastern part of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, which covered the catchment area of the main stream. The covered area is about 450 km2. The exposed rocks in the study area are mainly igneous with subordinate sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. The catchment area was divided into 14 sub-basins using Global Mapper software. The junction point of the valleys at the end of each sub-basin was sampled. From each junction point, 2 stream sediments were collected. The samples were sieved using the wet method into 2 mm fractions, before the fractions were subjected to x-ray fluorescence (XRF) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The results obtained from both tests were used to calculate the concentrations of 9 elements (Cr, Ni, Co, Cu, U, Ag, V, Zn, and Cd). The element concentrations are presented in 9 concentration maps after normalizing the concentration values. Some anomalous results were found. The average concentrations of Ag and Cd were nearly 120 and 266 times higher than the background concentrations (6 mg/kg and 16 mg/ kg, respectively). The acquired data also showed interesting average concentrations for the elements Co, Cr, Ni, and U (280 mg/kg, 999 mg/kg, 375 mg/kg, and 12 mg/kg, respectively). All of these anomalous concentrations are discussed and possible reasons for their existence are given.

Silica-sand is one of the main additives in cement production. Cement plants in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region had been using silica sand which is 98% quartz that was quarried from the Iraqi Western Desert. However, during the last decade, it was not possible to supply these cement plants with material from this location; therefore, the silica sand was imported from Iran. Recently, radiolarian chert of the Qulqula Group was quarried from the Sharbazhar Quarry in Kurdistan and used in some cement plants in the Kurdistan Region. This research was performed to study the specifications of the chert which is interbedded with claystone of the Qulqula Group that can be used as an alternative to silica-sand from other regions outside of Kurdistan. Five samples were collected from the Sharbazhar Quarry and subjected to XRF testing. The acquired results were encouraging; therefore, 20 additional samples were collected from the quarry, but also from other outcrops of the Qulqula Group along the road towards Sulaimaniyah city. The collected samples were subjected to XRF testing and the results showed that the weighted average of the SiO2 in the quarried chert–claystone deposit is 83.71%., when the plants used claystone:chert ratio is 3:2; as it is used with mix-raw material in some cement plants in the Bazian district. This deficiency in the weighted average of the SiO2 is overcome by adding more chert from the chert–claystone deposit to the raw-mix.

Handreen, Zozik and Tanoun are three major anticlines in the northern part of Iraqi Kurdistan Region located NE of Rawandouz town. All anticlines are oriented NW-SE with a steep southwestern limb. The length and width of Handreen, Zozik and Tanoun anticlines are 20.2 km, 23 km, 27 km, and 10 km, 4.7 km and 2.5 km, respectively. The anticlines are separated by very narrow synclines. However, Tanoun anticline is thrusted over Zozik anticline causing the disappearance of the synclinal axis between the two folds. The oldest exposed rocks in Handreen anticline are the Cretaceous age, in Zozik anticline are the Upper Jurassic rocks, whereas in Tanoun anticline, the Lower Jurassic rocks are exposed. The carapace of Handreen and Zozik anticlines is built up by Bekhme and Qamchuqa formations and that of Tanoun anticline by the Qamchuqa Formation. Satellite images and geological maps were used to recognize the geomorphological and structural features which were checked and confirmed in the field. Handreen, Zozik and Tanoun anticlines show clear geomorphological and structural features which indicate their lateral growth. Among those features are water gaps, wind gaps, forked-shaped valleys, curved valleys, inclined (curved) valleys, radial valleys, abandoned alluvial fans, wale-back shape, en-echelon folds and folds with malty domes.

Potentially unstable slopes present hazards and pose risks to the traveling public, to the transportation infrastructures, tolocal economies, and to the environment. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the landslide hazards along Permam–Shaqlawa main road employing the landslide possibility index (LPI) proposed by Bejerman (1994; 1998). The LPI values along with the hazard category were applied to three stations along the above-mentioned main road at Korri village. The raw datafor determining the LPI and hazard category were obtained from field observations and measurements. The obtained datainvolved the study of 10 main characteristic features encompassing geological, structural, hydrological, and geomorphologic conditions of the area under study. Further, soil samples were obtained from the study area for conducting some selectedgeotechnical properties for interpretation of the obtained results. With no exceptions, all road cut slopes have adverse factors that contribute to create potentially unsafe ground above the main road. The results also indicated that the possibility of failures is high at each station. The causal factors for a landslide in the study area were also presented. In addition, theremedial measures for study slope locations are suggested based on the degree of possibility of failure and field observations.

The Qamchuqa Formation is well-exposed in the High Folded Zone (HFZ) of northeast Iraq. The formation is highly dolomitized and contains thick reservoir units in the subsurface region south of the HFZ. Deposition of the formation took place at the shelf margin of Early Cretaceous Neo-Tethys Ocean. It merges south- and southeastward to the shallow marine shelf of Arabia and to deep basin accumulations farther north. In the study area, the formation is divided into three members: lower member (250m thick) of interbedded bioclastic calcimudstone/wackestone (MW), bioclastic packstone (BP), bioclastic floatstone (BF) and medium-to coarse-crystalline dolorudstone/dolograinstone (CD). These strata accumulated in low to medium energy, subtidal, fore-shoal setting. The middle member consists of thick succession (325m) of massively bedded CD lithofacies interpreted as high energy shoal facies which represents Barremian-Aptian main shelf-margin succession. The upper member (155m thick) consists of three lithofacies of MW, CD and fine crystalline dolomudstone (FD), in ascending order. It is interpreted as lagoon (MW) through subtidal carbonate sand shoal (CD) to supratidal (penecontemporaneous) dolomudstone (FD). The lower two members represent a long-term Barremian to Aptian shallowing-upward megacycle capped by late Aptian unconformity incurred by relative sea level drop. This temporal gap is coeval with an erosional vacuity recognized throughout the Arabian Peninsula. Sea level rise in early Albian heralded deposition of the upper member which also represents a shallowing-upward cycle surmounted by regionally extensive subaerial unconformity recognized in the Arabian Peninsula. Correlation and stratigraphic position of the formation under regional context has been discussed.

The Kurdistan Region is covered by the relevant net of roads. Since the major parts of the Kurdistan Region are mountainous; therefore, the majority of them are in snake curve form. Construction of roads in mountainous areas will destroy the natural slopes, and when not treated; then different types of landslides will occur. Accordingly, the unstable slopes will cause a lot of risk to the traffic along the roads; endangering the driving along those roads; especially during winter season, and during and/ or shortly after heavy rain showers. The majority of the roads in the Kurdistan Region are planned, designed and constructed without considering the geological conditions, which include four parameters: 1) Type of the rocks and soils, 2) Dip direction and amount, 3) Intensity of joint planes, and 4) Weathering grade of the rocks. These are not considered due to: 1) Cost, 2) Construction’s duration, 3) Choosing easier paths, 4) Absence of experience, 5) Absence of modern technology, 6) Absence of road construction codes, and 7) Ignorance of the factor of safety. We studied different examples from roads in the Kurdistan Region and presented different types of slope stability problems. Moreover, we presented recommendations to keep the stability along unstable slopes.