Synthesis of sedimentologic, paleocurrent, and organic geochemistry data of the Lower Permian Ga’ara Formation from the Western Desert, western Iraq, shows good hydrocarbon potentiality and deposition by high sinuosity and mixed-load channels, likely by a meandering river system. The Ga’ara Formation includes kaolinitic mudstone beds of various colors and channelized quartzitic sandstone beds. Based on the lithofacies identification, five lithofacies associations have been recognized: channel-floor, point-bar, abandoned channel plug, crevasse splay, and interchannel flood basin. In addition, the paleocurrent analysis and sandstone percentage map indicate a variation of the paleoflow spatially and temporally with a general di

The study aims to detail the chemistry of Sabkha located in Abu-Graib, western Baghdad to know the content of the rare elements distributed. Sabkhas are found in dry areas with significant evaporation rates. The quantity of dissolved salts rises as water evaporates from the shallow basins, eventually causing salt to crystallize. The creation of the distinctive salt pans and crusts on the top is greatly influenced by this process. The trace elements (Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Sn, Ba, Ta, Tl, Pb, Th, U, I, and Br) beside the major oxides were analyzed using XRF technique. There are no clear significant differences in the distribution of the elements between the two Sabkhas in the village of Kadim Al

The present work is conducted on the Paleozoic (Ordovician) Khabour and the (Silurian) Akkas shales in the Akkas-1 well of western Iraq. The study is aiming to determine the implications of clay mineral transformation, organic mineral distribution and maturity of hydrocarbon generation, using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in addition to organic matter concentrations. In the shale of the Khabour Formation, amorphous organic matter is common and includes various Tasmanite-type organic matter, vitrinite, inertinite, and bituminite. The main clay minerals observed include illite, chlorite, kaolinite, in addition to mixed-layer illite-smectite and rare smectite. In Silurian shale, high content of organic matter i

The Shiranish Formation is cropped out in several areas in northern Iraq. A stratigraphic and facies study was conducted within the Duhok region to determine the sedimentary environment. Three microfacies, reflecting the various subenvironments within different shelf parts of the deep sea, have been identified within the Shiranish Formation. Four depositional environments are identified: slope, the toe of slope, deep shelf, and deep-sea or cratonic deep basin. The Shiranish Formation in the Duhok region, Northern Iraq, was deposited in an open shelf carbonate platform. The Shiranish Formation sequence is divided into six third-order cycles in the study area. These asymmetrical cycles reflect an imbalance between the relative level of the

     Akkas Field is a structural trap with a sandstone reservoir that contains proven gas condensate. The field is a faulted anticline that consists of the Ordovician Khabour Formation. The objective of this research is to use structural reservoir characterization for hydrocarbon recovery. The stratigraphic sequence of the Silurian and older strata was subjected to an uplift that developed a gentle NW-SE trending anticline. The uplifting and folding events developed micro-fractures represented by tension cracks.  These microfractures, whether they are outer arc or release fractures, are parallel to the hinge line of the anticline and perpendicular to the bedding planes. The brittle sandstone laye

The content of redox sensitive trace element (V, Co, Ni, and Mo) in the bituminous limestone of the Euphrates Formation (E. Miocene) and bituminous gypsum of the Fatha Formation (M. Miocene) in the Hit Abu-Jir village area, Anbar governorate were determined using Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS), in order to infer the origin of the hydrocarbon and the depositional conditions of the organic matter. Hydrocarbons species by using FTIR technique was identified as aliphatic, aromatic compound, hydroxyl acids, hydroxyl group, sulfoxide and sulfur. Bitumen occurrences in these formations is a result of the hydrocarbon seepages that moved up under high pressure along the Abu-Jir fault Zone, and then were intruded in the lime

The aim of the present research is to illustrate γ-ray levels emitting from soil and bitumen producing from 238U, 232Th, and 40K along Abu-Jir Fault Zone. in the area extended from Al-Marj valley to Abu-Jir village using scintillometer device. Such study is important in environmental assessment to buildup data base about radioactivity. The concentration of natural radionuclides in the study area was determined to be occurring mostly in the clay minerals and organic matter. A high purity germanium spectrometer was used to detect the activity of these elements which ranged between 00.6±18.1- 1526±102, 0- 8.4±1.4, and 70.1±10.9- 328.2±73 in soil, and 28.2±5.6- 94±22.1, 0- 2.2±0.5, and 38.4±7.9- 70.1±10.9 in bitumen for 226Ra