Iron ore deposits have been identified from Nawgwezany Mishao in the Shalair Valley area within the Iraqi Zagros Suture Zone (IZSZ) at NE-Iraq. The iron ore is mainly hosted by the Shalair Metamorphic Rock Group calcschist. The transmitted and reflected light microscope study and X-ray diffraction of the calcschist revealed that the predominance minerals are calcite, and sillimanite, while muscovite, graphite, k-feldspar, and opaque mineral represent minor constituents. Meanwhile, skarn host rock as a second host rock shows the mineral assemblages of clinopyroxene, quartz, hornblende, epidote, plagioclase, sericite, garnet, and opaque minerals. The field and petrographical data indicated that the iron ore includes magnetite, hematite, pyrite, martite, goethite, and limonite. Magnetite and hematite constitute the predominant minerals of the ores, which display variable shape sizes (from < 1 cm to > 10 m) and chiefly occurred as massive, veins, veinlets, and disseminated grains. Based on some magnetite grains, filled veins in the host rocks support the hydrothermal ore-forming processes. The paragenetic sequence of iron ore and the presence of dendritic manganese texture on the surface of some of the skarn host rocks, as well as the petrographical identification of calcite twins in calcschist of types one and two, are the three reasons that point to the hydrothermal skarn origin of the iron ore. Overall field evidence, morphology, mineralogy, textures, calcite twins, and dendritic manganese texture on the surface of calcshist host rocks suggest that the Nawgwezany Mishao iron ore is related to the hydrothermal skarn deposit.
The granitoid bodies in the Shalair Valley are structurally located within so-called Iraqi Zagros Suture Zone, in the northeastern Iraq. One hundred and sixty-two representative samples were collected from five granitoid intrusive bodies in the valley: Aulan and Siristan in the northern part, Mishao and Laladar in the southern part and Demamna in the western part. Two major types of granitoids in the eastern and western part of the Shalair Valley area were indentified. The granitoids from the four locations in the eastern part, have similar mineral constitutes. These rocks are composed of plagioclase + quartz ± hornblende with two types of texture, equigranular texture represented by Aulan and Siristan in the northern part and porphyrit
... Show MoreThe meteorite with a single total mass of 630 gm as a visible meteorite has fallen on 22 March 2021, at 10:00 a.m. in Al-Sherqat subdistrict within Salah Al-Din, northern Iraq; and therefore, was named Al-Sherqat meteorite by the authors. It is characterized by a uniform structure of coherent and medium degree of malleability. It is of a well-crystalline structure and not homogeneous in composition. The Al-Sherqat meteorite is composed of metallic phases of 7.6 gm/cm3 density exhibiting an oriented intergrowth of kamacite (α-FeNi) with taenite showing a Widmanstätten pattern on an etched polished section with the finest octahedrite kamacite bandwidth of less than 0.2 mm. It is composed of Fe (86.9 wt%), Ni (9.63 wt%), P (1.31 wt%)
... Show MoreThe early Carboniferous Harur Formation from the Ora outcrop section of northern Iraq consists of black shale, calcareous shale and carbonate. The mineralogical and geochemical investigations (major and trace elements) of the black shale and calcareous shale units have been conducted to evaluate paleoenvironmental conditions including paleoclimate, paleoredox conditions, paleoproductivity, sedimentary rate, and to evaluate their effects on organic matter accumulation. The geochemical proxies such as the Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA), A-CN-K plot, Sr/Cu ratio, and the relation between the ratio of Ga/Rb and Sr/Cu suggest moderate to intense chemical weathering under humid conditions. The Rb/K and Sr/Ba ratios indicate a freshw
... Show MoreThe Dammam Formation ( Middle-Late Eocene) has a total thickness 150 m , 143 m and 89.7 m at the studied wells (B.H.8, B.H.3 and B.H.1) respectively. They are located in Al- Najaf Governorate, 35 Km southwest of Al-Najaf city. The petrographic components of the Dammam limestone comprises skeletal grainsforaminifera (both benthic and planktonic), echinoderm plates and Mollusca, shell fragments, Bryozoan, Bioclasts are common, non-skeletal grainsare pellets, lithoclast (carbonate and non carbonate), and groundmass (micrite and sparry calcite). In term of mineralogy, the X-Ray analysis shows the presence of non clay minerals is calcite, dolomite as the main minerals and quartz and scattered evaporate, whereas clay minerals as secondary mine
... Show MoreThis research studies the petrography, mineralogy and diagenetic history of the Sarmord Formation at Sulaimani and Erbil Governorates in Northeastern Iraq. The Sarmord Formation consists mainly of alternated yellowish to bluish gray bedded marly limestone with yellowish gray soft marl beds. Petrographic investigations of the marly limestones were based on 270 thin sections and show that the skeletal grains include bioclasts, foraminiferas, radiolarians, calcispheres, echinoderms, ostracods and cephalopods. The groundmass is composed of micrite with light brown to gray colors, rich in organic materials and iron oxides. The X-ray diffraction analysis of the marls revealed that the abundant clay minerals in the Sarmord Formation ar
... Show MoreThe orogenic gold deposit of Tamilouw – Haya is hosted by slate and metapelitic rocks within Tehoru metamorphic complex. Gold and polymetallic sulfides mineralization at study area is predominantly formed in the form of veins, stockwork and breccia although minor dissemination is slightly appeared in the rock float samples. They are trapped and controlled by NE-SW and NNE-SSW trending geologic structure occurred during orogeny process from Late Miocene to Pliocene. The common ore minerals assemblage at Tamilouw – Haya deposit are dominated by native gold, chalcopyrite, pyrite, sphalerite, galena, pyrrhotite, tetrahedrite-tennantite (sulphosalt), marcasite,realgar, kalininite and arsenopyrite as hypogene minerals and accompanied by co
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