Factors Controlling the Development of Straight Valleys and Streams in the Kurdistan Region, North and Northeast of Iraq

Varoujan K. Sissakian; Ahmed T. Shihab; Arsalan A. Othman

doi:10.14500/aro.10262

Varoujan K. Sissakian Department of Natural Resources Engineering and Management, School of Science and Engineering, University of Kurdistan Hewler, Erbil, Kurdistan Region http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9840-5422
Ahmed T. Shihab Iraq Geological Survey, Al-Andalus Square, Baghdad 10068 http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5276-0130
Arsalan A. Othman Iraq Geological Survey, Sulaymaniyah Office, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4212-228X

Keywords: Lineament, Iraq, Straight valley, Zagros

Abstract

The Iraqi Kurdistan Region is a mountainous area with relief difference ranging from few hundred meters up to 3000 m, and locally more. Almost all of the mountains form anticlines that have NW–SE trend changing westwards of longitude to E–W. The carapace of the majority of the mountains is built up of Cretaceous rocks; however, some of them are of older rocks. Many of those anticlines are crossed by straight valleys and/or are crossed by streams and rivers which form again straight lines and almost coincide with regional lineaments, usually in N–S or NE–SW trend. The studied straight valleys are controlled, most probably by tectonic factors, therefore, exhibit special topographic forms, like straight lineaments crossing many successive anticlines, and also clear bending in some of the ridges in their crossing points to the valleys and/or streams. This paper aims to determine and discuss the factors that control the development of the straight valleys and/or lineaments. To achieve this aim, remote sensing and GIS techniques were followed, using Landsat, QuickBird images as well as geological maps of different scales, and different published articles.

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Author Biographies

Varoujan K. Sissakian, Department of Natural Resources Engineering and Management, School of Science and Engineering, University of Kurdistan Hewler, Erbil, Kurdistan Region

Mr. Varoujan K. Sissakian graduated from University of Baghdad in 1969 with B.Sc. degree in Geology, and M.Sc. in Engineering Geological Mapping from I.T.C., the Netherlands in 1982. He joined Iraq Geological Survey (GEOSURV) in 1971 and was nominated as Expert in 2005; he was the Director of Geology Department since May 2004 until October 2012. He has 125 documented reports in GEOSURV's library and 105 published articles in different geological aspects in different geological journals. He was the Deputy Vice President of the Middle East Subcommission of the Committee of Compilation the Geological Map of the World (CGMW), Paris, from February 2010 until August 2012. Retired on 10 October 2012. His major fields of interest are geological mapping, stratigraphy of the Iraqi territory, site investigation, and geological hazards. He was Visiting Lecturer at the University of Kurdistan Hewler since October 2014 and Lecturer since February 2017.

Ahmed T. Shihab, Iraq Geological Survey, Al-Andalus Square, Baghdad 10068

Mr. Ahmed T. Shihab graduated from University of Baghdad in 1999 with B.Sc. degree in Geology, and M.Sc. in Structural Geology and Remote Sensing from the same university in 2015. Currently, he is working in Information Department, Head of GIS Division in Iraq Geological Survey (GEOSURV) as Chief Geologist. He joined GEOSURV since October 7, 2001. He has 12 documented reports in GEOSURV's library and 6 published articles dealing with Remote Sensing and GIS applications in geology.

Arsalan A. Othman, Iraq Geological Survey, Sulaymaniyah Office, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region

Dr. Arsalan Ahmed Othman graduated from University of Baghdad in 2000 with B.Sc. in Geology. In 2008, he received his M.Sc. Baghdad in Geology\ Remote Sensing from University of and his Ph.D. in Geology and Remote Sensing from TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Germany in 2015. During 2014-2016, he hosted by Helmholtz-Institut Freiberg für Ressourcentechnologie (HIF), Germany. He currently works as a Chief Geologist in the Iraq Geological Survey (GEOSURV)\ Sulaymaniyah Office. He was the Head of Remote Sensing Sector since 2009 until October 2010. He has authored over 14 papers, and he is a reviewer in 5 international and 2 national journals. He has 8 documented reports in GEOSURV's Library. His research interests include remote sensing and GIS, geology, geomorphology, and environmental geology.

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