•  
  •  
 

Corresponding Author

Dawod R. Keya

Document Type

Original Article

Abstract

This article presents a preliminary study conducted to identify soil minerals within Erbil Province. Soil minerals play a crucial role in soil fertility, nutrient availability, and various soil-related processes. Understanding the mineral composition of soils is essential for effective land management, sustainable agriculture, and environmental conservation. The study area was carefully selected to represent a diverse range of soil types, geological formations, and land use practices. A systematic sampling approach was employed, ensuring adequate coverage of the study area. 80 soil samples were collected from various locations and depths, and a combination of field observations and laboratory analyses was conducted to identify and characterize soil minerals. The soil samples were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) method to determine the mineral composition. The identification of minerals allowed for insights into the geological origin, weathering processes, and soil formation mechanisms within the study area. The preliminary findings revealed a diverse range of soil minerals across the study area. Common mineral types, including silicates, carbonates, oxides, and clay minerals, were identified. Variations in mineral composition were observed, reflecting the influence of parent material, geology, and soil development processes. The results of this preliminary study provide a foundation for future research and more in-depth investigations of soil minerals in the study area. The mineral identification data can be utilized for land use planning, soil classification, and targeted soil management strategies

Keywords

Soil geochemistry; Soil Mineralogy; X-ray diffraction; Soil mineral identification; Erbil Province.

References

[1] Brady NC, Weil RR. The nature and properties of soils. Pearson Education; 2008. https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/301200878_The_Nature_and_Properties_of_ Soils_15th_edition#fullTextFileContent.

[2] Amundson R, Berhe AA, Hopmans JW, Olson C, Sztein AE, Sparks DL. Soil and human security in the 21st century. Science 2015;348(6235):1261071. https://doi.org/10.1126/ science.1261071.

[3] Sissakian VK. Geological maps in the Iraqi Kurdistan region. UKH Journal 2018. https://doi.org/10.25079/ukhjse.v2- n1y2018.pp39-42.

[4] Al-Hazaa SH. Clay mineral typing in the shale units of the Kaista and Ora formations of North Iraq: implications for depositional environments. Iraqi J Agri Sci 2018;49(4): 102e20. https://doi.org/10.36103/ijas.v49i4.68.

[5] Haddad YHH, Mahmood WK. Atlas of Erbil governorate. Erbil: Shahab Printing; 2011.

[6] Sissakian VK, Fouad SF. Geological map of sulaimaniyah quadrangles, scale 1:250000. 2nd ed. Baghdad, Iraq: Iraq Geological Survey Publications; 2014.

[7] Ahmad SM, Saloom AJ, Saliem KA, Alani KA, Muklef WM. Classification and Distribution of Iraqi soils. Int J Agri Innov Res 2014;2(6). https://ijair.org/administrator/components/ com_jresearch/files/publications/IJAIR_670_Final.pdf.

[8] Soil Survey Staff. Soil taxonomy: a basic system of soil classification for making and interpreting soil surveys. 2nd ed.Agric. Handb. No. 436. Washington, DC: USDA-NRCS. U.S. Govt. Print. Office; 1999.

[9] Buringh P. Soils and soil conditions in Iraq. Republic of Iraq. Ministry of Agriculture, Directorate General of AgriculturalResearch and Projects; 1960.

[10] Sissakian VK, Al-Khalidi ZB. The lithological map of Iraq. Iraqi Bull Geol Min 2012;8(3):1e13.

[11] Moore DM, Reynolds RC. X-Ray diffraction and the identification and Analysis of clay minerals. Oxford University Press; 1997.

[12] Mirza TA, Faraj RQ. Mineralogical and industrial assessment of clay from parts of the folded zone in Kurdistan region for ceramic production. Iraqi Bull Geol Mining 2017;13(No.1): 2017e79.

[13] Dana JD, Ford WE, Brush GJ. System of mineralogy. John Wiley & Sons; 1997.

[14] Klein C, Hurlbut CS. Manual of mineralogy. Wiley-Blackwell; 1999.

[15] Deer WA, Howie RA, Zussman J. Rock-forming minerals: volume 1 A: Orthosilicates. Geological Society of London; 2013.

[16] White AF, Brantley SL. The effect of time on the weathering of silicate minerals: why do weathering rates differ in the laboratory and field? Chem Geol 2003;202(3e4):479e506. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2003.03.001.

[17] Ford DC, Williams PW. Karst hydrogeology and geomorphology. John Wiley & Sons; 2007. https://doi.org/ 10.1002/9781118684986.

[18] Blowes DW, Ptacek CJ, Jambor JL. The geochemistry of acid mine drainage. Treat Geochem 2003;9:149e204. https://doi: 10.1016/B0-08-043751-6/09137-4.

[19] Sverjensky DA, Sahai N. Theoretical prediction of single-site surface-protonation equilibria for oxides and silicates in aqueous solution. Geochem Cosmochim Acta 1996;60(21): 3773e97. https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(96)00207-4.

[20] Parfitt RL, Russell M, Orbell GE. Weathering sequence of soils from volcanic ash involving allophane and halloysite, New Zealand. Geoderma 1983;29(1):41e57. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/0016-7061(83)90029-0.

[21] Schwertmann U, Cornell RM. Iron oxides in the laboratory: preparation and characterization. John Wiley & Sons; 2007. https://download.e-bookshelf.de/download/0000/6031/46/LG-0000603146-0002364957.pdf.

Download

Share

COinS