Jurassic System of the Arabian Plate

Field Study

This project aims to investigate in detail the Jurassic system in Northern Iraq where six formations are exposed in present outcrops. Three locations have been chosen in each of the three Kurdistan governorates, Dohuk, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah. Carbonate rocks, including limestone, dolomitic limestone and dolomites in addition to sporadic shale units, form the main lithological components of the studied formations. Through sedimentological and petrographic analysis, Younis Baqi and Skander Elleuche together with their local cooperation partners are examining the main characteristics of the various Jurassic units, as well as their clay mineralogy, sequence stratigraphy and chemostratigraphy. By comparing the Northern Iraq Jurassic successions with the stratigraphic schemes for the Jurassic of the Arabian Plate, they will integrate the former into the context of broader regional paleogeographic reconstructions and hydrocarbon prospects.