Salt Crystallization and Mineralogy of Sabkhas in Abu Ghraib, Western Baghdad, Abu Graib, Iraq

The research aims to study Sabkha mineralogy to determine the mineral types, the nature of the precipitation, and the patterns of salt crystallization. Two Sabkhas in Abu Ghraib, west of Baghdad, were studied. It was found that the Sabkhas were formed in flat ponds from saturated solutions...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yaser Mohammad, Salih Awadh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Union of Iraqi Geologists (UIG) 2023-02-01
Series:Iraqi Geological Journal
Online Access:https://igj-iraq.org/igj/index.php/igj/article/view/1548
Description
Summary:The research aims to study Sabkha mineralogy to determine the mineral types, the nature of the precipitation, and the patterns of salt crystallization. Two Sabkhas in Abu Ghraib, west of Baghdad, were studied. It was found that the Sabkhas were formed in flat ponds from saturated solutions in a semi-arid to arid climate. Halite predominates, followed by anhydrite and gypsum as evaporite minerals. As for the minerals of the Sabkha soil, it consisted of feldspar, calcite, quartz, and dolomite, in addition to the clay minerals represented by kaolinite, illite, and chlorite. Needle forms, hopper shapes, dendritic crystals, and polygon shapes are the main crystallization patterns dominantly found in the Sabkhas. All these types of crystallization occurre under normal temperatures.
ISSN:2414-6064
2663-8754