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File 1450/1919 ‘Mesopotamia & Kurdistan: Geological Reports on’ [16v] (37/522)
The record is made up of 1 volume (244 folios). It was created in 1 Dec 1917-26 Jun 1922. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
i
13
GEOLOGICAL REPORT (MESOPOTAMIA, No. 10).
ON
THE COUNTRY ON THE EAST BANK OF THE RIVER TIGRIS BETWEEN MOSUL AND
THE GREATER ZAB.
Introduction.
This country was examined in conjunction with the Arbii Division. The geolog\ of the
country on the west bank of the Tigris was described in Geological Report No. 4.
(1)—MAPS.
A general geological map on the scale of 1 inch to 4 miles covers Geological Reports Nos. 9
and 10. The following Survey maps were used :—
1" to the mile ... Mosul, 137 P/4, 137 P/8.
i" to the mile ... 137 P/SE, 137 P/SW, 137 P/NW.
(2) PREVIOUS WORK IN THE DISTRICT.
In 1910 Porro and Kissling crossed this country and made a few observations.
In 1918 Dr. Pascoe reported on the prospects of oil at Hawi Arslan, Nimroud, etc.
(3) GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS.
All formations from Upper Eocene to Recent are present; starting with the oldest they are :—
Upper Eocene.
Beds of Upper Eocene form the hills of Jabal Maglub, J. Bashiqah and Safrah. The maximum
thickness exposed in these hills is 500 feet and the beds consist entirely of limestone which varies in
appearance, from a white chalky to a hard brown and fossiliferons rock. Flint nodules are
common* No identifiable fossils were found—only fragments of Lamellibranchs and echinoid spines.
No Nummulitic.Limestone was seen, neither are there any fragments in the stream courses.
Lower Fars.
This formation varies much from one part of the area to another. The chief factor is the
thinning to the east. In the Tigris valley the upper part of the formation crosses the river and
then dips under the Upper Fars. Tiie junction of the two formations follows the direction of the
river. In this locality the lithological break between the Lower and Upper Fars is not marked
and there are definite Transition beds, which consist of marls and sandstones with gypsum and
fossiliferous limestone bands. It is difficult to fix a definite boundary between the two formations.
In the neighbourhood of Jabal Maglub the thickness of the formation is only 300—400 fee
and consists of gypsum and limestone without marl bands. The limestone is fossiliferous and
similar in appearance to the Araij group (see Geological Report No. 4). At Jabal Bashiqah only a
few miles away to the west there is a considerable proportion of mal. There are no Transition beds
to the Upper Fars. *
There is apparently complete conformity between the Upper Eocene and the Lower Fars, in
fact it is difficult to decide where to put the junction between the two formations. This has been
discussed in the report on the Arbi! District.
Upper Fars. .
This formations keeps its main characteristics in an extraordinary way throughout all the
country mapped. Its thickness could not be measured owing to obscured outcrops and the
difficulty of fixing a boundary between it and the overlying Bakhtiari Beds.
Bakhtiari Beds. <
Of usual type.
(4) INDICATIONS OF OIL, SULPHUR, ETC.
Seepages of oil were seen in two places.
(1) Hawi Arslan .—Almost opposite Hammam Ali on the Tigris, at the mouth of a small stream
which Hows into the Tigris just north of the village, a strong sulphur spring occurs and with it
a little heavy oil is found. The quantity is very small and is not worked by the inhabitants. The
seepage occurs in the Mishrad limestone of the Lower Fars.
(2) Nimroud .—At the south-east corner of the mound of Nimroud several pits have been dug on
the site of natural seepages and the oil is extracted and refined. The 1^1 is of the usual heavy black
type and is associated with sulphur. It occurs in a green marl and sandstone, which appears to
belong to the Transition Beds of the Lower Fars.
Sulphur Springs —In addition to the two above mentioned localities, sulphur springs are found at
the following places :—
Bashiqah .—In a valley near the village in Upper Eocene bees.
Humirah .—In a valley about one mile to the east of the village is a large sulphur spring in the
upper beds of the Lower Fars.
About this item
- Content
This volume contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, telegrams and maps and geological drawings, regarding the geological examination of regions in Mesopotamia and the prospect of petroleum [oil] in these areas.
Included in the volume are the following reports:
- ‘MESOPOTAMIA GEOLOGICAL REPORTS No. 7-11’ (‘No. 7’ is crossed out and replaced with ‘No. 8’), 1920 (ff 9-22)
- ‘GEOLOGICAL REPORT (Mesopotamia) No. 7 NOTES ON THE UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF NORTHEN MESOPOTAMIA’, 1920 (ff 25-31)
- ‘GEOLOGICAL REPORT (Mesopotamia) No. 6 NOTES ON ZAKHO AND DOHUK [Duhok]’, 1920 (ff 41-44)
- ‘MESOPOTAMIA GEOLOGICAL REPORT 1919’, 1920 (ff 57-109)
- ‘REPORT OF THE BITUMINOUS DEPOSIT NEAR KIFRI’, 1919 (f 114)
- ‘GEOLOGICAL REPORT (Mesopotamia) No 5. THE KIFRI DISTRICT’ (ff 115-116)
- ‘GEOLOGICAL REPORT (Mesopotamia) No 4. RECONNAISSANCE REPORT ON THE COUNTRY ON THE RIGHT BANK OF THE RIVER TIGRIS BETWEEN BAIJI AND MOSUL’, 1919 (ff 122-129)
- ‘GEOLOGICAL REPORT (Mesopotamia) No 3. RECONNAISSANCE REPORT ON THE EUPHRATES VALLEY BETWEEN HILLAH AND HIT’, 1919 (ff 131-143)
- ‘GEOLOGICAL REPORT (Mesopotamia) No 2. PRELIMINARY NOTES ON THE JABAL HAMRIN’, 1919 (f 143)
- ‘GEOLOGICAL REPORT (Mesopotamia) No 1 ON THE DISTRICT OF QAIYARAH [Al Qayyarah]’, 1919 (ff 146-151)
- ‘APPENDIX. Translation of a Captured Document. Report of a Tour to the Coal Area and Petroleum Springs in the Zone of the Sixth L. of C. Inspectorate’, 1919 (ff 156-158)
- ‘No 13. Notes on the Jabal Gilabat [Qilabat] between Chinchal-al-Kabir and Qarah Tappah’, 1919 (f 164)
- ‘No 14. Notes on the Jabal Hamrin between Qarah Tappah and Table Mountain’, 1919 (ff 164v-167)
- ‘No. 10. Notes on the Geology of the Country between Tazah Khurmatu and Tauq [Tukhama Khulu]’, 1919 (ff 182-185)
- ‘REPORTS ON THE PROSPECTS OF PETROLEUM IN THE BAGHDAD WILAYAT [Vilayet]’, 1918 (ff 187-201)
- ‘Report No 9. Oil in the Kirkuk Anticline’, 1919 (ff 204-205)
- ‘No 3. Report on the Prospects of Obtaining Oil in the Jab-al-Khanuqah, S.E. of Sharqat [Ash Sharqat]’, 1918 (f 207)
- ‘No 4. Prospects of Obtaining Oil in the Jab-al-Qaiyarah and its continuation, the Jab-al-Najmah’, 1919 (ff 208-209)
- ‘No 5. Possibilities of Obtaining Oil in the Jab-al-Mishrak [Al Mishraq] and Country West of Hammam Ali [Hammam al Ali]’, 1919 (ff 210-211)
- ‘No 6. The Country between Mosul and Quwair [Al Kuwayr] on the Greater Zab, and its Prospects as Oil-producing Territory’, 1919 (ff 211v-212)
- ‘Report No 7. Sulphur near the Confluence of the Greater Zab with the Tigris’, 1919 (f 213)
- ‘No 8. Prospects of Obtaining Oil in the Quwair Dome’, 1919 (ff 213-214)
- ‘Appendix to Report No. 4, on the Jab-al-Qaiyarah Oil-field’, 1919 (f 214v)
- ‘Report on the prospects of obtaining Oil in the Jabal-Hamrin and Jabal- Makhul between Tikrit and Sharqat’, 1918 (ff 217-218)
- ‘Odd Notes on the Country between Tikrit and the Jabal-Hamrin and Jabal Makhul’, 1918 (ff 219-220)
- ‘PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE PROSPECTS OF PETROLEUM IN THE BAGHDAD WILAYAT’, 1918 (ff 233-236).
Also included in the volume are the following maps and geological drawings:
- ‘TO ACCOMPANY GEOLOGICAL REPORT MESOPOTAMIA No 8’, 1920 (f 20)
- ‘To ACCOMPANY GEOLOGICAL REPORT MESOPOTAMIA No 8 ON THE SULAIMANIYAH DISTRICT’, 1920 (f 21)
- ‘TO ACCOMPANY GEOLOGICAL REPORT MESOPOTAMIA No: 7a. THE WATER RESOURCES OF THE MANDALI-BADRAH DISTRICT’, 1920 (f 30)
- ‘GEOLOGICAL REPORT (MESOPOTAMIA) No 7 NOTES ON THE UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF NORTHERN MESOPOTAMIA’, 1920 (f 31)
- ‘TO ACCOMPANY GEOLOGICAL REPORT No 6’, 1920 (f 44)
- ‘TRANSVERSE SECTION. JABAL HAMRIN’ (f 88)
- ‘Diagrammatic Section across Jabal Hamrine [Hamrin] in the Table mountain area, shewing [showing] relationship of Pos Tertray [Post-Tertiary] Gravel to the Tertainis [Tertiaries]’ (f 168)
- ‘Red Clay & Sandstone Series Transverse section across Jabal Gilbat’ (f 169)
- ‘QĀRAH TAPPAH’, 1918 (f 170)
- ‘CHINCHĀL-TALISHĀN’, 1918 (f 172)
- ‘SHAHRABĀN’, 1917 (f 174)
- ‘MANSURĪYAH AL JABAL’, 1918 (f 176)
- ‘1 Diagrammatic Section N[orth]. of the Tuz Khurmatu’ (f 183)
- ‘2 Diagrammatic Section oposite [ sic ] Sulaiman Beg, just N[orth]. of the stream’ (f 183)
- ‘3 Diagrammatic Section oposite [ sic ] Sulaiman Beg just S[outh]. of the Stream’ (f 183v)
- ‘Transverse Section across Jabal Nasaz near Gil’ (f 185)
- ‘GEOLOGICAL MAP OF NAFT KHANA DISTRICT OF MESOPOTAMIA’ (f 198)
- ‘THE PETROLEUM DEPOSITS OF HIT’ (f 199)
- ‘GEOLOGICAL RECONNAISSANCE IN N.E. MESOPOTAMIA’ (f 200)
- ‘SECTION FROM SHAHRABAN TO CHAH SURKH [Chiya Surkh]’ (f 201)
- Transverse Section Maps of Jabal Hamrin and Jabal Makhul (f 220).
The volume comprises internal correspondence between British officials of different departments. The principal correspondents are: the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad; the Under-Secretary of State, India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. ; the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Baghdad; officers of the Imperial Mineral Resources Bureau; and officers from the Petroleum Department.
The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (244 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 246; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
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- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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- Title
- File 1450/1919 ‘Mesopotamia & Kurdistan: Geological Reports on’
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- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:19v, 22r:29v, 32r:43v, 45r:87v, 89r:167v, 177r:182v, 184r:184v, 186r:197v, 202r:219v, 221r:245v, back-i
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