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File 1450/1919 ‘Mesopotamia & Kurdistan: Geological Reports on’ [95r] (204/522)
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.
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Report No. 7.
Sulphur near the Confluence of the Greater Zab
with the Figris.
SULPHUR NEAR THE CONFLUENCE OF THE GREATER ZAB
WITH THE TIGRIS.
This locality, the Fountain of Hell, is alluded to in Eeport IMo. 5 on
the Jab-al-Mishrak, from which range considerable quantities of sulphur
appeared to have collected in a dammed branch of the Tigris. As a matter
of fact the quantity of free sulphur is smaller than it appeared, and the
Tigris branch is not.completely dammed. The facts are as follow: —
About a mile IST. of the confluence of the Greater Zab with the Tigris,
miles W. of a village called Jaif (not marked on the map), the latter river
has deserted its E. channel and confined itself to the channel YV. of the
island. The E. channel remains as a long sheet of water, which would have
been completely shut off from the present river, were it not for a copious
spring which feeds its N. end, and causes it to overflow S’wards into the
Tigris. This large spring gives origin to a stream of water winding through
the sandy flat and flowing into the old Tigris channel. For 40 or 50 yards
along its course from its source, this stream is characterised by innumerable
points of escape of sulphuretted hydrogen. The evolution of the gas is so
brisk in places as to produce the appearance of ebullition, and it is dangerous
to attempt to breathe below the top of the bank which is about five feet above
the water. The odour above the bank is intensely strong and not to be en
dured for long; as already reported it can be smelt tw T o or three miles away.
Occasionally one momentarily catches the odour of tar, but this is usually
completely drowned by the sulphuretted hydrogen. Bituminous earth occurs
in the bank of the stream, and the Tertiary beds beneath the superficial de
posits are obviously Lower Fars. The water is warm and bitter to the taste,
the latter being due no doubt to the presence of Magnesium sulphate. Fur
ther and further from the spring the oxidation of the hydrogen sulphide and
liberation of free sulphur increase, until the S. end of the Tigris arm is a
milky yellow pool. The sulphur, present as such, is, however, too dissemin
ated to be capable of collection in any useful quantity,'but the quantity of
hydrogen sulphide evolved is very large. It is not a difficult matter to
oxidise H2 S to S02 and ultimately to 112 S04, and I think the occurrence
is worth the attention of a sulphuric acid expert. The supply may be
variable, but the evolution has existed for some time and there is no reason
why it should not persist for many more years. The risks and difficulties
to be faced seem to be: —
(}) The Tigris may attempt to revert to its old course.
(ii) The supply may vary with the season of the year.
(iit) The supply may be altogether capricious.
(iv) The supply may be affected by any boring for oil in the imme
diate neighbourhood.
(i) Could be controlled without much difficulty. With regard to (Hi),
the oldest inhabitants of a Kurdish village not far distant assert that the
phenomena has existed ever since they can remember and has been known
for at least 100 years, so that the chances of the evolution continuing indefi
nitely, are good, provided contingency No. (iv) does not interfere with it.
The gas could be collected by building a gas-tight dome over the “ live ”
area o/ the stream, with a pipe leading off. Oxidation would soon destroy
the smell.
If a sulphuric acid plant is thought unfeasible, large quantities of free
sulphur could be obtained by passing S02 into the stream. S02 can be
obtained easily by burning sulphur in the air, and reacts with H2S~ in the
well-known way; 2H2S plus S02 equals 2H20 plus 3S. Some of the sulphur,
thus obtained, could be burned to produce fresh supplies of S02. Some
means for preventing the precipitated sulphur from being carried away into
the main river, would have to be devised. This might be done by a series
of alternating settling tanks with controlled inlets and outlets. At present
the sulphur precipitated is only a very small fraction of the hydroo-en
sulphide evolved.
The utilization of hydrogen sulphide is a problem well worth considera^
tion in Mesopotamia, as the gas will probably be evolved in vast quantities
from any oil wells that may be obtained. There will probably be an almost
unlimited source of sulphur for anyone who can devise a simple contrivance
for oxidising H2S as it issues from oil wells and seepages.
Hated February 3rd, 1919.
E. H. PASCOE, Supdt.
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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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/815
- Title
- File 1450/1919 ‘Mesopotamia & Kurdistan: Geological Reports on’
- Pages
- 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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- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
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- Open Government Licence