Kamal Kolo

The Upper Cretaceous Tanjero Formation at Allasiaw (Sulaimaniyah Governorate, NE Iraq) contains ubiquitous bitumen impregnation within interbedded marl, calcareous shale, sandstone and local conglomerate. We integrated field observations with Rock–Eval pyrolysis, FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, SEM, and petrography to assess and characterize reservoir quality, and source rock potential, migrated-oil effects. The Rock–Eval results (n = 4) indicate very high organic richness (TOC 16.2–21.4 wt%) and oil-prone signatures (S2 58.7–109.3 mg HC/g rock; HI 339–523 mg HC/g TOC), with S1 ranging 0.57–7.20 mg HC/g rock and Tmax 434–439 °C; OI is low (1–28 mg CO₂/g TOC). These values would normally be consistent with Type II–II/III kerogen under early oil-window apparent maturity, but the combination of high S1 and HI with visible high bitumen enrichment suggests significant migrated-oil charging from older source rocks. The FTIR observations from the extracted soluble OM document prominent aliphatic C–H bands (~2850 cm⁻¹) with CH₂ scissoring at ~1450 cm⁻¹ and aromatic C=C at ~1600 cm⁻¹; these diagnostics reinforce an aliphatic-rich organic signature. The FTIR of residual mineral phases are in alignment with those determined by the XRD highlighting thus the significance of FTIR technique in minerals phases identification. Thin-section petrography emphasized the detrital clastic character of the exposed beds. SEM revealed abundant bacterial forms and microbial biofilms interaction with the bitumen and mineral infill that indicate the significance of biodegradation of the original hydrocarbons and the continuation of the process. The study showcases the characterization of Tanjero Formation as a as an exhumed paleoreservoir and its high potential as an active reservoir within the area where the formation is unexposed.

يمثل كهف بستون نظامًا كارستيًا ذا أهمية جيولوجية وأثرية، تشكّل ضمن تكوين بخمة من العصر الطباشيري الأعلى نتيجة ذوبان الكربونات على المدى الطويل وترسيب المعادن الثانوية. يقع الكهف قرب قمة جبل برادوست تقريبًا في إقليم كردستان العراق، على ارتفاع 1506 أمتار فوق مستوى سطح البحر. تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى تحليل العمليات المسؤولة عن نشأة الكهف (Speleogenesis) والسمات الميكروية للبنية الصخرية والأهمية المناخية القديمة له من خلال دراسة الهوابط، والصواعد، والترسيبات الانسيابية. (Flowstones) كشف تحليل النسيج الصخري الدقيق لعينات من الصواعد(BST-1) و (BST-2) عن تراكيب معدنية مميزة، مثل الكالسيت العمودي الكثيف (Dense columnar calcite)، وكربونات الكالسيوم الدقيقة التبلور (Microcrystalline CaCO₃)، وأنسجة البلورات المتفرعة (Dendritic crystal fabrics)، مما يشير إلى تقلبات في الظروف الهيدرولوجية والمناخية. كما أن تنوّع أشكال التكوينات المعدنية داخل الكهف مثل رقائق الصودا (Soda flakes)، والستائر (Drapery)، والدروع (Shields)، والبنية الصندوقية الكهفية (Cave boxwork)، والبوبكورن الكهفي (Cave popcorn)، والسدود الحُفرية (Rimstone dams)، واللؤلؤ الكهفي (Cave pearls)، يوفّر فهماً لظروف ترسيب المعادن وكيمياء المياه أثناء تكوّنها. أما في التحليل الجيوكيميائي، فتتكون العينة BST-1 من 90٪...

Land degradation (LD) is the decline in a land’s functional capacity and productive potential, which includes various anthropogenic and natural drivers. This study focuses on three primary manifestations of LD including soil erosion, landslides, and rockfalls, which are the most prevalent in the Shaqlawa district. A set of 22 LD conditioning factors, encompassing curvature, lithology, aspect, river density, soil type, lineament density, river distance, elevation, road distance, length slope (LS), land use land cover (LULC), stream power index (SPI), valley depth, profile curvature, slope, solar radiation, road density, lineament distance, rainfall, topographic wetness index (TWI), plan curvature, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), were integrated into the analysis. Variance inflation factors (VIF) and tolerance (TOL) values from linear regression indicate that most LD factors have acceptable levels of multicollinearity. The Information Gain Ratio (IGR) identified key variables TWI, NDVI, and lithology—as pivotal factors for predicting LD. Additionally, the study evaluated degradation factors using various machine learning (ML) algorithms, including random forest (RF), Naive Bayes, logistic regression, rotation forest, forest penalized attributes (FPA), and Fisher’s Linear discriminant analysis (FLDA). This facilitated categorizing the study area into five susceptibility categories. The FLDA model categorized the highest area under very high degradation risk at 26.72%, emphasizing the varied insights each algorithm brought to characterizing the degradation risk. Additionally, the receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) were employed for model validation, identifying RF as the most successful model in the training dataset with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.882, while FLDA outperformed in the testing dataset with an AUC of 0.883. The identified LD-prone areas will help land-use planners and emergency management officials apply effective mitigation strategies for similar terrains.

This study reports on experimental observations during fungi–mineral substrate interactions. Selected mineral substrates of biotite, muscovite, bauxite, chromite, galena, malachite, manganite, and plagioclase were exposed in vitro to free fungal growth under open conditions. The interaction produced strong biochemical and biomechanical alterations to the mineral substrates. Specifically, reported here is a three-dimensional thigmotropic colonization pattern of the mineral surfaces that suggested a possible pattern of fungal metalophagus behavior. Authigenic secondary mineral biomineralization occurred: Ca- and Mg-Oxalates such as weddellite: CaC₂O₄·2H₂O, whewellite: CaC₂O4·H₂O, and glushinskite: MgC₂O₄·₂H₂O; struvite: (NH₄) MgPO₄·6H₂O; gibbsite: Al(OH)₃; and gypsum: CaSO₄·2H₂O. The bioleached elements included Fe, Pb, S, Cu, and Al, which formed single crystals or aggregates, amorphous layers, amorphous aggregates, and linear forms influenced by the fungal filaments. The fungi bioleached Fe and Al from bauxite and Mn from manganite and deposited the metals as separate mineral species. Gypsum was deposited during the interaction with the manganite substrate, indicating a source of Ca and S either within manganite impurities or within the fungal growth environment. Other biochemical and biomechanical features such as tunneling, strong pitting, exfoliation, dissolution, perforations, and fragmentation of the mineral surfaces were also produced. The results of this study, besides emphasizing the role of fungi in bioweathering and mineral alteration, also show that, to produce these alterations, fungi employ a 3D fungal colonization pattern of mineral surfaces guided by thigmotropic and possible metalophagus behavior.

This study evaluated soil erosion rates in the Shaqlawa district using the Geographical Information System (GIS)-based Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model. The primary objective was to identify areas within the district that are prone to significant erosion and develop appropriate soil conservation schemes accordingly. A combination of primary and secondary data from diverse sources was utilized to achieve this objective. The GIS-based RUSLE model used variables like soil erodibility (K), soil coverage (C), topographic effect (LS), rainfall runoff (R), and erosion control practices (P) to estimate the amount of soil that had been washed away in the study area. The study provided valuable information that can be used to plan and administer soil protection in the Shaqlawa district. The average yearly soil loss in the study region is estimated to be 65.66 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. The district is experiencing significant soil erosion rates, which may have detrimental effects on agricultural productivity, water quality, and environmental health. The analysis revealed that Balisan, Hiran, Shaqlawa center, and part of the Salahaddin subdistrict are the most affected areas, with high values of LS and R factors contributing to significant soil erosion rates. These results underscore the importance of soil protection and management efforts in the Shaqlawa district. The combination of the RUSLE with GIS and remote sensing techniques has been recognized as an essential, cost-effective, and highly accurate approach for estimating soil erosion.

Geomicrobiology is an interdisciplinary field of research that studies the role of microorganisms during the geological process from the inception of the earth and their perspective on the future of the earth. Scientists focused on microbe mineral interactions in various processes such as...

Autochthonous fungi are potential successful agents in the process of bioremediation through their efficient adaptation to pollutant toxicity and competition with other microorganisms that are present in the leachate treatment plant. The leachate from municipal waste landfills was an important...

It is surprisingly simple and paradoxical that Covid-19 pandemic shows a specific tendency to be an economy-related and driven pandemic. Countries with higher Gross Domestic Product (GDP), incurred more cases of infection and mortalities such a way that a steady trend emerges: those most affected are the richest amongst the rich, and the richer amongst the poorer. Surprisingly, the a country’s healthcare system integrity level seems to be a less relevant factor or even a nonfactor. Countries with low GDP and weak healthcare system manifested the lowest numbers of infection and death cases all around the world. This work is based on statistical data analysis and correlation between infection and mortality cases as per country, region, continent and provinces within countries with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). A specific strong positive correlation between the GDP of a certain country/province, region and the number of infection and mortalities emerged. This relationship is validated for Europe, USA, Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. This inter-dependent relationship holds paradoxical elements as it stands against the common wisdom that a country or group of countries with higher Epidemic Preparedness Index (EPI) and development, the less exposed to pandemics are. This has been shown not to be case with Covid-19. In fact, it is the opposite. This work sees embedded factors related to Bioeconomics, socio-cultural factors that determined this relationship. It is a phenomenon worthy of more analysis and more specific data related to ethnicities, genetics, socio-cultural and Bioeconomics.