Factors Controlling the Development of Wine-Glass Forms in the Mountains of the Kurdistan Region, Iraq

The northern and northeastern parts of Iraq are mountainous areas and rugged topography with different erosional and morphological forms; among them are the wine-glass (erosional cirques) forms. They are developed in different shapes, sizes, and depths. In the outlets of the wine-glass forms; usually, alluvial fans are formed. The studied area is characterized by the presence of long and narrow anticlines with NW–SE trend that changes westward to E–W trend. The Cretaceous carbonate rocks form the main carapace of the majority of the mountains; however, locally Paleogene and/or Jurassic rocks form the carapace. In the core, rocks down to Devonian are exposed. In those anticlines where only Cretaceous rocks are exposed, no or very rarely wine-glass forms are developed. This is attributed to the Cretaceous carbonate rocks, which exist in huge thicknesses in many formations, with thickly bedded to massive nature and very hard erosion resisting rocks. Tens of the existing wineglass forms are studied to indicate the factors that control their development, which are the type of exposed rocks, their thicknesses, and hardness. To perform the aim of this study, different satellite imagery with different resolutions was used; besides using GIS technique and field check to improve the acquired date

Factors Controlling the Development of Straight Valleys and Streams in the Kurdistan Region, North and Northeast of Iraq

The Iraqi Kurdistan Region is a mountainous area with relief difference ranging from few hundred meters up to 3000 m, and locally more. Almost all of the mountains form anticlines that have NW–SE trend changing westwards of longitude to E–W. The carapace of the majority of the mountains is built up of Cretaceous rocks; however, some of them are of older rocks. Many of those anticlines are crossed by straight valleys and/or are crossed by streams and rivers which form again straight lines and almost coincide with regional lineaments, usually in N–S or NE–SW trend. The studied straight valleys are controlled, most probably by tectonic factors, therefore, exhibit special topographic forms, like straight lineaments crossing many successive anticlines, and also clear bending in some of the ridges in their crossing points to the valleys and/or streams. This paper aims to determine and discuss the factors that control the development of the straight valleys and/or lineaments. To achieve this aim, remote sensing and GIS techniques were followed, using Landsat, QuickBird images as well as geological maps of different scales, and different published articles

Tectonic and fluvial geomorphology of the Zagros fold-and-thrust belt

Abstract The Zagros-fold-and thrust belt has been selected to explore landscape responses to tectonic and climatic drivers using river profile steepness (ksn), relief from topography, and basin scale Hypsometric Index (HI) extracted from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) 30 m dataset. There are differences in the ksn and the HI value from one area to another across the Zagros range. The northeastward presence of high HI values with respect to the seismicity cut-off in the combined Dezful/Bakhtyari region is attributed to wetter conditions, in turn driven by high strain and high topographic gradients in the Bakhtyari region. Drier climate and low power rivers in the Fars region promote plateau growth, and high HI values occur south of the thrust seismicity cut-off. In spite of the regional differences in ksn and HI, there is a similarity in the integrated relief along swath profiles, consistent with the similar rate of strain and total strain across different parts of the Zagros. Digital Elevation Model (DEM)-based geomorphic indices; Hypsometric Index (HI), Surface Roughness (SR) and their combination Surface Index (SI) have been applied to quantify landscape maturity in the Kirkuk Embayment of the Zagros. Landscape maturity suggests out of sequence deformation towards the hinterland in opposite sense to classical ‘piggyback’ thrusting model. The SI shows new previously undiscovered anticlines of hydrocarbon potential. New balanced cross-section indicates shortening in the order of ~5% in the Zagros foreland. Basin-scale values of HI exhibit sharp boundary of the low/high HI transition in the south of the Himalaya consistent with the zone of the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT), and indicate the controls of the MHT on Himalayan topography. Smaller magnitude increases in HI value across the physiographic transition (PT2) do not support the out-of-sequence model of active deformation of Himalayan tectonics. Point-counting technique was conducted for modern river sand from the Zagros suture and the Neogene sandstones of the Zagros foreland. Results show recycled orogen provenance and litharenite composition and spatial increase in quartz content towards the northwest, which might refer to provenance change and/or drainage reorganization. The more lithic composition of river sand and the Neogene sandstone refers to an uplift of the Zagros suture area, which is partly caused by the out-of sequence deformation of the Mountain Front Fault

Automated spatiotemporal landslide mapping over large areas using RapidEye time series data

In the past, different approaches for automated landslide identification based on multispectral satellite remote sensing were developed to focus on the analysis of the spatial distribution of landslide occurrences related to distinct triggering events. However, many regions, including southern Kyrgyzstan, experience ongoing process activity requiring continual multi-temporal analysis. For this purpose, an automated object-oriented landslide mapping approach has been developed based on RapidEye time series data complemented by relief information. The approach builds on analyzing temporal NDVI-trajectories for the separation between landslide-related surface changes and other land cover changes. To accommodate the variety of landslide phenomena occurring in the 7500 km2 study area, a combination of pixel-based multiple thresholds and object-oriented analysis has been implemented including the discrimination of uncertainty-related landslide likelihood classes. Applying the approach to the whole study area for the time period between 2009 and 2013 has resulted in the multi-temporal identification of 471 landslide objects. A quantitative accuracy assessment for two independent validation sites has revealed overall high mapping accuracy (Quality Percentage: 80%), proving the suitability of the developed approach for efficient spatiotemporal landslide mapping over large areas, representing an important prerequisite for objective landslide hazard and risk assessment at the regional scale

Spaceborne InSAR for dam stability

PhD ThesisThis study evaluates the feasibility of the use of satellite radar for dam deformation monitoring. Spaceborne Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) has long been used to monitor geohazards, including earthquakes, landslides, and volcanos. However, few studies have recently investigated its feasibility for localised deformation monitoring such as of earth dams. Here two case studies are presented of the monitoring of dams in Iraq. Mosul dam is one of the most dangerous dams in the world. Previous studies have reported that over a million human lives would be potentially at risk should dam failure occur. Therefore, investigation of its health using precise and continuous observations is crucial. This was achieved with two independent geodetic datasets from levelling and InSAR, and the results show continuous vertical displacements on the dam crest due to the dissolution of foundations. Vertical displacement rate estimates from levelling and InSAR for the period 2003-2010 are in good agreement, with a correlation of 0.93 and an RMSE of ± 1.7 mm. For the period 2014- 2017, the correlation is 0.95 and the RMSE is ± 0.9 mm. The movement of the dam was evaluated using settlement index which is not referring to critical instability of the dam. However, the spatial and temporal displacement anomalies emphasize that a careful monitoring and remedial work should continue. The continuous displacement in the dam foundation could loosen the compaction of the embankment and result in internal erosion. In a separate study, Darbandikhan dam was monitored using a global positioning system (GPS), levelling, and Sentinel-1 data to evaluate its stability after the 2017 Mw 7.3 Sarpol-e Zahab earthquake. The large gradient of the dam’s displacements on its crest hindered the estimation of co-seismic displacements using medium-resolution SAR data. However, Sentinel-1 images were sufficient to examine the dam’s stability before and after the earthquake. The results show that the dam was stable between October 2014 and November 2017, but after the earthquake continuous subsidence on the dam crest occurred between November 2017 and March 2018. For the first time the stability of the Mosul and Darbandikhan dams has been assessed using an integration of InSAR and in-situ observations. Different types of deformations were recognized, which helped in interpreting the dam’s deformation mechanismsMinistry of Higher Education (MOHE) and the State Commission of Surveys (SCOS) in Ira

Remote Sensing of Natural Hazards

Each year, natural hazards such as earthquakes, cyclones, flooding, landslides, wildfires, avalanches, volcanic eruption, extreme temperatures, storm surges, drought, etc., result in widespread loss of life, livelihood, and critical infrastructure globally. With the unprecedented growth of the human population, largescale development activities, and changes to the natural environment, the frequency and intensity of extreme natural events and consequent impacts are expected to increase in the future.Technological interventions provide essential provisions for the prevention and mitigation of natural hazards. The data obtained through remote sensing systems with varied spatial, spectral, and temporal resolutions particularly provide prospects for furthering knowledge on spatiotemporal patterns and forecasting of natural hazards. The collection of data using earth observation systems has been valuable for alleviating the adverse effects of natural hazards, especially with their near real-time capabilities for tracking extreme natural events. Remote sensing systems from different platforms also serve as an important decision-support tool for devising response strategies, coordinating rescue operations, and making damage and loss estimations.With these in mind, this book seeks original contributions to the advanced applications of remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) techniques in understanding various dimensions of natural hazards through new theory, data products, and robust approaches

Remote Sensing and Geosciences for Archaeology

This book collects more than 20 papers, written by renowned experts and scientists from across the globe, that showcase the state-of-the-art and forefront research in archaeological remote sensing and the use of geoscientific techniques to investigate archaeological records and cultural heritage. Very high resolution satellite images from optical and radar space-borne sensors, airborne multi-spectral images, ground penetrating radar, terrestrial laser scanning, 3D modelling, Geographyc Information Systems (GIS) are among the techniques used in the archaeological studies published in this book. The reader can learn how to use these instruments and sensors, also in combination, to investigate cultural landscapes, discover new sites, reconstruct paleo-landscapes, augment the knowledge of monuments, and assess the condition of heritage at risk. Case studies scattered across Europe, Asia and America are presented: from the World UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa to heritage under threat in the Middle East and North Africa, from coastal heritage in the intertidal flats of the German North Sea to Early and Neolithic settlements in Thessaly. Beginners will learn robust research methodologies and take inspiration; mature scholars will for sure derive inputs for new research and applications