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File 1450/1919 ‘Mesopotamia & Kurdistan: Geological Reports on’ [78r] (170/522)
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.
3
beds can be examined. Beds of the Lower Pars crop out in two small domes one on eacli side of
the rivei ; this has been described already in the chapter on the Lower Pars and more will be found
under the detailed description of the Structure of J. Hamrin and J. Makhuk.
Dt, Pascoe records small seepages or bitumenous earth on the south side of the J. Hamrin 2^
miles S. E. of Fathah and also at a point on the N. E, side of J. Makhul about 5 miles from Fathah.
(2) Qaiyakah.
The seepages here have been described in detail in Geological Report >Jo. 1. Rather more oil
was seeping when examined in September than in May.
(3) Jabal Najmah.
Dr. Pascoe found a small seepage of bitumen in the valley on the N. E. side of the hill. We
were unable to locate this but noticed a smell of oil there.
(4) Hadhra.
On the left bank of the river opposite Hadhra Post a large quantity of bitumen has exuded over
a distance of 300 yards and is still live ” in places. It appears to come from on oil bearing lime
stone some 200 nOO feet from the top of the series. It forms a peculiar bitumen conglomerate
with pebbles and fragments of limestone and gypsum
(5) Jabal Sinn Mishraq.
^ ^ le m outh of a small stream course about 2 miles north oPSahnah (near the junction of the
iigiis and Greater Zab) in the river bank oil is seepiitg from a green marl. This is the lowest
horizon tound in the Mishraq anticline and is about 400 feet from the top of the series A consi-
ceia:> e quantit\ of oil seeps out here and the river bank is marked with bitumen at various levels.
' }, ‘ lscoe no Ts a small seepage in the valley at the mouth of which we found seepage (5).
An oil well is marked on the survey map 137 P/8, but we were unable to find any oil there only
a sulphur spring.
(7) Hammam All
Several geologists have noted the hot sulphur springs which occur near the river bank.
One is enclosed by a bath house and the other is covered by the river at high water The water
is highly charged with sulphur and the temperature is about 115 deg F. A small amount of bitumen
is brought up by the hot whter. About 200 yards south of the hot springs is a cold sulphur spring
\\hich brings up sulphur and in several other places small bitumen deposits were seen. It is evident
that the source of the hot water is at a depth of perhaps 3,000—4,000 feet and therefore from a for
mation under lying the Lower Fars and may be due to a deep seated fracture connected with
the Kara Chaugh uplift.
An oil well” is marked on the survey map 137P/4 near Zalhafah (in S.W. corner) This
is a sulphur spring and has no trace of oil.
Seepages occur on the other side of the river, the most important of which are those of
Nimrud, which are worked by Arabs.
Sulphur. Sulphur charged wa.ter is found in conjunction with the seepages of oil or bitumen
in neaily eveiy case and there are in addition a great number of sulphur water springs in many
othei places 1 he most important are shewn on the map accompanying this report and many more
aie reported from the region to the west of that examined. A very large one occurs about a mile
noith ot the junction of the I igris and Greater Zab ; this has been described by Dr. Pascoe and
is commeicial value discussed. Our impression is that the sulphur springs have their origin in
the formation which underlies the Lower Fars, bearing out the results obtained in the Euphrates
country. ^
Gas. Inflammable gas, as distinct from sulphurretted hydrogen has been found in two places
c.g., Qaiyarah and Hammam Ali. .-Z . ^ ^
(5) GENERAL STRUCTURE.
The country is folded into a number of anticlinal areas with intervening synclines all of wluVh
have a general N.W.-S.E. trend. Starting from the south the anticlinal areas are A ’
I. Jabal Hamrin and Jabal Makhul.
II. Jabal Khanuqah.
III. The Huwaish anticline.
IV. Jabal Qaiyarah, J. Najmah and J. Yawan.
V. Shura anticline and J. Kibritiyah.
VI. Mishraq Araij anticlinal area.
These anticlinal areas will be described in detail.
I he most noticeable feature is that the form of the ground has been determined bv the
structure—the anticlinal areas remain as hills and the synclinal areas as the low ground Further
the most sharply folded and the places of maximum uplift now form the highest m*ound The
Upper Fars beds have been denuded from the anticlinal areas, leaving the'Lower Fars exnosed
and now only occupy the synclines. exposed,
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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- 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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