Morphotectonic Features of Some Geological Structures - Northern Iraq

The study sites are located in the governorates of Nineveh and Kirkuk in northern Iraq, which are of great tectonic importance. Geospatial data, which serve as complementary information to illustrate active tectonics and morphotectonic schemes on a thematic map, enhance geological studies, including the current study, as the morphotectonic features of the study area have previously been interpreted using traditional methods. Remote sensing data such as satellite data, digital elevation modeling, and GIS techniques such as ArcMap were used to analyze, identify, and interpret geological and morphotectonic land features to demonstrate the effects of active tectonics on terrain, including identifying strike-slip faults, the effects of thrust faults in moulding fold shape, interpreting the drainage pattern response to new tectonic activity, as well as the tectonic uplift deformation.The results of the study consisted of the interpretation of three main morphotectonic locations in terms of terrain response to active tectonic deformation: namely, firstly, the Baashiqa anticline, affected by two opposite fault systems; secondly, the Al-Qayyarah area, which represents a tectonic uplift that has laterally grown eastward; and thirdly, the Bai-Hasan anticline, which is affected by a sinistral strike-slip fault. All of these indicate that there is local intense deformation and emerging tectonic activity in the low-folded zone, despite its distance from the collision zone.