Geological Hazards in Al-Anbar Governorate, West Iraq

Abstract

Al-Anbar Governorate has the largest coverage area among the 18 Iraqi gover-norates. The coverage area is about 138 579 km2 forming about 32% of the whole coverage area of the Iraqi territory. The governorate forms the western part of Iraq representing the Iraqi Western Desert and a small part north of the Eu-phrates River within the Jazira Plain. This large coverage area with diversity of rock types with large time span (Permi-an – Pleistocene) and different topographic forms have contributed to develop-ment of different types of geological hazards, which act at different parts of the governorate with different intensities and different damages caused to the infra-structure and community, even life losses. Three main types of geological hazards are active in the governorate; these are: 1) Floods, 2) Karstification, and 3) Swell-ing (Expensive) clays; however, other types like mass movements, depressions, active tectonic areas are also present but with less significance as their risks and caused damages to the community and infrastructure is concerned.