The Study of Mineral Composition and Free Iron Oxides in Sand Fraction for Tigris and Euphrates Rivers/Iraq

Abstract

A study was carried out on the mineral composition and free Iron oxides of the sediments of the Tigris and Euphrates river. Two soils were selected representing the sediments of the Tigris (Al-Numaniyah) and Euphrates river (Al-Shamiya), and physical and chemical analyzes were conducted on them, the sand is separated by means of a sieve whose openings are (53 microns) in the presence and absence of oxides into sand separations (53-2000) micrometers, to prepare them for metallurgical examinations. The minerals of soil samples were examined by powder method using diffracted X-rays, and the results showed the following:The results of the diffracted X-ray examinations, the special results of the separated sand in the sediments of the Tigris river showed the presence of Quartz minerals (50.8 and 40.3%), Albite (13.3 and 10.3%) and Chlorite (3.3 and 8.3%) and Micas (5.4 and 6.4%) and Kaolinite (2.2 and 1.5%) for coarse and fine sand, respectively, and the percentage of free Iron oxides in coarse sand was (3.1%). and fine sand (2.9%), and the results of X-ray examinations of the sand separated in the sediments of the Euphrates river showed the presence of Quartz minerals (51.0 and 54.9%) and Albite (23.3 and 18.0%) and Chlorite (3.3 and 3.5%), and Mica (5.4 and 3.3%) and Kaolinite (2.2 and 1.1%) and the percentage of free Iron oxides separated by coarse and fine sand was (2.4 and 1.8) respectively.