The Study of the Gravity Anomaly Maps of West and Southwestern Part of Ninawa Governorate (Iraq)

Abstract

In this study we interpreted, the gravity maps of west and southwestern part of Ninawa governorate, where, the regional gravity maps show large and extended positive and negative anomalies. These anomalies may be reflecting the effect of high and low blocks within sedimentary rocks and extended into the Basement such as Mosul block. These blocks bounded by deep faults trending NW-SE, E-W and NW-SE trend. The local positive anomalies on residual gravity maps may refer to the subsurface anticlines within the sedimentary rocks having NW-SE, E-W and NE-SW directions. These anticlines might have been formed during Najd, Hejaz and Alpine orogeny. The negative anomalies on gravity residual maps may reflect the presence of synclines within the sedimentary rocks. The assumed Fault locations on the maps may have the trending NW-SE, E-W and NE-SW. The modeling of some anomalies supported that regional anomalies reflecting the high and low features within sedimentary and basement rocks while, most of the local anomalies reflect the effect of the features with the sedimentary rocks. The depth of Moho discontinuity map constructed using Woollard (The Crust of the Pacific Basin. AGU, Washington, D.C., pp. 60–80, 1962 [1]) equation and the depth of Moho ranges 33–35 km in the area.