Evaluation of the drainage system of Zagros Basin (Greater Zab River, northern Iraq) and insights into tectonic geomorphology

Abstract

Geomorphological evaluation was carried out for three drainage basins named Hareer, Dwaine, and Hijran, which are tributaries of the Greater Zab River in the northern part of Erbil Governorate, the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, north Iraq. The exposed rocks in the three basins are mainly clastic rocks (sandstone, claystone, and conglomerate, with subordinate gypsum and limestone beds). However, in the uppermost parts of the basins, thick and massive carbonate rocks are exposed. Tectonically, the three basins are located in the Low Folded and High Folded Zones, which belong to the Zagros Fold–Thrust Belt. The main aim of the current study is to deduce the tectonic activity of the area occupied by the studied three basins. We have used and interpreted Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data to perform the geomorphological evaluation. Different geomorphological indices and forms were used to deduce the tectonic activity of the area occupied by the three basins. Accordingly, seven orders of streams were identified in the three basins. The number of the streams with low order (i.e., 1) joining with higher order (i.e., 6 and 7) is considerably higher in the three basins. The Hat values of the three basins are 12,971, 10,479, and 7014 in Hareer, Dwaine, and Hijran basins, respectively. The values of hierarchical anomaly index (Δa) of the three basins are 1.87, 1.35, and 2.37 in Hareer, Hijran, and Dwaine basins, respectively. It was observed that the shape of Hareer and Shakrook anticlines has a significant impact on the main trunk of the channel. Therefore, when an anticline and syncline are close to each other (due to thrust faulting), then the hierarchical anomaly increases because the river trunk receives a lot of first-order streams, e.g., in Dwaine and Hijran basins. The lateral growth in the eastern part of Safin anticline had caused increasing of the Δa. The increased hierarchical anomaly index is attributed to the existence of faults and lineaments, which represent weakness zones. The hypsometric curves of the three basins have a typical shape of old stage with rejuvenation in their central and terminal portions which is changed into mature stage, most probably due to the local uplift which is caused by normal, thrust, and strike–slip (oblique) faults which exist in the study area and the near surroundings. The Bs and Hat values in Hareer, Dwaine, and Hijran basins indicate that the basins exhibit low, medium, and high tectonic activity, respectively.