Geographical distribution of geological structures of Koya district and their effect its groundwater level

Abstract

Water is one of the primary resources of life for all beings (humans, animals, and plants), and people try to obtain it by any possible means. In this study, we attempt to examine the geographical distribution of geological formations in the Koya district and their effects on groundwater levels. Koya district is one of the districts of Erbil Governorate, located in the southeastern part. Geographically, it lies located between northern latitudes 35.47 and 36.18, and eastern longitudes 44.15 and 44.57 )).

In this study, both the descriptive and analytical approaches were used to describe the natural aspects and analyze the geological formations, as well as to determine their capacity for water retention and runoff. In addition, to obtain the data and results of this study, reliance was placed on the geological map of the study area, a high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM 30 m), and the GIS software (ArcMap v10.4.1).

There are 14 geological formations in the study area and they date belong to two backperiods, namely Cenozoic and Mesozoic The second period, which includes the Cretaceous period, and the third period, which includes two periods, the Eocene period and the Miocene period Fourth, it includes two periods: the Pliocene and the Holocene. In this study, we found that the Upper Bakhtiari Formation (Bay Hassan): The largest area of ​​the study area, which reaches (1269.83) km2, which is (62.34%) of the total geological area of ​​the area It constitutes an investigation. The catchment layer also constitutes the largest area of ​​the study area with an area of ​​(1557.137) km2, accounting for (76.54%) of the total groundwater area.Therefore, in these areas it is possible to obtain more water output with lower cost, greater efficiency, and higher.