عنوان المقالة: Geochemistry and mineralogical composition of the airborne particles of sand dunes and dust storms settled in Iraq and their environmental impacts
Five dust storms that occurred in 2008 (15
March, 11 April, 28 April, 25, May and 26 June) in addition
to the many sand dunes disseminated in the Western
Desert of Iraq are sampled. The worse dust storm that
occurred in Iraq in 11 April, 2008 covered 75% of the Iraq
area and deposited 6.9 million tons approximately as a
total weight of fallout during just 8 h, declining temperature
6C. During the episodes of dust storms, visibility
decreased enormously, no more than 30 m. Many people
were taken to hospitals after sustaining breathing problems.
Some of them died. Clay fraction is the dominant part in
the dust storms forming 70% besides a little silt (20.6%)
and sand (9.4%), then classified as mature arkose of clay to
sandy clay, whereas sand dunes are formed from 72.7%
sand, 25.1% silt and 2.19% clay, then classified as mature
arkose of silty sand. Sand dunes have much maturity.
Mineralogical composition of dust storms and sand dunes
are Quartz (49.2%, 67.1%), feldspar (4.9%, 20.9%), calcite
(38%, 5%), gypsum (4.8%, 0.4%), dolomite (0.8%, 1%)
and heavy minerals (3.2%, 6.6%), respectively. Heavy
mineral suites in the dust storms are represented by zircon,
pyroxene, hornblende, chlorite and magnetite; whereas the
sand dunes are represented by zircon, tourmaline, garnet
and pyroxene, concentrated within sand fraction. Heavy
minerals according to satellite images revealed the dry land
of Sahara Desert in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula
as well as Syria and Jordan were a major source of the dust
storms that have occurred in Asia, including Iraq.
صالح محمد عوض | Salih Muhammad Awadh | 11363