1. United States Geological Survey
Iraq Mining 2011
United States Geological Survey
Iraq Minerals Project
Greg Fernette, Jeff Doebrich and Michael Foose

3. USGS Iraq Minerals Project
Objective: to promote economic development of the Iraqi mineral sector through technical assistance to Geosurv.
Geosurv is a highly professional organization with qualified and competent personnel who has developed a vast archive of high quality information on the geology and mineral resources of Iraq. As a result the USGS was focused on modernization, training and testing of less newer exploration concepts.
The project had four components:
Laboratory
Geophysics
Mineral Resources
Training

4. USGS Iraq Minerals Project – Laboratory Component
Objective: technical assistance with modernization of Geosurv Laboratories.
Work completed:
Laboratory reviews by USGS staff in June 2009 and April 2010.
Prepared recommendations for new equipment, LIMS and training.
Training in Denver June 2011.

5. USGS Iraq Minerals Project – Geophysics Component
Objective: Restoring a National Treasure through recovery of airborne geophysical data flown in 1975.
Work Completed
Data recovery.
Staff Training.

6. USGS Iraq Minerals Project – Geophysics Component
Airborne Surveys flown in data in 15 Blocks
Survey 2 km
Tie 10 km
Data is stored on magnetic tapes archived by Geosurv
Recovery contracted to Frontier Processing Company in Denver, Colorado.

7. USGS Iraq Minerals Project – Geophysics Component
99.99 % data recovered on 25 tapes.
99.96 % data recovered on 3 tapes.
73.02 % data recovered on Tape 508.
Aeromagnetic data is of excellent quality and quantity
Only Total Radiometric data could be recovered.
Total radiometrics map.
Reduced-to-pole magnetic (RTP) map.

8. USGS Iraq Minerals Project – Minerals Component
Objective: to assist Geosurv with the promotion of mineral resource development in Iraq via topical mineral resource investigations and training.
Map production and GIS.
MVT investigation in Anbar Province.
Anbar geochemical survey.
Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt investigations.
Training.

9. USGS Iraq Minerals Project – Minerals Component
Map Production and GIS
Map showing active mineral processing plants and quarries in Iraq.
Prepared from data compiled by Mustafa and others of Geosurv.

10. USGS Iraq Minerals Project – Minerals Component
Anbar MVT Investigation
Dr. Tim Hayes of the USGS published a map highlighting areas with the base metals potential in sedimentary rocks in Saudi Arabia .
The potential lead-zinc environments identified in Saudi Arabia extend into Iraq in the Rutba area. These areas are also the site of zinc geochemical anomalies identified in Geosurv soil surveys conducted in the early 1980’s.

11. USGS Iraq Minerals Project – Minerals Component
Anbar Geochemical Survey
Objective to test ideas concerning base-metals potential, and provide training in regional wadi sediment sampling and data interpretation.
Work completed:
Field training in Anbar 2010.
More than 400 sediment samples collected by Geosurv in April-May 2011.
Analyses completed by USGS in June 2011.
Training in data interpretation in Denver July 2011.

12. USGS Iraq Minerals Project – Minerals Component
Anbar Geochemical Survey
Wadi sediment geochemical survey carried out by Geosurv in Analytical support provided by USGS.

13. USGS Iraq Minerals Project – Minerals Component
Anbar Geochemical Survey
Initial evaluation of results show a gold anomaly in the Ga’ara area north of Rutba.

14. USGS Iraq Minerals Project – Minerals Component
Anbar Geochemical Survey
Iron and heavy mineral rich beds in the Ga’ara Sandstone, the likely source of the gold anomaly.
Geosurv field crew sediment sampling, Anbar Province, June 2011.
Gold grains in the Ga’ara Sandstone. Mustafa and Tobia (2010)

15. USGS Iraq Minerals Project – Minerals Component
Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt Investigations
Objective to evaluate the potential for mineralization in the Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt, to provide training to Geosurv in the evaluation of mineralization in ophiolite sequences and related rocks.
Work Completed:
Field reconnaissance in April 2010.
Field work (geologic examinations, geochemical sampling) and training June-July 2010.
Analytical work March-April 2011.

16. USGS Iraq Minerals Project – Minerals Component
Northern Iraq – Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt Mineral Potential
Bard-i-Zard – listwaenite alteration reported. Possible gold mineralization.
Spidareh – thrust zone intruded by granitic sills. Possible gold mineralization.
Northern Thrust Zone – Numerous lead-zinc-barite occurrences in carbonate rocks.
Marabasta – possible Sedex lead-zinc deposit.
Most of the known metallic mineral occurrences in Iraq are located in northern Iraq in or near the Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt.
Mawat ophiolite – known copper mineralization.
Shalair Valley: part of the Sinandaj-Sirjan Zone which is highly mineralized in Iran.

17. USGS Iraq Minerals Project – Minerals Component
Training
Geochemical sampling techniques May 2010, Anbar Province, June-July 2010 Northern Iraq.
Mineral exploration and geology June-July, Northern Iraq.
Grade-tonnage estimation and reporting September 2010, Baghdad.
Geophysical data processing and interpretation September 2010 Istanbul.
Laboratory techniques and management June 2011, Denver.
GIS, map preparation and geochemical data interpretation June-July 2011, Denver.

18. United States Geological Survey Iraq Minerals Project
Concluding Remarks
Mineral Investment is Broadly of Three Types
Local – mainly construction materials and industrial minerals, large overall investment in low unit-value commodities often as a result of housing and infrastructure projects (e.g. mega- housing projects).
Regional – often construction related and tied to real estate and infrastructure investment (e.g. KRG cement) but may also include other commodities (e.g. bentonite for oil and gas use).
Foreign – focus on high unit value and/or large deposits, potential export commodities (dollar denominated) or that support existing investments; e.g. oil and gas.

19. Geology Determines Mineral Resources
Iraq is in the northern Arabian Plate which determines the geologic provinces of the country.

20. Geologic environments in Iraq dictate that most mineral deposits are non-metallic.

21. Iraq Mineral Production 1999-2009
(USGS Minerals Yearbook)
Commodity/Year
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Construction Materials
Cement
2,000,000
181,834,000
55,901,000
17,500,000
18,000,000
18,500,000
19,500,000
21,440,000
8,500,000
Gravel NA
7,823,000
9,708,000
10,000,000
Industrial Minerals
Bauxite
4,928
250
Bentonite
570
1,605
3,959
Clay - Common
1,019,000
1,777,000
2,283,000
Clay - Kaolin
3,545
1,524
1,980
Gypsum
349,000
347,000
1,364,000
Ironstone
40,000
3,000
Limestone
642,000
275,000
316,000
Phosphate Rock
220,000
200,000
100,000
532,000
90,000
30,000
10,000
Salt
300,000
203,000
50,000
153,000
109,000
113,000
Sand - Feldspathic
543
Sand - Standard 32 26 30
Sand - Silica
Sulfur - Byproduct
2,000
1,000
20,000
Sulfur - Frasch
98,000
NA: Data not available.
Mineral production in Iraq (like most countries) is dominated by construction materials.

22. Some Commodities Attractive for Investment in Iraq
Sand and gravel, brick clay, cement – abundant and well documented by Geosurv. As these commodities are developed for local markets export demand may arise, especially for cement. Attractive to local and regional investors.
Barite, bentonite and high purity silica sand to support the petroleum industry. Can be attractive to oil and gas companies already operating in Iraq, particularly regional companies.
Phosphate. Iraq has very large deposits which could attract foreign investment.

23. Deposit Name
Metric Tons
Grade P205%
Akashat
1,764,700,000
21.0 H3
332,100,000
17.9
Ethna
218,780,000
18.1
Swab
3,502,900,000
21.7

24. Iraq Phosphate Deposits – World Context
Deposit Name
Metric Tons
Grade P205%
Akashat
1,764,700,000
21.0 H3
332,100,000
17.9
Ethna
218,780,000
18.1
Swab
3,502,900,000
21.7
Grade-Tonnage Curves for Upwelling Type Phosphate Deposits
(Cox and Singer, 1986)

25. Note that there is potential to add tonnage at higher grades (>25%).
In addition the hanging wall of the deposit includes 4,268 million metric tons of limestone averaging 19 m thick 54% CaO, 0.24% MgO and 0.13% Fe2O3 which is suitable for cement raw material and other industrial uses.
3.5 Billion Tons
Average grade 21% P2O5

26. Why invest in Iraqi phosphate?
From White and Cordell (2010)

27. United States Geological Survey
Iraq Minerals Project
Thank You