Salt Crystallization and Mineralogy of Sabkhas in Abu Ghraib, Western Baghdad, Abu Graib, Iraq

Abstract

The research aims to study Sabkha mineralogy to know the mineral types, the nature of the precipitation, and the patterns of salt crystallization. Two Sabkhas in Abu Ghraib, west of Baghdad were studied. It was found that the Sabkhas were formed in flat ponds from saturated solutions in a semi-arid to an arid climate. Halite predominates, followed by anhydrite and gypsum as evaporite minerals. As for the minerals of the Sabkha soil, it consisted of feldspar, calcite, quartz, and dolomite, in addition to the clay minerals represented by kaolinite, illite, and chlorite. Needle form, Hopper shape, dendritic crystals and polygons shape are the main crystallization pattern dominantly in the Sabkhas. All these types of crystallization occurred under normal temperatures.