Geostatistical Analysis Application to Evaluate Heavy Mineral Distribution in Stream Sediments of Shwan Sub-Basin, Kirkuk, Northern Iraq

Heavy mineral data from recent stream sediments were subjected to geo-statistical and multivariate statistical analysis to look at the sediments' provenance, source rocks, and spatial distribution. Consequently, fourteen stream sediment samples were collected from the Shwan sub-basin, the northeastern part of Kirkuk City, Northern Iraq. Opaque minerals dominate the heavy mineral assemblage, accounting for 27% of its total weight. More than 28% of the transparent heavy minerals are composed of unstable minerals, such as pyroxene and amphibole; roughly 29% are composed of metastable minerals, such as garnet, epidote, staurolite, sillimanite, and kyanite, and to a lesser amount, chlorite, biotite, and muscovite. At the same time, some samples contain minor or trace amounts of rutile, zircon, and tourmaline. Opaque minerals are positively correlated with amphibole and pyroxene and negatively correlated with tourmaline, garnet, and zircon. On the other hand, unstable minerals (amphibole and pyroxene) show a positive correlation with each other while showing a negative correlation with tourmaline, garnet, and zircon. Biotite shows a positive correlation with sillimanite and kyanite. Chlorite shows a significant positive correlation with muscovite. Tourmaline–garnet and tourmaline–zircon are positively correlated, indicating distinct source rock types. Based on geostatistical analysis, the heavy minerals were divided into four groups: Group 1 (opaque minerals), group 2 (epidote- pyroxene- amphibole), Group 3 (zircon- chlorite- biotite- tourmaline) related to igneous source rocks, and group 4 (sillimanite- kyanite- rutile, staurolite- muscovite) related to medium to high-grade metamorphic source rocks. The heavy mineral assemblage in the sediments of the Shwan sub-Basin indicates that they are derived from geological formations exposed in the drainage basin.