Evaluation of Clay Deposits for the Manufacture of Bricks in the Bazian Basin, Northern Iraq

The study area is located in northeastern Iraq within the borders of Sulaymaniyah, about 30 km west of Sulaymaniyah Governorate. This study aims to evaluate the mud deposits for the manufacture of clay bricks. A group of formations exposed back to the Tertiary period is revealed in this area: the Kolosh Formation, which consists of a sequence of dark-colored clay deposits, the Sinjar Formation, which consists mainly of limestone, the Gercus Formation, which consists of sequences of red clay and marl, and the Pila Spi Formation, which consists of limestone, in addition to the quaternary deposits consisting mainly of clay. The physical properties were studied, which included the grain size, atterburg limits, and moisture content. The chemical properties were also studied using the technique of (XRF). The mineral properties of the clay in the study area were studied using the technique of (XRD). The study of physical and chemical properties showed that the Kolosh Formation deposits are unfitious for the manufacture of bricks due to the lack of clay, which helps in the formation of models, in addition to the very high magnesium ratio 22%. These properties are infectious for the manufacture of the bricks. As for the clays of Gercus Formatin, the physical properties showed that they contained a high percentage of clay, up to 52%, then sand, which up to 31%, and contained a low percentage of clay, up to 17%. The physical properties also showed that the plasticity limit is high and needs additional amounts of water to form bricks. The mineral study showed that it contains paleogorskite, this was chemically reflected, as the results of (XRF) showed that it contains a high percentage of magnesium up to 9% and a high percentage of iron. The study also showed the failure of the samples prepared from the Gercus Formation samples due to the high absorption rate and low compressive strength. As for the quaternary deposits, they consist mainly of clays up to 60%, a high percentage of silt 47%, and a small percentage of sand 6%. The physical properties also showed that the plasticity limit is low, which helps in the formation of bricks. The mineral study also showed the presence of clay minerals (montmorillint, ilite, paleogorskite, and chlorite). As for the chemical properties, they contain a good percentage of alumina up to 9% and a percentage of iron up to 5% to a low percentage of magnesium. The study showed that bricks using Quaternary deposits fall into category A according to Iraqi Standard Specification No. 25.