Iraqi National Journal of Earth Sciences

Abstract

The present study has processed the gravity measurements which were prcviously reduced to sea level, using a constant density of 0.22 along two parallel traverses located to the north east of Guwair city near Upper Zab River. A geophysical model for each traverse was designed according to available geological data taking in consideration the lateral mass variation due to folding of the sedimentary sequences above the reduction plane.
The removals of the negative resultant gravity anomaly effects by the above processing have enhanced the gravity high. Furthermore, the geophysical models show the continuity of folding of stratigraphic sequence down to cretaceous rocks. This anticline (East Zab Anticline) seems to have the same structural characteristics of khurmala dome within Kirkuk Oil field. In addition, the study reveals that the axis of Zab structure is shifted to the north east due to the possible existence of strike slip fault trending NE-SW which causes the swinging of the surrounding fold axes.