Ministry Of Water Resources chapter 4
Directorate For Engineering Designs
Khasa Chai Dam
Part 1 /preliminary report
CHAPTER FOUR
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY
4.1 – GENERAL
The proposed Dam is located on Khasa Chai River at about 10 km north east
the town of Kirkuk in the upper basin of Adhaim river , the highest point on this
river is 920 m asl. Khasa Chai river generally flow in a North-East to South –
Westerly direction within the foot hills region then reaches the semi arid Kirkuk
plain.
4.2 – TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEY WORKS
The following, topographic survey works were carried out by the General
directorate for Engineering Designs survey team for the dam site.
A network of concrete bench marks were placed on both banks and within the
bed of Khasa Chai river at 13 cross sections (3 at each) within 1500 m reach at
the proposed dam sit. Connected to the reference benchmarks. X, Y,&Z
coordinates were recorded .
13 cross-Sections across the Khasa Chai River at a spacing of 100 m were
surveyed covering the 1500 m reach at the dam site Fig.(4-1).
using all the information obtained from the survey an 1:5000 scale
topographical map with 1 m contour interval for the dam site is constructed. This
map is shown in Fig.(4-2).
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Ministry Of Water Resources chapter 4
Directorate For Engineering Designs
Khasa Chai Dam
Part 1 /preliminary report
RIGHT
FLOW
LEFT
SECTION RIGHT SIDE MARK LEFT SIDE MARK
No. ELV. E N ELV. E N
A1 494.999 451481 3934116 483.118 452230 3932959
A2 482.413 451674 3934118 486.482 452346 3932977
A3 485.010 451756 3934212 486.384 452462 3933106
A4 486.057 451829 3934248 487.890 452434 3933235
A5 486.662 451905 3934250 488.000 452906 3932602
A6 487.093 452034 3934287 504.348 453064 3932508
A7 487.717 452068 3934392 490.056 453017 3932774
A8 485.382 452215 3934273 482.743 452840 3933455
A9 491.576 452243 3934370 487.394 452015 3933514
A10 491.660 452349 3934542 484.812 452960 3933547
A11 494.907 452430 3934548 486.045 453009 3933567
A12 493.736 452581 3934650 511.891 453492 3932888
A13 491.736 452630 3934589 488.607 453290 3933409
FIG.(4-1) Location of Surveyed Cross-Sections
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Ministry Of Water Resources chapter 4
Directorate For Engineering Designs
Khasa Chai Dam
Part 1 /preliminary report
FIG.(4-2) The Topographic Map Drawn From
Cross-Section
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Ministry Of Water Resources chapter 4
Directorate For Engineering Designs
Khasa Chai Dam
Part 1 /preliminary report
RIGHT
BM.No.6
BM.No.8
FLOW
BM. No.1
BM.No.7 LEFT
B.M. No. LOCATION COORDINATES ELEVATION
E N M asl
BM1 River Bed 451772 3933677 441.279
BM2 River Bed 452067 3933830 444.231
BM3 River Bed 452371 3934065 447.462
BM4 River Bed 452495 3934272 449.493
BM5 River Bed 452674 3934355 450.939
BM6 River Bed 453016 3934278 454.514
BM7 L.BANK 452230 3932959 483.188
BM8 R.BAMK 451481 3934116 484.999
FIG.(4-3) BENCH MARKS LOCATIONS
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Ministry Of Water Resources chapter 4
Directorate For Engineering Designs
Khasa Chai Dam
Part 1 /preliminary report
4.3 – GENERAL GEOLOGY
The project site lies in the foothills of the Mountains of, which culminate in the
Zagros Chain to the east. These Foothills form a fold belt ,in which the
outcropping geological series range from Tertiary to Quaternary ,with
nevertheless an over whelming predominance of the Mio-Pliocene series
The following series are known from the oldest to the most recent as:
Miocene-Fars Series
Gypsum ,red and green marls with few limestone beds,
Red marls and sandstone cemented to varying degrees, including a pile up of a
large number of beds of marl alternating with sandstone beds
Pliocene –Bakhtiari series
Reddish-brown to brown marls
4.4 – DAM SITE GEOLOGY
In the project area, the Khasa Chai valley crosses the northwest plunge
of the Qadir karam syncline. The Bakhtiari series here have a dip direction
almost perpendicular to the valley so that the bed slope downwards across the
bed from left to right banks. The angle of dip is small, varying between 5 to 8
degrees.
The bed of Khasa Chai runs approximately along the contact line
between the soft series of the left bank and the more compact series of the right
bank where they likely over line the series exposed in the left bank.
On the left bank , the reddish clayey –silty marles form the major part of
the abutment, are generally covered by clayey weathering products. A few thin
beds of not very cemented soft sandstone are found in these marls.
On the right bank, the main formation is being silty and sandy clay. Beds
of locally well cemented conglomerates are abundant in this series. The
conglomerates are quite frequently found in the form of extensive lenses.
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Ministry Of Water Resources chapter 4
Directorate For Engineering Designs
Khasa Chai Dam
Part 1 /preliminary report
Above the crest elevation of the proposed dam ,conglomerates form the
major part of the series, making up the pronounces relief limiting the Khasa Chai
valley Several erosion ,and alluvial deposition phenomena are visible at the site.
At the top of the left bank abutment , the thin layers of gravel and sand belongs
to the upper terrace. In the vicinity of the slope cutting the left bank abutment
near the bottom, well cemented conglomerates lie on older formations.
The Khasa Chai valley is 300-350 m wide ,it contains cobbles and gravel
(extensively exploited further downstream ) and sand they are 3.5 to 5.0 meters
thick. On the right bank, the alluvial formations are covered by the alluvial talus
of a tributary torrent of the Khasa Chai. The conditions described above can be
extended upstream within the reservoir area , the right bank formed of series of
conglomerates and the left bank by reddish marls therefore, no leakage problem
is expected.
4.6 – TECTONICS
No faults or other tectonic disturbances are existent . the difference in
nature of formations on the banks would seem to be the result of normal
superposition.
4.7 – GEOTECHNICAL INVESTIGATION PROGRAM
Due to very limited investigations carried so far as presented in the
previous studies, Additional detailed investigations are needed according to the
contract. The scope included Drilling 20 bore holes along the proposed Dam
axis to a depth maximum 60 meters.
Studying the topographical survey maps and cross-sections and based of
our site visits the axis of the dam is selected to be between sections 4 and 6 this
axis will join the two abutments at elevation 496.50 m asl, which is found to be
the best place at which the reservoir is confined and the spillway located.
Therefore the axis of the dam is bounded by the following benchmarks:
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Directorate For Engineering Designs
Khasa Chai Dam
Part 1 /preliminary report
Bench Mark Coordinates Elevation
N E M asl
Left 3933254 452441 497.10
right 3934306 452041 496.80
The bore holes will be distributed on this axis of the dam and spillway
and on lines perpendicular on the dam axis so that enough geological profiles
can be obtained. The proposed layout of boreholes is shown in Fig.(4-3).
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Directorate For Engineering Designs
Khasa Chai Dam
Part 1 /preliminary report
FIG. (4-3) GEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS - BOREHOLES
PROPOSED LAYOUT
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Directorate For Engineering Designs
Khasa Chai Dam
Part 1 /preliminary report
The investigations will include the following works :
BORING
1-Drilling 20 boreholes , 16 at the dam site and 4 along the spillway axis with a
total depth of boring of 1100 m these boreholes are located as shown in Fig. (4-
3)
2-Carrying out field tests including 60 standard penetration tests and 50
permeability tests.
3- extraction of 50 undisturbed samples.
4- collection of 150 disturbed core samples.
Drill holes to be drilled in all types of materials with core diameter not less
than 76 mm casing pipes will be used to protect holes from collapses of loose
cohesion less materials wherever they will be encountered.
TEST pits
5-digging 10 tests pits 4 m deep in soil to
investigate for construction materials borrow
area.
6-Extraction of 50 Disturbed samples.
7-Extraction of 20 undisturbed samples.
OTHERS
8- carrying out 2000 m resistivity profiling.
9- Preparation and submission of final report.
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Part 1 /preliminary report
LABORATORY WORKS
The laboratory works will includes the following tests:
No. Test Unit Quantity
1 Natural water content No. 20
2 Natural dry density No. 20
3 Specific gravity No. 50
4 Grain size analysis(sieving) No. 50
5 Grain size No. 30
analysis(hydrometer)
6 Atterberg limits No. 30
7 Chemical tests
TSS % 10
Gypsum Content % No. 20
CaCo3 % 20
8 Compaction test No. 20
9 Direct shear test No. 10
10 Triaxial test No. 10
11 Soundness No. 10
12 Consolidation No. 10
13 Compressive strength No. 20
AIMS
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Ministry Of Water Resources chapter 4
Directorate For Engineering Designs
Khasa Chai Dam
Part 1 /preliminary report
The aims of these planned investigations are;
1- determinations of detailed geological conditions of the dam foundation
including the ,determination of the lithologic units and observation of the
thickness of quaternary deposits, depth of bed rock ,and determination of
bedrock contours below the recent deposits and their characteristics.
2- Determination of the hydrological conditions of foundation, permeability of
strata encountered, and detection of ground water table.
3- Determination of the elasto-dynamic properties of rock samples .
4- Investigation of borrow areas for construction materials within short
hauling distances and determination of their suitability for construction of
the dam, in quality and quantity.
4.8 – GEOMORPPHOLOGY OF THE CATCHMENT AREA
The proposed dam site located at the mouth (outlet) of shallow and
elongated valley, called Khassa valley. The main streams which form the valley
nearly have constant and very gently slope of about 1:100, and they show the
meandering pathway and consequently, during the geological time, these
streams formed many flat plains along the two sides of the valley which are
known as floodplain and point bars. The valley supply water from two main
branches, the right one (comes from the north ) which is originated from
Mamrash village and flow along Klawqut, Dalo, and Perjan villages, and the
second one (left branch, which is the largest) sourced near the Chamchamal
town from Ibrahim Agha, Hamza, and passes across Bina, Bingrd, Saidan,
Goran, Sarti, and Shurja villages. The two branches are confluent near the great
Sura Dea (village) about 5 km upstream of the proposed dam site (Fig.4-4).
Although the two branches are perennial stream, the whole area drained
by many annually intermittent sub streams which make heavy rainfalls gush
through the valley during the rainy seasons. In general the area classified
geomorphoplogically as
a badland. The catchment area has the fan shape with very gently slope and an
area estimated to be about 430 – 440 km 2.
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Ministry Of Water Resources chapter 4
Directorate For Engineering Designs
Khasa Chai Dam
Part 1 /preliminary report
The nature of the outcrop (semi homogeneous and somewhat soft) makes
uniform topography land and controls low order streams (first and second
orders) of drainage pattern to form the dendritic shape, while the general slopes
of the basin controls the high orders of the streams (main branches ) to form the
parallel drainage pattern. The first order streams of the upper part of the
catchment originated from an area near the contact between Upper Fars and
Lower Bakhtiary Formations, over silty-clay dominant rocks, and passed across
the thick conglomerate outcrop of Upper Backhtiary Formation. There are some
hills and small mountains on the central part of the catchment with elevations
reach about 800m.
The foreseen reservoir lake with its maximum level (around 500m above
S.L.) will submerged around 8 Km 2 of an area upstream of the proposed dam
site. This area including about five habitation villages ( Kochak, Hamai Shaswar,
ancient & new Sura dea and Shorja) with their agricultural lands. In addition,
numbers of quarries of construction materials (gravel and sand) around the dam
also are affected.
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