The Effect of Different Parent Materials and Topography on the Mineral Properties of some Soils in Sulaymaniyah Governorate

A study transect was chosen in the Sulaymaniyah Plain, extending from the Hiybat Sultan Heights in the north to the Qara dagh Heights in the south, and represented by four soil pedons (Hiybat Sultan, Khalikan, Bakra Jaw, and Qara Dagh), where both the Bakra Jaw and Khalikan pedons represent the sites of the plain region. This study was conducted for the purpose of knowing the effect of both the parent material and topography on the mineral properties of these soils. The results of diffraction X-ray examination of clay separated particles showed that the arrangement of clay minerals according to their dominance was according to the following order: smectite minerals > mica> chlorite >layered minerals > kaolinites. While the dominance of mica minerals within the soils of the plains of the plain region is due to the influence of the source material, slope, topography, and distance from high ends.