An-Najaf province considered one of the most
important cities in Iraq, which is facing rapid population
growth and continuous development in constructions such as
housing, hotels, bridges and shopping malls. Therefore, this
study aims to create a database for the gypsum content in AnNajaf province (Najaf center and Al-Kufa city). To evaluate
the spatial variability of gypsum content, 464 boreholes and in
situ tests were selected and analyzed using Geographic
Information System (GIS). To achieve that, the adopted
method consisted of four steps: (1) data collection; (2)
geotechnical data georeferencing; (3) interpolation methods
and (4) establishment of maps. Nine geotechnical maps were
produced for depths (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 35) m.
Results showed that the largest part of the study area for the
depths from 0-4 m had a gypsum content ranged between 10-
25% (moderately gypsiferous), whereas the depths from 4-8 m
had a gypsum content ranged between 3-10% (slightly
gypsiferous), and the depths from 8-35 m had a gypsum
content ranged between 0.3-3% (very slightly gypsiferous).
This concludes that the layers from 0-4 m are exceeding the
allowed limits (10% gypsum content), which may affect the
stability of constructions due to the high levels of groundwater
in Najaf province |