Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Science - Department of Geology

Geotechnical evaluation of rock mass along the proposed Qara-Sard tunnel, near Dokan dam, Dokan district, northwest of Sulaymaniyah city, Kurdistan region {u2013}NE Iraq is carried out. The length of proposed tunnel from the inlet 2Southwest3 to the outlet 2Northeast3 is about 3580 m, where Sarmord, Qamchuqa and Kometan Formations are exposed. This study consists of four parts: data collection stage (pre-field), field, laboratory work and office work. Pre-field work was started by collecting published scientific papers, maps, reports and technical articles about the engineering geology and geotechnical evaluation of rocks in the region. The field work included survey and collecting geological data about bedding planes, joint and shear zone with their characteristics, also the relationship of the most important discontinuity (here bedding plane) with the propose tunnel axis. The result of this survey the rock masses were divided into (32) rock mass units (RMU) depending on Formation type, lithological variation and structural properties (bedding thickness, discontinuity spacing, and presence of fault or weak zone {u2026} etc.). Laboratory tests show that the Uniaxial Compressive Strength (UCS) ({u03EC}ci of 50mm sample diameter) of Kometan and Qamchuqa Formations carbonate rocks range between 71.713{u2013}208.131 MPa, these rock are strong-very strong rocks, present at the limbs of Qara-Sard anticline and forming the carapace (especially Qamchuqa Formation rock) of anticline. The {u03EC}ci(50) of Sarmord Formation carbonate rocks range between 31.025{u2013}54.959 MPa, these rocks are moderately strong-strong rocks present at the core of the Qara-Sard anticline

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