JABAL KHANUQAH. 17 



by the " Gogaiyir Kocks," dipping south-west, i.e., apparently under 

 the Pars and thus confirming the presence of an E. — W. oblique 

 dip-fault with a down-throw on the north. The Gogaiyir Rocks 

 consist also of the same sandstone. This fault must be met or 

 crossed by another running N.— S. or N.W.— S.E., since this sand- 

 stone series extends no further to the west. The River Tigris has 

 taken advantage of these faults to eat deeply into the range at this 

 point. Since the south-eastern end of these Humr Hills forms a 

 similar straight scarp, it is probable that there is a corresponding 

 dip-fault here also. 



Petroleum. 



Enquiries elicited no reports of seepages of oil or sulphur, but on 

 two separate occasions I noticed a very slight odour of bitumen 

 near the mouth of the stream draining the northern part of the Humr 

 Hills- and issuing at the Gogaiyir Rocks, though I was unable to find 

 any visible hydrocarbon indications. 



The structure and age of the rocks exposed are favourable signs 

 respecting the presence of oil, but the prospects of boring obviously 

 depend upon what is found in the Jabal Makhul and upon the pos- 

 sibility that oil horizons were not confined to the upper portions of 

 the exposed Fare beds but occur also in the deeper layers forming the 

 anticline not laid bare by the denuding action of the Tigris. Should 

 oil be found in commercial quantities in the latter range, the Jabal 

 Khanuqah ought also to be tested by a boring on the crest near the 

 highest point of the range, five or six miles N.N.W. of Qal'at-al- 

 Bint. The Humr Hills, in spite of the two faults which do not 

 disturb the crest-maximum, might also be worth limited testing. 



December, 1918. 



REPORT No. 4.— PROSPECTS OF OBTAINING OIL IN THE JABAL 

 QAIYARAH 1 AND ITS CONTINUATION, THE JABAL NAJMAH. 



Maps. — i inch=l mile ; PL 3. 



Introduction. 



The Jabal Qaiyarah extends in a general W.N.W. direction 



from the right bank of the Tigris at Qaiyarah 1 military post which i< 



35 miles south of Mosul and 22| miles north of Sharqat. It 



does not reach the river, but sinks gradually to low ground forming 



1 "Kiara," "Guyara," "Gayarah," "Gaiyarah," and many other forms. 



