Tectonic Setting of Qamchuqa Formation:

The Qamchuqa Limestone Formation is the Important, Massive, Feature-Forming Limestone Unit of the Middle-Lower Cretaceous Succession in Kurdistan. It forms the Carapace of Some of the More Impressive Anticlinal Mountains in the Folded Belt. Bellen et al, (1959) mentioned that the Qamchuqa Formation was first

described by Wetzel 1950 in unpublished report and Henson 1954 referred to it as Qamchuqa limestone. It consists of about 650 meters of alternation of wellbedded,grey colored, dolomite and light grey limestone or dolomitic limestone.He mentioned that in the very early reports of the Iraqi Petroleum Company, the Qamchuqa Formation was called the Judea Formation due to overlook correlation with the Judea Formation of Cenomanian age, in Lebanon and Palestine. The name of Qamchuqa Formation is derived from the name of Qamchuqa village, which is located directly to the southwest of the type section, about 45 Km northwest of Sulaimani city in the High Folded Zone (Figs1 and 2) Hudson (1954, In Al-Sadooni,1978) Studied the Qamchuqa Formation in the Study Area at Bekhme Gorge Which is Located 30 Km East of Aqra City (Fig 3). He Divided the Section,Based on Age, into Seven Units, from Valanginian to Albian; Upper Dolostone Unit, Albian Unit, Lower Dolostone Unit, Lower Aptian Unit, Barremian Unit, Hauterivian Unit and Valanginian Unit. He Recorded The Thickness of 804 Meters for the Formation in the Gorge. Qamchuqa Formation Transported Towards Northeast and Deposited in Relatively Deep Water as Balambo Formation,The Tectonic Setting of the Qamchuqa Formation Was a Wide Forebulge Formed by Flexture of the Subducted Arabian Plate due to A Tectonic Load (of The Ophiolite Obduction and Accretionary Prism) That Accumulated by Southwest Advancing of Orogenic Wedge During Closure of the Neo-tethys(Ameen,2008:Znad,2013). In The Context of Arabian Plate Sequence Stratigraphy ,(Sharland et al 2001) Repose this Formation at the Top of Ap8 Separating From (Ap9) by MegaSequence Boundary, Which (Znad,2013) Gave A Name Forebulge Unconformity , Originated Between Arabian Plate Passive Margin Phase(Ap8) and Zagrose Proto-Foreland Basin Phase(Ap9) (C.F). The erosional gap in the Study Area According to( Bellen et al 1959) Extended Between Qamchiqa Fm.( Valanganian- Albian) and Bekhme Fm.(Late Campanian -Masstrichtian). Qamchuqa Fn Represent the Pre-Orogenic Carbonate Platform where bekhme Formation act as Syn-Orogenic Carbonate Platform (znad,2013).