Alwand River
The Alwand or Halwan (Template:Langx, Template:Langx, Template:Langx) is a river in eastern Iraq and western Iran. It rises in the Zagros Mountains in Iran.[1]
The river flows west from the mountains to the city of Qasr-e Shirin, where it turns south and crosses the border with Iraq. It then divides the city of Khanaqin in two parts. It has played a significant role in land cultivation and in establishment of a strong rural society in the area, and is considered by the people of Khanaqin a symbol for their unity and Kurdish identity.
The river joins the Diyala River at Zengabadh.[1][2]
Name
According to Vladimir Minorsky, the name "Alwand" is related to the name of the historical city of Hulwan, which lay on the river near the present-day city of Sarpol-e Zahab.[3]Template:Rp
Geography
The Alwand basin is located on the western side of the Zagros and covers an area of about 2,700 km2.[2]Template:Rp The climate of this region is semiarid to Mediterranean, with cool winters and dry summers.[2]Template:Rp It receives an average of about 530 mm of rainfall per year.[2]Template:Rp The region is characterized by karst terrain, and there are about 35 karst springs in the Alwand basin (12 major and 23 minor).[2]Template:Rp
Geology
The Alwand basin features seven main anticlines, which are separated from each other by synclines.[2]Template:Rp About 36% of the basin is made up of carbonate formations, primarily the Asmari Formation.[2]Template:Rp The Asmari Formation, which makes up the main body of the anticlines, consists of Tertiary dolomitic limestone and dolomite.[2]Template:Rp Above it lie layers of the marl-and-sandstone Aghajari Formation or the gypsum-and-marl Gachasaran Formation.[2]Template:Rp Below it is the Cretaceous Pabdeh-Gurpi Formation, which consists of marl and shale.[2]Template:Rp Another carbonate formation, the Cretaceous Ilam Formation, is made of limestone and is only exposed in the Patagh anticline.[2]Template:Rp The Asmari Formation, confined beneath the impermeable Aghajari and Gachasaran Formations, is the main aquifer in the Alwand basin.[2]Template:Rp
See also
- Alwand Dam
- Alwand refinery (1927)
References
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