On December 23, 2025, the Department of Petroleum and Mining Engineering at Tishk International University (TIU) organized a geological field trip for second-year students along the Erbil–Shaqlawa road, aiming to enhance students’ practical understanding of regional geology and geological structures.
The field excursion included five main stops, each representing distinct and significant geological formations. The trip started at the Upper Bakhtiari Formation in the Khanzad District and continued through the Lower Bakhtiari, Upper Fars, Lower Fars, Pila Spi, Gercus, and Shiranish formations, before concluding at the Bekhme Formation near Shaqlawa town, where the field trip ended.
During the excursion, students closely examined the Pirmam Anticline and practiced the use of a geological compass to measure dip and strike, gaining essential hands-on field skills. At each stop, detailed discussions were held on the lithology of the exposed rock units, as well as key structural features including bedding planes, folds, fractures, and joints.
This field trip provided students with a valuable practical learning experience, strengthening their understanding of geological formations, structural geology, and field investigation techniques, and reinforcing the importance of fieldwork in petroleum and mining engineering education.
