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Geologic Field Trips Are Turkish Delights

By PINAR OYA YILMAZ, Technical Program Chair

This month's column has been written by Pinar Oya Yilmaz, chair of next year's regional international conference in Istanbul, Turkey.

International Regional Conference
July 9-12, 2000

Planning for AAPG's inaugural international regional conference, set July 9-12, is in the final planning stages -- and participants registering on or before Nov. 15 will pay the $350 fee set when the event was originally scheduled for last July.

The delay of a year (almost to the day) has allowed conference planners to proceed in a healthier and more stable business environment, and will allow speakers to incorporate up-to-the-minute data and leading-edge technology in their presentations.

This newest format of AAPG international meeting -- focused, topical, without exhibition but still open to all wishing to attend -- will be launched under excellent circumstances. That means a top-quality conference for all participants.

In addition to the technical program, the originally scheduled short courses and field trips will be offered. Courses in sequence stratigraphy and rift and passive margin turbidite systems will be featured; both short courses will be held at the Istanbul Technical University, with transportation provided to and from the Hilton, the headquarters hotel.

Attendees also will have the opportunity to participate in any of the three spectacular field trips being offered -- one pre-conference and two post-conference.

The geology of the Black Sea region will be viewed and studied in a field trip prior to Istanbul 2000. Photo courtesy of Sami Derman

 The pre-conference field trip, led by A. Sami Derman (Turkish Petroleum Corp.) and professor Naci Gorur (Istanbul Technical University), will focus on Black Sea rift sequences.

This trip will highlight the evolution of the Black Sea from Paleozoic continental margin sedimentation to late Mesozoic rifting and Cretaceous-Eocene island arc/subduction complexes that culminated with the collision of Tauride-Anatolian and Arabian blocks.

Along the route from Istanbul to Zonguldak, continental Permian and marine Triassic sections will be examined. Near Zonguldak, famous Carboniferous coal-bearing formations will be studied. Stratigraphic section continues with outcrops of Late Jurassic shallow marine carbonates and Early Cretaceous shallow marine clastics.

The trip will conclude with stops along the Cretaceous-Eocene island arc volcanics and sediments, finishing in Safranbolu, site of some of the most beautiful old timber house examples of old Ottoman architecture.

 The first post-conference field trip will examine the geology of the Aegean Sea and its impact on ancient civilizations. The route will roughly follow the region's grabens and fault zones from Ephesus to Selcuk to Miletus to Aphrodisias to the site of Hierapolis.

Participants will learn not only about the geology but also the region's ancient history, religions and economy.

This trip will be led by professors A.M. Celal Sengor and Yucel Yilmaz, Istanbul Technical University; Arthur R. Green, Exxon; Metin Yazman, Turkish Petroleum; and Nezih Basgelen, archeologist.

This field trip not only highlights the rich historical past of the area, but also discusses geological controls behind the settlements, including:

• Aegean grabens.
• Menderes massif core complex faults.
• Neogene and Quaternary sedimentation and tectonics within the east-west trending grabens.

Incidentally, Ephesus is the site of the enormous temple of Artemis, considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and which dates in its latest form from the third century B.C. The harbor of Ephesus is several kilometers inland today -- the result of the Meander River alluvial plain expansion.

Also viewed with be the town of Selcuk, dominated by a Byzantine citadel and the sixth century basilica of St. John built on the site of the apostle's tomb; Miletus, one of the great lonian ports; the site where the Great Meander fault disappears into the Aegean Sea, noted for the delta fan that was cut off during the 1970 earthquake; the famous archeological site at Aphrodisias, which rose to prominence in the first century B.C.; the Denizli Kizildere Geothermal Center; and Denizli, site of Hierapolis, the sacred city, where thermal spring waters laden with calcareous salts running have been used since Roman times for their therapeutic powers.

A crater of mud volcano with gas and oil seeps, found in Azerbaijan -- a site that will be visited on field trip 3. Photo by Pinar Oya Yilmaz

 Finally, the trip to the seeps and mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan's Gobuston region will present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see one of the most unusual geological and geothermal sites on the planet. The mud volcanoes resemble super-deep exploration wells, providing information on the migration of hydrocarbons.

(Imagine the sight of gigantic bursts of fire eruptions, the roaring of tens of millions of cubic feet of natural gas, and tons of mud roiling to the surface!)

Short course and field trip participation requires preplanning (e.g., to obtain visas) and, above all, preregistration for the conference.

Note that the Azerbaijan field trip has an early pre-registration deadline of June 1.

Click here for detailed information and registration forms or contact the AAPG convention department.

The Indonesian Association of Geologists (IAGI) will hold its 28th annual meeting Nov. 30-Dec. 1 in Jakarta, with the theme "Toward a Higher Standard of Professionalism."

Information and registration materials can be obtained by contacting the Organizing Committee's secretary, Noor Syarifuddin, c/o Exploration Dept., VICO Indonesia; telephone -- (62-21) 523-6290; and fax -- (62-21) 523-6044.

IAGI, along with HAGI, its sister society for geophysics, are co-hosts for the 2000 AAPG international conference and exhibition, set Oct. 15-18 on the island of Bali. The Indonesian Petroleum Association is AAPG's partner in this venture.

Watch for more information on the AAPG Web site.