INTERNATIONAL UNDERGRADUATE GEOLOGY FIELD CAMP ALONG THE NORTH ANATOLIAN FAULT: TASKESTI, TURKEY

In the summer of 2004 South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT) presented a five-week field course utilizing the excellent geology, as well as the culture and history, of central Turkey (Anatolia). The course was based at a facility of the Turkish Disaster Defense Agency located in the town of Taskesti, along the North Anatolian fault approximately 200 km east of Istanbul. Projects were not restricted to the green Pontid Mountains of this region, however, and included mapping in the wheat-covered, rolling hills of the central Anatolian heartland, and the semiarid hills of the Haymani Basin.

Using traditional methods, as well as GPS and Laser binocular surveying, students examined and mapped many aspects of the Tethyan realm of geology, including: 1) Contrasting terrains across the North Anatolian fault (J/K carbonate and clastic strata vs amphibolite grade metamorphic and ophiolitic complexes); 2) Marble and skarn surrounding Cretaceous, subduction-related granite intruded into a passive margin sequence in the Kirsehir massif of central Anatolia; 3) Deformed Cretaceous and Tertiary carbonate and clastic strata of the Sakarya micro-continent in the Pontid Range; 4) Faulted and folded Tertiary strata in the northern flank of the Haymani Bain

Living in Taskesti and working near numerous villages exposed students to the excellent food, friendliness, and interest of the people in the Turkish countryside. Weekend trips to Istanbul, Ankara, Lake Abant, and Cappadocia afforded a view of modern city life as well as an introduction to the long and complex historical development of this interesting land. The cost of the camp is equivalent to that of the traditional SDSMT summer camp in the Black Hills of South Dakota plus the cost of airfare. The extremely favorable response of students attending the camp indicated their belief that the costs were well justified relative to the personal and professional growth obtained in the cultural/geological milieu of Anatolia. On the basis of this response, and the enjoyment of the staff in presenting this pilot course, we consider it a success and plan to offer it again in future summers.