DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGICAL
ENGINEERING
Introduction to the Department The Geology Department
of the University of Istanbul is the oldest and presently one of the largest
geology department in Turkey and its history dates back to the early 20th
century. The university was
then operating under the name of Darülfünun, where Halil Ethem Bey was
teaching geology and mineralogy at the Natural Sciences Department. Dr Walter Penck and Hamit N. Pamir founded
the first geological institute in Vefa, housed in the Abdülkerim
Mansion. A fire in 1918,
unfortunately, completely destroyed all the books and laboratuaries causing
the institute to closed down temporarily.
Geology education re-commenced in 1923 at the Zeynep Hanım
Mansion. The Istanbul Darülfünun was
then closed and re-named as Istanbul
University, following a university reorganisation initiated by M. Kemal
Atatürk in 1933. A second major fire again interrupted geological education
and research in 1942 for a short time.
However, the University of Istanbul has had an unbroken record of
teaching and research in geology since that time. Until 1946, Istanbul
University awarded a B.Sc. in Geology; this was changed to a M.Sc. degree in
Geology until 1963, followed by a M.Sc. in Geological Engineering until 1971;
finally the degree of B.Sc. in Geological Engineering has been awarded since
1978. Some of the pioneers
of geological research based at Istanbul University were A. Malik Sayar,
Ernest Chaput, Hamit N. Pamir, İ. H. Akyol, M.A. Binal, E. Parejas, İ.A. Can
Okay, Samime Artüz, Fuat Baykal, İ. Enver Altınlı, Suat Erk and İhsan
Ketin. These geologists established
the first geological framework of Turkey by carrying out of extensive field
work in many parts of Turkey often under very difficult conditions. In addition, they trained numerous
students who helped establish geological teaching and research in other institutions. The Department of
Geological Engineering of Istanbul University has an outstanding record of
education and reducation, with a total of 1700 graduates and 380
post-graduates, of which 90 were PhDs.
A total of 45 books and 700 papers demonstrates the Department's
profuse research activity. The Department is housed in the Faculty of Engineering since
1982. It presently comprises 4
divisions, these being General Geology, Mineral Resources and Geochemistry,
Mineralogy and Petrography and Applied Geology. A total of 42 academic staff, including 13 professor, 5
associate professors, 7 assistant professors and 17 teaching and research
assistants work currently in the department. Teaching
Teaching comprises
both theoretical and practical courses given as both compulsary and optional
classes. The optional classes are
aimed at expanding student knowledge and interests. The department accepts 60 undergraduate and 20 post graduates
each academic year. The department
also give courses in the departments of Geophysical Engineering, Mining
Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Forestry Engineering
and Environmental Engineering. Graduation Upon graduation, there
are several state and private organisations in which graduates are commonly
employed. Our graduates are
frequently employed in private consulting companies and geological surveys. It is expected that geological engineers
will continue to be employed in many spheres of life. Laboratuary Facilities
There are three
different laboratories in the Department facilitating active research, as
follows. Mineralogy
Laboratuary: XRF , XRD, DTA,
Cutting Mill, Crushing Mill, Polishing tools Geochemistry
Laboratuary: Atomic Absorption
Spectrometer, Flame Photometer, Wet Chemical Analysis Unit, Crushing and
grinding mills. Applied Geology
Laboratuary: Sieve set,
Permeameter, Casagrande (Liquid Limit), Proctor , Free Pressure, Three axial
pressure, Shearing Box, Vain, Consolidation,
Drill, Hydroulic Press, Point Loader. Selected publications of the academic staff
Yalçın M.N., Soylu, C., Cancı-Günal B, et al., 2000.
19th International Meeting on Organic Geochemistry - Istanbul, Turkey, 6-10 September
1999 - Preface. Organic Geochemistry,
31 (12): 1263-1263. Gürdal, G. and Yalçın MN, 2000. Gas
adsorption capacity of Carboniferous coals in the Zonguldak basin (NW Turkey)
and its controlling factors. Fuel, 79
(15): 1913-1924. İnan, S., Yalçın M.N. and Mann U.,
1998. Expulsion of oil from petroleum source rocks: inferences from pyrolysis
of samples of unconventional grain size.
Organic Geochemistry, 29 (1-3): 45-61. İnan, S. and Yalçın, M.N., 1998. Generation and expulsion of petroleum and
gas from Almond Formation coal, greater green river basin, Wyoming:
Discussion. American Association of
Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 82 (11): 2140-2143. Görmüş, M. and Meriç, E., 2000.
Unusual forms of Unusual forms of orbitoidal foraminifera in the
Maastrichtian of Turkey. Cretaceous
Research, 21 (6): 801-812. Meriç, E. and Çoruh, T., 1998. Neosivasella sungurlui,
a new genus and species from the Upper Paleocene of southeast Turkey.
Micropaleontology, 44 (2): 187-194. Meriç, E. and İnan, N., 1998. Sirelina orduensis (foraminifera) a new genus and species from the
Maastrichtian of Northeast Anatolia (Gölköy-Ordu). Micropaleontology, 44 (2): 195-200. Elmas, A. and Meriç, E. l998. The
seaway connections between the Sea of Marmara and the Mediterranean. Tectonic
development of the Dardanelles. International Geology Review, 40 (2),
l44-l62. Matsumaru, K., Meriç, E.,
Arakawa, İ., Özkar, İ., Bargu, S. and Koral, H., l998,
Geochemical evidence of the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary sediments in Turkey
(Part-2). Journal of Saitama University, Faculty of Education, 47 (2), 35-39,
Japan. Matsumaru, K., Meriç, E.., Özkar,
İ., Arakawa, İ. & Korkmaz, S., l998, Preliminary note of the K-T
boundary sediments in Gölköy and
Tonya areas, Black Sea Region in Turkey. Journal of Saitama University,
Faculty of Education, 47 (2), 4l-47, Japan. İnan, N., Meriç, E. &
Matsumaru, K., l999, Do abnormal individuals represent prior to indication of
big extinction event. Journal of Saitama University, Faculty of Education, 48
(l), l5-24, Japan. Matsumaru, K., Meriç, E. & Görmüş.
M., 2000, Teratological foraminifera. Journal of Saitama University, Faculty of
Education, 49 (1), 51-58, Japan. Demange, M., Berson, F., Fonteilles, M.,
Pascal, M.L., Öngen, S. and Forette, MC., 1998. Wollastonite-garnet skarns of
Demir Tepe, Tahtakopru (province of Bursa, Turkey). CR ACAD SCI II A 326 (11): 771-778. Esmer, K. and Yeniyol, M., 1999. Current-voltage
characteristics and aging of sepiolite oriented by magnetic field. Material
Letters, 38 (6): 445-449. Okay, A.I., Tansel, I and Tüysüz, O.,
2001. Obduction, subduction and collision as reflected in the Upper
Cretaceous-Lower Eocene sedimentary record of western Turkey. Geological
Magazine, 138 (2): 117-142. Yiğitbaş E, Elmas A and Yılmaz Y.
Pre-Cenozoic tectono-stratigraphic components of the Western Pontides and
their geological evolution. Geological
Journal, 34 (1-2): 55-74. Dalgıç, S., 2000.
The influence of weak rocks on excavation and support of the Beykoz
Tunnel, Turkey. Engineering Geology, 58 (2): 137-148. Dalgıç, S., 1998.
Selection of crushed rock quarries for the construction of the
Anatolian Motorway. Environmental and
Engineering Geoscience 4 (4): 511-518. Tuğrul A., 1998. The application of rock mass
classification systems to underground excavation in weak limestone, Atatürk
dam, Turkey. Engineering Geology, 50 (3-4): 337-345. Tuğrul A. and Zarif I.H.., 1999. Correlation
of mineralogical and textural characteristics with engineering properties of
selected granitic rocks from Turkey. Engineering Geology, 51 (4): 303-317. Tuğrul, A. and Zarif I.H., 1999. Research on
limestone decay in a polluting environment, Istanbul-Turkey. Environmental Geology, 38 (2): 149-158. Tuğrul A. and Zarif, I.H., 2000. The influence
of weathering on the geological and geomechanical characteristics of a
sandstone in Istanbul, Turkey.
Environmental and Engineering Geoscience, 6 (4): 403-412. Öncel, A.O., Koral, H. and Alptekin,
O., 1998. The Dinar earthquake (M-w =
6.2; October 1, 1995; Afyon-Turkey) and earthquake hazard of the Dinar-Civril
fault. Pure and Applied Geophysics,
152 (1): 91-105. Yanko V, Kennett J, Koral H, et al., 1999. Stable isotopic evidence from
Holocene Sea of Marmara sediments for two way watermass interchange between
the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
South African Journal of Science, 95 (4). Öztürk, H., Koral, H. and Geist, E.L., 2000. Intra-basinal water movements induced by faulting: the August 17,
1999, Golcuk (Izmit Bay) earthquake (M-W=7.4). Marine Geology, 170 (3-4): 263-270. Bargu, S., 1999. Some observations of İzmit earthquake, Turkey
on August 17, 1999. Journal of Saitama University, 49, 33-37. Koral, H., 2000. Surface rupture and rupture mechanism of the October 1, 1995 (M-w=6.2)
Dinar earthquake, SW Turkey.
Tectonophysics, 327 (1-2): 15-24. Altınok, Y. And Ersoy, Ş.,
2000, ‘Tsunamis observed on and near Turkish Coasts’ , Natural Hazards,
Kluwer Academic Publishers, 21, 2+3, 185-205. Özler, H.M., 2000. Hydrogeology and geochemistry in
the Çürüksu Basin in western Turkey.
Environmental Geology.
International Journal of Geosciences, 36/5, 1-13. Özler, H.M., 1999. Water balance and water quality in the
Çürüksu basin, western Turkey Çelik, Y., 1999. Petrography and chemistry of the Miocene lacustrine coals in
the Neogene Domaniç Basin, W Turkey: coal depositional environment. Bulletin of the Czech Geological Survey,
74, 2, 139-144. T. Ustaömer and A.H.F. Robertson, 1998.
Pre-Late Jurassic tectonic evolution of the Central Pontides: summary and
implications for "palaeotethyan" evolution. IGCP Project No 276, Newsletter, No 6,
54-62. T. Ustaömer and A.H.F. Robertson, 1999. Geochemical
evidence used to test alternative plate tectonic models for Pre-Late Jurassic
(Palaeotethyan) units in the Central Pontides, N Turkey. Geological Journal,
34, No 1-2, 25-54. INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS
Prepared
by Dr. Timur Ustaömer |