North Anatolian Fault Field Camp — Türkiye

Introduction

Now in its 22nd year, this international field camp is set on and around the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ) in western Türkiye — one of the most seismically active and geologically significant strike-slip fault systems in the world. Based in the town of Taskesti in the Abant Valley, approximately 200 km east of Istanbul, students spend five weeks investigating active tectonics, structural geology, and the geological history of the Anatolian plate.

No camping is required. Students stay at the Taskesti field research station, which has ten two-to-three-person rooms each with private bathroom and shower. Eight-hour field days are expected, six days per week, with Sundays free.

Academic Focus

• Active tectonics and kinematics of the North Anatolian Fault Zone
• Structural geology: folds, faults, and deformation in a strike-slip setting
• Stratigraphy and basin evolution adjacent to a major fault system
• Geomorphology of active fault scarps and offset landforms
• Geologic mapping and cross-section construction

Field Station

The Taskesti field research station provides comfortable accommodations with ten 2–3-person rooms, each equipped with bathroom and shower. The station is located within the active fault zone, providing immediate access to field sites. Meals and daily transportation are included.

Prerequisites

Completion of Physical Geology, Mineralogy, Petrology, Stratigraphy and Sedimentation, and Structural Geology, or consent of the Director.

Logistics

The program meets in Istanbul at the start. Arrange your own international airfare to Istanbul; estimated cost is $700–$1,500 depending on your departure city. All transportation within Türkiye is included in the program cost.

Field Camp Photos

North Anatolian Fault mapping (2024)

Structural geology, Taskesti region

Geologic mapping, western Türkiye

Fault exposure study, NAFZ

International field camp group, Türkiye