In the week of September 2, 2019, UFAZ Faculty organized a field trip for fourth-year Geophysical-Geosciences Engineering students to Yasamal Valley and Islam Dagh under the guidance of Elshan Abdullayev, UFAZ Geoscience Program Coordinator, Gasham Zeynalov, Field Trip Leader, and Fidan Aslanzade and Murad Abdulla-zade, Field Trip Assistants.

Students, firstly, received an introductory lecture at UFAZ on Cartography and geology of western Caspian Basin (Yasamal Valley) and Shamakhy-Gobustan area (Islam Dagh). The main focus of this session was the past-climate condition during Miocene-Pliocene time and its influence to deposition environment in the Caspian Basin.

Later, students received a great opportunity to examine Islam Dağ section and Yasamal Valley, including the source rock in Islam Dağ where huge amount of organic matter accumulated and transform into oil. Comprehensive information about depositional environment were delivered to the students.

In Yasamal Valley, students mainly studied various types of facies and depositional environment in lacustrine environment, and, consequently, made a stratigraphic column and provided a description of the sediments.

UFAZ aims to develop both academic and experimental skills in its students to understand the process of scientific investigation and develop a broad understanding of scientific concepts. Such field trips are thus an integrated part of the curriculum of the Geophysical – Geosciences specialty of UFAZ. 

With its unique Geophysical-Geoscience Program, UFAZ offers unrivaled courses, which are structured according to the Strasbourg University’s program and cover practical applications of the curriculum.