Last week, from October 18 to 20, UFAZ organized a field trip for fourth year bachelor students in Geophysics and Geological engineering.

The objective of the field trip was to decode the message hidden in the rocks in order to reconstruct the appearance of past landscapes and the geological history of Azerbaijan.

To do this, the students were in Shamaky, Islamdagh, Kirmaky valley, Candy Cane mountains (Khizi road) and Yasamal valley. They learned to identify the rocks by conducting different types of analysis, they determined their mode of formation and identified the fossils to determine their age and their environment of formation. For example, we found rocks containing marine fossils, which implies that they were formed under the sea, even though they are now at high altitude in the Caucasus. The students also learned to use the Jacob's staff, to draw stratigraphic column and to determine the evolution of the environments and past landscapes over time.

The students also learned to use the compass to determine the geometry of the deposits and to identify folds. They thus understood the deformation of these rocks after their deposition, in response to the movement of tectonic plates. This week of field trip allowed them to apply the knowledge acquired in class during the first three years of their studies. The students have thus developed real "field skills" that are highly prized in the professional world.

In summary: the students learned how to make rocks speak so that they tell us their history!

The students were supervised by Quentin Boesch, Elshan Abdullayev and Arzu Jabrayilova.