2026년 1학기 지리학과·지리교육과 콜로퀴엄을 아래와 같이 안내드립니다.


<2026년 1학기 지리학과/지리교육과 콜로퀴엄>

연사: Prof. Ali Mohammadi
소속: Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey
제목: "Genesis of microlandforms on the mud and salt plains of Urmia Lake (NW Iran)"
일시: 2026년 6월 12일(금) 오후 4시
장소: 운초우선교육관 201호


초록

Urmia Lake, located on the Turkish–Iranian Plateau in northwestern Iran, is the second-largest hypersaline lake in the world. During the last three decades, the lake has experienced a dramatic water-level decline (>7 m) due to both human manipulation and climate change. Consequently, over 90% of the lake floor has been exposed by the formation of ~300 cm salt crust in 20 years, shifting the permanent lacustrine environment into seasonal playa settings characterized by sandy beach, muddy, muddy-salty, and salt plains. This environmental transition has resulted in the formation of diverse depositional and dissolution-related micro-landforms on the lake floor.

This study is based on field investigations conducted during 2010-2023 in different parts of the lake under varying seasonal and hydrological conditions. The effects of temperature, evaporation, wind regime, and freshwater inflow on evaporite dissolution, mineral precipitation, and micro-landform development were recorded.

Sandy beaches along the western coast of the lake are dominated by dunes with asymmetric ripple marks and coated grains and gypsum minerals. Marshlands, muddy and muddy-salty plains, commonly exhibit polygonal mud cracks, teepee structures, and mud diapirs formed by the capillary rise of hypersaline pore-water. Exposed and subaqueous salt plains display the greatest diversity of micro-landforms, including salt polygons, dissolution channels, radial halite structures, salt mounds, saline beaches, salt caves, algal mats, and various types of evaporite crystals such as halite, gypsum, and sylvite. Dissolution features are primarily associated with meteoric and river fresh waters, whereas depositional structures are linked to evaporite precipitation under hypersaline conditions.

The results indicate that the micro-landforms of Urmia Lake are highly dynamic and sensitive to seasonal physicochemical variations. Rapid lake-level decline has significantly altered the sedimentary environment and promoted continuous reorganization of playa-related geomorphological features.


[약력]

  • B.Sc. in Geology, Tabriz University, Iran, 2001
  • M.Sc. in Geology-Sedimentology, Tehran University, Iran, 2005
  • Sedimentologist, Geological Survey of Iran, 2005–2011
  • Ph.D. in Geology, Tectonic-Sedimentology, ETH Zürich, Switzerland, 2015
  • Postdoctoral Researcher in Tectonic-Sedimentology, ETH Zürich, Switzerland, 2018
  • Assistant Professor, Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences, Istanbul Technical University, 2019–present