As the Gaia Geologists family, we continue to honor the pioneers who bridged geography and geology in Turkey.
In this chapter of our “Respect to the Masters” series: Ord. Prof. Dr. Sırrı Erinç
With respect…
📍SIRRI ERINÇ (1918–2002)
Graduating top of his class, Erinç enrolled in the Geography Department of Istanbul University. With special permission from Minister Hasan Âli Yücel, he studied geology instead of history courses — becoming the first in Turkey to study geography and geology simultaneously. He graduated in 1940 and became a research assistant the same year.
📌 In 1944, he demonstrated that the Black Sea Mountains had been tectonically rising since the Pleistocene.
📌 Published this work in Geologische Rundschau (1949), receiving praise from renowned geographer Prof. Herbert Louis.
📌 His 1953 book The Geography of Eastern Anatolia highlighted the region’s importance for plate tectonics.
📌 Between 1955–1960, he dated the North Anatolian Fault (discovered by İhsan Ketin) as younger than the Miocene — the first such dating.
By merging geography and geology, Erinç left a lasting legacy in Turkey’s earth sciences.