Hilal Okur Erturaç
Predoctoral researcher
coastal geomorphology; fluvial geomorphology; fluvial sedimentology; luminiscence dating; paleoflood hydrology; quaternary geology
I am a geographer and geomorphologist specialising in the reconstruction of past hydrological changes and fluvial dynamics. I work as a Research Assistant at the Institute of Earth and Marine Sciences, Gebze Technical University, Türkiye.
Bachelor's degree in Geography (Sakarya University, Türkiye). Two Master's degrees: Geography (Sakarya University), and Earth and Marine Sciences (Gebze Technical University). PhD student at GTU. I am currently a visiting Research Fellow at the HCCC Lab, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (Madrid), supported by the TÜBİTAK 2214-A International Doctoral Research Fellowship Programme.
My research focuses on the late Pleistocene evolution and paleohydrology of the Menderes River, with particular emphasis on how fluvial dynamics shaped the archaeological landscape of the region.
My work integrates field-based geomorphological mapping, luminescence geochronology (OSL/TL), and sedimentological analysis to reconstruct past hydrological and relative sea-level changes. I am also engaged in research on the socio-environmental impacts of sand mining on fluvial systems.
Publications
Erturaç MK, Okur H, Şahiner E, Kapan S, Hasözbek A, Kandemir R, Salman İ, Kazancı N. 2026. Highstands of the Black Sea during the last glacial: Timing, duration, and implications for inter-basin connectivity. Quaternary Science Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109924
2026
2024
Okur H, Erturaç MK, Nicoll K. 2024. Geomorphic changes and socio-environmental impacts of recent sand mining in the Sakarya River, NW Turkey. The Anthropocene Review. https://doi.org/10.1177/20530196231218480
2019
Erturaç MK, Şahiner E, Zabcı C, Okur H, Polymeris G, Meriç N, İkiel C. 2019. Fluvial response to rising levels of the Black Sea and to climate changes during the Holocene: Luminescence geochronology of the Sakarya terraces. The Holocene. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683619831428
2017
Erturaç MK, Okur H, Ersoy B. 2017. The cultural and geological heritage sites within the Göllüdağ Volcanic Complex. Geological Bulletin of Turkey. https://doi.org/10.25288/tjb.297803 (Published in Turkish: Göllüdağ Volkanik Kompleksi İçerisinde Kültürel ve Jeolojik Miras Öğeleri)