İzmit Channel and Its History in the Light of Paleontological Findings

During the Ottoman Empire, a waterway without a Black Sea connection has been suggested through Sakarya River, Sapanca Lake and Gulf of Izmit and has been attempted six times. A natural connection between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara through that route has been proven according to findings of the drills taken for “the Osman Gazi Bridge” in 1990. Samples belonging to nine deep drills made for the bridge have been investigated in the four years and the results were compiled in the book “Quaternary sequence in the Gulf of Izmit. New data obtained from the recent drills made in the frame work of the bridge Project have strongly supported the previous results. In 1997, considering the paleontological findings of the Gulf of Izmit drills, which were completed in 1995, it has been indicated that Izmit Channel naturally opened and closed five times during Quaternary, between 800.000 and 80.000 years bp. 1-Regarding this information, the subject has been presented for the first time with the abstract titled “Back to the past for the future” (in Turkish), In Sea of Marmara Researchers Workshop-III, which was held in Ankara 1997. 2-It was presented to the International scientific community during The Geological Society of America, Annual Meeting, which was held in Salt Lake City, Utah (USA) in 20-23 October 1997, with the abstract titled “Back to the past for the future”. 3-In February 1998, it was proposed as KAP (Kuzeybati Anadolu Projesi, Northwestern Anatolia Project) to the 9th President of the Republic Mr. Suleyman Demirel. 4-The subject was also proposed to Undersecretariat of Maritime Affairs, Undersecretariat of DPT (State Planning Organization), Undersecretariat of Ministry of Transportation Izmit Metropolitan Municipality and Sakarya Municipality. 5-More than 10 articles were published in various journals. 6-Before the general elections in 2002, “New Izmit Channel Project” was taken to the “Government Program” prepared by the Dogru Yol Party. 7-It was accepted by DPT and in 22.01.2005 it was proposed as one of the “10 projects for Turkey’s future” in “5. Solutions of Turkey’s Problems Conference”. 8-Besides, a “Registration Certificate” related to “New Izmit Channel Project” was acquired from TR Ministry of Culture and Tourism, General Directorate of Copyrights and Cinema (date: 17 June 2009, article no: B. 16.0. THS. 10.03.00/15995). 9-Detailed information given by Ord. Prof. Ismail Hakki Uzuncarsili, were quoted from his work published in “Belleten Dergisi” Volume 4, issue 14-15, April-July 1940.