Pleistocene Glaciations in Karadag, Western Taurus Mountains, Turkey

Karadag is one of the mountains subjected to the Pleistocene glaciations in the Teke Peninsula (Western Taurus) along with Beydaglari, Akdag, and Sandiras Mountains. Karadag, which reaches 2418 m summit at a 30 km straight distance from the northeast of Fethiye Bay, has many peaks over 2300 m. There are plenty of glacial researches and dating studies aim to reveal Pleistocene glaciation chronology of the mountains such as Sandiras and Akdag in the Teke Peninsula. On the other hand, glaciations in Beydaglari were mentioned superficially and in general terms. Lastly, there has not been known any glaciation phenomenon in Karadag, in other words there are not any studies concerning the glaciation on the mountain. However, Karadag has distinctive cirques and moraines on the slopes of high elevations near the peak. In this study, we identified glacial valleys, cirques developed in different sizes and aspects and lastly frontal and hummocky moraines in front of these cirques. They are descending to the elevation of 1800 m. With this study, a new glacial area was identified in Turkey and made a contribution to the glaciation inventory of Turkey. This study aims to reveal the geomorphological and climatological characteristics of this area with regard to tectonic, climatic and karstic characteristics during Pleistocene. Maps and relevant outputs were created and analyzed by geographic information systems using the spatial data obtained from the field studies, unmanned aerial vehicles and meteorological stations.