Chapter 26 - Holocene glacial landscapes of the Anatolian Peninsula

Abstract

Anatolia is the largest glacial landscape in the Eastern Mediterranean region. During the Holocene, a relatively stable climate characterised by wet and warm periods, interrupted by pulses of cold and dry phases, prevailed in Anatolia. Periglacial processes apparently sculptured the Holocene landscape in the mountains. During the Early and Middle Holocene, rock glaciers occupied most of the cirques, hence there is a lack of glacial landforms. Glacial landforms that underscore the advance of glaciers during the Late Holocene exist only in the Eastern Taurus Mountains. Although the absolute chronology of these landforms is absent, their position in comparison with the current glaciers and their freshness with respect to the older landforms give the impression that these were built during the Little Ice Age (LIA). Accordingly, the Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA) in the Eastern Taurus Mountains was positioned at 3250–3500m above sea level, resulting in an LIA-ELA depression of 250–500m in comparison with modern estimates. Currently, some Anatolian mountains host glaciers, debris-covered glaciers and/or rock glaciers. In addition to the small ice cap on Mount Ararat, valley glaciers are found in the Eastern Black Sea Mountains, Eastern Anatolian Mountains, Central and Eastern Taurus Mountains and Mount Erciyes. Active rock glaciers currently occupy around 200 cirques. Despite the dominance of the Anatolian high mountain landscape by rock glacier activity during the Holocene, there is a time lag between the sequence of events suggested by geomorphology and the cosmogenic 36Cl chronologies in the Western and Central Taurus Mountains. Postdepositional processes, such as exhumation and surface weathering, appear to cause this delay in time. As well as the underestimated chronology, better-constrained modern ELA values are needed for the improvement of our understanding of Holocene landscapes in Anatolia.