Pleistocene and Holocene fluvial development of the Ecemiş Valley (Central Anatolia, Turkey)

Abstract

The Ecemiş River developed during the Pleistocene and Holocene in the Ecemiş basin. The basin developed because of tectonic movement on the Ecemiş Fault, which is west of the Aladağ Mountains. In the Pleistocene, glacial–interglacial climate changes directly affected the regimes and discharges of rivers, causing changes in river levels along the Ecemiş channel. Fluvial formations became extremely complicated when active tectonic movements accompanied the changes resulting from the climatic conditions. The rivers embedded in their beds according to new local base levels in interglacials. Terraces formed due to interruptions in the cycle of morphological development along the Ecemiş River. From the morphologic structure of these terraces and their positions in the Ecemiş Valley two groups and five levels of terraces were defined. In the Ecemiş Valley, modern terraces (1–5 m) formed in the Holocene, while low terrace systems (5–10 m and 15–20 m) and high terrace systems (30–40 and 70–80 m) formed in the Pleistocene.