Morphometric Characteristics of Glacial Cirques and Glacio-Karstic Dolines in Mount Geyik and Their Relation to Quaternary Equilibrium Line Altitudes
Abstract: Since the high-altitude regions of Türkiye`s mountainous areas were subjected to glaciation during the Quaternary glacial periods, glacial landforms are prominently developed and well-preserved in these landscapes.These landforms provide valuable insights in the paleoglacial conditions and environmental dynamics of pastglaciation events in mountainous terrains. This study investigates the morphometric characteristics of cirques and glacio-karstic dolines on Mount Geyik, one of the key karstic plateaus within the Central Taurus Mountains. Basedon the morphometric analyses, the spatial distribution of the paleo-Equilibrium Line Altitude (pELA) during the Quaternary glaciations was systematically reconstructed and interpreted. Mapping efforts identified 142 cirques and31 glacio-karstic dolines within the study area. Using the floor altitudes of these landforms, the average pELA forthe region was estimated at approximately 2185 m. However, this value does not represent a uniform level; rather,it varies as a function of several factors, including massif orientation, elevation, proximity to the sea, and total precipitation. Specifically, the pELA increases to ~2400 m in the north-facing sectors of the high karstic plateau, while it decreases to 2000 m / lower in the western and southwestern sections. These findings reveal a vertical difference of up to 630 m between the pELA levels of mountainous regions along the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea coasts. Regarding cirque morphometry, the cirques of the Eastern Black Sea Mountains exhibit surface are as approximately twice as large as those of Mount Geyik, and display depths exceeding Mount Geyik`s cirques by anaverage of 75 m. Overall, the results underscore the significant influence of topographic and climatic variables on pELA variability and cirque morphometry across Türkiye`s coastal mountain ranges.