Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 3.9
Little Ice Age moraines below the northern cliffs of Zupci (2309 m asl) in the Durmi-
tor massif, Montenegro. The Little Ice Age moraines are marked by the letter A. Older moraines
of unknown age are indicated by the letter B. Reproduced from Hughes (2010), with permission
area of c. 22.9 km
2
in Turkey (Kurter, 1991). However, almost all glaciers have been
in retreat since this survey ( ¸ iner, 2004). On Mount Ararat, the highest peak in
Turkey (5137 m asl), is a dormant volcano that supported an ice cap that covered
c. 10 km
2
in the late twentieth century (Kurter, 1991). Glaciers are also found on
other Turkish volcanoes, including Mount Suphan (4058 m asl) (where a glacier
has formed in the crater) and Mount Erciyes (3917 m asl) (Kurter, 1991). However,
the current state of these volcano glaciers is unclear. Some glaciers, such as one
on Mount Erciyes, resemble rock glaciers (Kurter, 1991). Whether features such as
these are simply debris-covered glaciers or true periglacial rock glaciers is not clear
(cf. Hughes
et al.
, 2003). Glaciers in Turkey are most numerous in the far southeast
of the country near the borders with Iran and Iraq.
The largest glaciers in Turkey have formed on Mount Cilo (4135 m asl) where
the Uludoruk and Mia Havara glaciers are nearly 4 km long and cover an area of
8km
2
. The Uludoruk glacier has retreated throughout the twentieth century and
the altitude of the glacier front rose by c. 400 m between 1937 and 1991 ( ¸ iner,
2004). Smaller glaciers also occur in the central Taurus, further to the west on the
mountains of Aladag (3756 m asl) and Bolkardag (3524 m asl). The snowline in
