Natural Disasters in Turkey

Mass wasting is a term used for any type of downslope movement of earth materials, such as rocks or soil.  Most of you are probably more familiar with the term “landslide.” In Turkey, on Mount Akdag, for example, scientists have found “43 highly developed and active mass movements.”   Mount Akdag is in the Western Taurus range in Turkey.   Photo: Mount Akdag   Mount Akdag represents dynamic terrain in terms of its past and recent geomorphological processes. There are several factors which have played a role in its formation. Among these, karst, glacial, tectonic and gravitational processes are especially important. At areas above 6,561 ft. in elevation, landforms of karst and glacial geomorphology can be found in  interleaved formations. Researchers state that climate changes have also had an important impact on these polygenetic topographies. Glaciers have helped form the geomorphological evolution of Mount Akdag, which is considered quite complex. The region is highly act