First Paleo-Fairy Chimney Findings in the Cappadocia Region, Turkey: a Possible Geomorphosite

Abstract

Fairy chimneys are conical, columnar, and mushroom-like erosional landforms sometimes exceeding 10 m in height and width that developed on ignimbrite layers in the Cappadocia region of Central Anatolia Volcanic Province. These fairy chimneys, and troglodytes carved into the ignimbrites during the Roman, Seljuk, and Ottoman eras, have turned Cappadocia into a worldrenowned site. While there are at least 10 different thick ignimbrite members in Cappadocia, fairy chimneys developed extensively on the Kavak, Zelve, and Cemilköy ignimbrites. Nevertheless, no paleo-fairy chimney development has been reported in this region so far. The aim of this study is to introduce the first buried paleo-fairy chimney findings that were detected within the Zelve ignimbrite and to explain their formation, geomorphologic evolution processes, and conditions of preservation today. This paper also assesses the establishment of a geomorphosite for the paleo-fairy chimneys in Cappadocia, where geomorphological and historical features represent the main touristic attractions. The buried paleo-fairy chimneys were determined to the northwest of Ürgüp in the Damsa valley and on the eastern slope of Mt. Akdağ. The fairy chimneys formed inside gullies that cut a paleopediment. According to geological and geomorphological observations, we suggest that the perched paleo-pediment and the buried paleo-fairy chimneys were formed at the end of the early Pleistocene. The fairy chimneys might constitute an important geormorphosite location in the northern Cappadocia region.

When did the drainage system of the Kızılırmak River form in Cappadocia (Anatolia, Turkey)? A revised geological and geomorphological stratigraphy

“…These recent findings invalidated some previous views on the river drainage system (Doğan, 2011;Koçyiğit and Doğan, 2016) but supported others (Doğan et al, 2019a). For example, Doğan (2011), and Koçyiğit and Doğan (2016) suggested that the drainage system of the Kızılırmak River was formed after the Valibaba Tepe ignimbrite emplacement.…”

“…According to previous studies (Doğan, 2010(Doğan, , 2011Koçyiğit and Doğan, 2016;Doğan et al, 2019a), the Kızılırmak River drainage system was formed over the Ürgüp Formation at the beginning of Quaternary with the end of the extensional regime and start of a strikeslip neotectonic regime. Tectonic studies revealed that the river settled in the Avanos and Salanda strike-slip fault zones during the Quaternary (Koçyiğit and Doğan, 2016).…”

“…The evolution of the Kızılırmak River in the last 2 Myr in the Cappadocia region was disclosed in detail by creating geomorphological maps and cross-sections, core drilling, 40 Ar/ 39 Ar, radiocarbon, and cosmogenic nuclide dating [terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides (TCNs)] (Figure 1B; Doğan, 2010Doğan, , 2011Avşin-Görendağlı, 2011;Çiner et al, 2015a;Koçyiğit and Doğan, 2016;Doğan et al, 2019a). A total of 15 river terraces were described and 4 of the levels were dated using the 40 Ar/ 39 Ar method (Doğan, 2011).…”

Geomorphological evolutionary history of the Melendiz River Valley, Cappadocia, Turkey

“…12). Around Selime and southward to Yaprakhisar, the Cemilköy ignimbrite is deeply incised by numerous rills and gullies forming the typical Cappadocian landscape made of "fairy chimneys" in a badland landscape (Beekman 1966;Sarıkaya et al 2015;Çiner and Aydar 2019;Doğan et al 2019). The characteristic fairy chimneys are also well developed in the thick tuff wall between Selime and Yaprakhisar on the right bank of the Melendiz River (Fig.…”

Paleoenvironments of the Cappadocia region during the Neogene and Quaternary, central Turkey

“…b Annual precipitation map of Turkey (modified from Atalay 1983). c Location map of the study area et al 2015a; Çiner and Aydar 2019;Doğan et al 2019;Mouralis et al 2019), its Neogene-Quaternary geology has not been considered as a whole with its both depositional environments and biota. The mentioned studies were mainly focused on dating of volcanic-pyroclastic units and geomorphic features, and not interested to outline the paleoenvironmental evolution of the region except a few studies dealing with Neogene and Quaternary (e.g., middle Miocene- Akgün et al 1995; late Miocene-Pliocene-Le Pennec et al 2005;Ocakoğlu 2004; late Pleistocene- Türkecan et al 2004).…”