Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Mediterranean Geoscience Reviews, 2025 (Scopus)
The Eastern Black Sea Mountains host Türkiye’s largest periglacial zone, with Mt. Kaçkar as a key site for interactions between glaciers and rock glaciers. This study investigates the geomorphological evolution of rock glaciers on Mt. Kaçkar, emphasizing the impacts of Little Ice Age (LIA) glaciation on rock glacier development on the mountain. High-resolution digital surface models and orthophotos created using UAV-based photogrammetry were utilized to analyze rock glaciers’ morphometric characteristics and responses to glacial advances and retreats. The results indicate that rock glaciers situated near the equilibrium line altitude (ELA) formed in the rooting zones during glacial advances that are attributed to the LIA based on geomorphological evidence, such as the position and freshness of moraines, though these moraines have not been numerically dated. This geomorphological evidence also suggests that these glacial advances significantly influenced the Kaçkar rock glaciers, as they likely exerted pressure and caused erosion in their rooting zones. The retreat of these glaciers led to the formation of rooting zone depressions, disrupting the mass balance and reducing the activity of the rock glaciers. Fluted and terminal moraines in the rooting zones further confirm glacier-rock glacier interactions during the LIA, highlighting substantial morphological modifications due to glacial dynamics. This study highlights the role of rock glaciers as indicators of past climatic conditions and their vulnerability to contemporary climate change. The results emphasize the importance of continued monitoring to predict the effects of warming trends on periglacial landscapes, including thermokarst development and destabilization processes.