LGM Glaciations in the Northeastern Anatolian Mountains: New Insights

Barhal Valley belongs to the Çoruh System in Kaçkar Mountains of northeastern Anatolia. This 13 km long valley is located south main weather divide and east Mt. Kaçkar, with highest peak mountain range being 3932 m. Today, source an average yearly precipitation 2000 mm moisture Black Sea, situated approximately 40 north study site. Glaciers Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) descended directly from reached altitude ca. 1850 m a.s.l. (above sea level). In this study, we are exploring whether position its east–west orientation have influence on existence expansion paleoglaciers. Here, present 32 new cosmogenic 36Cl dates erratic boulders System. We reconstructed three geomorphologically well-contained glacier advances Valley, namely at 34.0 ± 2.3 ka, 22.2 2.6 18.3 1.7 ka within time window global LGM. Field evidence shows that advance disappeared rapidly by latest time, 15.6 1.8 upper cirques were ice-free. No for Lateglacial fluctuations was found, Neoglacial activity restricted rock glaciers. A 2700 3000 Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA) LGM reported based modeling glacial morphology. determined most likely ELA 2900 suggest alternative direct transport Sea ice accumulation Eastern See Mountains. The shift Polar Front Siberian High Pressure during resulted domination easterly airflow Caucasus expanded lakes central–western Siberia enlarged Aral- Caspian Seas.