Investigation of the morphometric features of polygonal karst fields in the Eastern Taurus

There are many dolines on the high karst plateaus in the Eastern Taurus Mountains. The main purpose of this study is to determine the spatial distribution and morphometric properties of dolines in the Eastern Taurus Mountains. In the study, a total of 36.188 dolines were determined on 28 karst plateaus using 217 topographic maps with a scale of 1/25.000. Neritic limestone (46%), marble, and quartzite (22%) constitute the main lithological units of the karst plateaus. The average temperatures and precipitation of the karst plateaus vary between 3°C and 13°C, and between 468 mm and 970 mm, respectively. Polygonal karst fields have a wide distribution in the western part of the study area. In addition, the number of dolines is very high in this part. The elevation of dolines ranges between 640 meters and 3335 meters. The average doline density is 4.5 dolines/km2 in the whole area. The maximum doline density is observed in the Malatya Mountains with 128 dolines/km2 and it exceeds 50 dolines/km2 in Aladağlar, Alandaş Mountain, Yama Mountain, and Berit Mountain. High-density areas (>50 doline/km2) occupy very little proportion in the study area (0.2%). The average area of the dolines is 3287 m2, and the average perimeter is 170 meters in the Eastern Taurus Mountains The average circularity index of the dolines is 1.29, and they lost their circular form. The average long axis length of the dolines is 62 meters, and the average short axis length is 37 meters. The average elongation ratio of the dolines is 1.58, and the dolines are semi-elliptical shapes. While the dominant orientation of the dolines is in the NE-SW direction, secondary orientations were detected in the WNW-ESE and NNW-SSE directions.