Formation of the Erciyes volcanism,stratigraphy around Koçcağız village (Kayseri) and usage of tuffs as building - facing stone

The study area is in the Kayseri Province, Talas District, near Koçcağız Village about 45 km from the city centre and is found 1/25.000 scale of 035 - c1 KAYSERİ sheet. There are mainly tuff units around Kayseri and the study area is affected from the Erciyes Volcanism. The volcanism in the Erciyes district starts in Upper Miocene and continues intermittently in Pliocene.Around the study area, Upper Triassic - Jurassic aged, crystallized limestone - marbles of the Aşıgediği methamorphics and Jurassic - Cretaceous aged cyrstallized limestone - dolomites of the Tavşancıdağtepe formation are found at the base of the succession. These carbonate basement are unconformably overlain by the Upper Pliocene aged tuff of the Velibaba ignimbrite. Ouaternary alluvium and slope waste are found at the top of the succession.By this study 1/25.000 scale of geological map of nearby Koçcağız Village is drawn. Experiments are carried out in order to determine the engineering charecteristics, physical, mechanical and petrographic features of volcanic rocks are discussed for the aspects of their usage as building and facing stone.