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 Mounts
Erciyes, Hasandag and Golludag were active volcanoes in the geological periods.
Alongside with many other volcanoes, eruptions of these volcanoes started in the
early Miocene (10 million years ego). The lava produced by these volcanoes,
under the Neogene lakes, formed a layer of tufa on the plateaus, which varied in
hardness and was between 100 and 150m thick. Other substances in the layer are
ignimbrite, soft tufa, tufa, lahar, ashy clay, sandstone, marn, basalt and other
agglomerates. Plateaus, having been essentially shaped with the lava from the
bigger volcanoes, were continuously altered with the eruptions of smaller
volcanoes. Starting in the Early Pliocene Period, the rivers in the area,
especially Halys (the Red River), and local lakes contributed to the erosion of
this layer of tufa stone, eventually creating valleys and rock formation of the
area its present shape.
The interesting rock formations, known as 'fairy chimneys', have been formed as
the result of the erosion of this tufa layer, sculpted by wind and flood water,
running down on the slopes of the valleys. Water has found its way through the
valleys creating cracks and ruptures in the hard rock. The softer, easily
eroding material underneath has been gradually swept away residing the slopes
and in this way, conical formations protected with basalt caps have been created.
The fairy chimneys with caps, mainly found in the vicinity of Urgup, have a
conical shaped body and a boulder on top of it. The cone is constructed from
tufa and volcanic ash, while the cap is of hard, more resistant rock such as
lahar or ignimbrite. Various types of fairy chimneys are found in Cappadocia.
Among these are those with caps, cones, mushroom like forms, columns and pointed
rocks. Fairy chimneys are generally found in the valleys of the Uchisar-Urgup-Avonos
triangle, between Urgup and Sahinefendi, around the town of Cat in Nevsehir, the
Soganli valley in Kayseri, and in the village of Selime in Aksaray. Another
characteristic feature of the area the sweeping curves and patterns on the sides
of the valleys, formed by rainwater. These lines of sedimentation exposed by
erosion display a range of hues. The array of collar seen on some of the valleys
is due to the difference in heat of the lava layers. Such patterns can be seen
in Uchisar, Cavusin (Gulludere), Goreme (Meskendir), Ortahisar (Kizilcukur), and
Pancarlik valleys. |
