Black Hills of Kemer

May 13, 2005

6333_lr2 copy

Provided by: Enver Murad, Bayerisches Geologisches Landesamt
Summary authors & editors: Enver Murad

The alpine Taurus Mountain Range runs approximately parallel to the southern coast of Turkey. The section of the coast next to Antalya, called the “Turkish Riviera,” boasts some spectacular landscapes and has become a popular year-round tourist destination. In recent years, several picturesque fishing villages in this region have been transformed to tourist resorts. One of the up-and-coming resorts is Kemer, approximately 40 kilometers south of Antalya. Near here, ophiolitic breccias (cemented fragments of mafic to ultramafic rocks), probably the remnants of an Upper Cretaceous mid-oceanic ridge, crop out between the coast and the mountains of the Taurus Range. Erosion has carved these breccias into a spectacular set of steep hills named Karatas Tepe (Black-Rock Hills). Because of their steep flanks, these hills have lately been increasingly targeted as a destination for rock climbers.

Picture taken on Kodachrome 64 with a Rollei 35S camera equipped with a Sonnar 2.8/40 lens.

Related Links: