Complete last glacial cycle cosmogenic 36Cl glacial chronology of Mt. Aladağlar, central Taurus range, Southern Türkiye

Temperate glaciers are very sensitive to changes in the global climate system and provide an excellent opportunity to obtain information on the timing and magnitude of palaeoclimatic changes. Numerous studies in the Mediterranean mountains indicate alternating glacial advance and retreat episodes during the last glacial cycle (110.8 ka to 11.7 ka ago). However, glacial chronology is often restricted to the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), and records covering the remainder of the last glacial cycle are less well-known in the eastern Mediterranean region. Here, we present a continuous chronology of glacial stages in the east Mediterranean based on cosmogenic 36Cl terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides (TCN) in glacial landforms. We present 105 36Cl ages (43 new and 62 recalculated from previously published studies) from the moraine, landslide, glacial outwash boulders, and limestone bedrock from Mt. Aladağlar (37°8′N, 35°2′E) in the central Taurus Mountains of Southern Türkiye. Three local icefields (Yedigöller, Körmenlik, and Akçay icefields, covering 20 km2, 8 km2, and 7 km2, respectively, and >3000 m above sea level (asl)) occupied the summits in the past. The bedrock ages obtained from the uppermost parts of the Yedigöller Plateau indicate that the peaks (>3400 m, asl) have been ice-free since about 67 ka. Several glacier tongues descended from the icefields through eight main glacial valleys (three on the western and five on the eastern side). The outwash fan along the SW front of Mt. Aladağlar represents the oldest (about 136 ka) glacial deposits developed during the previous glacial cycle. Four other outwash fans yielded ages that range from about 97 ka to 65 ka, indicating deposition during the last cycle. On the western side, the oldest moraine ages (about 46 ka and 38 ka) from two valleys show pre-LGM advances that could be considered the maximum extent of local glaciers. Intriguingly, global LGM moraines (about 23-19 ka) are relatively small and preserved only at high elevations (>2450 m asl). Recalculated ages of seven consecutive moraines in the longest (17.2 km) and the deepest valley on the eastern side indicate Late Glacial (about 15 ka) to Early Holocene (about 12 ka) deglaciation. Several small moraines also show deglaciation (about 12-10 ka) corresponding to the Younger Dryas and the onset of the Holocene. The ages obtained from Mt. Aladağlar indicate a complete range of glacial conditions during pre-LGM, global LGM, Late Glacial, Younger Dryas, and Early Holocene in the eastern Mediterranean.