Shaking Good Land(scape)s to Bad Lands

Shaking Good Land(scape)s to Bad Lands – the role of inherited tectonic structure

Photographs by Sven Menschel https://en.phddefencephoto.com/

Following the completion of my doctoral training and submission of my thesis in the field of geology in the summer, I successfully defended my thesis at Wageningen University in November 2023.

This project, entitled Temperate Mediterranean Badlands: A (pre-)Holocene or Anthropocene phenomenon?, was funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO - project number ALWOP.221), granted to my daily supervisor Associate Prof. Dr Jeroen M. Schoorl.

The focus of my PhD dissertation was to understand the spatio-temporal controls of landscape evolution and the consequent badland development in the north of Kula Town, western Turkey. Investigation of various long- and short-term natural drivers and processes (particularly the role of inherited tectonic structure), and their autonomous or specific combined role(s) in governing badland development were addressed with a multidisciplinary approach in my research. The main methods used in my work are (a) systematic field-based geological and structural mapping, (b) tectonic and stratigraphic reconstruction of the badlands setting, (c) geochronological dating using appropriate luminescence and radiocarbon dating methods, and (d) numerical landscape evolution modelling with LAPSUS.

With the successful application of this multi-method approach, this research sets up an example in investigating badlands, their development and landscape evolution with a holistic approach. The outcome presented in this thesis also shows the profound connection between tectonics and geomorphology in Quaternary landscape evolution.

Tectonic block diagram demonstrating badland topography and extension-related fault development in north of Kula Town, westernTurkey (Aksay et al., 2022).

The PhD journey is rather an individual one. Although, my work is the result of a multidisciplinary research, and naturally could not have been done without support from many other people. Along the way, I’ve had the privilege and pleasure of interacting with a vast number of wonderful people. I can rightly say that my enthusiasm for my scientific research has greatly expanded even more with constant new discovery and exploration throughout this journey (both scientifically and in life), and I want to thank Jeroen and Tom, my mentors, for their endless support in this journey.

I should mention that working in Κατακεκαυμένη (Katakekaumene), now known as Kula, which was first described by Strabo (63 BC - 24 AD), has been an absolute joy. All my field-based geological and historical investigations felt like a mission with a sense of responsibility. This responsibility comes from the urge to respect and continue the legacy of which the ancient ancestors of my homeland initiated.

Scientific contributions in the form of peer reviewed publications and conference participations during my PhD research:

• Aksay, S., Schoorl, J.M. and Veldkamp, A., 2024. Evaluating the role of inherited structural discontinuities in badland erosional processes through landscape evolution modelling. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 50(1), e6031. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.6031 

• Aksay, S., Schoorl, J.M. and Veldkamp, A., 2024. Testing the role of inherited tectonic structure in catchment-wide landscape evolution with LEM. Swiss Geoscience Meeting. Basel, November 2024. p. 323. https://geoscience-meeting.ch/sgm2024/downloads/ 

• Aksay, S., Schoorl, J. M., Versendaal, A., Wallinga, J., Maddy, D., van der Schriek, T., Demir, T., Aytaç, A. S., & Veldkamp, A., 2024. Timing of gully development in a structurally controlled badland landscape, western Turkey. CATENA, 234, 107616. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CATENA.2023.107616

• Aksay, S., 2023. Shaking good land(scape)s into bad lands - the role of inherited tectonic structure. DPhil Dissertation, Wageningen University, Netherlands. ISBN: 9789464479133. https://doi.org/10.18174/639668

• Aksay, S., Schoorl, J.M., Veldkamp, A., Versendaal, A., Wallinga, J., Demir, T., Aytaç, A.S., Maddy, D., 2022. Geomorphological development of a Mediterranean badland landscape, western Turkey. 20th Swiss Geoscience Meeting (SGM), Lausanne, 2022. https://geoscience-meeting.ch/sgm2022/downloads/

• Aksay, S., Schoorl, J.M., Veldkamp, A., Demir, T., Aytaç, A.S., Maddy, D., 2022. Structurally Controlled Landscape Evolution in Kula Badlands, Western Turkey. Geosciences, 12, 390. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12100390

• Aksay, S., Schoorl, J., Veldkamp, A., Demir, T., Aytaç, S., and Maddy, D., 2022. The influence of structural control in erosion-sedimentation dynamics and morphology of a badland topography. EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-11870. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-11870

• Maddy, D., Veldkamp, A., Demir, T., Aytaç, A., S., Schoorl, J., M., Scaife, R., Boomer, I., Stemerdink C., van der Schriek T., Aksay, S., Lievens, C., 2020. Early Pleistocene River Terraces of the Gediz River, Turkey: The role of faulting, fracturing, volcanism and travertines in their genesis. Geomorphology, 107102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2020.107102

• Aksay, S., Schoorl, J., Veldkamp, A., Maddy, D., Reimann, T., Wallinga, J., 2020. The influence of the rock structure and its geometry in sedimentation-erosion dynamics in West Turkey. NAC (Nederlands Aardwetenschappelijk Congres), March 2020, Utrecht, Netherlands.

• Aksay, S., Schoorl, J. M., Reimann, T., Veldkamp, A., and Versandaal, A., 2019. The development of badlands in a Mediterranean setting: first results of geological mapping and OSL dating. 20th Congress of INQUA, 2019, Dublin. P-1839.

• Schoorl, J. M., Aksay, S., Ramos, M. S., Veldkamp, T., and Gorp, van W., 2019. Late Quaternary landscape evolution of the Bergantes catchment: LAPSUS sensitivity in response to tectonic and lithological drivers. 20th Congress of INQUA, 2019, Dublin. O-1221.