The Yusufeli area, in the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey, contains a crystalline complex that intruded into the Carboniferous metamorphic basement and is composed of two intrusive bodies: a gabbro-diorite and a tonalite-trondhjemite. The mafic body (45-57 wt% SiO 2 ) displays a broad lithological spectrum ranging from plagioclase-cumulate to quartz diorite.
The bedrock of the Çatak area comprises Upper Cretaceous marls, shales, tuffites, limestone and basalts. This is overlain by younger colluvium, essentially loose material detached from the bedrock masses by chemical, mechanical and/or tectonic processes where older rocks crop out. The bedrock is slightly folded but highly fractured. The geological and the geomorphological field investigations have shown that jointing and faulting in combination with pervasive weathering, steep topography, water incision, heavy rainfall and road cuts have all played a significant role in the occurrence of the landslide.
The Catak landslide (Trabzon Province, Turkey) developed retrogressively upslope through a series of small slips, culminating with the catastrophic rock avalanche of 23rd June, 1988 when at least 66 people were killed. The landslide was caused by prolonged heavy rainfall triggering a failure in a partially supported 25‐m high road cutting in colluvium, which progressively removed support for the higher parts of the slope and resulted in the catastrophic slide. Such high‐magnitude events are not uncommon in the Black Sea Mountains but the recent disaster highlights the need for systematic landslide hazard assessments in the region.
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