Taurus Mountains

The Taurus Mountains are a mountain system in southern Turkey, running roughly parallel to the Mediterranean coast and separating it from the Anatolian Plateau.

Anatolian Plateau: A high interior region of Asia Minor, much of which lies within modern Turkey. The Taurus Mountains form its southern boundary and separate it from the Mediterranean coast.
Anatolian Plate: A tectonic plate carrying most of Turkey westward between the Eurasian, African, and Arabian plates. Its motion and collisions at Turkey's margins contribute to the region's mountain building.
Alpine orogeny: A prolonged episode of mountain building across southern Europe and western Asia caused by plate convergence. The Taurus range formed within this broad tectonic episode.
Taşeli Plateau: A rugged limestone plateau in southern Turkey, between the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean coast. Its karst terrain illustrates the distinctive landscapes within the Taurus region.
Cilician Gates: A mountain pass through the Taurus range in southern Turkey, linking Cilicia with the Anatolian interior. This passage cuts through the range and has long connected the coast with inland Anatolia.
Tectonic uplift: The elevation of Earth's surface caused by tectonic forces acting on the crust. Uplift produced the high relief that defines the Taurus system.
Tethys Ocean: An ancient ocean that once separated the northern continents from Gondwana and later closed during continental collision. Its closure preceded the collisions that uplifted the Taurus region.
Karst: A landscape formed when soluble rock dissolves, creating features such as caves, sinkholes, and underground drainage. Limestone in the Taurus Mountains supports extensive caves and underground water systems.
Göksu: A river in southern Turkey that flows through the Taurus Mountains to the Mediterranean Sea. Its course shows how rivers cross the range and drain its southern slopes.
Orogeny: The processes by which tectonic forces build mountain belts. The Taurus Mountains belong to the broader mountain-building belt formed by continental convergence.

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