Özet:

Poljes are large closed karst depressions that can vary from a few kilometers to hundreds of kilometers in length and in which tectonism is also effective on its development, are among the dominant landforms of the Taurus Mountains. Tectonic structures related with compression, tension, and shear are effective on the development of poljes. In this study, the development of polje systems on the Kuseyr Plateau, which is located at the junction of the eastern end of the Cyprus Arc, the Dead Sea, and Eastern Anatolian Fault Systems, is explained. The Kızılgöl and Oğlakçı Polje have structural polje which developed under the control of active tectonics, on the other hand, Karaköse Polje has the character of structural-border polje. The faults limiting the bases of the polje have the capacity to produce earthquakes and have determined the direction of karstification. The left-lateral strike-slip faulting, which borders the Antakya-Samandağ Graben from the east, has changed its character over time and showed a transition towards normal faulting. Therefore, the drainage network on the plateau has fragmented. Afterward, the paleo river networks that remained hanging gained polje character as a result of karstification. Another important factor affecting the development of the polje is the stratigraphic features of the plateau. The unconformable overlying of the karstic formations forming the plateau on the ophiolites caused the karstification to develop in the lateral direction by keeping the groundwater close to the surface. Dissolution residue hums at the edges of the polje are proof of this situation. Seasonal lakes develop at the bottom of the poljes, which are hydrologically closed to surface drainage.

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