Information About Çıldır Lake
Lake Çıldır, which is within the boundaries of Ardahan and Kars, is the largest freshwater and the second largest lake in the Eastern Anatolia Region with an area of 123 km2. Located at an altitude of 1959 meters above sea level, the deepest point of the lake is 42 meters. Lake Çıldır is a natural embankment lake formed jointly by a lava flow and a rubble. The only output of the lake, which is fed by many streams and springs, is the Arpaçay branch at the northwestern border of Armenia. The largest is the island next to the ruins of Akçakale. Very little vegetation has developed around the lake, but intensive livestock is carried out in the grasslands surrounding the lake.
Fishing which can be done in all four seasons of the year is an important economic source of income for local people. Fishing in the lake is an important human activity. The most important fish species caught in the lake (mirrored) Carp (Cyprinus carpio). However, in dry seasons, the lake level is rapidly withdrawn and therefore reeds necessary for the reproduction of species such as carp are shrinking. However, uncontrolled hunting of many fishermen in breach of prohibitions affects fish stocks negatively.
There are swamps and wetland meadows separated only by the north west of the lake. Generally, the surrounding area is characterized by pasture and the harsh climate does not allow agriculture. It is possible that the diversion tunnels constructed by DSI to feed the lake carry both the pollution load in the other basins to the lake and dry out the most important meadows for livestock. In addition, the northern diversion, which has not been completed yet, has a significant impact on the grass yield of the Karaçay plain, which is the most important meadow of Çıldır.
The adverse effects of the use of agrochemicals (especially high nitrogen content fertilizer) used in the agricultural areas in and around the lake unconsciously and ignoring the ecological and climatic conditions of the region are indicated.
Uncontrolled and overfishing,
Erosion and
High nutrient input
It poses a threat to Çıldır Lake. Although there is no excessive pollution in the lake, there is still an increasing domestic pollution. Increased human pressure on the islands adversely affects the species that use these areas for incubation. The hotel is planned to be reconsidered. With the increasing tourism in recent years, human pressure has increased and touristic facilities have started to be built.
formation
The lake basin is separated from the Çıldır plain, which is approximately 200 meters low compared to the lake level, with a relatively narrow (width: 2-3 km) natural embankment. The largest part of this sediment is a long old stream of lava descending to the west from Mount Papa rising north east of the lake. In the west, this embankment was completed by a rubble crest from the northeastern slope of the Kisir Mountain to the west of the lake. The boundary between this mahrut and lava flow; It passes through the passage that rises along the edge of the lake followed by the barley-Çıldır road. The present lake basin and today's Çıldır plain used to constitute a single depression. The current of this depression went through the Çıldır stream to the Kura River. Due to the flow of the lavas described above, this basin was divided into two parts by a narrow plain (which remained open between the façade of the lava flow and the Kısır Mountain). With the formation of debris from Kısır Mountain, this passage was completely closed and the present lake basin was isolated from Çıldır plain and thus this basin was turned into a lake. The lake was later captured by a branch of Arpaçay. As a result, Çıldır Lake is a natural dam lake formed by a lava flow and a rubble.
Geomorphological Evolution
It will be appropriate to consider the evolution of the site from the beginning of the Tertiary in terms of shaping the lake and its surroundings and outlining its current state. The geomorphological evolution of the lake is as follows:
Tertiary: The Eastern Anatolia Region has undergone severe Alpine tectonic movements in the early Tertiary period, especially in the late Oligocene. The lavas from the fault lines formed in this period completely covered the Pre-Neogene foundation.
Miocene: In the Miocene, the depressions of Eastern Anatolia were mostly under the lake regime and a large part of it was occupied by the lake. In this period, occasional lava flows to the basins. In this way; Arpaçay, Çıldır, volcano-sedimentary formations formed intercalated with sediments along Kura Valley.
Pliocene: In the Pliocene, the region underwent vertical tectonic movements. With these movements, the field was broken with broken lines and block elevations and collapses occurred along the broken lines. In particular, with these movements, apart from the broken lines, the layers are inclined rather than curled in various directions. This indicates that the underlying masses are very hard. Depression and Çıldır Basin occupied by Lake Çıldır during this period were outlined. The mentioned depression areas were occupied by the lakes and the materials transported from these high areas into the lake basins were deposited to form clayey, sandy and gravelly depots.
Quaternary: In this period, wear, transportation and accumulation events have come to the fore. The rivers that have reached the Çıldır Basin occupied by the lake have severely excavated the volcanic cover due to the low slope and low base level. On the other hand, in the Quaternary, as a result of the central eruptions in the east and west of Çıldır Lake, the Kısır Mountain in the west and the Vulture Mountain in the east have formed volcanic cones. The lava flowing from these cones flows up to the lake basin and sometimes covers the volcano-lacustrine formations included in myocene.
Lake Çıldır remained a closed basin from time to time until recently. However, during the Pluvial periods of the Pleistocene, the excess waters of the lake were observed between 1970-1975 m. height of the breach into the Çıldır basin, and then flowed into the Kura River. On the other hand, 2,000 m. There are local rock terraces and shelves around. The presence of flat pebbles in these shelters shows that the lake rises to at least 2000 meters in the pluvial circuit.
Currently Çıldır Lake reaches Arpaçay by means of an “overflow gorge açılmış opened on the basalts in the south. The Çıldır basin to the north of Lake Çıldır was also captured by Kocaçay, one of the tributaries of Kura and connected to the Kura River.
Geology
The volcano-sedimentary formation extends over the Pre-Neogene basement to the south and north of the lake. To the north of the lake, this formation is inclined to the west. The age of the basalts lying on top of this formation is probably myocene. In the east and west of the lake area are thick basalt masses covering the volcano-sedimentary formation. These are composed of central eruptions in the quarternary heads. To the south of the lake lies the Plio Quarternary lake sediments that cover the volcanic formation and are protected from erosion. In the north, sandy, gravelly, clayey, marly lake deposits are common on the edges of Çıldır Plain. The Çıldır Plain has a thick alluvial cover.
The basement of the region where the lake is located is composed of tuff, blockstuff, andesitic and basaltic currents younger than oligocene and marls and conglomerates. Above this series are the basaltic volcanic groups attributed to the Quaternary.
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20/11/2019 
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