Abstract:
The Eastern Anatolia Region which has unique historical, geological and geomorphological features, is home to one of Turkey’s culturally important regions. The Levent Valley and its surrounding geosites, as well as the biodiversity and cultural heritage in the Malatya Province have been investigated by systematic research including field survey, archival research, and GIS route analysis. According to geological features of the study area, the oldest unit in and around Levent Valley is the Permian-aged Khorasançal Formation. Furthermore, Mesozoic-aged Hocalıkova ophiolite, Medik formation, Tohma formation, and Sarıkız formation are common in the region. Senozoic-aged Gedik formation, Dumanlar formation, Akyar formation, Karaca formation, Yamadağ volcanics, and Sultansuyu formation are horizontally located on all these units. There are more than a hundred caves in the Levent valley that were formed in the Gedik, Dumanlar, Akyar, Karaca, Sultansuyu formations and Yamadağ volcanics. According to the tourism facilities, the viewing terrace functions as a mini museum for visitors which includes the local cultural items and fossil diversity unearthed in the area. The area also gives an opportunity for adrenaline junkies offering activities such as zipline and bangy jumping. The Monumental Trees with a circumference of 3–6 m found during the field survey and the tulips unique to the region can also be seen in different locations of the valley. Due to the complexity and difficulty of the transport network in the Valley for geotourists, suitable routes were generated using GIS. The proposed GIS route analysis reveals a great geotourism potential in the region regarding geoheritage asset identification in a digital form considering economic benefits and time saving. By this way, almost all of the assets in the field can be discovered and visited by using this route map generated during the analysis. In conclusion, the fundamental investments and rehabilitations that should be conducted in the Valley and its surrounding were also discussed throughout the study. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to International Association for the Conservation of Geological Heritage.