| Summary: | The thesis comprises two parts. The first part describes the physical environments, past and present, under which the soils of eastern Anatolia and the Elbistan Basin have been formed. Geology and relief are discussed briefly in relation to soil development. In the case of climate, both past and present conditions are discussed in considerable detail and particular attention is paid to changes during the Pleistocene, which are believed to have played an important role in pedogenesis In the Elbistan basin. The possible effects of glacial and periglacial activity are also discussed. In the second part, attention is focussed on soil characteristics and an attempt is made to classify and interpret the various soil profiles and to fit these into existing classification schemes. A soil map at a scale of 1:80,000 is introduced. Individual soils profiles are discussed in detail and particular attention is paid to pedogenesis, which is the major aspect of the present research. Each soil group was investigated both in the field and in the laboratory, the latter on the basis of representative samples, the physical and chemical characteristics of which are given in considerable detail. The various pedogenic factors are discussed individually and their relative influences on soil formation are assessed.
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