Rockfall Risk After Heavy February Rains

Location: Upper Esentepe Mountain Road | Below Alevkayası Cliffs

The limestone slopes above Esentepe absorb water during prolonged winter rainfall. After saturation, small surface rocks can loosen.

The risk is not a landslide event. It is minor rock displacement onto narrow sections of the uphill access roads.

Time pattern: 24–72 hours after intense rainfall.

A common scenario occurs when a driver ascends the mountain road at moderate speed after a storm. A small rock fragment sits just beyond a blind crest. The driver swerves slightly to avoid it, unaware that the opposing lane curves inward at that same point.

The geometry of the road, not the size of the rock, creates the exposure.