Cryogenic landforms of the Altai highlands (a case study of the Tavan Bogd National Park, Western Mongolia)
N.N. MIKHAILOV1, S. KHADBAATAR2, S.N. ABDULMYANOV3
1Moscow City University, Moscow, Russia
2Mongolian National University of Education, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
3Vernadsky State Geological Museum, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
Keywords: Altai mountain system, surface, satellite data, field research method, cryogenic landforms, geotourism
Abstract
The transboundary part of the Altai mountains has been investigated. It was established that it is characterized by a set of geomorphological elements due to the altitudinal position, geological structure, neotectonic activity, modern and paleo-climatic conditions, and exogenous relief-forming processes. In the highlands of the Mongolian Altai, landforms associated with the formation, movement and melting of ice are widespread. The geological activity of glaciers, the work of melt water, and the presence of permafrost give rise to bright forms. The formation of the appearance of mountain landscapes and the transformation of the surface are associated with actively ongoing slope processes: avalanches, mudflows, landslides and rock falls. It was found that the objects of cryogenic genesis are landforms differing in scale, structure and location. They include: snow-ice, rock-ice formations, solifluction forms, areas with frost mounds (palza), polygonal and structural soils, aufeis, etc. It is concluded that the most representative objects of cryogenic genesis illustrating the geological work of ice are: modern glacial complexes, rock glaciers and rock streams. Glaciers constitute the main element of the high-mountain zone for complex conjugated cryogenic forms. In addition to them, smaller forms stand out, the formation of which is associated with the processes of soil change under the influence of permafrost and gravitational processes. Regularities are observed in the structure and arrangement of the landforms in the alpine zone. On the basis of information from field routes, satellite data interpretation and the use of GIS capabilities, we analyzed the distribution of cryogenic landforms. Material was prepared on the basis of working with a digital elevation model. A list (catalog) of natural cryogenic objects of different categories identified within the Altai Tavan Bogd National Park has been compiled. The study confirmed that the landforms of the highlands are of interest for further study, replenishment of the catalog of objects and development of thematic tourism.
|
