Paleomerslot Relicts in the Landscape Structure of the Guberlinskiye Mountains Interhill Valleys in the South Urals

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to search for and study landscape and soil features of palaeofrost in the Southern Urals in the Guberlinskiye Mountains. Materials and Methods. Interpretation of high-resolution space images from Google Earth, Bing Maps, and Yandex Maps to identify polygonal formations as leading geomorphologic indicators of palaeofrost. Field route and semi-stationary studies were conducted at key sites. Results and discussions. Based on space imagery and field studies, microrelief and morphological features were found for the first time in the South Urals. They are interpreted as traces of relict cryogenic structures. The areas of paleocryogenic microrelief development in the interhill valleys of the Guberlinskiye Mountains were determined. It is represented by polygonal and bumpy formations. Morphological features of the studied microrelief indicate its formation as a result of the processes of frost cracking and formation of ground veins in the Neopleistocene. Conclusions: For the first time for the territory of the Guberlinskiye Mountains we obtained data on the existence of palaeofrost in this region in the Neopleistocene and, possibly, in the initial cold stages of the Holocene.