GEOMORPHOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE RIVER RUNOFF EVALUATION IN THE GEOLOGICAL PAST (PAPER 3. DRAINAGE NET STRUCTURE ANALYSIS)

Both direct and indirect relationships exist between the structure of the modern river systems and their hydrological characteristics. These relationships can be used to estimate the hydrological characteristics of ancient channel systems in case of similarity of landscape, climatic, geological and geomorphological conditions of modern and ancient catchments. Erosional relief of the Russian Plain preserves the information about past events of extremely high water runoff. The maximum runoff during the Late Valdai (end of MIS 2) produced large paleochannels in river valleys and networks of small dry valleys (balkas) over the catchment areas. On the slopes of watersheds, widespread and well-preserved are networks of gentle shallow hollows, many of which were formed in the event of high water runoff in the end of the Moscow epoch (MIS 6). Thalweg density (total length per unit area) of the hollow and dry valley networks serves the indicator of the hydrological conditions of their formation (mostly, of the maximum runoff value). Two methods to evaluate these hydrological conditions were used: 1) the statistical regression relations between the density of thalwegs and water flow characteristics in permafrost territories (analogues for the Russian Plain settings in cold epochs of the past); 2) mathematical modelling of erosion relief formation under different hydrological conditions and selecting such runoff parameters that predict the formation of the observed erosional topography. The first method applied to the Khoper river catchment (middle Don river basin; modern runoff depth 110 mm/yr) predicted annual runoff depth of 200–250 mm for the Late Valdai period, and 600–700 mm for the Late Moscow period. The annual runoff depth 230 and 690, respectively, was estimated for the small catchment Perepolye dry valley with the second method. Therefore, during the Late Valdai and Late Moscow epochs, the erosion topography was produced by water runoff, respectively, two-three and six-seven times greater than the present-day runoff in the same catchments.

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