Assessment of rocks strength in the field applied to studies of lithomorphic relief

Abstract

A new technique is described of solid rocks strength assessment in natural position using portable device for dynamic tests of rocks. The analysis of the lithomorphic topography in mountains of Soviet Central Asia, Kazakhstan and the Great Caucasus carried out using both traditional structural geomorphological method and the new technique confirms the notion that the unhomogeneity of rocks strength in a leading factor in lithomorphogenesis. The introduced method appears to be expedient for unbiased identification of lithomorphic elements of micro- and mesorelief.