PHYSICAL NATURE OF GEOMORPHOLOGIC BOUNDARIES

Abstract

The boundaries between landforms or relief types can be divided into two large groups: divergent, lined along the positive landforms, and cumulative, lined along the negative landforms. We study as an example a catchment basin - system, of which unity and stableness depend on the dynamic bonds - erosion-denudation processes in the first place. Geomorphologic elements of catchment basin are connected "downhill" by surface flow. The bonds 'uphill" are put into motion by lowering of the base level or undercutting the slope by water flow. The boundary of the system "catchment basin" is the watershed along which the four types of boundaries can be distinguished: apical (watersheds properly) pronounced mostly as the edges of the mountains, slope ones (transit), saddle ones (transfluvial) and watershed areas with ambiguous line of drainage devide.