On the geostructural regional subdivision of the karst in the Western Caucasus

Abstract

A very complicated pattern of tectonic blocks is typical for the Western Caucasus because of many faultlines of different rank crossing each other. Within the limits of western Mountain Caucasian karst area (belonging to Crimean-Caucasian province) geostructural features permit to distinguish 3 karst districts, 7 sub-districts, 22 regions and 64 sub-regions. The region is considered to be the main unit in the scheme of the karst territorial subdivision. It corresponds to an individual crustal block with a separate ground water reservoir and shows a certain complex of karst processes and resulting landforms.