A comparative analysis of morphosculptures of the intracontinental mountains of Central Asia and of region of continental margin in the Far East reveals considerable differences in exogenic morphogenesis of the regions; the differences are due to both zonal climatic factors and to hypsometric position. Certain similarities in geomorphic processes are traced in both subaerial and submarine spheres of morphogenesis. Rates of the processes are assessed, distinguished into normal (background), anomalous and extremum.

A close scrutiny of a great body of information on the stratigraphy of old alluvium and associated sediments permits to trace their connection with the morphostructural evolution of the region. A sequence of morphocycles of dominant erosion and alluviation have been identified in mountain valleys. The most important feature of the mountain valleys evolution throughout the Pliocene and Quaternary has been a complicated (though unidirectional) intermittent downcutting, with some elements of reciprocation; it manifests itself both in short and longer periods of the valley evolution. Intervals of fast and large-scale removal of debris from the mountains followed long periods of coarse deposits accumulation in the region's interior. The main cause of the debris ejection was the climate aridization.

High symmetry is typical of the planetary relief structure at the level of the oceanic and continental hemispheres, of Gondwana and Laurasia, of oceans and mid-oceanic ridges. Western Pacific region is characterized with breaks in symmetry at all the levels, all of them being superimposed there. The data suggest that the tectonosphere in the region contains some elements of structure and geodynamics which control most important transformations of the Earth's appearance there.

The paper gives a review of stationary observation of geomorphic processes and emphasizes the necessity to develop a system of stations using a common program of research. Five tasks are indicated as important in the stationary observation of the exogenic geomorphic processes: to unify techniques of observations and to estimate their accuracy; to develop models of the processes; to find threshold values of processes; to estimate the maximum permissible development of the processes within a given area; to study poorly known processes and to reveal yet unknown ones.

Terraces of the Alindja River are identified using morphological characteristics and results of mineralogical analysis of heavy minerals in alluvium (sand grains 0.25 to 1 mm in diameter). The Holocene terraces show a relatively high content of the hypersthene, while a proportion of weathered grains of hypersthene increase on the late Pleistocene terraces. Each terrace is shown to feature a characteristic range of the hypersthene values; sometimes the ranges overlap, but in many cases they permit to identify terraces with confidence.

The author suggests to distinguish between the notions of ¢type» and #zone» of contact, the former being of more general character. Three types of contact are distinguished: sharp boundary along a faultline; smooth, gradual transition from the platfomian plain to foothills; and the proper zone of contact which corresponds in ten's of structure to a foredeep. The zone of contact is considered to be a separate morphostructural unity of the same rank as platformian plains and orogens. A peculiar assemblage of morphostructures exists within the zones of contact due to interaction between the platform and orogen; the latters form a single morphodynamic system together with the zone of their contact.

A proposition is brought forward that morphostructural nodes are sites of increased rate of relief-forming processes (primarily fluvial erosion and alluviation and slope processes) due to their small-block structure. Both erosion and accumulation of sediments reach their maximum in the interior nodes (where lineaments of the 4th order intersect). As an illustration, several morphostructural nodes of the Russian Plain are considered which correspond to lineaments intersection within the Pachelma aulakogen. The nodes are distinguished for some peculiar features, high rates of geomorphic processes, and resulting changes in landscapes, which give grounds to identify them as an individual object of the general geographical regionalization.

The paper discusses up-to-date methodical approach to detailed studies of the sediments budget for rivers of various order and to assessment of rate of small rivers decay; the methods include soil erosion profiles compilation, drilling along profiles, calculations by models and also usage of cesium-137 isotope to estimate quantitatively erosion and deposition rates. The necessity is shown to use two or more independent methods to find components of the sediments budget. Examples are given of the sediments budget and calculations of load transport coefficients for a series of drainage basins of different order on the Russian Plain. Using the southern mega-slope of the Russian Plain as an example, the authors analyze the rate of floodplains alluviation and decrease in total length of drainage network due to excess in sediment supply.

Geoindicational features are considered which have been used in the study of relief endogenous dynamic in a formerly glaciated region using aerial and space technique. It has been inferred that the nature of geodynamic manifestations on the remote sensing materials is controlled by the neotectonic movements (endogenous and rotational) of the Earth's crust, heterogeneities of the geophysical field, activation of geochemical processes as well as by the glaciodynamic events.

Four zones of erosion are distinguished from the water divide downslope, differing in the character of the surface runoff and water volume; those are zones of splash erosion, incipient microrills, rills and gullies. They form together the structure of the surface erosion within a drainage basin. Studies of 300 river basins in Tatarstan provided data on characteristics of the zones of erosion and their dynamics, both long-term and seasonal. The type of erosion and percentage of each zone area within the basin are shown to depend on the cultivation degree, slopes' steepness and exposure, and rocks lithology.

A mathematical model is developed for coastal slope profile evolution. Results of calculation are given using the model applied to different variants of the water level changes in the basin.

Types of the earthcrust are distinguished in the region of the South China Sea on the basis of many characteristics (the present-day altitudes, the earthcrust thickness, depth of the consolidated basement, heat flow values). The earthcrust types are used as a basis of scheme of the region showing recent endogenous regimes, their stages and phases of activity. The existing deep basin of the South China Sea is shown to originate at the very beginning of the recent epoch due to collapse of a broad dome of the continental earthcrust. The recent tectonic activity has already passed its peak. Some similarities are found in the basin formation of the South China Sea and seas of Mediterranean type, the Black and Caspian seas.

Review of morphological and stratigraphical peculiarities of Chenier plains in Eastern China based both on Chinese sources and author's own observation leads to the definition of cheniers as specific deltaic landforms. Variations in river sediment discharge at the specific coastal segments seem to be a primary factor in the formation of individual Chenier ridges. Such a variation can be caused by migration of river mouth, climatic change, or any other factor. Unique historical data on river migrations and sea-level changes in Eastern China during the last four thousand years support the formation of morphologically identical Chenier ridges under conditions of river migrations or small-scale relative sea-level rise episodes (e.g. 2.5 to 2 Kyrs BP).

Книга о плювиальной геоморфологии аридных стран - W.L. Graf. Fluvial processes in maryland rivers. Berlin, Hei'delberg, New York; London; Paris; Tokyo: Springer Verlag. 1988. 348 p.