Fold mountains are characteristic element of Alpine-Himalayan active belt. They are forming due to disruption of upper layered plates along detachments, their contortion and tectonic piling. Jura Mountains and Subalps are the morphotype of such structures, they most often occur in the South Asia, where they constitute the south limb of Iran-Asia-Minor orogenic belt.

Tectonic relief of fold mountains is characterized as wells their structural ensembles, organization levels, geologic structure. Exogenous factors of fold mountain making are discussed, its general model is suggested and some considerations are proposed concerning possible combination of near-surface folding and deep tectonic. The consequent reformations of mountains and folds of Jura type are shown.

Possible reformations of Niman River channel in the lover pool of the designed Urgalskaya-1 (Nizhnenimanskaya) water power plant are under consideration.

The protection of Scarps is very important task in road building. The development of erosion and slope processes is the main cause of the destruction of road embankments and different engineering structures. Field researches carried out -at the Moscow ring highway have shown that existing methods of slope protection are far from excellence The description of alternative method of protection worked out by "NPO Ecolandshaft" is represented in this paper. This method provides efficient engineering and bioengineering protection of slopes, engineering structures and landscapes against erosion and other dangerous natural and man-induced processes.

Correlation between tectonic evolution of the central part of Dnieper-Donets basin and sedimentation features of the regionally gas- and oil-bearing Upper Visean rock mass was analysed. The thickness, lithofacial composition of deposits and paleolandforms has consistent features. It allows localizing the areas of non-anticlinal and combined traps of hydrocarbons prospecting.

The reformations of longitudinal profile of Belaya River are under consideration. Those are caused by mining operation of the gravel-sandy mix - river channel alluvium - during decades. Transformations of profile are represented by decreasing of stream surface and bottom elevations and by changing of channel depths distribution. The quantitative characteristics, are given, which help to evaluate the velocity of transformations and to forecast its future run.

The paper deals with morphology and dynamic of Caspian Sea shores under condition of recent sea level rise. The most attention is paid to lagoon-type shores. Their origin and development are greatly affected by inertial delay of underwater beach-slope profile alteration. If stabilization of sea level occurs it'll take the system an additional time to reach complete relaxation.

Zondity of lakes in the Altai region is determined by 1) their genetic links with river erosion, 2) vertical zonality of glacial-nival and frosty-Solitluction belts of mountains, 3) layering of ancient planation-surfaces, 4) the type of plain .lakes: base for inner off-flow or lake without outlet. From mountains towards plains periglacial lakes are changed to fluvio-erosional ones, oligotrophic to mesotrophic and eutrophic lakes, freshwater to brackish- and salt-water lakes.

A new version of bathymetric map of the Barents and Kara Seas 'shelf is compiled on the base of newly obtained sparker records, seismic acoustic data, echosoundings and revision of previous maps and schemes. Barents and Kara Seas shelf is mutual continental margin of Norwegian-Greenland and Eurasian basins of Arctic Ocean. These oceanic basins are the youngest ones on the Earth; that is the reason of unique geostructural position of Barents and Kara Seas shelf. Bathymetry of this region corresponds to its morphostructure. Extremely dissected relief is interpreted as the evidence for recent tectonic activity of the continental margin of transitional (from passive to active) type, passing the earlier stage -of its evolution.

Detailed geomorphological study has shown that drainage network of the 'region had at least one basic alteration during Cenozoic period. Widespread areal prevalence of denudation planation surfaces was revealed: within the altitudinal range 125-290 m there are more than ten such surfaces but not one or two as it was considered earlier. On the less than 200 m levels there are extant covers of subaerial loose deposits, that-serve as intermediate collectors of kimberlitic minerals.

Paleoseismogeological field researches in the south-eastern part of Altai Mts. took place in the 1996- and 1997. Seismodislocations of earlier unknown earthquakes was found in this region; their mapping and investigation ill the mine-workings were fulfilled. Primary seismodislocations may be-seen in recent landforms as low cliffs of large extent and as thrusts in cross-sections. Landfalls, landslides and stone avalanches represent secondary seismodislocations. Their C¹⁴ dating lies in the range 8000-200 b.p. The data obtained allow considering the south-east part, of Altai Mts. region to be apparently high seismic.

The main types of karst in Georgia are characterized. Differences of karst formation within alpine-nival and forest zones are discussed, as well as hydrogeological features- of water circulation in the cave systems. The schemes of karstiferous massifs distribution and major karst types are given.

Geological-geomorphological development of Tumangan river basin during Cenozoic period may be divided into four stages: Paleocene-Eocene, Eocene-Oligocene; Miocene and Pliocene-Quaternary. All stages had similar consequences of events: fracture effusion of basalt, terrigenous sedimentation, effusion of acid/intermediate lavas, stratigraphic discontinuations. Coal accumulation happened in Eocene and Miocene. In Late Pliocene-Quaternary time the sedimentation stopped, the basin of Japan Sea expanded, differentiated tectonic movements took place and three geomorphological levels were formed.

Botovskaya cave was formed in the Low Ordovician limestone stratum of 6-12 m thickness under closed freatic conditions of Angaro-Lensky artesian basin (Lena River). The cave looks like subhorizontal two-dimensional maze 32.5 km length. The limestone layer is confined from above and from below by thick marine sandstones. Cave system was probably generated by corrosion caused by gently descending meteoric artesian waters mixed with vertical descending waters from underlying aquifer.

To the jubilee of Roman Sergeyevitch Chalov

Study of erosion, river bed deformation and sediment transport in river basins as related to natural and man made changes. International hydrological programme - V. Technical documents in hydrology, No 10. UNESCO, Paris, 1997., 393 p.

Cities and channel processes

Sergey Michailovich. Alexsandrov (1933-1998)

Oleg Konstantinovich Chedia (1923-1998)