The paper deals with application of k-means clustering to the analysis of exogeodynamic regimes. Three different regions of Russian Plain were taken for the analysis and the zoning of each one was made on the basis of nine characteristics: precipitation, amount of woodland, amplitude of neotectonic movements, maximal and minimal heights, depth and density of erosion cutting, intensity of landslides and karst processes. Data were obtained by the grid 5'х10'. We consider the area with close mean values of each characteristic, as an area of specific geomorphic regime, the latter defined by the set of values, significantly discrepant from the others. The regions under consideration have different sets of regimes, which nevertheless have some features in common. In every site the regimes of watersheds with low erosion dissection and of deeply dissected slopes are clearly distinguished.

Gullies of specific type occurs in the arid zone. Their formation depends on landscape-geomorphic features of the territory: there exist "desert" gullies of plains and piedmonts, "mountain" gullies on the slopes of residual mountains, "irrigation" gullies, developing due to inrushes in the irrigation systems. The presence of badlands in the arid zone indicated favorable conditions for erosion process during short and rare cloudburst and for preservation at low denudation rate. Irrigation erosion in the arid zone may have a catastrophic character.

The ecological properties of landforms of Kashira city (district center in the south of Moscow region) are discussed, which are important for health of the population, for engineering-geomorphologic conditions of the territory, for comfort of habitation. The evaluation of such characteristics has been made, taking into account the exposure and gradient of the slopes, and recent geomorphic processes.

Zoning of Irkutsk region has been fulfilled basing on the analysis of different maps: topographic, exogenous processes, neotectonics, seismicity, underground water and dangerous hydrogeodinamic processes. 10 regions were distinguished according to 4 classes (from low to extremely high) of ecological hazard.

The concepts of tortuosity and curvature and their relation to geomorphology, morphometry, and cartography are described. The technique of automatic tortuosity and curvature map compiling is worked out, with the Altai region as an example. New morphometric maps are visually compared and analyzed. The curvature maps have appeared to be more informative and reliable. The main fields of their theoretical and applied usage are pointed out.

The objective of this study is the prediction of long-term (about 100 years) evolution of typical accumulative coasts located in western Russian Arctic. The morphodynamic modelling is applied to coasts of Varanday (the Barents Sea), Baydaratskaya Guba and Harasavay (the Kara Sea). The authors' model takes into account both the impact of short impulses (single storms) and the long-term factors (sea-level changes, multiannual average sediment flux, lack or excess of sediment supply etc.). Predicted and observed morphological changes in coastal profiles agree well for time scales from weeks to decades. Wind-driven seaward flow at the bottom is an important destructive mechanism, contributing in process of abrasion and recession of Arctic coasts. This process depends on both the coast exposition and its height. The open coast of Varanday will retreat on distance of 300-500 m after 100 years, while the recession of less exposed coast of Baidaratskaya Guba would not exceed about 100 m. The process will decay in time. The expected global sea-level rise up to l m in a centenary is not the crucial factor of the future evolution of the coasts considered, and may strongly affect it in a particular cases only.

Mud-flows passing along the Gerhozhansu river - the tributary of the Baksan - and getting to the channel of the latter, have a great effect on its deformation morphology, granulometric composition of alluvium for the space of 8 km. The long-term action of the mud-flows has led to the longitudinal profile of the Baksan's channel and to the formation of the three characteristic sections, which differ in many parameters. The sections are: the zone of affluent, channel within the debris cone, and the downstream site of mud-flow deposits reworking. Catastrophic mud-flows in the year of 2000, carried the enormous amount of solid material, transformed the channel morphology radically and conditioned the channel processes in the area under consideration for long.

Recent morphodynamic of some types of coarse elastic-deposit barriers are considered on the base of comparative study of natural features, historical and archaeological data. The evolution of such types of barriers during recent sea-level rise mostly depends on the type and coarseness of beach sediments. Some peculiarities of coast evolution in Late Holocene have been characterized.

The operation of flow-channel system as a natural automation is studied. There is correlation between the velocity field of flow and coarseness of channel alluvium. The morphologic features and morphometry of gigantic ridges are described. Some criticism on modem conceptions of Kunai ridges origin in the Altai mountains is given. Authors put forward the hypothesis of their formation: it is a result of "structurally self-organizing ordering of friable accumulative fluvioglacial deposits due to cryodiagenesis.

Some general and particular problems of the degradation sheet of Lesser Caucasus are discussed. Its value and rate of denudation are determined by stratigraphic methods. Due to significant complexity of geodynamic and paleogeomorphologic conditions of Lesser Caucasus evolution the denudation rate differs strongly from place to place and depends on morphostructures. The degradation sheet was consequently evaluated for each morphostructure particularly. It varies from 85 to 1650 m and the denudation rate - from 0.01 to 0.08 mm/y.

Славный юбилей крупного российского геоморфолога Луизы Константиновны Зятьковой

Александр Адамович Свиточ (к 70-летию со дня рождения)

Итоги стационарных наблюдений за экзогенными процессами на южном склоне Большого Кавказа

Монография о теории и методах экологического русловедения

Монография о геотектонических дислокациях на Балтийском щите

Две книги о современном эоловом морфогенезе

Международное совещание по проблемам геоморфологии Центральной Азии — ХХVІ Пленум Геоморфологической Комиссии РАН

Впечатления участника ХХVІ Пленума Геоморфологической Комиссии РАН