The first universal geomorphologic law of D.A. Timofeev could be considered as a general law of geomorphology: earth relief is formed due to the interaction of oppositely directed endogenous and exogenous relief-forming processes. Private geomorphologic laws differ widely within the arid, primary eolian, and humid, mainly fluvial environments. General private geomorphologic law for them – the law of relief formation due to lithodynamic flows function. These flows are associated with both – the continuous activity of the wind, and with occasional, but powerful water currents in the arid relief-forming regions; on the plains they are present linear and concentric development, characterized by upstream and downstream trend, regardless of surface slopes. Streams of humid type are mainly developed in accordance with morphostructural terms; they have water genesis and differ by upstream development trend. The author extracts 12 laws of arid geomorphology: 1) the law of universality: wind activity appears almost everywhere on Earth and on other planets; 2) the law of eolian processes reflection in the sandy terrain pattern in large arid plain areas; 3) the eolian process action as if regardless of Earth’s attraction; 4) the law of three components of eolian process: the destruction of the original rocks and sediments, their transport and deposition; 5) the law of deflation and accumulation interaction in eolian process operation and eolian morphogenetic systems creation; 6) the law of two types of mass transfer – areal and stream oriented with the prevalence of the latter; 7) the law of a wide range of the transported debris dimension; 8) the law of pulsating character of eolian processes; 9) the law of the largest sand deserts confinedness to the low angle depressions of the initial terrain; 10) the law of the joint action of eolian and fluvial processes during eolian relief forming; 11) the law of erosion forms development in arid and extra arid regions; 12) the law of functioning of large rivers in the arid zones.

More than half a century has passed since the Volgograd reservoir creation. During this period a new coastline was formed: its extension within the Volgograd region on the right high bank has increased by 12% due to the large Balaklejka River creek, and on the Eastern bank it has increased by 40% due to the formation of huge bay-estuary of the Yeryslan River; though the small rivers’ bays were mostly silted up and pinched; abrasion coasts were formed and retreated only to a few meters. No increasing of landslide and erosion processes are noted upslope.

Abrasion-accumulative coasts were formed along the Eastern lowland bank. Their retreat reached hundreds of meters (up to 200 meters), but the forecast given 50 years ago generally proved himself, and settlements, that were moved from the flooded area, have not suffered.

But the stabilization of coastal processes did not occurred due to the reservoir “drawdown” or overflow with amplitude up to 2–3 m. Thus, the further evolution of the Volgograd reservoir coastal zone now represents the evolution of anthropogenic and natural system, which functioning depends on the management.

End of the 20th century was characterized by decreasing of the active gullies number. If previously the main cause of gully formation lied in agricultural activities, then now the number of technogenic gullies are increased (in urban areas, in the context of roads and pipelines building, in areas of open mining). It is possible to mark three groups of technogenic gullies under the terms of their origin. Road-side (ditch), situated along roads, and culvert. Industrial-runoff – within the territories with industrial water run-off, and down the open-cut mining slopes (opencut mining gullies). Urban gullies – included into urban territories while range expansion, and gullies with urban genesis – the product of economic activity within settlements.

The article contains an idea that extreme geomorphologic processes (hereinafter – EGP) associated with accumulation and transportation of debris – landslides, rockslides and mudflows – forms a cycle. Cycle scheme: after the huge mudflows descend in the mountainous landscape the debris begins to accumulate as a result of landslide-rockslide, fluvial processes and the avalanche overthrow. After reaching a critical mass, even under low effect of any factors (precipitation, temperature, seismicity, frost weathering and snow accumulation) the next mudflows descend is occur. For the first time all these factors are considered in the complex in present article. An integrated analysis of air temperature, precipitation, seismicity and frost weathering diagrams was carried out for the Balkar Cherek River basin. According to preliminary data EGP cycle comes to 4–6 years within research territory.

The study is based on estimation of abrasion-embayed coast lithodynamics on the basis of bathymetric data and equilibrium profi le of the underwater coastal slope. Model of R. Dean and model of storm relief deformations were used. Based on the underwater coastal slope relief comparison with Dean’s equilibrium profi le the principles of large-scale regionalization of the coastal zone were put forward. The comparison with storm relief deformations was led to conclude that maximum of relief transformation is occur under extreme heaving and lead to irregular distribution of sandy sediments in the central part of the bay. In the following, these relief transformations are the cause of the intensifi cation of abrasion processes under the less powerful storms.

Vertical and inclined shores washout processes were simulated in the small-scaled water tunnel with curved bed and in the rectangular-sectioned hydraulic flume. Intensity of the washout of lithologically homogeneous material of vertical shore is in direct correlation with the attack angle of flow on the coast: Wa = 349.8(1 + + 3.21sin3 a), where Wa is the intensity of washout at the attack angle a. The power-low relation (Wb = 82 + 1.72b0.71) of underwater river bank washout intensity (Wb) from its incline (b) to the flow surface is fixed. Mathematic simulation results show that the ratio of side erosion to bottom erosion shifts to bottom erosion if flow velocity was increased. Due to their morphometric, timing and hydraulic parameters these models are closest to the processes parameters and morphology of the beds of slope drainage network of shallow waterflows. Sharp river bed curves, high flow velocities and flow turbulence on the top of high water are typical for them. All these features occur in the river drainage networks as well, especially on the mountainous rivers. On the plain rivers the most adequate are the high water processes analogues as long as high water passes in the berm edges of flood-plain coasts.

According to results of interpretation of data of high (120–150 Hz) frequency SCP (seismic continuous profiling), CDP1 (common depth point method) profile and drilling it was found that the NW Pacific abyssal floor is composed by marine and continental series of Late Precambrian-Phanerozoic (sedimentary-trappean cover). Facies of three oceans (earley epicontinental Tethys of Riphean-Paleozoic, late epicontinental Tethys of Late Mesozoic, deep-sea Pacific ocean of Neogene-Quaternary) and intermediate subaerial epochs (Pacifida paleolands) were eliminated. Boundaries of Layers 1–5 and Meso-Cenozoic cover are parallels and gentle incline to the SE from outer rise that is typically for platforms with long inherited development. The cover of old platform break divergent gravitational glide of Layers 1–4 on outer rise slopes in the Neogene-Quaternary. Mesozoic history is connected with mainly land traps, transgression of late Tethys in Jurassic-Early Cretaceous and shallow accumulation of carbonate strata A. Then the sea step back to SE with formation of seacoast series B and draining of region in the Uppermost Early-Late Cretaceous-Paleogene, partly Early Miocene, when here accumulate loesses of Pacifida paleoland (horizon C), fl ooded waters of the young Pacific ocean. Its facieses (strata D1,2) are composed the abyssal fl oor and present of canyon fans on the outer rise and Kamchatka contour megacone in the Tuskarora basin. Fan outbuilding continues before Middle Pleistocene (Japan and Kuril-Kamchatka trench formation as turbidite traps).

Features of structure and history formation of abyssal hills of North-Western Pacifi c plate are considered by data of high (120–150 Hz) frequency SCP (seismic continuous profi ling), CDP1 profi le and Meso-Cenozoic, sedimentary-trap cover seismostratigraphy. It was established that asymmetric tectonic and more symmetric injected hills of Late Cenozoic (Neogene-Quaternary) age and without signs of volcanic activity are dominated among them. Tectonic hills are connected with Neogene-Quaternary glide faults of Layers 1–4, injected hills – with rootless, probably granitic, protrusions from Layer 4. The combination of tectonic and injective basis of inherited development from previous peneplanation epoch displayed in some hills structures. Some hills of other structure, origin and age also described: young gas volcano cone, Late Mesozoic volcanoes, and mini cones of black smokers.

Geologic-geomorphologic analysis of roll surrounding Smerdyach’e Lake basin and its neighborhoods were analyzed. Lots of researchers considered this basin as a footprint of meteor impact, but there is no incontestable proof of its impact origin. The result of meteor impact is almost general lacks of stratification in roll sediments, while stratification is well-defined abroad the roll on the vast postglacial terrace. Non-rounded debris of bedding rocks to a depth of non-less than 20 m was observed in upper roll horizons. They are almost absent outside the roll. Hill-and-ridged relief adjoining from the North-East side to the roll probably is a result of oblique impact of meteor (from the South-East to the North-West) whereby mass ejection is concentrated toward moving the impactor, although probably these forms are the result of eolian factor. Upper horizons of the Polya River terrace, as in the case of one of the roll test pit, penetrates alluvium involved in cryoturbation caused by cold snap during last glacial maximum and initiate to deposit before the epoch of last glacial maximum (23–20 thousand years ago). Layers intimately associated with meteor impact cover this alluvium, and this support the idea of meteor impact in the end of cold snap epoch or soon after it, i.e. to the period from 20 to 10 thousand years ago.

The article states main stages and impact of Caspian Sea level fluctuations on the north-eastern coastal landscapes (coastal area in Mangistau and Atyrau regions of Kazakhstan) for the periods of 1978 to 2014. Land cover changes and distribution of negative geo-ecological processes (salinity, flooding) were identifi ed based on the use of Landsat 1977, 1987, 1998, 2013 multispectral satellite images. Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) was calculated to identify the water table. On the basis of the values of brightness characteristics and synthesis of Landsat satellite images channels the article explains the correlation between vegetation and coast moisture conditions during transgressive phases and emergence of saline areas in the receding coastline. The author’s research objective was to evaluate the degree of sea level fluctuations impact (high, moderate, low) on different types of observed landscapes which have been exposed to marine transgressions in different geological epochs. As a result, the main conclusion was made that the intensity of the impact of sea level fluctuations on coastal landscapes to a large extent depends on the terrain, formed during long transgressive phases (1977–1995 years, the earliest- and late Caspian transgressions) which also connected with groundwater depth level, wind-driven waves zone of impact and the main characteristics of land cover. The author emphasizes that the study of modern areas affected by flooding will help to determine “risk flood zone” and to defi ne danger levels of areas for a different economic activities development.

Archaeological properties – pomor (coast-dweller) sites of XVI–XVIII centuries, researched in 2005 on Svalbard Archipelago, are situated on various heights. It is suggested that primary these settlements were situated abroad the zone of storm danger, in favorable for boats touch-land places, and it was not long-distance from this places to dwellings and house-hold buildings. Practically it is meaning that optimized heights for pomor sites are 2–5 m above sea level. Due to vertical movements of archipelago’s separate parts much of archaeological properties have anomalous altitude (low or high) relative to present ocean level. That’s why some of pomor habit areas were resumed during period of pomor crafts, other were uncouth or relocated. Comparison of present day properties height with optimized one make it possible to evaluate raise and sinking of exact coastal parts from the time of these properties building, and it’s give an idea of velocity, direction and range of vertical movements of tectonic block masses not able to consider as a lithospheric unit piece within archipelago. Due to height properties situation the South part of archipelago is settle down and North part feel rise.

The Selengino-Manzurskaya hydrographic network represented arterial river system with valleys built from constratal alluvium of the Manzurskaya suite of the Pleistocene fi rst half. Nowadays it is uplifted and deformed by recent tectonic movements with the range from 620 m to 800 m, which went along with the Baikal cavity downwarping and uplift of the Primorsky range, the Baikal range and the Onotskiy and Olkhinskiy high plateaus of the Western Baikal Area. Ancient vallyes network was consisted of two branches: Anaysko-Sarminskaya and Buguldejsko-Goloustensko-Manzurskaya. Joining together they formed the Upper pre-Lena basin. The Manzurskiy alluvium is the formation of alluvial, shallow-water-lacustrine and deluvial deposits, represented by sandy varieties and lences of pebble gravels. The alluvium geological age, defi ned by study of small rodents bones found in it and thermoluminiscense dating, fluctuates from 1.700 to 78 thousands years. Hydrosystem’s beds bifurcation is connected with fuzzy relief in the period of its functioning. Its transbaikal nature is shown by the presence of exotic distant-transfered pebble of high-scale rounding; by high thickness of constratal alluvium on the modern interstream areas of the Primorskiy range; by alluvium occurences in the Obruchevskiy fault zone (above the lake water area) and in the South-Baikal hollow. We believe that these facts demonstrate the late-Pleistocene origin of the Lake Baikal deep trench.

2015, October 20 marked 10 years since the death of D.A. Lilienberg – the classic of Soviet and Russian geomorphologic science. His range of interests included matters of structural geomorphology, neotectonics, contemporary movements and relief geodynamics, geomorphologic mapping of mostly mountainous regions of the USSR, Russia and other countries. The article is devoted primarily to the Cuban period of researches and recollections about D.A. Lilienberg wrote by his students, fellows and colleagues in Cuba, Mexico and Russia. Significant place in the work of D.A. Lilienberg was devoted to longstanding geomorphologic-geodynamic researches of Cuba: he made a substantial contribution and became a leading academic standing of geographical science in this country. He has formed the basis of the Cuban national geomorphologic school, contributed to foundation of tropical and structural geomorphology of Cuba, to contemporary relief endogeodynamics and to development of the geomorphology mapping methods; he was the author of geomorphologic maps (1:500000 scale) in two “National atlas of Cuba” (1970, 1983). Moreover, he layed the foundation of the contemporary vertical movements researches – for this purpose he initiated creation of the geodynamic field test site Santiago-deCuba. D.A. Lilienberg was a true-born educator and promoted the foundation of national geomorphologic schools in Cuba, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Bulgaria, Slovakia. Some of his Cuban students made PhD under his tenure in Moscow in the Institute of Geography of the USSR Academy of Science; at present they live and work in other countries – the USA, Mexico, Spain.

27 января 2016 г. после тяжелой продолжительной болезни ушел из жизни профессор кафедры геоморфологии и палеогеографии, доктор географических наук Герман Сергеевич Ананьев.