In the discussion on the notion of «the age of the relief» the due attention is not paid to the relief itself. The definition suggested by the author is as follows: a relief is a form of a land surface directly or indirectly reflecting properties of its geological basement, as well as mechanism, duration and rate of geomorphological processes. The «form» in this definition is a combination of roughness of the Earth's surface which is considered in its genetic and functional connection. Relic forms are those which have lost a functional connection with surrounding topography. The present-day relief consists, on one hand, of developing parts and on the other hand, of undeveloping parts as well as the recent Earth's crust consists of various heterogeneous parts of different ages.

Geomorphological characters of continental and oceanic rift zones are discussed. Similar and different features in the topography of both are recognized and it is shown that peculiarities of topography (depth distribution, roughness, and presence or absence of axial rift) cannot account for the formation of mid-oceanic ridges in terms of the sea floor spreading hypothesis.

Analysis of the Chokurdakh and Ryveem placer fields (North-East of the USSR) revealed the continental (and not marine) origin of coastal area placers. Compasion between geological conditions of the placer fields and those of Nome region (Western Alaska) confirms that the main gold reserve belongs to continental tills. The lowest horizons of the Chokurdakh and especially Ryveem fields seem to be of no connection with valley net and can be cosidered as a special type of plain alluvial placers formed for a very long time (tens millions years), the sediments being eroded and deposited over and over. The placers finding out is a searching task which requires boring of territory (or aquatory) with rationally located grid of bore-holes. The plain placers are to be most prospective in spite of the difficulties of their finding.

A new geomorphological indication of hydrothermal-metasomatic changed and sulphidized rocks – twinned small valleys — has been revealed and described for East Zabaikalye. Some consideration are given on the mechanism of formation of such topographic anomalies. Wide spreading of the twinned valleys allows to use them for searches of gold and other minerals connected with zones of sulphidization.

A method is introduced for estimation c' total denunciation at mountains by calculalating of the volume between the present earth surface and reconstructed pre-orogenic surface; the denudation is calculated for time interval since the beginning of the pre-orogenic surface dissection. The technique application is illustrated by a site at the North-West Caucasus, denudation volume, denudation cut-off value and average rate of denudation being calculated.

The authors' work on mapping of eolian relief of the Priobckoe Plateau wooded hollows revealed the availability of data for eolian relief deciphering from space photographs. The deciphering reliability increases if high altitude aerial photographs are used for key sites. Aerial photos transforming to increase in contrasts makes positive results.

An analysis of the compiled map of the eolian relief together with field data enables to make more clear the wooded hollows genesis.

The Cenozoic Fore-Baikalian Trough consists of a series of foredeeps which border the Baikalian mountain area at the West and correspond to depressions of the presentday topography. Geological-geomorphological studies of the depressions revealed 4 polygenetic planation surfaces of different age, the latter being defined on weathering crusts and correlative sediments as Early Mesozoic (Trias-Early Jurassic), Cretaceous-Paleogenic, Miocene-Middle Pliocene and Late Pliocene respectively. At elevated margins of the Fore-Baikalian trough the Cretaceous-Paleogenic surface becomes polygenetic one and can be divided into three separate levels with interjacent slopes or zones of dissected topography. The lower intermediate and upper levels are dated Late Cretaceous, Late Paleocene- Early Eocene and Late Eocene-Early Oligocene respectively. Some surfaces of lower rank (e. g. Pleistocene pediments, glacises and terraces) have been also studied. The Cretaceous-Paleogenic polygenetic surface considered to be the most prospective with regard to lateritic bauxites, especially hollows and ancient valleys at the upper and middle levels. Criteria of the bauxite prospects are discussed in connection with topographic features of the territory and some recommendations have been made for search of bauxites of relict (lateritic), sentimental and fissure-karstic types.

The author considers gold placers to be ancient if they are relict regarding to the modern geomorphological process of the relief's elements. Some inherited valleys of the Upper Kolyma Highland being taken as an example, the ancient gold placers are proved to be in historical-genetic connection with Neogene erosional surface cutting the previous sedimentary zones and the crusts of weathering. The geomorphological position of gold placers is determined by the pattern of the Neogene surface dissection in process of the neotectonic activization.

The paper deals with sub-horizontal denudational surfaces of interfluves in a region at marginal part of the Amur-Zeya Basin. The analysis of the surfaces structure, correlation with other landforms, presumable conditions of their forming, as well as special features of spatial distribution and altitudinal position – all the data proved the surfaces to be preserved fragments of an ancient planation surface.

Beside previously known planation surfaces of Early Cretaceous and Late Pliocene age at the Crimea Mountains there has been proved the existence of Miocene polygenetic surface, its fragments being preserved mostly at foothills. A palaeogeomorphological scheme of the Crimea foothills at Miocene has been costructed.

Most of explorers of the North-East distinguish two glacial epochs-those of Middle and Late Pleistocene. Author's studies at the Elga basin allow to subdivide the Late Pleistocene glaciation into two stages – Ziryanka and Sartan. Ziryanka stage corresponds to the «brown» till and covering it valved clays; «grey» till (lying on the clays) and terminal moraine ridges belong to Sartan stage. There are three groups of glacial cirques corresponding to different glacial epochs: cirques with altitudes from 1100 to 1450 m belong to Middle Pleistocene epoch, those with altitudes 1450-1.850 m – to Ziryanka stage and with altitudes 1950-2100 m – to Sartan stage.

The complex analysis of paleobotanic and radiocarbon data confirms the erosion processes (slope wash in particular) to be intensified at the central part of the Middle Russian Heights in t-he last centuries due to human economic activity together with recent tectonic uplift. The factors resulted in drainage of swamp (existed since sub-boreal time) and their covering with deluvial mantle, the age of the latter is estimated at 200 years, the deluvial wash rate being about 4-6 mm per year.

The isostatic component of the total Cenozoic uplift of the Badzhal Ridge has been identified and approximately estimated. The ridge was chosen because the Cenozoic denudational lowering magnitude could be defined with sufficient reliability. Volume of cut-off rocks (defined by geomorphological technique) is about 1/3 of the primary prism of igneous rocks which the ridge consists of; the volume corresponds to load reduction of 180 kg/Km² at the area of 15 000 km². Hence the isostatic uplift of the ridge compensating the denudational unload has been calculated to be equal to 560-600 m during the Cenozoic stage, the calculation using the formula by E. N. Lustig (1957). The conclusion has been done about the importance of the isostatic factor in morphostructures movements of young folded regions and its everywhere distribution, the tectonic (neotectonic) active movements being of local manifestation.

The paper tries to analyse the conceptual and methodological aspects of discussion on «topographic levels» at the North-East of the USSR. Some consideration are given to the beginning of the neotectonic time at the territory, number of stages and their traces at the present-day topography.