Zoning of high mountainous areas by geoecological loads caused by geodynamic and climatic influences

Abstract

Relevance. The geotectonic, lithological and landscape-morphological features of the territories where tourist and recreational complexes are functioning in the Central Caucasus determine the platform nature of the development of the Scythian plate. The southern margin of this plate is involved, together with the attached microplate-terranes (Ciscaucasia, Bechasynskaya, East Caucasian), in the mountain-forming process of the Greater Caucasus. The territories of the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus, involved in the mountain-forming process as oceanic plates – terranes (Transcaucasian plate, South microplate – folded by a layer of alternatingflysch of clay shales with interlayers of sandstones, marls, limestones) have undergone a different character of geological development. The Southern microplate is pressed against the rigid Scythian plate from the south by the Transcaucasian plate, supported by the Arabian platform. It has undergone intense deformation, deep tectonic manifestations of sublatitudinal orientation, which are channels for the active manifestation of endogenous geodynamic processes. The creation of a tourist and recreational complex on the southern slope of the Central Caucasus presupposes a forecast of the geoecological evolution rate in conditions of active geodynamics and intensive manifestation of dangerous geological processes. The Aim of the study is the zoning of the intensity levels of the geoecological loads of geodynamic and climatic influences for the differentiated target use of the corresponding areas. In the course of research, geodynamic and climatic factors characteristic for the territory were identified and the ranking of integral impacts on the studied territory was implemented. The methods consisted in dividing the territory into area elements of 4×4 square km., taking into account the significant factors of influence on the element of the area and summing up the intensities determined by expert estimates of the ranking caused by each of the natural impacts. In the process of solving the problems, the geodynamic and climatic factors characteristic for the territory were determined; differentiated geotectonic and geomorphological conditions of their manifestation; an expert assessment of the intensity of the impact of each factor was carried out according to a five-point system and the total maximum possible impact potential was established. Results of the study became the basis for the compilation of the corresponding map – the zoning scheme of the study area into zones with intensities characterizing different levels of geoecological load.