PRINCIPLES FOR CONSTRUCTING THE LEGEND OF THE GEOMORPHOLOGICAL MAP OF ASIA

Abstract

The authors describe the organizational principles and results of an effort to devise a legend for a 1,80,000,000-scale map of the Asian continent as part of a broader international program of continent-scale geomorphological study of the Earth's major terrain features. The basic purpose of the map is to depict morphotectonic features of the ocean floor and continents from the perspective of plate tectonic theory. Specific attention is devoted to the elaboration of principles governing the development of the legend (based on the earlier-compiled Geomorphological Map of China)—e.g., the importance of discriminating between active and passive continent/ocean margins in the identification of major morphotectonic categories, as well as the need for special attention to an entire range of transitional categories between continental land masses and adjacent ocean/sea floors. Translated by Edward Torrey, Alexandria, VA 22308 from: Geomorfologiya, 1995, No. 4, pp. 3-12.