Cryogenic Landforms of the Altai Highlands (a Case Study of the Tavan Bogd National Park, Western Mongolia)

Abstract

The transboundary part of the Altai mountains has been investigated. It is established that it is characterized by a set of geomorphological elements due to the altitudinal position, geological structure, neotectonic activity, modern and paleo-climatic conditions, and exogenous relief-forming processes. In the highlands of the Mongolian Altai, landforms associated with the formation, movement, and melting of ice are widespread. The geological activity of glaciers, the work of melt water, and the presence of permafrost give rise to bright forms. The formation of the appearance of mountain landscapes and the transformation of the surface are associated with actively ongoing slope processes: avalanches, mudflows, landslides, and rock falls. It is found that the objects of cryogenic genesis are landforms differing in scale, structure, and location. They include snow–ice and rock–ice formations, solifluction forms, areas with frost mounds (palza), polygonal and structural soils, aufeis, etc. It is concluded that the most representative objects of cryogenic genesis illustrating the geological work of ice are modern glacial complexes, rock glaciers, and rock streams. Glaciers constitute the main element of the high-mountain zone for complex conjugated cryogenic forms. In addition to them, smaller forms stand out, the formation of which is associated with the processes of soil change under the influence of permafrost and gravitational processes. Regularities are observed in the structure and arrangement of the landforms in the alpine zone. On the basis of information from field routes, satellite data interpretation, and the use of GIS capabilities, we have analyzed the distribution of cryogenic landforms. Material is prepared on the basis of working with a digital elevation model. A list (catalog) of natural cryogenic objects of different categories identified within the Altai Tavan Bogd National Park has been compiled. The study confirms that the landforms of the highlands are of interest for further study, the replenishment of the catalog of objects, and the development of thematic tourism.