Geomorphologic paradox of the East Transbaikalia

Abstract

Isotope aging of volcanic plugs and lava flows, armouring contemporary landforms and fixating slopes of the valleys, proved that these forms haven’t changed significantly since Triassic time. These facts move the boundary between so called geomorphologic and pregeomorphologic stages of relief formation in the Eastern Transbaikalia from the Cretaceous-Paleogene planation epoch to earlier times. However in this region there are many pediments which evidence a deep cut of the earth’s surface leaving no possibility of the maintenance even of the Upper Jurassic landforms. The author considers this discrepancy as a geomorphological paradox of the East Transbaikalia relief formation.