Mountain Mass Research Articles

Late pleistocene glacial history of Mount Karadağ, SW Türkiye

Glacial landforms in the southwestern part of the Anatolian Peninsula are found at lower elevations than the rest, suggesting that glaciers were present during the Late Pleistocene. Karadağ, located west of the Western Taurus Mountains, provides evidence of the climatic conditions that facilitated this extensive glaciation. It is characterized by numerous peaks exceeding 2300 m above sea level (asl), with the highest peak reaching 2418 m, making it the region's largest glaciation area. This high mountain mass is composed mainly of limestone and dolomite. This study focuses on the glacial landforms in Karadağ to reconstruct the Late Pleistocene glacial chronology and palaeoclimate of the Western Taurus Mountains. We employed detailed UAV photogrammetry, extensive fieldwork and mapping, surface exposure dating with cosmogenic 36Cl, meteorological measurements, palaeoglacier reconstruction, and palaeo-equilibrium line altitude (pELA) calculations. Karadağ, a topographic barrier to humid air masses from the Mediterranean Sea, ranks as the second wettest area in the Western Taurus Mountains. At a meteorological station we installed in Karadağ, an annual precipitation of 1700 mm or more was recorded, highlighting its significant precipitation. In Karadağ, we have identified two glacial valleys with a maximum length of 4.5 km and six cirques. The glaciers reached their maximum extent around 22.4 ± 2.8 ka during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), facilitated by the lowering of the pELA to 2090 m. During the LGM, the glaciers covered an area of approximately 3.5 km2 and reached a maximum thickness of about 140 m. Sample TRKR 10 at 2015 m probably belongs to the LGM period. Although a single sample does not conclude definitive conclusions, the presence of the moraine at its highest position indicates the maximum thickness of the glacier. Following the LGM, two more significant glacier advances occurred during the Lateglacial (15.5 ± 2.7 ka) and the Younger Dryas (12.4 ± 1.1 ka). During the late Pleistocene glaciations, and especially during the LGM, Karadağ probably received more precipitation than today, leading to the formation of glaciers at relatively lower elevations than on the Anatolian Peninsula.

Development of an intelligent geographic information system for mountain roads monitoring: Ground data collection and analysis

This study examines the development of an intelligent geographic information system for mountain road monitoring. To make well-informed and timely management decisions in the planning, construction, and maintenance of mountain roads, and to anticipate potential critical situations and their effects on road conditions, it is imperative to employ modern methodologies. This study involves data collection from a specific section of a mountain road situated near Almaty, Kazakhstan. We gathered data on the road section through visual assessment, measurements of the coefficient of adhesion, and the acquisition of material samples from the structural layers of the roadbed. Based on the visual assessment and surface adhesion measurements, it became evident that the deformation of the studied road section, which includes a network of cracks and "non-standard" transverse cracks, is attributed to mountain mass shifts and water flows from slopes. Laboratory analysis of the collected samples revealed that excessive water saturation could result in cracks during freeze-thaw cycles, while a low resistance coefficient would lead to softening during humid conditions. An Intelligent Geographic Information System (IGIS) will incorporate the collected data alongside open remote sensing and weather data. The objective is to utilize this integrated system in the future for forecasting road conditions and maintenance requirements for similar roads in mountainous regions of the area. The measurements are carried out according to the state standards. That makes the system useful for government management purposes.

Depiction and Description: Insights into Southern Alps Glaciers Conveyed by John Gully’s Paintings and Julius Haast’s Paper at the Royal Geographical Society

In June 1862, Julius Haast (1822–1887), the Canterbury Provincial Geologist, wrote to Joseph Hooker, Assistant Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, informing him that “being now naturalized I think it my duty to offer my work to the scientific societies in England.” Haast informed Hooker that as soon as his topographical map was finished, he would send the botanist “an account of the geological features of the Alps, on deposits of the glacial period, accompanied by maps, sections and sketches,” requesting him to present the account to the Geological Society of London.[i] Although this anticipated initial foray into publishing in British scientific journals did not eventuate until 1865,[ii] on 12 November 1863 Haast sent a copy of his large topographical map of the Southern Alps,[iii] accompanied by extensive notes on the physical geography of that region and a set of 12 watercolour paintings (e.g. fig. 1), to the geologist Sir Roderick Murchison,[iv] President of the Royal Geographical Society. Haast hoped that those landscape paintings would “best enable the members, to gain an insight into the wild mountain masses [of the Southern Alps], with their snowfields, glaciers and lakes [emphasis added].”[v] [i] Sascha Nolden, Esme Mildenhall and Simon Nathan, The Correspondence of Julius Haast and Joseph Dalton Hooker, 1861–1886 (Wellington: Geoscience Society of New Zealand, 2013), 22. Haast became a British citizen in February 1861. [ii] See Julius Haast, “Notes to a Sketch-Map of the Province of Canterbury, New Zealand, Showing the Glaciation During the Pleistocene and Recent Periods as Far as Explored,” Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London 21, nos. 1–2 (1865): 87–96. [iii] On 11 June 1863, Haast informed Hooker that he was sending Murchison a large map with a set of watercolour drawings by the next mail (Nolden, Mildenhall and Nathan, Correspondence Haast-Hooker, 42–43). [iv] Ibid., 57. [v] Julius Haast, “Notes Accompanying a Map of the Province of Canterbury” (Royal Geographical Society Manuscript Archive, 1862), 1.

Discovery of a peculiar insular race of Ravenna nivea (Nire, 1920) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) endemic to Yinggeling Mountain of Hainan, suggesting heterogeneous geological history of mountain formation of the island.

A peculiar population of Ravenna nivea (Nire, 1920) was discovered from the Yinggeling Mountain Mass of central Hainan. Its wing pattern and COI barcode data show considerable distinction from other geographic populations of R. nivea, including that of Bawangling, approximately only 40 km away and also located in Hainan. The p-distance value of the COI barcode between the Yinggeling and Bawangling populations was 1.1%, considerably higher than the value (0.6%) between Bawangling population and populations in eastern China, where the subspecific name howarthi Saigusa, 1993 applies. The population is regarded as a distinct subspecies ngiunmoiae Lo & Hsu, subsp. nov. The distinctness and high degree of COI haplotype diversity of R. nivea found in Hainan and Taiwan suggest continental islands may serve as glacial refugees for the butterfly and other organisms during previous glaciations, and the presence of the relict populations of montane butterflies like R. nivea may provide useful clues towards a better understanding of the geological history of mountain formation within islands.

Mountain masses as a determinant to genetic structure of char distributed in the Chugoku region, Japan

A mountain mass from which multiple river basins originate is a possible determinant of genetic structure of freshwater fishes. In this study, subspecies composition and genetic structure were examined for Japanese white-spotted char comprising of two subspecies, Salvelinus leucomaenis imbrius (Jordan and McGregor), “Gogi,” and S. l. pluvius (Hilgendorf), “Nikkoiwana,” collected in the 19 river basins originating from 6 mountain masses in the Chugoku Region, Japan, based on mitochondrial DNA sequences. In the western mountain masses, only Gogi was collected, while in the eastern mountain mass, only Nikkoiwana was collected. A total of 27 haplotypes were detected, among which only seven were shared by two subspecies and three were detected only in Nikkoiwana whereas 17 were detected only in Gogi. As many as 11 haplotypes were distributed only in the Oyorogi Mountain mass in the middle region. In the network, one group was exclusively constructed by the samples from the Oyorogi Mountain mass. Furthermore, in a tree of river basins based on average genetic distance of char, the Gono River basin originating from the Asa Mountain mass, situated in the western region, participated in a clade constructed by the rivers originating from the westernmost Sukegatake and the adjacent Asa Mountain masses, whereas the Gono River basin originating from the Oyorogi Mountain mass participated in a different clade constructed by the rivers originating from the Oyorogi to the easternmost Hyonosen Mountain masses. These results suggest that a mountain mass is a determinative factor to subspecies composition and genetic structure of char, with an implication of invasion of fish taking advantage of some geological events or conditions.

ПРЕОБРАЗОВАНИЕ ТЕПЛОВОЙ ЭНЕРГИИ В ЭЛЕКТРИЧЕСТВО: ПОТЕНЦИАЛ И ЭФФЕКТИВНОСТЬ ТЕРМОЭЛЕКТРИЧЕСКИХ ГЕНЕРАТОРОВ НА ОСНОВЕ ЭЛЕМЕНТОВ ПЕЛЬТЬЕ

Relevance Energy extraction using thermoelectric generators powered by Peltier elements through the application of both natural and engineered heat sources, aiming to create a new green method for clean energy production. Aim of research This study delves into the literature analysis to identify the factors that influence the accuracy of energy conversion, and aims to investigate the performance of Peltier elements while learning the principles of heat transfer, creating optimal conditions for the operation of a thermoelectric generator based on them. During the experiments, by adapting the process conditions, a process transfer function is formed, which aims to improve the energy generation efficiency. The aim of the study is to analyze the efficiency of thermoelectric generators based on Peltier cells. Research methods Physical foundations of thermoelectricity, development of a mathematical model. Results The study analyzed that the simulation revealed the presence of temperature gradients in regions with thermal waters of the mountain mass, and a mathematical model of the process was developed.

URLA YARIMADASINDA ESKİ VE YENİ YOLLARIN KAVŞAĞI, BARBAROS OVASI

The Urla Peninsula stretches from the center of the western Anatolian coast to the Aegean Sea. Its fertile soils and maritime opportunities have made the peninsula economically and commercially important in every period. The route running on the east-west direction connects the peninsula to the Anatolian mainland. Both this route and the secondary roads connected to it converge and disperse in the Barbaros plain as required by geography. The high mountain masses that close the central part of the peninsula from north to south open up in the Barbaros plain. Before the construction of modern roads, the plain provided transportation facilities through its narrow passages. Archaeological data show that the plain was connected to the west by the Mataracı Gorge near the village of Birgi during the Early Bronze Age. The pottery finds observed on the commanding heights on both sides indicate the existence of an early derbent system. In Birgi, in the Hamamıkuyu area, there are the ruins of an accommodation place dating back to the 14th century. At the end of the 19th century, the Birgi connection lost its importance with the construction of a macadamized road passing through the southern part of the plain. The macadamized road coming from Urla follows the valley of Tatar Creek. Previously, Urla-plain connection was provided by the road passing through the Kavaklıdere valley to the north of it. Today's roads are also located on these two routes. Connecting the east-west main route, the plain is also the connection and distribution point for various secondary roads. These roads provide access to the southern sea via Ildırı (ancient Erythrai), Kıran (ancient Korakas/Korykos), Gülbahçe Bay and Zeytinler. Archaeological research provides data showing that the plain and its surroundings have been inhabited in various periods from the Neolithic period to the present day.

Residents’ Perception of Impact of Mass Tourism on Mountain Environment in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

This study seeks to explore and explain the perception of residents about the environmental impact of mountain mass tourism in three tourist destinations in Gilgit-Baltistan. This study is based on quantitative and qualitative data collected through a survey and group discussions with residents of three tourist destinations. Results revealed that the residents of the study area are highly concerned about the environmental impact of mass tourism. They highlighted air pollution, traffic congestion, pressure on land use change and infrastructure, and degradation of mountain ecosystem services. The study also found that communities in these tourist places expect governmental and non-governmental organizations to come up with a better plan for the management of mountain tourism on a sustainable basis. Reflecting critically on the perceptions of stakeholders about tourism impact, it is important to develop linkages between governmental and non-governmental organizations for environmental protection and sustainable quality tourism in the region while taking communities on board.

Topography and climate of Mount Karanfil (Pozantı/Adana)

The goal of this study is to investigate the impact of the topographic features of Mount Karanfil and its surroundings on the local climate. Mount Karanfil, located in the Mediterranean Basin, has a unique ecological position due to its topography. This study analyzed temperature, precipitation, and wind conditions at Mount Karanfil from 1980 to 2018 using data from the General Directorate of Meteorology (MGM). The temperature indices were calculated using the Clima data and the ArcGIS v10.5 software package. The temperature indices series was analyzed using cluster analysis in ArcGIS v10.5 before being used to calculate the maximum and minimum temperature and precipitation values for each month. The spatial estimation method IDW interpolation was then applied to these data. The initial analysis showed significant differences in temperature, precipitation, and wind conditions between this location and others. This may be due to the southern aspect of the landscape, which receives more precipitation than other slopes and is affected by south-oriented sectoral winds that bring abundant precipitation to the southern slopes. The results of the temperature indices analysis showed that evaporation tends to increase on hot days with high maximum temperatures compared to days with low minimum temperatures. The Emberger bioclimatic index also confirmed the typical Mediterranean climate of mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. In addition to the regional climate and geology, the geomorphologic conditions of the mountainous mass and the specific valley profiles of the Ecemis stream and Cakıt stream (such as the strait valley) were found to influence the local climate. These valley profiles, which are composed of narrow and deep dolomitic and limestone layers, showed differences in climate due to their slope, elevation, and aspect, as analyzed using digital elevation models with a resolution of 10–20 m. These topographic analyses revealed that elevation decreases and humidity increases in alluvial valley floors.

Assessment of glacial geoheritage by multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) methods in the Yalnızçam Mountains, Northeastern Türkiye

This study aims to evaluate the geoheritage potentials of glacial and periglacial landforms with quantitative methods. For this purpose, the Yalnızçam Mountains, located northeast of Anatolia, were chosen as the study area. In this mountainous mass, there are many landforms formed by the advance and retreat of glaciers as well as freeze-thaw processes. In the evaluation of the landforms detected in the field, the criteria of the preliminary geoheritage evaluation (PGA) method were used in an integrated manner with the fuzzy step wise weight evaluation rate analysis (SWARA) and evaluation based on distance from average solution (EDAS) methods, which are multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) techniques. The criteria were weighted with the SWARA technique, and the geoheritage potentials of the elements in the field were evaluated according to the criteria. After the evaluation and weighting process, a decision matrix was created with the EDAS method. The importance levels of the alternatives (geosites) were determined and ranked according to the criteria. According to the results, it has been determined that glacial lakes, cirques and glacial valleys are the most important elements. It is thought that the results will provide various contributions both theoretically and practically.

Environmental protection measures in mineral resource development: case study of a gold-bearing deposit in the Russian Far East.

In the Russian mining industry, the recent social and economic processes inevitably affect environmental safety and the social security of all those affected by mining. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the technogenic impacts of a mining company on the environment. Measures were developed and implemented to ensure ecological safety and social security during a mineral resource development project in the southern part of the Russian Far East. This study analysed global experiences in this regard and carried out field research with the aim of establishing an inventory of plants and animals (terrestrial and aquatic), showing that technogenesis produced new specific landforms, e.g. quarries and dumps that replaced natural landforms. The main ecologically negative impacts of the mining operations in the region were the movement of mountain masses, changes in forms of erosion, and destruction of mountain ranges with the formation of dispersed clastic fractions of large specific surface areas, which determine exomorphodynamic processes, e.g. deflation, suffusion, and landslides. A general assessment of the biota status and natural water quality within the boundaries of influence of the developed deposit was presented, and a set of measures was recommended for environmental protection and ensuring the rational use of natural resources during mining operations. Moreover, the necessity of creating effective mining and environmental monitoring systems was supported. A 'Map of the Ecological State of Gold Mining Development in the Albazino Territory' was compiled for the first time, pinpointing areas undergoing various degrees of environmental stress. Changes in the forested areas within the territory of the mining allotment were forecast using the forest cover of the study area as the baseline.

Mountain Grand Hotels at the Fin de Siècle

Grand hotels had been a metropolitan phenomenon before they emerged in remote regions of the Alps between the 1880s and the 1930s. This essay explores how these semi-public spaces and early places of modernity engaged with alpine scenery and shaped the very industry of mountain tourism. It analyzes the relationship between elite tourism and the natural and social environment of the Alps. The success of mountain grand hotels was tied to increasing industrialization and a new understanding of travel. Their thoughtful detachment from space, time, and society was an expression of a business as much as of social philosophy. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, mountains served as a backdrop for the narrative of the period's scientific and technical progress and became subject to rational interpretation and economic exploitation. Mountain grand hotels were not only a key component of tourism infrastructure but also the bold expression of a presumptuous occupation of spaces set away for tourism. Natural space had widely been turned into social space for visual and leisurely consumption, raising questions of authority, priority, appropriation, and imposition. By mapping the perception of mountains along the history of mountain grand hotels, this essay studies the sites, gazes, and environments of mountain tourism at the fin de siècle. It examines how the history of the mountain grand hotel conflates with the forces of nationalism, colonialism, and capitalism and showcases how these spaces reflect the socio-economic transformations that ultimately paved the way for mountain mass tourism.

Blicke von der Veranda: Luxustourismus in den Alpen der Jahrhundertwende

Grand hotels had first been a metropolitan phenomenon before they emerged in remote regions of the Alps between the 1880s and the 1930s. This essay explores how these semi-public spaces and early places of modernity engaged with alpine scenery and shaped the very industry of mountain tourism. It analyses the relationship between elite tourism and the natural and social environment of the Alps.
 The success of mountain grand hotels was tied to increasing industrialization and a new understanding of travel. Their thoughtful detachment from space, time, and society was an expression of a business as much as of social philosophy. Throughout the fin-de-siècle, mountains served as a backdrop for the narrative of the époque’s scientific and technical progress and became subject to rational interpretation and economic exploitation. Mountain grand hotels were not only a key component of tourism infrastructure, but also the bold expression of a presumptuous occupation of spaces set away for tourism. Natural space had widely been turned into social space for visual and leisurely consumption, raising questions of authority, priority, appropriation, and imposition.
 By mapping the perception of mountains along the history of mountain grand hotels, this essay studies the sites, gazes, and environments of mountain tourism at the fin-de-siècle. It examines how the history of the mountain grand hotel conflates with the forces of colonialism, and capitalism and showcases how these spaces reflect the socio-economic transformations that ultimately paved the way for mountain mass tourism.

Widok z werandy. Turystyka luksusowa w Alpach przełomu wieków

Grand hotels had first been a metropolitan phenomenon before they emerged in remote regions of the Alps between the 1880s and the 1930s. This essay explores how these semi-public spaces and early places of modernity engaged with alpine scenery and shaped the very industry of mountain tourism. It analyses the relationship between elite tourism and the natural and social environment of the Alps.
 The success of mountain grand hotels was tied to increasing industrialization and a new understanding of travel. Their thoughtful detachment from space, time, and society was an expression of a business as much as of social philosophy. Throughout the fin-de-siècle, mountains served as a backdrop for the narrative of the époque’s scientific and technical progress and became subject to rational interpretation and economic exploitation. Mountain grand hotels were not only a key component of tourism infrastructure, but also the bold expression of a presumptuous occupation of spaces set away for tourism. Natural space had widely been turned into social space for visual and leisurely consumption, raising questions of authority, priority, appropriation, and imposition.
 By mapping the perception of mountains along the history of mountain grand hotels, this essay studies the sites, gazes, and environments of mountain tourism at the fin-de-siècle. It examines how the history of the mountain grand hotel conflates with the forces of colonialism, and capitalism and showcases how these spaces reflect the socio-economic transformations that ultimately paved the way for mountain mass tourism.

Molecular species delimitation of shrub frogs of the genus Pseudophilautus (Anura, Rhacophoridae).

Sri Lanka is an amphibian hotspot of global significance. Its anuran fauna is dominated by the shrub frogs of the genus Pseudophilautus. Except for one small clade of four species in Peninsular India, these cool-wet adapted frogs, numbering some 59 extant species, are distributed mainly across the montane and lowland rain forests of the island. With species described primarily by morphological means, the diversification has never yet been subjected to a molecular species delimitation analysis, a procedure now routinely applied in taxonomy. Here we test the species boundaries of Pseudophilautus in the context of the phylogenetic species concept (PSC). We use all the putative species for which credible molecular data are available (nDNA–Rag-1; mt-DNA– 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA) to build a well resolved phylogeny, which is subjected to species delimitation analyses. The ABGD, bPTP, mPTP and bGMYC species delimitation methods applied to the 16S rRNA frog barcoding gene (for all species), 12S rRNA and Rag-1 nDNA grouped P. procax and P. abundus; P. hallidayi and P. fergusonianus; P. reticulatus and P. pappilosus; P. pleurotaenia and P. hoipolloi; P. hoffmani and P. asankai; P. silvaticus and P. limbus; P. dilmah and P. hankeni; P. fulvus and P. silus.. Surprisingly, all analyses recovered 14 unidentified potential new species as well. The geophylogeny affirms a distribution across the island’s aseasonal ‘wet zone’ and its three principal hill ranges, suggestive of allopatric speciation playing a dominant role, especially between mountain masses. Among the species that are merged by the delimitation analyses, a pattern leading towards a model of parapatric speciation emerges–ongoing speciation in the presence of gene flow. This delimitation analysis reinforces the species hypotheses, paving the way to a reasonable understanding of Sri Lankan Pseudophilautus, enabling both deeper analyses and conservation efforts of this remarkable diversification. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DA869B6B-870A-4ED3-BF5D-5AA3F69DDD27.

ON RELATIVE SORPTIONAL MASS CONTENT

The necessity of differentiated consideration of mass and moisture transfer in porous massif is shown on the basis of the difference in free and sorbed moisture properties. The curves of variation of maximum hygroscopic moist content of different rocks in relation to temperature are given. The concept of relative sorptional mass content is introduced, its relation to relative moisture content of air and also the possibility of its application in determination of mass transfer potential for mountain mass are shown.

Convergent development of experimental landforms with differing rainfall and substrate properties

AbstractFour runs of experimental landform development, with the same uplift rate, different rainfall intensity, and the same material of different permeability adjusted by the degree of compaction, showed complicated effects of rainfall and mound‐forming material. In the run with more rainfall on less permeable material, low separated ridges developed in the uplifted area, because abundant overland flow promoted valley erosion and slope processes from early stages. In the run with less rainfall on less permeable material, valley incision proceeded mostly in major valleys where surface water converges. Canyons developed during early stages and later a high massive mountain emerged. The effect of rainfall difference, however, appeared completely opposite on more permeable material accompanied by lower shear strength. In the run with more rainfall on more permeable material, a massive mountain similar to that with less rainfall on less permeable material appeared, and low separated ridges appeared in the run with less rainfall on more permeable material as in the run with more rainfall on less permeable material. In the former case, similar amount of water available for Hortonian overland flow in early stages estimated from rainfall rate and permeability can explain the development of similar landforms. In the latter case, while abundant surface water with more rainfall on less permeable material made fluvial erosion active from early stages, the deficiency in surface water with less rainfall on more permeable material apparently attenuated fluvial erosion but possibly accentuated slope processes and slope failures by seepage water flow through more permeable material of low shear strength. The active erosion from early stages apparently resulted in the development of enduring similar low landforms later in the dynamic equilibrium stage. These experimental results indicate that similar landforms can emerge from different environmental and lithologic controls, and that process does not necessarily follow from form.

Best of both worlds: hybrids of two commercially important pines (Pinus contorta × Pinus banksiana) combine increased growth potential and high drought tolerance

Over 18 million hectares of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) forests have been affected by a massive mountain pine beetle outbreak in western Canada. The ensuing need for reforestation compels forest managers to deploy more drought-resistant stock in anticipation of a hotter and drier future climate. Recent studies suggest that naturally occurring lodgepole pine × jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) hybrids may be more drought-resistant than pure lodgepole pine. We used single-nucleotide polymorphism markers to determine the level of jack pine introgression present in the region J lodgepole pine seed orchard, in northwest Alberta, and we identified six hybrid genotypes with 10%–18% jack pine introgression for further study. We compared the performance of open-pollinated seedlings of lodgepole, jack, and hybrid pines under well-watered and drought conditions in a greenhouse experiment. Seedlings were subjected to repeg ated drought cycles, withholding water for either 2 or 3 weeks. We found that hybrid pines grew significantly faster than lodgepole pine under well-watered conditions while retaining the high tolerance to prolonged drought exhibited by lodgepole pine seedlings, a particularly beneficial combination of traits during the critical stage of establishment. We therefore suggest the deployment of hybrid lodgepole pine as a strategy to promote adaptation to hotter and drier future climates.

Differences in Quaternary co-divergence reveals community-wide diversification in the mountains of southwest China varied among species.

The mountains of southwest China (MSWC) is a biodiversity hotspot with highly complex and unusual terrain. However, with the majority of studies focusing on the biogeographic consequences of massive mountain building, the Quaternary legacy of biodiversity for the MSWC has long been overlooked. Here, we took a statistical comparative phylogeography approach to examine factors that shaped community-wide diversification. With data from 30 vertebrate species, the results reveal spatially concordant genetic structure, and temporally clustered co-divergence events associated with river barriers during severe glacial cycles. This indicates the importance of riverine barriers in the phylogeographic history of the MSWC vertebrate community. We conclude that the repeated glacial cycles are associated with co-divergences that are themselves structured by the heterogeneity of the montane landscape of the MSWC. This orderly process of diversification has profound implications for conservation by highlighting the relative independence of different geographical areas in which some, but not all species in communities have responded similarly to climate change and calls for further comparative phylogeographic investigations to reveal the connection between biological traits and divergence pulses in this biodiversity hotspot.

Эволюция карьерного автотранспорта

The article considers the possibility of using quarry technology in the construction of a roadbed. Stable roadbed is the basis of a railway track, for its construction rocky, clay soils or sedimentary massifs are usually used. During the construction of the roadbed, heavy vehicles and special equipment (ice rinks, excavators, bulldozers, etc.) are used. Mining and road construction works, despite their diversity, consist of repeated identical operations: digging of the earth (mountain) mass, its loading and transportation, unloading into the dump or laying. For the production of these works, the same type of equipment is used: excavators, bulldozers, scrapers, graders and dump trucks. Most of the newly discovered explored deposits are located in the northern territories of Russia, so there is a high probability of launching intensive construction of railways and roads. The construction of transport high-ways is the most material-intensive area for the use of non-metallic materials and is associated with the movement of significant volumes of earth mass. In addition, the cost of performing earthworks is quite significant, so the correct choice of the method and means of mechanization of these works is a necessary condition for their successful implementation. For the construction of transport corridors under conditions of low-load soils and off-road conditions of the Arctic and northern territories of Russia, it is proposed to develop new types of vehicles based on BelAZ heavy duty quarry vehicles, which allow building embankments for roads and railways up to 10 m high (and in exceptional cases even more). When building transport highways and, if possible, preserving the environment, it is of great importance to reduce the cost of transporting earthen mass by reducing the consumption of fuel and lubricants, which account for 15-25 % of the total cost of operating powerful off-road vehicles.