Geomorphological Studies Research Articles

RECOGNITION OF DURICRUST GEOMORPHIC SURFACES USING A RELIEF DISSECTION MATRIX

Landforms can orientate the hydrodynamics and distribution of materials on the ground, producing flattened and/or lowered geomorphic surfaces given the evolutionary characteristics from climatic, morphogenetic and pedogenetic factors. This work aims to demonstrate the compartmentalization and association of geomorphic surfaces covered by ferruginous duricrusts in Savannah areas in Brazil according to a relief dissection matrix. This matrix indicates the vertical cutting of the valleys and the interfluvial horizontal dimension of the hills through landform measurements in radar images, classification in alphanumeric codes and statistical correlations. The results indicated details in the compartmentalization of the surface according to the landform roughness, making it possible to link, through data from the dissection matrix and the statistical correlation, the association between the compartments according to summit positions and remaining depressed areas. Despite the fact that more robust measurements obtained from high-precision mappings can point out further landform evolutionary stages, it is understood that a dissection matrix and its statistical correlations can not only compartmentalize the landscape and provide an initial overview of the landscape’s evolution, but also indicate geomorphic surfaces that could have been worked at the same time. In this sense, the recognition of geomorphic surfaces, occurrence of duricrusts and landforms in this work allowed a certain morphogenetic correspondence that can contribute to geomorphological studies, although the results must be observed with caution when verified from the tropical perspective of relief evolution. Keywords: Valley Cutting; Interfluvial Dimension; Dissection Matrix; Geomorphic Surfaces; Duricrusts

The impact of reservoirs on the soils of adjacent areas: overview of global and local aspects

AbstractThis study aims to analyze the impact of reservoirs on the soils of surrounding areas to elucidate potential ecological consequences. To achieve this goal, a territorial analysis of the soil surrounding such reservoirs as the Kyiv, Kaniv, Kremenchuk, and Kakhovka, which constitute the Dnieper Cascade of Reservoirs, was conducted. The study found that the average soil pH changes in reservoirs range from 6.0 to 7.5, while nitrogen and phosphorus content in the soil varies from 0.2% to 1.5% and from 0.1% to 0.5%, respectively. Average changes in the content of humic substances and fulvic acids in the reservoirs range from 1.0 to 3.5 and from 0.2 to 1.5 mg/L, respectively. Furthermore, it was found that the creation of large reservoirs on the Dnieper River is accompanied by significant consequences for shoreline soils. The geomorphological study of the reservoirs within the Dnieper Cascade revealed their diversity in terms of shoreline types. Some have more erodible shores, indicating vulnerability to erosion, as observed in the Kakhovka Reservoir, while others have more neutral shores less susceptible to erosion, such as the Kremenchuk Reservoir. The distribution of humic substances in the reservoirs of the Dnieper Cascade is determined by the hydrological structure and water inflows, with the highest concentrations in the upper regions. Decreased flow velocity in the lower part of the cascade leads to the deposition of humic substances in bottom sediments. The threat to ecological systems is exacerbated by incidents such as the catastrophe at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station in 2023, which triggered a serious ecological crisis with a wide range of consequences. Consequently, the application of a comprehensive approach to water resource management and environmental protection becomes crucial. This entails meticulous planning of construction, implementation of ecological technologies, and engaging the public in the water resource management process.

Spatial distribution and deposits of cliffs along the Brazilian semi-arid coast

Cliffed coasts are common landforms found worldwide, but their precise spatial distribution and the nature of associated deposits may present regional gaps. This works presents a geological and geomorphological study of the Brazilian semi-arid coast (∼900 km), which was carried out on coastal cliffs with the aim of addressing three important knowledge gaps: i) spatial distribution of coastal cliffs, analyzed using topographic data from SRTM, LiDAR and field surveys, ii) the lithology and ages of the deposits, investigated through sedimentological analysis and OSL dating, and iii) origin of the cliffs, explored through relations with global and regional sea-level curves. The supply of terrigenous sediments to the western equatorial Atlantic coast was also considered. Coastal cliffs were identified along 235 km of the coastline, represented mainly by inactive cliffs (∼170 km). These cliffed coasts are composed mainly by poorly sorted siliciclastic sandstones and conglomerates, deposited in the Late Pleistocene. The depositional phases correlate with abrupt climate changes, due to pulses of terrigenous supply to the continental margin during the Heinrich Events. The formation of marine cliffs in these deposits occurred in the mid-Holocene, as sea level reached current elevation (msl) in ∼7 ka and 2-4 m above in ∼5.5 ka. This previous higher sea-level supports the widespread occurrence of inactive cliffs. The findings in this work contribute to i) improved mapping of coastal landforms, with higher resolution data demonstrating that previous works underestimated the presence of coastal cliffs; ii) the coastal cliffs are cut in Pleistocene sediments instead of older, Miocene deposits of the Barreiras Formation as previously assumed; iii) cliff formation due to marine erosion occurred in the mid- to- late Holocene; iv) the siliciclastic sediments that compose the cliffs are correlatable to marine sediments found in adjacent offshore areas, highlighting the role of abrupt global climatic changes in the Pleistocene in shaping contemporary coastal landscapes.

Understanding the fluvial capture of the Guadix-Baza Basin in SE Spain through its oldest exorheic deposits

Abstract The fluvial capture of endorheic basins represents a milestone in basin chronology, implying a profound disequilibrium that triggers critical geomorphological, sedimentological, paleogeographic, and even paleoecological transformations. The primary goal of many geomorphological studies is to determine the timing of endorheic-to-exorheic transitions with the objective of unveiling the dynamics that follow the capture event. The age of the Guadix-Baza Basin capture in the Central Betic Cordillera (S Spain) remains a subject of controversy, with proposed estimates ranging from 17 to 600 ka. In this study, we present new 234U/230Th and optically stimulated luminescence ages from exorheic deposits exposed within the basin's main fluvial valley, the Guadiana Menor River. We acquired the oldest numerical age recorded to date for a postcapture deposit within the basin. This age corresponds to a travertine platform formed 240.8 ± 25 ka on a surface level that was already incised into the glacis surface at approximately 250 m. Using these data, we estimate that basin capture took place earlier than ca. 240 ka, plus the time required for the river to incise 250 m to the position of the travertine. Furthermore, the proximity of the Matuyama-Brunhes reversal (781 ka) to the top of the endorheic succession and the ages of the paleontological sites (> ca. 750 ka) throughout the basin suggest that the capture could have occurred earlier than the oldest previously proposed age of 600 ka.

Evidence for landslides in Sisyphi Cavi (Noachis Terra, Mars): Slope evolution and role of endogenous preparatory factors

The surface of Mars is characterized by the presence of numerous gravity-induced processes and mass movements with greatly variable sizes and peculiarities. Detailed geomorphological studies have recently made it possible to identify many landslide-like landforms along the slopes bordering pits of Sisyphi Cavi in Noachis Terra, the southern hemisphere of Mars. These pieces of evidence are generally characterized by extended trenches, sometimes associated with uphill- or downhill-facing scarps. In this study, the gravity-induced processes observed in this region of Mars, and especially those present in a closed pit of the eastern sector, are described for the first time. A quantitative stress-strain analysis was performed, and it excludes a type of deformation process that could invoke creep processes (“viscosity-driven”) but rather favors instability induced by stress-perturbations in the slope more concentrated over time (“force-driven”). In particular, we performed a parametric analysis on both viscosity and stiffness parameters of the materials involved. It demonstrates that the time necessary for the rheological evolution of deformational processes associated with the observed landforms are compatible with genesis of short-term instabilities. This finding has significant implications for the origin of the depressed forms within and close to the study area, which are characterized by unstable slopes present at their edges. It is therefore not necessary to invoke the role of “viscosity-driven” creep processes to explain the origin of the shapes associated with the observed gravity-induced slope instabilities. The reported results drive towards a new interpretative scenario of morphological evolution of the widespread pits in the study area in terms of efficiency of endogenous processes (such as hypabyssal magmatism) which characterize the studied area of Mars, even if it is not possible to exclude the role of exogenous processes.

Tectonic ledges at the Ladoga Lake bottom

For the past few years, the Institute of Limnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences has been conducting geological and geomorphological studies of the bottom of Lake Ladoga. Starting from 2018, underwater photo and video cameras developed at the Institute began to be used in these studies. The use of this new research tool led to the discovery of a number of new facts about the structure of the bottom of Lake Ladoga. In particular, at the bottom of the northern part of Lake Ladoga, three subvertical ledges were found, composed of bedrock, up to 70–100 meters high. According to a number of features, such as the bedrock composition of rocks, morphology and spatial correspondence to known fault zones, these ledges can be recognized as morphological expressions of tectonic objects – faults of presumably fault type. The absence of visible traces of glacial processing on the bedrock blocks suggests the Holocene age of the formation of these ledges and, accordingly, the existence of modern active tectonic movements in the area of Lake Ladoga.

Downstream change of luminescence sensitivity in sedimentary quartz and the rearrangement of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) components along two large rivers

Recently, it has been proposed that the luminescence sensitivity of quartz grains, i.e. their luminescence response to unit dose, might be used for sediment fingerprinting. Sensitivity is determined both by the origin of quartz grains and the sedimentary processes they underwent. However, a more detailed understanding of the factors influencing sensitivity is essential in order to expand and specify the applicability of the parameter in sediment sourcing and geomorphological studies alike. In the present research, we examined the spatial changes of sensitivity parameters of coarse grain quartz in modern sediments of the largest rivers of the Carpathian Basin, Central Europe, to determine the role of source areas and transportation distance.Based on the luminescence analysis of 39 samples, quartz extracts with a Carpathian origin (catchment of the Tisza River have a significantly higher sensitivity, except the LM-OSL medium component, than those originating from the Alpine domain (catchment of the Danube River). No clear relationship could be identified between natural sensitisation and transportation distance. In terms of the Tisza the observed downstream increase of quartz sensitivity is due to high sensitivity quartz grains supplied by its tributaries. In the meantime, a recurring change was observed along the Danube, which can be attributed mostly to local erosional processes. Consequently, tributaries and erosion can overprint the potential downstream sensitisation of quartz grains in large rivers.Meanwhile, in terms of the Danube on sections where a significant downstream increase was detected in LM-OSL fast component sensitivity, LM-OSL medium component sensitivity systematically decreased. Additionally, during laboratory sensitization, the CW-OSL sensitivity of Danube samples increased considerably, whereas changes were more moderate in the case of Tisza samples. Moreover, in the case of Tisza-related quartz extracts, the 110°C TL sensitivity and the LM-OSL fast and medium components showed a strong correlation, indicating the stability of luminescence processes (trapping and recombination). Whereas, in the case of the Danube both LM-OSL components show a weak correlation with the 110°C TL intensity. All these indicate that Alpine-origin quartz grains are more susceptible to the rearrangement of electron traps and/or recombination centres, which can also be an indicator of sediment sources in Quaternary studies in the region.

MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE NEOTECTONIC ACTIVATION OF THE MOUNTAIN BORDERING THE MUYA-KUANDA RIFT VALLEY (BAIKAL RIFT ZONE)

Geological and geomorphological studies of the northeastern branch of the Baikal rift zone have revealed structural features of sedimentary strata, as well as the features of lithology and interaction of heterochronous loose sedimentary complexes, block structure of rift valley bottoms and their mountain border, fault network, and activated Cenozoic faults. The Middle Pleistocene neotectonic uplift was identified on the southern slopes of the North Muya and the Kodar ranges and in the mountains bordering the Muya-Kuanda and Parama rift valleys. The authors have studied the parameters of this uplift, determined neotectonic movement amplitudes in the uplift areas, traced the marginal disjunctives and the kinematics of their movements, and identified homochromous sedimentary strata and determined their formation age.The activation of tectonic processes, during which the neotectonic uplift was formed, occurred in the early Middle Pleistocene, before the onset of glaciation. The formation of a dammed lake in the system of Muya-Kuanda rift valleys is associated with the tectonic damming of the Vitim River. During the Middle Pleistocene glaciation, the Kodar Range glaciers have twice formed the ice dams in the area of Lake Oron, which led to the emergence of dammed lakes in the Vitim valley connected with lakes in the Muya-Kuanda troughs. The shoreline of these lakes is preserved as a high rock terrace with an absolute height of 860±10 m along the perimeter of the rift valleys.In the Late Pleistocene, the terrace complex in the Muya-Kuanda rift valleys was mainly formed under the influence of climatic factor.

Climatically-driven development of late Quaternary fluvial geomorphology in the arid inland of Asia

The forcing mechanism behind river incision and terrace formation is one of hot topics in the study of fluvial geomorphology. This work focused on the late Quaternary alluvial sequence in the south piedmont of the Chinese Altay Shan in the arid inland of Asia. In order to reveal the mechanism controlling the development of late Quaternary fluvial features along the mountain front, we conducted detailed fluvial geomorphological investigations on eight rivers, including geomorphic mapping, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, and differential global position system (dGPS) surveying. By utilizing the Monte Carlo simulation with terrace data, the late Quaternary rates of river incision along the south piedmont of the Chinese Altay Shan were determined. The results show that (1) the terraces developed by the piedmont rivers are not more than four levels and the depth of river incision in the piedmont is only dozens of meters, with deeper valleys displayed by the western piedmont rivers; (2) terrace alluviums along the mountain front were accumulated during glacial stages, and the subsequent incision occurred during interglacial stages; (3) the rate of river incision was accelerated during the Holocene, when the regional climate was characterized by progressively increasing wetness. When combining with the regional tectonic setting, we propose that the climate could have played the key role in driving the alluvial accumulation and the subsequent incision in the south piedmont of the Chinese Altay Shan during the late Quaternary. Together with the similar observations from the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau and the Tian Shan, we further propose that climatically-driven fluvial geomorphological development could be a common phenomenon during the late Quaternary in the arid interior of Asia.

Analysis of the characteristics of the hydrolyzer of Balayan river (A geo-morphological study)

The goal of this study is to identify the most important morphometric characteristics of the Balayan River watershed, by applying numerical elevation data(DEM.12.5m) specific to the study area and operating the geographical information system(ArcGis.10.4.1) to dissect the data and determine morphometric characteristics. The results of the analysis of morphometric characteristics show that the study area consists of (5) sub-basins. These basins vary in terms of shape, height, size, and area. According to the values of the circular ratio and the basin shape factor, it is clear that the river basins approach semicircular geometric shapes, and all the basins go through a youth stage. The results of the analysis of water flow characteristics showed that the total number of water branches of all degrees reached (1388 branches), and they vary in their number and length depending on The size of the basins and their total length reaches (746.72 km), and the patterns appear in the form of (dendritic, parallel, rectangular, spiky). This is due to the difficulty of the land surface, the structure, the geological structure, the rocks, and the tectonic movements.

The Manganari's Legacy: an atlas of the Black Sea, Drawn from Nature

This article delves into the historical and cartographic significance of the Manganari Atlas, a monumental work that marked a pivotal moment in the maritime cartography of the Black Sea during the nineteenth century. Originating from the Russian Empire's strategic desire to enhance navigation and assert its presence in the Black Sea, the atlas represents not only a technical achievement in mapping but also a cultural and political artifact of its time. Through a meticulous analysis of the atlas, this study highlights the challenges encountered in its creation, the technical innovations employed, and the political motivations driving its development. The atlas is examined not merely as a collection of maps but as a synthesis of the cultural, linguistic, and geopolitical landscape of the era, reflecting the Russian Empire's aspirations. The panoramic images by Kukharevsky are particularly noted for their potential to aid in coastal geomorphological studies and the reconstruction of various geographical landscapes. The article also addresses the necessity of understanding the technical aspects of cartography for accurate analysis and comparison of historical maps.

Stages of relief development in the area of the paleolithic site of Ushbulak (East Kazakhstan)

The study was carried out with the support of the Russian Science Foundation № 21-78-10146 “Upper Paleolithic mosaic — cultural and technological variability of stone industries in the foothill zones of northern Central Asia in the second half of the Late Pleistocene” (field work and absolute dating), geomorphological studies were carried out within the framework of the state assignment of the Faculty of Geography of Lomonosov Moscow State University (121040100323-5 and 121051100135-0), Paleogeographic studies are supported by the state assignment of the IG RAS (FMWS-2024-0005).

Mapping a tropical regolith architecture: A comparative LANDSAT-8 and SENTINEL-2 analysis

Understanding of the lateritic regolith units is important for regional geological and pedological mapping and provides valuable insights into landscape evolution and mineral exploration, especially in tropical environments. To contribute to these issues, this study used Landsat-8 OLI and Sentinel-2 MSI imagery to map the different lateritic regolith units in an area of 133 thousand km2 in the Midwest of Brazil. The approach used the Directed Principal Component Analysis (DPCA) technique and SRTM data as predictor variables for the Random Forest (RF) classification model, with the aim of comparing the efficiency of both sensors following identical classification methods. The results showed a similar overall accuracy of 73% for Landsat-8 and 74% for Sentinel-2, however the Sentinel-2-based maps are the most accurate with a kappa of 0.63 and a tau of 0.68. The significant levels of accuracy highlight the efficiency and feasibility of the multispectral imagery and machine learning approach to lateritic regolith mapping. It also emphasizes the importance of considering the spectral and spatial characteristics of sensors when selecting the most appropriate one for geological, pedological and geomorphological studies in tropical regions.

Geomorphological study of the debris flow events in the Harsovska River (Blagoevgradska Bistritsa catchment), observed within 2019-2023

Debris flow events in the Blagoevgradska Bistritsa catchment (SW Bulgaria) become more frequent in the past few years. To localize the debris source along the tributary system, the Harsovska River is chosen in this study. During the observation period a torrential event was registered in June 2023. The synoptic situation, which caused the flood, is re-analyzed and also geomorphological research is made for depositional landforms in the river channel for the period 2019-2023. In the study, the alluvial sediments are defined by grain size and also by morphoscopic study of pebble-sized grains. During the field research, two critical flood-risk sites are pointed, located in the Harsovo hamlet. The data about past debris flow events are collected from residents of Harsovo with interviews regarding their experience in this issue. In the period of the study, the main part of debris nourishment in Harsovska catchment is provided by the tributary Marulevska River, where active mass movement processes are registered. However, the alluvial profiles of both rivers – Marulevska and Harsovska, showed an alternation of coarser and finer materials, resulting of turbulent and calm discharge. Such periodical change in the sedimentary environment of the two compound rivers demonstrates their unsteady torrential character. Regarding the fortification activities in this area, at the moment some new forestation has been noticed. Still, the species, used to fortify the river banks are not suitable for the climate and hydrological regime of the region. The channel fortifications, built in the middle of the 20th century, currently are not maintained properly, which puts under threat of future debris flow events the settlements and infrastructure along this catchment.

Bathymetric Modelling of High Mountain Tropical Lakes of Southern Ecuador

Very little is known on high mountain tropical lakes of South America. Thus, the main motivation of this research was obtaining base bathymetric data of 119 tropical lakes of the Cajas National Park (CNP), Ecuador, that could be used in future geomorphological studies. Eleven interpolation methods were applied with the intention of selecting the best one for processing the scattered observations that were collected with a low-cost fishing echo-sounder. A split-sample (SS) test was used and repeated several times considering different proportions of available observations, selected randomly, for training of the interpolation methods and accuracy evaluation of the respective products. This accuracy was assessed through the use of empirical exceedance probability distributions of the mean absolute error (MAE). A single best interpolation method could not be identified. Instead, the study suggested six better-performing methods, including the complex methods Kriging (ordinary), minimum curvature (spline), multiquadric, and TIN with linear interpolation but also the much simpler methods natural neighbour and nearest neighbour. A sensitivity analysis (SA), considering several data error magnitudes, confirmed this. This advocated that sophisticated interpolation methods do not always produce the best products as geomorphological characteristics of the study site(s) together with observation data characteristics are likely to play important roles in their performance. As such, this type of assessment should be carried out in any terrestrial mapping of bathymetry that is based on the interpolation of scattered observations. Upon the analysis of the relative hypsometric curves of the 119 study lakes, they were classified into three average form categories: convex, concave, and mixed. The separated accuracy analysis of these three groups of lakes did not help in identifying a single best method. Finally, the interpolated bathymetries of 114 of the study lakes were incorporated into the best DEM of the study site by equalising their elevation reference systems. It is believed that the resulting enhanced DEM could be a very useful tool for a more appropriate management of these very beautiful but fragile high mountain tropical lakes.

Characteristics of the River Islands of the Greater Zab River Between "Rizan Village and Its Mouth" Hydro Geomorphological Study

Characteristics of the River Islands of the Greater Zab River Between "Rizan Village and Its Mouth" Hydro Geomorphological Study

Along‐strike variation of fault slip rate of a transform plate boundary in Tierra del Fuego (South Patagonia)

AbstractThe Magallanes–Fagnano Fault is an active strike‐slip structure accommodating the relative displacement between South America and the Scotia Plate. The Chilean portion of the fault is poorly studied because most of it runs below the sea level in the Strait of Magellan. Our tectonic geomorphological study is focused on a rare onshore fault section, along which streams horizontally deflected by hundreds of metres since the last main deglaciation are compatible with a dominant left‐lateral fault kinematics and yield a slip rate of 15.7 ± 2.4 mm/year. This rate is between 2 and 3 times higher than the one estimated on the Argentinian portion of the fault over the same period. This spatial variation may be due to both glacial unloading on the fault zone and/or structural factors. These results point out the need to study strike‐slip faults on several portions to unravel behaviour changes related to internal or external forcing.

Exploring inferred geomorphological sediment thickness as a new site proxy to predict ground-shaking amplification at regional scale: application to Europe and eastern Türkiye

Abstract. To test whether a globally inferred sediment thickness value from geomorphological studies can be used as a proxy to predict earthquake site amplification, we derive site-amplification models from the relation between empirical amplification for sites in Europe and Türkiye and the geomorphological sediment thickness. The new site-amplification predictions are then compared to predictions from site-amplification models derived using the traditional site proxies, VS30 inferred from slope, slope itself, and geological era and slope combined. The ability of each proxy to capture the site amplification is evaluated based on the reduction in site-to-site variability caused by each proxy. The results show that the highest reduction is caused by geological era and slope combined, while the geomorphological sediment thickness shows a slightly larger or equal reduction in site-to-site variability as inferred VS30 and slope. We therefore argue that including geology and geomorphology in site-amplification modelling on regional scale can give an important added value and that globally or regionally inferred models for soil and sediment thickness from fields beyond engineering seismology can have a great potential in regional seismic hazard and risk assessments. Furthermore, the differences between the site-amplification maps derived from different proxies capture the epistemic uncertainty of site-amplification modelling. While the different proxies predict similar features on a large scale, local differences can be large. This shows that using only one proxy when predicting site amplification does not capture the full epistemic uncertainty, which is demonstrated by looking into detail on the site-amplification maps predicted for eastern Türkiye and Syria, where the devastating Kahramanmaraş earthquake sequence occurred in February 2023.

Transfer learning achieves high recall for object classification in fluvial environments with limited data

Field surveys to collect data from fluvial ecosystems traditionally focus on specific phenomena related to geomorphology or hydrology. Low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) additionally empower the fast and massive collection of airborne photogrammetry, providing geospatially explicit information. This remote sensing data complements field surveys by offering contextual information on geomorphological conditions, including digital terrain models. AI-based image recognition can augment contextual information to extrapolate archetypal object classes through name labels, such as “gravel”, “sand”, “plant”, or “large wood”. However, obtaining sufficient ground truth data for these classifications, particularly in morphodynamic fluvial environments, is challenging and induces high costs. This study introduces a transfer learning approach to address the challenge of low data availability, enabling AI-based mapping of complex objects in fluvial landscapes. We leverage the learned general structure of a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) pre-trained on a broad range of images. The fixed latent features of the pre-trained CNN stem from GoogLeNet. A fixed feature extractor serves to classify objects with limited data amounts. Satisfactory performance is measured with a recall rate, expressing the ability of a model to find all occurrences of a class on an image. High spatial heterogeneity in the locations of measurements on the x-y plane improves model performance. With a minimum of 400 labeled instances, the model achieves a satisfactory 93.75-% recall for a “large wood” target class, providing evidence of the effectiveness of transfer learning in remote sensing for geomorphological studies. This ability to detect large woods in river environments is critical to restoration efforts as it helps create fish habitat, which is essential to supporting biodiversity.

Geomorphological study of the origin of Mongolian Altai Mountains Lake depressions: implications for the relationships between tectonic and glacial processes

The lake depressions in the Mongolian Altai Mountains, and the issues related to their formation have yet to be thoroughly examined in previous research. Previous studies primarily focused on the paleogeographical evolution and glaciation dynamics of the Altai Mountains. This study presents relationships between tectonic and glacial processes that have formed the lake depressions, such asKhoton, Khurgan, Dayan, Khar (western), and Khar (eastern) in the Mongolian Altai Mountains. The depressions of Khoton, Khurgan, and Dayan lakes are situated along regional fault zones, extending in an northwest-southeast direction, forming intermontane depressions directly connected to the Mongolian Altai Mountains. However, the depressions of Dayan, Khar (western), and Khar (eastern) lakes have been dammed by moraine deposits in the near portion of the depression. The compliance matrix of tectonic geomorphological criteria indicates that the Khoton, Khurgan, Dayan Lake, and Khar (western) Lake depressions are more than 50% compatible. Similarly, the compliance matrix for glacial eomorphological criteria indicates more than 60% compliance for all lake depressions. The Mongolian Altai intermontane depressions are thus of tectonic origin, whereas the lakes have a glacial origin, resulting from dammed moraine sediments. The significanceof this work lies in demonstrating how geomorphological research can be employed to provide a detailed understanding of the pattern of lake depressions.