Chapter
11
________________________________________________________________________________
Morphological and Geological Structure of the
Northern Coast of the Caspian Sea
L. B. Aristarkhova, A. A. Svitoch, and O. N. Bratanova
Department of Geography
Moscow State University
Moscow, Russia
Abstract
Photographs taken from Kosmos, Mir and Space Shuttle spacecraft over the past twenty years permit integration of structural, geomorphic, and sedimentologic data from the northern Caspian basin. Linear features and other landforms observed on space photos, such as those of the Ural River delta and Dossor area, were verified by means of geophysical data and field observations. Such local structures could then be related to the broader tectonic framework of the region. Pliocene to Quaternary fluvial, deltaic and coastal plain lithofacies of the Volga River valley have been distinguished on the basis of tonal and textural differences seen in Space Shuttle photographs and confirmed by outcrop examination.
Citation for the published article
Aristarkhova, L. B., A. A. Svitoch, and O. N. Bratanova, 2000. The morphological and geological structure of the northern coast of the Caspian Sea, in Dynamic Earth Environments: Remote Sensing Observations from Shuttle-Mir Missions (K. P. Lulla and L. V. Dessinov, eds.), John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp. 149-157, 266, 282.
Links to Color Images
 |
Figure 11.1
Photograph of the lower Ural River delta (Kosmos satellite photograph Φ-270-K 426, 1978) and its geomorphological interpretation. Symbols for interpretation (Figures 11.1 to 11.5): 1, morphological lineaments labeled by number; 2, large positive morphological structures associated with the most recent activation of base blocks and subsalt arched uplifts: Astrakhan (A), Dossor (D); 3, local morphological structures caused by salt tectonics [3a, positive structures (salt domes); 3b, negative structures associated with active compensation synclines, specifically the Inder and Zhaltyr lakes]; 4, structural lines that pinpoint the location of various structural tectonic elements; 5a, waterways and modern coastlines; 5b, flooded coastlines; 6, lakes. |
|
 |
Figure 11.2
Portion of Ural River delta, March 1996 (NASA photograph NM21-704-58), and geomorphological interpretation. Symbols are the same as for Figure 11.1. |
|
 |
Figure 11.3
Lower Volga River delta, March 1996 (NASA photograph NM21-704-56), and photointerpretation. Symbols are the same as for Figure 11.1. |
|
 |
Figure 11.4
Area between the Volga River delta and the top of Ural River delta, April 14, 1994 (NASA photograph STS059-218-64, see also Figure 19.2 color insert), and photointerpretation. Symbols are the same as for Figure 11.1. |
|
 |
Figure 11.5
Morphostructural diagram from a topographic map based on photointerpretations of space photographs in Figures 11.1 to 11.4. These interpretations are combined to show the structures for the entire segment of the northern coast of the Caspian Sea. Symbols are the same as for Figure 11.1. |
|
 |
Figure 11.6
Geological and geomorphological interpretation of the Selitryanoe/Seroglazovka area of the Volga River valley, September 1994 (NASA photograph STS064-101-20). 1, Upper Pleistocene (Khvalyn) deposits of the plain; 2, riverbed and fluvial sediments; 3, modern beach accretion, sand bars; 4, lower flood plain and its deposits; 5, upper flood plain and its deposits; 6, oxbow lakes and their deposits. |
|
|
 |
