RELIEF AND GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF HUTSULSHCHYNA AND VERKHOVYNSKYI NATIONAL NATURAL PARKS

Abstract

Relief and geological structure of Hutsulshchyna and Verkhovynskyi national natural parks (NNP), located in the south-eastern part of the Ukrainian Carpathians, present four geomorphological regions of the Ukrainian Carpathians. Hutsulshchyna NNP is located in Skybovi Carpathians and Precarpathian Upland. Verkhovynskyi NNP is located in Marmaroski Carpathians and Polonynsko-Chornohirski Carpathians. The analysis of the morphostructure and morphosculpture of national natural parks is carried out taking into account the longitudinal (N-W – S-E) and transverse divisions of the Ukrainian Carpathians. The longitudinal division is associated with morphostructures of higher orders, such as the second and third, and the transverse is associated with the fourth and fifth orders of morphostructure. In the analysis of morphosculpture of NNPs, the types which are characteristic of the Carpathian Flysch and Сrystalline Carpathians are allocated. Mountain ranges and ridges such as Sloboda-Rungurska, Pokuttia med-mountains, Hryniava-Losova and Chyvchyn mountains are characterized by an asymmetrical structure – steep northeastern slopes and declivous southwestern slopes. The relic morphosculpture is represented by: 1) fragments of denudation surfaces of different ages such as Polonynska within Verkhovynskyi NPP as well as Karmaturska (analogue of Pidbeskid) within Hutsulshchyna NPP, and riparian; 2) extra and ancient glacial within Verkhovynskyi NPP and extra glacial within Hutsulshchyna NPP; 3) areas of ancient longitudinal valleys. The presence of relict ("dead") river valleys is characteristic of the premountain part of Hutsulshchyna NNP. Modern morphodynamic processes represent by height (tier) differentiation. In the tiers of strongly dissected mеd-mountain and low-mountain relief, the processes of planar erosion, deflux, and linear erosion play an important role in the modelling of the relief. The lower tier of the terraced and non-terraced bottoms of the valleys are associated with the processes of leaching and erosion as well as a significant accumulation of erosion products and mudflows. Among gravitational processes and block motions, stabilized and active displacements are the most recorded. Key words: National natural park; Ukrainian Carpathians; relief; morphostructure; morphosculpture.