Morphological structure of plains subject to ground subsidence on the basis of mathematical morphology of landscapes approach

Abstract

Possibility for landscape pattern modeling was demonstrated for areas characterized by active ground subsidence in the eastern part of the Middle Russian Upland (the Kursk Region) as a case study, based on the mathematical morphology of landscapes technique. Applicability of this approach for the case study area was substantiated. The investigation revealed objective difficulties caused by complex morphological pattern of the area compared with the previously proposed canonical models (in terms of the landscape science). The  simultaneous occurrence of morphometrically and physiographically different types of the depressions was considered with subsequent analysis of particular types. Significant differences in morphometric characteristics of forested and meadow depressions as well as low areas without morphologically distinct depressions (so-called “wet spots”) have been found by the application of the variance method. Correspondence of the meadow depressions mean radius sample distribution with log-normal distribution and of the “wet spots” one with normal distribution have been revealed. The forested depressions mean radius sample shows correspondence with both types of statistical distributions.