Spatial typification of river basin geosystems in the Kama river catchment area in relation to the regional tectonic structures

Abstract

This study was aimed to reveal relationships between the formation of the structures of river systems and to discover the tectonic structural features of the territory. We analyzed the morphometric parameters of river catchment areas of various orders, which comprise the Kama river basin. A digital terrain model in ESRI ArcGis 10.4 geoinformation system was used. Within the identified river basin geosystems, quantitative morphometric characteristics of the terrain were calculated for comparative analysis. Multidimensional statistical analysis methods were used to group the basins with respect to their sets of geometric and morphometric characteristics. A spatial typification technique was developed to distinguish the basin geosystems by their morphometric indicators. This study pioneered in using the results of cluster analysis for identification of seven groups of basins, which reflect the spatial heterogeneity of the ancient tectonic elements and the geomorphological conditions within the entire territory of the Kama river basin. It is established that the types of the river basin geosystems with characteristic morphometric features are related to various ancient tectonic structures, which suggests a genetic relationship of endogenous processes of river channel fracturing and the diversity of geometric parameters of different river basins.