VERTICAL LANDSCAPES AS A SPECIFIC REALITY OF MIDDLE DNIESTER AREA

Abstract

The Dniester Canyon with its structure is at the center of the landscape evolution of the region. Cliffs are a characteristic element of the canyon and form specific "wall" landscapes. The component composition of the walls corresponds to that in “normal" geocomplexes: lithological component, air masses, waters, soils, vegetation, animals. However, it is significantly deformed, which determines its difference from the rest ones. In the article, the author tries to determine the internal structure of vertical geocomplexes and their place in the landscape structure of the entire region. Cartographic representation of the vertical landscapes phenomenon, especially walls, in a traditional two-dimensional plane remains extremely difficult and inconvenient. On large-scale maps, they can be visually displayed only by lineaments with an accompanying textual explanation. When drawing up more detailed maps with the dimensions of mesochores, microgeochores, even geotopes (facies), the scale also does not allow to reproduce the surface structure of the walls. In such a situation, there are two acceptable options. In the case of simple walls, their reflection can consist of lineaments of different colors and patterns with a corresponding textual explanation. On morphologically complex and large walls, it is advisable to supplement the lineaments with sweep profiles with a detailed display of the micro-landscape situation. Perhaps the new capabilities of cartographic modeling will be able to find an acceptable compromise.