Self-Similarity Properties of the Kerch Peninsula Stream Network and Their Comparison with the Results of Structural and Geomorphological Analysis

Abstract

The results of the fractal analysis of a drainage network reconstructed using a digital elevation model and the structural and geomorphological analysis of the relief of the Kerch Peninsula are compared. Three sectors with different geomorphological expression and the uplifts and depressions associated with them have been identified by the results of the structural and geomorphological analysis. At the same time, the newest structural geometry does not coincide with the structural geometry that developed until the Late Pliocene period. The neotectonic structures of several orders are distinguished according to the results of the structural and geomorphological analysis. The relationship between the magnitude of the fractal dimension D of the drainage network and the movement direction was found: higher values correspond to uplifts and lower values correspond to depressions. This is due to the fact that the areas of neotectonic uplifts are characterized by the active restructuring of the drainage system and the formation of new streambeds and valleys as well as the branching of streams. The increasing complexity of the river network is seen in the higher values of the fractal dimension D, which is a quantitative measure of the complexity of objects. At the same time, the increased values of the D field correlate with rather large first-order structures. It is also found that the results of fractal analysis are subject to the scale effect, and the sensitivity depends on the accuracy and scale of the data. This should be taken into account in further research. It is shown that the fractal approach is promising for the quantitative analysis of the drainage pattern in the study of the newest tectonic structures.