GEOMORPHIC INDICES ANALYSIS FOR EVALUATING THE GLACIAL AND TECTONIC EFFECTS ON THE LATE QUATERNARY LANDFORM EVOLUTION OF THE KARLIK RANGE, EASTERN TIAN SHAN

For mid-latitude alpine regions, tectonic processes and glaciations are two crucial factors affecting the landform evolution. Located in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and adjacent to the Tibetan Plateau, the Tian Shan Mountains possesses a long and complicated history of evolution as well as one of the most important inventories of glaciers. In this paper we choose the Karlik Range of Eastern Tian Shan as the study area, which is home to abundant glacial and tectonic phenomena but has been relatively infrequently studied. The typical topographic values are extracted from a digital elevation model. And the hypsometry and stream-length relation are considered and analyzed as well. Also, the paleoglacial coverage is reconstructed and corresponding characteristics calculated. The analysis shows that the Karlik Range hosts relatively inactive glaciers and a large part of its area during the landform maturity. Spatial non-uniformity is also suggested, especially in the northern part, where a block uplift represents the area’s comparatively recent tectonic activity.