Classification of Landscape Facies Types (Based on the Example of the Sheki–Zagatala Region of Azerbaijan)

Abstract

This study provides a comprehensive classification of elementary landscape units (facies) distributed along the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus in the Sheki–Zagatala region, based on their lithological-geomorphological, hydrological, biological, and biogeochemical characteristics. The research analyzes the morphology of river valleys extending from the Mazimchay to the Vandamchay rivers, the orientation of tectonic fractures, and the impact of slope-driven microclimatic variations on biogeochemical processes. To determine the regular distribution of chemical elements in soils and silt layers, V. V. Kovalsky's biogeochemical methodology was applied, classifying local soils into five geochemical groups and relying on B. B. Polynov’s foundational theory of elementary landscapes. As a result, 14 major landscape-facies types were identified within the 500–2000 m elevation range, corresponding to mountainous, temperate semi-humid, and semi-arid sloping plain landscapes. Among these, six belong to the eluvial group, three to the superaquatic group, three to the subaquatic group, and two to the deluvial group. Regional landscape-geochemical analyses reveal that intensive leaching in high-altitude eluvial systems causes significant thinning of the humus horizon and depletion of nitrogen and potassium, accelerating desertification trends over carbonate-rich substrates. Conversely, in subaquatic and aqua-accumulative (waterlogging-prone) facies, hydromorphic conditions significantly retard organic matter decomposition, facilitating the thickening of the fertile humus layer and resulting in the substantial accumulation of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.