Exogenous Processes and Soil Cover in the Area of Large Reservoirs

The influence of the Chirkei Reservoir and of its hydrodynamic regime that causes negative exogenous processes associated with the activation of landslides and water spills is considered. For example, one of the landslide massifs located 1 km from the high dam of the hydroelectric power station is capable of causing a wave ten meters or more high, and a breakthrough of the Tishiklinskaya earthen dam 1 km long, which is located in the eastern part of the reservoir, could lead to the flooding of a large area of agricultural lands and settlements. The Chirkei reservoir is geographically located in Dagestan, at the coordinates 42°58′00″ N, 46°53′00″ E. Considering the small percentage of land suitable for agricultural activity in the mountainous part of Dagestan, the preservation and prevention of flooding of fertile lands is an important national economic task. In the Republic of Dagestan, there are seven hydroelectric power stations with dams from 40 to 232 m high. Services on them are limited to monitoring the condition of the dams. However, monitoring of hazardous geological processes in reservoir areas has not been given due attention. The results of geophysical monitoring that allows detecting landslide body deformation under the influence of seasonal changes in the reservoir level are presented.