The study of hillslopes is of concern to many scientists - geologists, pedologists, hydrologists, engineers, and geomorphologists. As a result the literature on the subject is dispersed through many books and journals and the approaches to the subject are varied. In writing this text I have attempted to draw on all the relevant disciplines and particularly to use the contributions of the exponents of rock and soil mechanics.

В монографии на основе оригинальных исследований автора и обширного опубликованного отечественного и зарубежного материалов рассматриваются теоретические и практические аспекты оползневедения с акцентом на ключевую проблему — методологию геодезического обес печения мониторинга деформационных процессов склоновых систем для нового решения актуальной научной проблемы — оценки степени оползневого риска и уровня безопасности склоновых систем.

В книге представлен свод концепций по применению математического языка к трактовке моделей современных склонов в разных ландшафтно-географических условиях и, в частности, в пределах Среднего Поволжья. В монографии показаны и личные разработки автора, и его определенный вклад в развитие математических моделей склоновых поверхностей.
Книга рассчитана на специалистов-геоморфологов, географов и геологов.

Most of the land surface of the earth is formed by valley slopes. At a given point on the ground surface it is normally possible to follow the line of maximum slope downwards until a drainage channel is reached; moreover a causal relation between the slope and the channel is apparent. This feature has been little remarked upon, possibly because it is so widespread as to seem part of the natural order. It is nevertheless a fundamental and remarkable feature of the earth’s surface form. <...>

Hillslopes occupy most of the land surface of the Earth. In areas of erosional topography the entire landscape, except the valley floors, consists of hillslopes. Consequently, hillslopes are a major focus of research in geomorphology. The study of hillslopes is essential not only in order to understand better the natural landscape but also for numerous practical reasons, such as controlling soil erosion and sedimentation on agricultural lands and mitigating the hazard posed by landslides. Geomorphologists have studied hillslopes since the latter part of the 19th century, but until the late 1950s their research focused almost exclusively on morphology. During the past 30 years, however, there has been a growing interest in hillslope processes, and today research on processes dominates this branch of geomorphology <...>