Age of the mountains of southern Siberia. Mountains of southern Siberia. Features characteristic of low-mountain terrain

The Central Siberian Plateau occupies the eastern part of Siberia. A little south of it stretches a long mountain range. It begins at the sources of the Irtysh River and ends near the Amur region. The presented mountain system is considered one of the largest on our planet. It includes:

• Altai;
• Western and Eastern Sayan Mountains;
• Aldan Highlands;
• Transbaikal Highlands;
• Baikal Mountains;
• Stanovoy Ridge.

All of the above mountain formations are the basis of the belt of the South Siberian Mountains. The latter begin in western Siberia and extend all the way to the Pacific coast. Their main distinctive feature– a huge number of natural complexes. This fact is explained by 2 factors. Firstly, you need to take into account the area occupied by the mountains, which is quite vast. Secondly, the formation of these complexes took several millennia and included a lot of physical and geographical processes.

The total length of the South Siberian Mountains belt exceeds 1.5 million km². These mountainous areas differ from each other in climate and topography. In this regard, the mountains have different heights, and natural complexes have slopes of different insolation.

Tectonic and geological structure of the region, relief and minerals

The formation of the South Siberian Mountains was limited by a large geosyncline. It is in this part Globe There are 2 huge tectonic platforms. One of them is Siberian, the second is Chinese. Their influence on each other led to the formation of the presented mountainous region. In particular, its occurrence is explained by the appearance of faults on the surface earth's crust and the introduction of granite intrusions.

The described mountain systems were formed in ancient times. At that time there were still 3 folds: Caledonian, Baikal and Hercynian. As a result of their impact on the earth’s crust, several intermountain basins appeared, among which it is necessary to highlight:

• Kuznetskaya;
• Minusinskaya;
• Tuva;
• Baikal.

The presented region contains high and medium-height mountains. The highest point is Mount Belukha, which is part of the Katunsky ridge in Altai. Its height is 4506 meters. This area is characterized by high seismic activity. Magnitude 7 earthquakes often occur near Lake Baikal.

As for minerals, the described region is rich in various metals. In particular, lead, copper and zinc are mined here. In addition, near the mountains there are deposits of silver, gold, molybdenum and other valuable metals.

Climate and inland waters of the region

The South Siberian Mountains are located near the central part of Eurasia. This means that the territory they occupy belongs to the temperate climate zone. Weather conditions to a certain extent influenced the development of mountain systems. In particular, in the direction from west to east, the local climate becomes continental. Air masses are transported in such a way that precipitation mainly falls on the western slopes, often blown by strong winds. At the same time, high humidity is characteristic of Altai. This explains the fact that glaciers are found in the local mountains.

During the winter months, weather conditions in the described region depend on the influence of the Asian High. Most often, during the coldest time of the year, there are severe frosts here, and snow rarely falls. If we talk about summer, then it is characterized by low temperatures and short duration. This and also minimal amount precipitation is a consequence of the slow movement of moist air masses. Such conditions contributed to the preservation of permafrost.

The described mountain areas are notable for the fact that it is in them that the sources are located:

• Irtysh;
• Katuni;
• Lena;
• Yenisei;
• Shilki;
• Vitima;
• Arguni.

Many of the rivers listed above are the largest in Russia, and therefore are used to generate hydroelectric power. In addition, it is in the presented part of Siberia that there are two large lakes. One of them is Baikal, the second is Teletskoye.

Soils, flora and fauna of the region

In the described mountain region there is a huge number of different types of soils. In particular, black soil and tundra occur here. This diversity is a consequence complex processes that occurred in the earth's crust, and the influence of climatic conditions. This also influenced exactly how certain soils were located. For example, some of them are distributed zonally, others - azonally.

As for the flora of the region represented, it is very diverse. Let's say Altai is steppes, Sayans are coniferous forests, Aldan Highlands are alpine and subalpine meadows. If we talk about fauna, then it is also characterized by incredible diversity. Most animals live in forests. These are deer, wolves, foxes, muskrats, hares, etc.

The mountain belt of Southern Siberia is located in the center of Asia. It separates the West Siberian Plain and the Central Siberian Plateau from the internal semi-desert and desert plateaus of Central Asia.

This very complex system mountain ranges and massifs consists of the mountains of Altai, Western and Eastern Sayan, Tuva, the Baikal region and Transbaikalia, the Stanovoy Range and the Aldan Highlands and stretches along the southern borders of Russia from the Irtysh to the Amur region for 4500 km. You can select some characteristic features for this territory:

• 1. dominance of medium-high and high folded-block mountains, which are separated by large and small basins;
• 2. year-round action of continental air masses;
• 3. altitudinal zone(mountain-taiga forests and mountain tundras on the slopes of ridges are combined with forest-steppe and steppe areas in intermountain basins).

Relief of the mountains of Southern Siberia

The mountains were formed as a result of powerful tectonic movements back in the eras of the Baikal, Caledonian and Hercynian folding at the junction of large blocks of the earth's crust - the Chinese and Siberian platforms. During the Paleozoic and Mesozoic, almost all mountain structures were destroyed and leveled. Thus, the modern relief of the mountains of Southern Siberia was formed not so long ago in Quaternary times under the influence of recent tectonic movements and processes of intense river erosion. All the mountains of Southern Siberia belong to the fold-block revivals.

For the relief of the mountains of Southern Siberia characteristic feature is the contrast and large amplitude of relative heights. The Main Region is dominated by strongly dissected mid-mountain ridges with heights from 800 to 2000 m. On the slopes of high alpine ridges with narrow ridges and peaks up to 3000-4000 m there are glaciers and eternal snow. The Altai Mountains are the highest, where the highest point in all of Siberia is located - Mount Belukha (4506 m).

In the past, mountain building was accompanied by earthquakes, faults of the earth's crust and the introduction of intrusions with the formation of various ore deposits of minerals; in some areas these processes are still ongoing. This mountain belt belongs to the seismic regions of Russia; the strength of individual earthquakes can reach 5-7 points.

Mineral deposits: ore, copper, coal

Large deposits have formed here iron ores in Mountain Shoria and Khakassia, polymetallic in the Salair Ridge and Altai, copper (Udokan deposit) and gold in Transbaikalia, tin (Sherlovaya Mountain in the Chita region), aluminum ores, mercury, molybdenum and tungsten. This region is also rich in reserves of mica, graphite, asbestos and building materials.

Large intermountain basins (Kuznetsk, Minusinsk, Tuva, etc.) are composed of loose clastic deposits carried down from the ridges, which are associated with a thick thickness of hard and brown coals. In terms of reserves, the Kuznetsk basin ranks third in the country, second only to the Tunguska and Lena basins. More than half of Russia's total industrial reserves of coking coal are concentrated in the basin. In terms of accessibility for industrial development (advantageous geographical location, many seams lie close to the surface, etc.) and high quality of coal, this basin has no equal in Russia. A number of brown coal deposits have been discovered in the basins of Transbaikalia (Gusinoozersk, Chernovskie mines).

It is located in the center of the continent at a considerable distance from the oceans. The boundary of the mountains is clearly defined in the west and north, but with the Far East it is not so distinct. From west to east, this mountain range stretches for 4,500 km. Its maximum width is about 1200 km.

The mountain belt of southern Siberia is folded block mountains. They formed in Paleozoic era, and then were severely destroyed. Their territory is divided into separate blocks by large faults of different times.

Recent tectonic movements have created the existing folded block mountains. Uplifted blocks correspond to mountain ranges and highlands; subsidence - intermountain basins. Movements of the earth's crust continue at the present time, as evidenced by earthquakes. Among the ridges in the mountain belt one can also observe leveled surfaces.

The mountain belt of Southern Siberia is divided into three mountainous countries: Altai-Sayan, Baikal and Aldan-Stanovaya. They are located on a protrusion of the foundation of the Siberian Platform. This is the Aldan shield. The highest peak of the mountain belt is Mount Belukha (4506 m). It is located in Altai.

The mountains of southern Siberia are rich in minerals: coal (Kuznetsk and South Yakutsk basins), iron and manganese ore, bauxite are mined here, deposits of gold, tin, tungsten and other metals are known. Non-metallic minerals are represented by graphite, asbestos, marble, apatite, and mica.

The climate of the mountains of Southern Siberia varies from continental to sharply continental, with continentality increasing from west to east and from the tops of the mountains to the intermountain basins. The average January temperature in the mountains is 20-27°C, and in the basins up to -32°C. The average July temperature in the mountains is +8°C, in the intermountain basins it is up to +21°C. The maximum precipitation (up to 1800 mm) falls on the windward slopes, as moist air masses reach them. In the leeward parts of the mountains there is less precipitation, and especially little in the basins (200 mm).

Permafrost occurs in the form of islands. There are glaciers on the peaks of Altai and Sayan.

Large rivers such as the Ob, Yenisei, Lena, and Amur originate in the mountains of Southern Siberia. Most rivers are mountainous in nature, fed by rain and snow. Some rivers receive water from the melting glacier.

Lake Baikal is a natural wonder of Siberia. Its basin arose about 25 million years ago as a result of the formation of a tectonic crack. This is the deepest lake in the world. Its depth is about 1620 m. More than 300 rivers flow into Baikal, and only the Angara, a tributary of the Yenisei, flows out. The waters of the lake contain very few mineral impurities. A.P. Chekhov defined the color of the lake’s water as “... soft turquoise, pleasant to the eye...” The flora and fauna of the lake is rich and diverse. Among the fish, omul, grayling, and sturgeon are of particular value. Large animals living near Lake Baikal (for example, seals) feed on fish. The forests of the Baikal region are of great water conservation importance: they retain snow, feed rivers, and protect slopes from erosion. The forests themselves contain huge reserves of berries and medicinal herbs. Baikal is also valued for its healing mineral springs.

However, Baikal now faces acute problems. With the construction of the Irkutsk hydroelectric power station, a rise in the water level and its turbidity occurred, which immediately led to a reduction in the most valuable fish - omul. The construction of pulp and paper mills led to the release of waste water containing industrial waste into Lake Baikal. The question of protecting this unique natural complex is a matter of national importance. A set of measures has been developed, which includes the following measures:

Stopping the rafting of wood that pollutes the waters of Lake Baikal;

Cessation of pulp production;

Construction of water treatment facilities in cities and industrial enterprises;

Construction of a series of omul breeding plants;

Organization of planned tourism and recreation for people;

Prohibition of timber harvesting on slopes facing Lake Baikal.

However, despite the measures taken, the problems of Lake Baikal remain very acute.

In the mountain belt of Southern Siberia, altitudinal zonation is clearly expressed and the boundaries of altitudinal belts are raised quite high for these latitudes, which is a consequence of the remoteness of this area from the oceans. The following natural zones are located in the mountains: steppes (on black soil); taiga forests (on mountain-podzolic soils), consisting mainly of larch trees and turning into pine forests in the upper parts; subalpine and alpine meadows; mountain tundra.

The fur riches of the Siberian mountain belt are great. Barguzin sable skins are the most valuable fur in Siberia. There are also bushy-tailed squirrels, roe deer, lynxes, and brown bears.

The mountains of Southern Siberia are a majestic mountain range that separates the border of Russia from Asia. Its geographical location is very interesting from the perspective of research on the formation of mountain systems. The Central Siberian Plateau, the West Siberian Plain and the desert, semi-desert plateaus are separated from each other thanks to this mountain range. The length of this mountain system is amazing, as much as 4,500 kilometers of pure rocks.

There are several characteristic features of this place:

1. High and medium-high rocks predominate here, with many pits separating them from each other;
2. Air masses circulate here constantly, without interruption;
3. Steppes and forests here connect with taiga and forest-tundra in the areas of intermountain basins;

Relief characteristics of the mountains of Southern Siberia

The movement of tectonic plates contributed to the formation of this mountain range in the very heart of the Chinese and Siberian platforms. Now, looking at this creation, one can imagine how powerful the forces of nature are. Even though this mountain took quite a long time to form. This process began back in the Mesozoic era, and it was then that this grandiose relay race began. Millions of tons of rocks began to be created then. All of them are nothing more than folded-block revivals, which took their current form, thanks to the movement of huge tectonic plates in the earth’s crust of our planet. Tectonic movements were accompanied by magmatic and metamorphic processes, which, in turn, played their role and gave rise to the creation of huge centers containing iron and base metals in Altai and copper and gold in Transbaikalia.

About the weather and skiers

The relief of the mountains of Southern Siberia is a collection of peaks in different altitude categories ranging from small to huge. The average height of the ridges is from 800 to 2000 meters. Alpine ridges reach heights of 3000–4000 meters and are saturated with glaciers. The concentration of ski resorts here is very high. The highest point is Mount Belukha.

In winter, some of the mountains of Southern Siberia are under the influence of the highest atmospheric pressure from Asia. The weather is very good, the thermometer often shows above-zero temperatures. It is at this time that one can observe the peak of activity among outdoor enthusiasts. The frozen places are the intermountain basins; it is very cold here, God forbid you accidentally end up there.

Advantages and disadvantages

The mountains of Southern Siberia are seismically active areas, often local earthquakes reach 6–7 points. This is the only reason why you should look at geo-reports before going on a trip. So that if something happens, you will be informed and ready for whatever happens. But there is no silver lining. It was the “mobility” of tectonic plates that caused the formation of many deposits with very valuable natural resources. Both the geographical and political significance of this mountain range is unusually great.

general characteristics

The mountains of Southern Siberia are one of the largest mountainous countries Soviet Union: its area is more than 1.5 million. km 2. Most of the territory is located inland at a considerable distance from the oceans. From west to east, the mountains of Southern Siberia stretch for almost 4500 km- from the plains of Western Siberia to the ridges of the Pacific coast. They form a watershed between the great Siberian rivers flowing to the Arctic Ocean and the rivers giving their waters to the drainless region of Central Asia, and in the extreme east to the Amur.

In the west and north, the mountains of Southern Siberia are separated from neighboring countries by clear natural boundaries, most often coinciding with the ledges of the outlying areas of the mountains above the adjacent plains. The state border of the USSR and the Mongolian People's Republic is taken as the southern border of the country; the eastern border runs from the confluence of the Shilka and Arguni north, to the Stanovoy Range, and further, to the upper reaches of the Zeya and Maya.

The significant elevation of the territory above sea level is the main reason for the clearly defined altitudinal zonality in the distribution of landscapes, of which the most typical are mountain taiga ones, occupying more than 60% of the country's area. The highly rugged terrain and large amplitudes of its heights cause significant diversity and contrast in natural conditions.

The geographical location of the country, contrasting mountainous terrain and continental climate determine the peculiarities of the formation of its landscapes. Severe winters contribute to the widespread distribution of permafrost, and relatively warm summers determine the high position of the upper boundary of landscape zones for these latitudes. The steppes rise in the southern regions of the country to 1000-1500 m, the upper limit of the forest zone in some places reaches 2300-2450 m, i.e. it passes much higher than in the Western Caucasus.

The adjacent territories also have a great influence on the nature of the country. The steppe foothills of Altai are similar in the nature of their landscapes to the steppes of Western Siberia, the mountain forests of Northern Transbaikalia differ little from the taiga of Southern Yakutia, and the steppe landscapes of the intermountain basins of Tuva and Eastern Transbaikalia are similar to the steppes of Mongolia. At the same time, the mountain belt of Southern Siberia isolates Central Asia from the penetration of air masses from the west and north and makes it difficult for Siberian plants and animals to spread to Mongolia, and Central Asian plants to Siberia.

The mountains of Southern Siberia have attracted the attention of Russian travelers since early XVII century, when Cossack explorers founded the first cities here: Kuznetsk fort (1618), Krasnoyarsk (1628), Nizhneudinsk (1648) and Barguzin fort (1648). In the first half of the 18th century. mining and non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises are being created here (Nerchinsk silver smelting and Kolyvan copper smelting plants). The first ones began Scientific research nature.

The discovery in the first half of the 19th century was important for the development of the country's economy. gold deposits in Altai, Salair and Transbaikalia. Since the middle of the last century, the number of expeditions sent here for scientific purposes by the Academy of Sciences has increased, Geographical Society, Mining Department. Many prominent scientists worked as part of these expeditions: P. A. Chikhachev, I. A. Lopatin, P. A. Kropotkin, I. D. Chersky, V. A. Obruchev, who made a significant contribution to the study of the mountains of Southern Siberia. At the beginning of our century, V.V. Sapozhnikov studied Altai, F.K. Drizhenko conducted research on Baikal, geographer G.E. Grumm-Grzhimailo and botanist P.N. Krylov worked in Tuva, and V.L. worked in the Eastern Sayan. Komarov. Gold-bearing areas were explored and soil-botanical expeditions were carried out that made a great contribution to the study of the country, in which V. N. Sukachev, V. L. Komarov, V. V. Sapozhnikov, I. M. Krasheninnikov and others took part.

After the October Revolution, comprehensive research natural resources were carried out by large complex expeditions of the USSR Academy of Sciences (Kuznetsk-Altai, Baikal, Gorno-Altai, Tuva, South Yenisei, Transbaikal) with the participation of the most prominent Soviet scientists.

The works of Siberian scientific and production organizations- West Siberian and East Siberian branches of the USSR Academy of Sciences, institutes of the Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences, especially the Institute of Geography of Siberia and Far East, territorial geological departments of the Ministry of Geology, airborne geodetic enterprises, hydrometeorological service departments, higher educational institutions.

Materials from Soviet-era expeditions quite fully characterize the natural features of the mountains of Southern Siberia, and a detailed study of their geological structure contributed to the discovery of a large number of mineral deposits (rare and non-ferrous metals, iron ores, mica, etc.).

Geological structure and history of development

Look nature photography mountains of Southern Siberia: Altai Krai, Gorny Altai, Western Sayan and Baikal region in the section Nature of the world our site.

Mountain building processes did not appear simultaneously on the territory of the country. First, intense folded tectonic uplifts occurred in the Baikal region, Western Transbaikalia and Eastern Sayan, which are composed of Precambrian and Lower Paleozoic rocks and arose as folded mountain structures in Proterozoic and Old Paleozoic times. In different phases of Paleozoic folding, the folded mountains of Altai, Western Sayan, Kuznetsk-Salair and Tuva regions were formed, and even later - mainly in the era of Mesozoic folding - the mountains of Eastern Transbaikalia were formed.

During the Mesozoic and Paleogene, these mountains, under the influence of exogenous forces, were gradually destroyed and turned into denudation plains, on which low hills alternated with wide valleys filled with sandy-clayey sediments.

In the Neogene - the beginning of the Quaternary, the leveled areas of the ancient mountainous regions were again raised in the form of huge arches - gentle folds of a large radius. Their wings in places of greatest stress were often torn apart by faults, dividing the territory into large monolithic blocks; some of them rose in the form of high ridges, others, on the contrary, sank, forming intermountain depressions. Ancient folded mountains as a result of these newest uplifts (their amplitude averaged 1000-2000 m) turned into highly elevated stepped plateaus with flat tops and steep slopes.

Exogenous forces resumed their work with new energy. Rivers cut the outlying areas of the rising mountain ranges with narrow and deep gorges; weathering processes resumed on the peaks, and giant screes appeared on the slopes. The relief of the raised areas “rejuvenated”, and they again acquired a mountainous character. Movements of the earth's crust in the mountains of Southern Siberia continue to this day, manifesting themselves in the form of fairly strong earthquakes and slow uplifts or subsidences that occur annually.

Quaternary glaciation was also of great importance in the formation of relief. Thick layers of firn and ice covered the most elevated mountain ranges and some intermountain basins. Tongues of glaciers descended into river valleys, and in some places adjacent plains emerged. Glaciers dissected the ridge parts of the ridges, on the slopes of which deep rocky niches and cirques formed, and the ridges in some places became narrow and acquired sharp outlines. The ice-filled valleys have the profile of typical troughs with steep slopes and a wide and flat bottom filled with moraine loams and boulders.

Types of relief

Look nature photography mountains of Southern Siberia: Altai Krai, Gorny Altai, Western Sayan and Baikal region in the section Nature of the world our site.

The relief of the mountains of Southern Siberia is very diverse. Nevertheless, they also have a lot in common: their modern relief is relatively young and was formed as a result of recent tectonic uplifts and erosional dissection in the Quaternary. Other characteristic feature mountains of Southern Siberia - the distribution of the main types of relief in the form of geomorphological belts or tiers - is explained by their different modern hypsometric position.

Alpine highland terrain is formed in areas of particularly significant Quaternary uplifts - in the highest ridges of Altai, Tuva, Sayan, Stanovoy Highlands and Barguzinsky ridge, rising above 2500 m. Such areas are distinguished by a significant depth of dissection, a large amplitude of heights, the predominance of steeply sloped narrow ridges with inaccessible peaks, and in some areas - a wide distribution of modern glaciers and snowfields. A particularly significant role in the modeling of the alpine relief was played by the processes of Quaternary and modern glacial erosion, which created numerous pits and cirques.

The rivers here flow in wide trough-shaped valleys. At the bottom there are usually numerous traces of the exaration and accumulative activity of glaciers - ram's foreheads, curly rocks, crossbars, lateral and terminal moraines.

Areas of alpine relief occupy about 6% of the country's area and are characterized by the most severe climatic conditions. In this regard, the processes of nivation, frost weathering and solifluction play an important role in the transformation of modern relief.

Particularly typical for Southern Siberia mid-mountain relief, occupying over 60% of the country's area. It was formed as a result of erosional dissection of ancient denudation surfaces and is typical for altitudes from 800 to 2000-2200 m. Thanks to Quaternary uplifts and a dense network of deep river valleys, fluctuations in relative heights in mid-mountain massifs range from 200-300 to 700-800 m, and the steepness of the valley slopes is from 10-20 to 40-50°. Due to the fact that mid-altitude mountains have been an area of ​​intense erosion for a long time, the thickness of loose sediments here is usually small. The amplitudes of relative heights rarely exceed 200-300 m. In the formation of the relief of the interfluves, the main role belonged to the processes of ancient denudation; modern erosion in such areas is characterized by low intensity due to the small size of watercourses. On the contrary, most of the valleys of large rivers are young: they have a V-shaped transverse profile, steep rocky slopes and a stepped longitudinal profile with numerous waterfalls and rapids in the riverbed.

Alpine peaks of the Kodar ridge (Stanovoye Highlands). Photo by I. Timashev

Low mountainous terrain developed in the least elevated outlying areas. Low mountain areas are located at an altitude of 300-800 m and are formed by narrow ridges or chains of hills stretching along the periphery of the mid-mountain massifs towards the foothill plain. The wide depressions separating them are drained by small low-water rivers originating in the low-mountain zone, or by larger transit streams originating in the interior regions of mountainous regions. Low-mountain relief is characterized by a small amplitude of recent tectonic movements, insignificant relative heights (100-300 m), gentle slopes, widespread development of deluvial raincoats.

Areas of low-mountain relief are also found at the foot of mid-mountain ridges along the outskirts of some intermountain basins (Chuyskaya, Kuraiskaya, Tuva, Minusinskaya), at an altitude of 800-1000 m, and sometimes even 2000 m. Low-mountain relief is especially typical for the intermountain depressions of Eastern Transbaikalia, where the relative height of the outlier hills is from 25 to 300 m.

On the ridges of Eastern Altai, Sayan and Northern Transbaikalia, poorly dissected by modern erosion, they are widespread. ancient leveling surfaces. Most often they are located at an altitude from 1500 to 2500-2600 m and are undulating or shallow denudation plains. They are often covered with large-block placers of bedrock fragments, among which in some places there are low (up to 100-200 m) dome-shaped hills composed of the hardest rocks; Between the hills there are wide hollows, sometimes swampy.

The main features of the relief of the planation surfaces were formed by denudation processes during the Mesozoic and Paleogene. These denudation plains were then raised to varying heights as a result of Cenozoic tectonic movements; the amplitude of the uplifts was maximum in the central regions of the mountainous regions of Southern Siberia and less significant on their outskirts.

Intermountain basins are an important element of the relief of the mountains of Southern Siberia. They are usually limited by the steep slopes of neighboring ridges and are composed of loose Quaternary sediments (glacial, fluvioglacial, proluvial, alluvial). Most intermountain basins are located at altitudes from 400-500 to 1200-1300 m. The formation of their modern relief is associated mainly with the processes of accumulation of loose sediments, which were carried here from neighboring ridges. Therefore, the bottom relief of basins is most often flat, with small amplitudes of relative heights; Terraces are developed in the valleys of slow-flowing rivers, and areas adjacent to the mountains are covered with mantles of deluvial-proluvial material.

Climate

Look nature photography mountains of Southern Siberia: Altai Krai, Gorny Altai, Western Sayan and Baikal region in the section Nature of the world our site.

The country's climate is determined by its geographical location in the southern half of the temperate climate zone and in the interior of the Eurasian continent, as well as by the contrasting topography.

The amount of total solar radiation in January ranges from 1-1.5 kcal/cm 2 in the foothills of Northern Transbaikalia up to 3-3.5 kcal/cm 2 in Southern Altai; in July - from 14.5 to 16.5, respectively kcal/cm 2 .

The position of the mountains of Southern Siberia in the most remote part of Eurasia from the seas determines the characteristics of atmospheric circulation. In winter, an area of ​​high atmospheric pressure (Asian anticyclone) forms over the country, the center of which is located over Mongolia and Transbaikalia. In summer, the interior of the continent becomes very hot, and low atmospheric pressure sets in. As a result of the heating of the Atlantic and Arctic air masses arriving here over the mountains, continental air is formed. Over the southern regions of the country, where continental tropical air comes into contact with the cooler air of temperate latitudes, there is a Mongolian front, which is associated with the passage of cyclones and precipitation. However, the bulk of summer precipitation comes here as a result of processes of transport of Atlantic air masses coming from the west.

The climate of the country is somewhat less continental compared to the neighboring plains. In winter, due to the development of temperature inversions, the mountains turn out to be warmer than the surrounding plains, and in the summer, due to a significant decrease in temperature with height, the mountains are much colder and more precipitation falls.

In general, the climate is quite harsh for the latitudes in which the country is located. Average annual temperatures here are negative almost everywhere (in the high mountain zone -6, -10°), which is explained by the long duration and low temperatures of the cold season. The average January temperature is from -20 to -27°, and only in the western foothills of Altai and on the coast of Lake Baikal does it rise to -15 -18°. Northern Transbaikalia and intermountain basins, where temperature inversions are clearly expressed, are distinguished by especially low January temperatures (-32, -35°). In summer, these basins are the warmest areas of the mountain belt: average July temperatures in them reach 18-22°. However, already at an altitude of 1500-2000 m The duration of the frost-free period does not exceed 20-30 days, and frosts are possible in any month.

The climate features of the regions of Southern Siberia also depend on their location within the country. For example, the sum of temperatures during the growing season at an altitude of 500 m above sea level reaches 2400° in the southwest of Altai, in the Eastern Sayan it decreases to 1600°, and in Northern Transbaikalia - even to 1000-1100°.

On the distribution of atmospheric precipitation, the amount of which varies in different areas from 100-200 to 1500-2500 mm/year, the mountainous terrain has a strong influence. The western slopes of Altai, Kuznetsk Alatau and Western Sayan receive the greatest amount of precipitation, which are reached by moist air masses from the Atlantic Ocean. Summer in these areas is rainy, and the depth of snow cover in winter sometimes reaches 2-2.5 m. It is in such places that you can find damp fir taiga, swamps and wet mountain meadows - elani. On the eastern slopes of the mountains lying in the “rain shadow”, as well as in the intermountain basins, little precipitation falls. Therefore, the thickness of the snow cover here is small and permafrost is often found. Summer here is usually hot and dry, which explains the predominance of steppe landscapes in the basins.

In the mountains of Southern Siberia, precipitation falls mainly in the summer in the form of long rains and only in the most eastern regions - in the form of downpours. The warm period of the year accounts for up to 75-80% of the annual precipitation. In winter, much precipitation falls only on the western slopes of the mountain ranges. The snow, blown by strong mountain winds, fills the gorges here and accumulates in rock crevices and on wooded slopes. Its thickness in such places sometimes reaches several meters. But in the southern foothills of Altai, in the Minusinsk Basin and Southern Transbaikalia, little snow falls. In a number of steppe regions of the Chita region and the Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, the thickness of the snow cover does not exceed 10 cm, and in some places it is only 2 cm. It’s not every year that a toboggan run is installed here.

Most of the mountain ranges of Southern Siberia do not rise above the snow line. The only exceptions are the highest ridges of Altai, Eastern Sayan and Stanovoy Highlands, on the slopes of which modern glaciers and firn fields lie. There are especially many of them in Altai, the area of ​​modern glaciation of which exceeds 900 km 2, in Eastern Sayan it barely reaches 25 km 2, and in the Kodar ridge, in the east of the Stanovoy Highlands, - 19 km 2 .

IN high mountains Permafrost is widespread in southern Siberia. In the form of islands, it is found almost everywhere and is absent only in the western and northwestern regions of Altai, on Salair, as well as in the Kuznetsk and Minusinsk basins. The thickness of the frozen layer varies - from several tens of meters in the south of Transbaikalia to 100-200 m in low-snow regions of Tuva and the eastern part of the Eastern Sayan; in Northern Transbaikalia at an altitude of more than 2000 m maximum permafrost thickness exceeds 1000 m.

Rivers and lakes

Look nature photography mountains of Southern Siberia: Altai Krai, Gorny Altai, Western Sayan and Baikal region in the section Nature of the world our site.

The sources of the great rivers of Northern Asia - the Ob, Irtysh, Yenisei, Lena, and Amur - are located in the mountains of Southern Siberia. Most of the country's rivers are mountainous in nature: they flow in narrow valleys with steep rocky slopes, the slope of their bed is often several tens of meters per 1 km, and the flow speed is very high.

The upper reaches of a mountain river in the Stanovoye Highlands. Photo by I. Timashev

Due to the variety of conditions for the formation of runoff, its values ​​are very different. They reach their maximum value in the ridges of Central Altai and Kuznetsk Alatau (up to 1500-2000 mm/year), the minimum flow is observed in the south of Eastern Transbaikalia (total 50-60 mm/year). On average, the runoff module in the mountains of Southern Siberia is quite high (15-25 l/sec/km 2), and rivers carry up to 16,000 out of the country every second m 3 waters.

Mountain rivers are fed mainly by spring meltwater and summer-autumn rains. Only some of them, starting in the high ridges of Altai, Eastern Sayan and Stanovoy Highlands, also receive water in summer from melting glaciers and “eternal” snow. Altitudinal zonality is observed in the distribution of the relative importance of nutrition sources: the higher the mountains, the greater the role of snow, and in some places, glacial nutrition due to a decrease in the share of rain. In addition, rivers that start high in the mountains are characterized by a longer flood duration, since snow melts first in the lower part of their basin and only in mid-summer in the upper reaches.

The nature of nutrition significantly affects the regime of rivers and changes in their water content according to the seasons of the year. The flow of most rivers during the warm period reaches 80-90% of the year, and in the winter months it accounts for only 2 to 7%. In mid-winter, some small rivers freeze to the bottom.

There are many lakes in the mountains of Southern Siberia. For the most part, they are small and are located in the basins of glacial cirques and cirques in the high mountain zone or in depressions between moraine ridges and hills. But there are also large lakes, for example Baikal, Teletskoye, Markakol, Todzha, Ulug-Khol.

Soils and vegetation

Look nature photography mountains of Southern Siberia: Altai Krai, Gorny Altai, Western Sayan and Baikal region in the section Nature of the world our site.

The main pattern of distribution of soils and vegetation in Southern Siberia - altitudinal zoning - is due to changes in climatic conditions depending on the altitude of the area above ocean level. Its nature also depends on geographical location and heights of mountain ranges. In Altai, Tuva, the Sayans and the mountains of Southern Transbaikalia, the foothills and lower parts of the slopes are usually occupied by steppes with chernozem soils, and above the mountain-taiga zone there are clearly defined zones of alpine vegetation, and in some places high-mountain desert. The landscapes of the mountains of the Baikal-Stanovoy region are more monotonous, since sparse forests of Daurian larch dominate almost everywhere here.

The features of altitudinal zonation also depend on the moisture conditions that are associated with the formation of the so-called cyclonic and continental provincial variants of its structure. But according to the observations of B.F. Petrov, the first of them are characteristic of the wet western slopes, the second - of the drier eastern slopes of the mountains, located in the “rain shadow”. Continental provinces are characterized by large differences in the thermal regime and landscapes of slopes of southern and northern exposure. Here, on the southern slopes of the ridges, steppes and meadow steppes with chernozem or chernozem-like soils often predominate, and on the cooler and wetter northern slopes, taiga forests on thin mountain-podzolic soils prevail. In the ridges of cyclonic regions, the influence of slope exposure is less clear.

The flora of the regions of Southern Siberia is very diverse. In Altai, which occupies a relatively small territory, about 1850 plant species are known, i.e. approximately 2.5 times more than in all zones of the West Siberian Plain. Tuva, the Sayan Mountains and Transbaikalia are characterized by the same richness of flora, where, along with typical Siberian plants, many representatives of the Mongolian steppes are found.

In the mountains of Southern Siberia there are several high-altitude soil and plant zones: mountain-steppe, mountain-forest-steppe, mountain-taiga and high-mountain.

Grass steppe of the Tuva Basin. Photo by A. Urusov

Mountain steppes even in the south of the country they occupy relatively small areas. They climb the slopes of the western foothills of Altai to an altitude of 350-600 m, and in Southern Altai, Tuva and dry Southern Transbaikalia - even up to 1000 m. In dry intermountain basins they are found in places at an altitude of 1500-2000 m(Chuyskaya and Kuraiskaya steppes) or move far to the north (Barguzinskaya steppe, steppes of Olkhon Island on Lake Baikal). Often the steppes of intermountain basins have an even more southern character than the steppes of neighboring foothill plains lying at the same latitude. For example, even semi-desert landscapes predominate in the Chuya Basin, which is explained by the great dryness of its climate.

In Transbaikalia, above the mountain steppes, a zone of mountain forest-steppes begins. The meadow-steppe herbaceous vegetation of open spaces here is quite diverse: along with steppe grasses, there are many shrubs (Siberian apricot - Armeniaca sibirica, ilmovnik - Ulmus pumila, meadowsweet - Spiraea media) and mountain meadow grasses (cobresia - Kobresia bellardi, gentian - Gentiana decumbens, clematis - Clematis hexapetala, sarana - Hemerocallis minor). The northern slopes of the hills and valleys are occupied here by larch and birch copses or pine forests with an undergrowth of Daurian rhododendron, which are very common in Transbaikalia.

Landscapes most typical for the mountains of Southern Siberia mountain taiga zone, which occupies almost three-quarters of the country's territory. In the southern regions they are located above the mountain steppes, but much more often the mountain-taiga landscapes descend to the foot of the mountains, merging with the flat taiga of Western Siberia or the Central Siberian Plateau.

The upper limit of tree vegetation lies in the mountains at different altitudes. The mountain taiga rises highest in the interior regions of Altai (in some places up to 2300-2400 m); in the Sayan Mountains it only occasionally reaches a height of 2000 m, and in the northern parts of Kuznetsk Alatau and Transbaikalia - up to 1200-1600 m.

South Siberian mountain forests consist of coniferous species: larch, pine (Pinus silvestris), ate (Picea obovata), fir (Abies sibirica) and cedar (Pinus sibirica). Deciduous trees - birch and aspen - are usually found as admixtures with these species, mainly in the lower part of the mountain-taiga zone, or in burnt areas and old clearings. Larch is especially widespread in Southern Siberia: Siberian (Larix sibirica) in the west and Daurian (L. dahurica) in the eastern regions. It is the least demanding of climatic conditions and soil moisture, and therefore larch forests are found in the far north of the country, and at the upper limit of forest vegetation, and in the south they reach the Mongolian semi-deserts.

Forests do not occupy the entire area of ​​the mountain-taiga zone of Southern Siberia: among the taiga there are often vast meadow glades, and in the intermountain basins there are significant areas of mountain steppes. There are, of course, much fewer large swamps here than in the flat taiga, and they are located mainly on flat interfluves in the upper part of the zone.

Soils typical for mountain taiga are characterized by low thickness, rockiness, and less intense manifestation of gleyization processes than in lowland taiga. In the mountain-taiga high-altitude zone of the western regions of Southern Siberia, mainly mountain-podzolic and sod-podzolic soils are formed, but in the east of the country, where permafrost is widespread, various variants of acidic permafrost-taiga and long-term seasonally frozen mountain-taiga slightly podzolized soils predominate .

The nature of the vegetation of the mountain-taiga zone in different regions of Southern Siberia is different, which is due to both the increasing continentality of the climate to the east and the influence of the floras of neighboring territories. Thus, in the humid western regions - in the Northern and Western Altai, Kuznetsk Alatau, Sayan Mountains - dark coniferous taiga predominates. In Transbaikalia, it is rare, replaced by light coniferous forests of Daurian larch or pine forests.

Virgin vegetation cover taiga of Southern Siberia was subjected to strong changes as a result of human activity. Many forest areas of the lower parts of the slopes have already been cleared, and in their place are arable lands; mountain meadows are used for grazing and haymaking; Industrial timber harvesting takes place in the foothills.

Above the mountain taiga begins high mountain zone. Summers here are cool: even in July and August, temperatures sometimes drop below 0° and snowstorms occur. The growing season does not last long: summer begins in early June, and in August the onset of autumn is already felt in the upper part of the zone. The severity of the high-mountain climate determines the most important features of soils and vegetation. The mountain-tundra, mountain-meadow and soddy-podzolic soils that form here are characterized by low thickness and strong rockiness, and the plants are usually stunted, have underdeveloped leaves and long roots that go deep into the ground.

For the high mountain zone of Southern Siberia, the most typical landscapes are mountain tundra. Despite a certain similarity with the tundras of the plains of northern Siberia, they differ significantly from them. There are few extensive swamps typical of lowland tundras in the highlands, and peat formation processes are not very typical for them. Peculiar rock-loving plants settle on rocky soils, while the grasses and shrubs of the highlands belong to “short-day” plants.

Among the landscapes of the South Siberian highlands, four main types are distinguished. The temperate continental and humid high mountain regions of Altai and Sayan are especially characterized by subalpine and alpine meadows. In more continental areas at the same altitudes, rocky, moss-lichen and shrubby forests predominate. mountain tundra. In Transbaikalia and the Baikal-Stanovaya region, unique tundra-alpine alpine landscapes; meadows are rare here, and in the belt of subalpine shrubs, except for the round-leaved birch typical of the mountains of Southern Siberia (Betula rotundifolia), bush alder (Alnaster fruticosus) and various willows thickets of dwarf cedar become common (Pinus pumila). Finally, in the southern regions of Altai and the Tuva Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, which are strongly influenced by Central Asia, along with the tundra there are developed high mountain steppes, in which Mongolian upland xerophytes and grasses predominate.

Mountain forest-steppe of Eastern Tuva. Photo by V. Sobolev

Animal world

Look nature photography mountains of Southern Siberia: Altai Krai, Gorny Altai, Western Sayan and Baikal region in the section Nature of the world our site.

The geographical location of the country determines the richness and diversity of its fauna, which includes animals from the Siberian taiga, northern tundra, steppes of Mongolia and Kazakhstan. In the South Siberian highlands, the steppe marmot often lives next to reindeer, and the sable hunts wood grouse, tundra partridge, and small steppe rodents. The mountain fauna includes more than 400 species of birds and about 90 species of mammals.

The distribution of animals in the mountains of Southern Siberia is closely related to the altitudinal zones of vegetation. The zoocenoses of the foothills of the Southern and Western Altai and the Sayan basins differ little from the zoocenoses of the steppe plains adjacent to the mountains. Various small rodents also live here - gophers, hamsters, voles. Foxes and wolves make their burrows in the thickets of steppe bushes, hares and badgers hide, and feathered predators soar in the sky - the steppe eagle, falcon, kestrel.

However, the fauna of the steppe basins of the Eastern Altai, the Tuva Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and especially the Southern Transbaikalia has a different character, where many mammals are found that came here from the steppes of Mongolia: gazelle antelope (Procapra gutturosa), tolay hare (Lepus tolai) jumper jerboa (Allactaga saltator), Transbaikal marmot (Marmota sibirica), Daurian ground squirrel (Citellus dauricus), Mongolian vole (Microtus mongolicus) etc. Along with the predatory animals of the Siberian steppes - ferret, ermine, wolf, fox - you can see the manul cat in the mountain steppes (Otocolobus manul), Solongoya (Kolonocus altaicus), red wolf (Cyon alpinus), and from birds - a red duck (Tadorna ferruginea), mountain goose (Anser indicus), demoiselle crane (Anthropoides virgo), Mongolian lark (Melanocorypha mongolica), stone sparrow (Petronia petronia mongolica), Mongolian finch (Pyrgilauda davidiana).