The name of the highest peak of the East European plain. Mountains and ridges of Kamchatka. Siberian "mainland". Central Siberian Plateau and Yakutia Plains

“Russia is a huge plain along which a dashing man is worn,” said Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. The fact that the Russian plains are almost endless, the writer was able to see for himself during his journey to Sakhalin: for more than four thousand miles he did not meet the real mountains. Only at Baikal for the first time steep-sided, peaked hills began to surround the road. At the same time, the plain spaces extend much further to the east. If you look at the Eurasian continent on a physical-geographical map, it is noticeable that the yellow-green ocean of colors that correspond to the plains, plateaus and elevations spreads over the north of Eurasia from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, without reaching it the coast is only 400 km. The division of this space into certain plains and lowlands is as conditional as the generally accepted division of the Earth’s waters into four oceans. The plains of Eurasia freely flow around the ridges of the Urals and Central Siberia, penetrate into the adjacent mountain countries in wide gulfs. If to add here the most extensive offshore shoals, which were relatively recently the continuations of the plains, then a giant flat monolith, which has no equal on the planet, is represented. Most of it is Russia.

THE GREATEST OF THE GREAT - RUSSIAN PLAINS

The first largest plain in the world is East European, or Russian. Its area exceeds 5 million km 2. This is the main arena where the events of Russian history took place, the place where statehood took shape and the Russian nation was formed. The plain stretched freely from the White, Barents and Baltic seas to the Black and Caspian seas; in the west, south and east it is bordered by mountains, creating together with the seas the contour of an irregular triangle, in the center of which Moscow is located.

The plain is low (average height - 170 m above sea level), but extremely varied in relief. In fact, it is a multitude of individual plains, hills and lowlands, each of which has its own appearance. The northwestern outskirts stand out sharply: Karelia and the Kola Peninsula, and not only because they contain quite high ridges and even individual mountain “islands” (the Khibiny, up to 1191m). Here is exposed the ancient “crown” of Europe - the crystalline foundation of the East European platform, on which the plain was formed. The ancient glaciers, descending from the mountains of Scandinavia, thoroughly worked on the image of the European North. For hundreds of thousands of years, they polished, scratched, scraped the strongest rocks of the foundation, broke loose huge blocks out of them, and carried them far to the south. The glaciers have carved the characteristic details of the Kola-Karelian landscape: hills, ridges and their depressions. Here there is an abundance of lakes and rocks, and most importantly, stone ruins and other alpine features of the landscape - with almost no mountains.

Towards the south, the crystalline basement is hidden under a cover of relatively soft sedimentary rocks (clay, sandstone, limestone, etc.). The boundary of their distribution coincides with a low scarp (in the Leningrad region, it is called Glint) and stretches along the south-eastern shores of the Onega and Ladoga lakes to the White Sea. It is on the ledge that the famous Pulkovsky Heights are located in the vicinity of the northern capital of Russia.

Behind the scarp, on the territory of the Leningrad and Arkhangelsk regions, here and there limestone plateaus, eaten by flowing waters and resemble a head of cheese due to the abundance of karst craters and lakes, stretch. But more, up to the Smolensk-Moscow-Vologda line, hills and ridges, also associated with the movement of ancient glaciers, predominate. Here the northern “guests” played a constructive role, since they were freed from the detritus material brought with them. Sign of the landscape - the lakes, including such large as Seliger, Ilmen and White. Most of the swamps on the lows and slopes; sometimes these impassable swamps are a real fairytale Berendeyev kingdom. The villages, fleeing from excess moisture, cling to the steep banks of rivers and lakes, or climb the hilltops. Fertile soils are rarely found. In addition, the land is covered with glacial boulders or peaty humus saturated with water.

Not being the highest on the Russian Plain, the Moraine Valdai Upland (up to 343 m) and the Tikhvinskaya, Kirillovskaya and other ridges continuing it in the northeast take on the role of the main river watershed. From the surrounding lakes and marshes begin the largest water arteries European Russia: Volga, Dnieper, Northern and Western Dvina, rivers of the Neva basin. They flow from here for hundreds and thousands of kilometers to distant seas.

The next hilly relief ledge to the south is covered with glacial deposits (moraine) Smolensk-Moscow Upland (up to 290 m). For centuries, it served as a kind of boundary between the spheres of influence of southern and northern peoples, in particular, Kiev and Novgorod settlers.

South of Oka, the appearance of the plain varies greatly. Vast heights appear, and the marshes almost disappear. Villages no longer run from the water, but rather look for it, running down to streams and rivers, stretching along their valleys by narrow serpentine.

The arable lands and meadows covering them only seem to be completely flat near them: the horizon line draws a smooth silhouette, as if cut out from a piece. In the center of the interfluvial slope, the slope is completely invisible, but as you move further away you can feel a slight slope, which the river goes into slope. If you quickly go by car or by train, the interfloor spaces rush past like huge loaves lying at about the same height. The soil here is soft and puffy, from gray forest in the north to chernozem in the south. All this is the Central Russian Upland (up to 293 m), lying, as the name implies, in the middle of the Russian Plain.

The valleys on this territory are wide and shallow, with winding ribbons of narrow rivulets. Of the reservoirs - only small ponds on the beams. The tranquil landscape is disturbed by numerous ravines. They cover the slopes of the valleys with deep ragged wounds, and sometimes penetrate deep into the interfluve, as if cutting a loaf baked by nature for millions of years.

Approximately the same relief features are also located to the east of the Volga Upland (up to 375 m). Unlike Central Russian, it is strongly asymmetrical: the slopes washed out by the Volga are high and steep, especially in the Zhiguli Mountains (see the article “Middle Volga Region”). Undermining the Lada from all sides, but not able to overcome them, the great river makes a wide loop - the Samara Luka.

Located to the east of the Volga, the High Trans-Volga region and the adjacent Cis-Ural interconnect with it are an alternation of elevations, plateaus, and ridges. The heights General Syrt and Bugulminsko-Belebeevskaya far exceed the 400-meter boundary; In some places, the Ufa Plateau is above 500 m, and individual ridges rise to almost 700 m. And this is not surprising: after all, they are on the verge of real mountains. The terrain features are also associated with the total height of the terrain: the valleys, although wide and flat-bottomed, are already deep — they “gnaw” into a plateau of 100–200 m and more. Many of their slopes are steep, and here and there rock outcrops of hard rocks are exposed. Only the interfluves remain mostly wide and flat, in some places single remnants (shihans) rise above them.

The hills are separated by lowlands. One of them - Meshcherskaya lowland (100-150 m) - begins on the eastern outskirts of Moscow. It is lined with sands that carried meltwater from the ancient northern glaciers. In the south, beyond the Oka, Meshcheru continues flat and low Oka-Don Plain (100-219 m). In the lowlands, swamps and large woodlands penetrate far to the south, their appearance is often similar to taiga. Another major lowering forms the Volga Valley, reaching 80 km wide in some places. It consists of wide flat terraces, which steps rise from west to east. There are almost no swamps; most of the land has been developed and used in agriculture.

In the south, in front of the ridges of the Greater Caucasus, the Stavropol Upland rises high (up to 831 m) and a gentle dome. In the west of it, the Kuban-Priazovskaya lowland rises to the foot of the mountains (up to 150 m). These areas in Russia are perhaps the most beneficial for living and managing. However, from time to time, the activity of the crust is felt here: there are hot mineral springs, earthquakes and even volcanic manifestations occur. In this regard, the North Caucasus stands out sharply from other parts of the Russian Plain, on which formidable underground forces make little sense.

THE MOST FLAT AND LOW AMONG THE GREAT - THE WESTERN SIBERIAN PLAIN

Leaving behind the Ural Mountains, i.e., having crossed that conditional boundary that separates Europe and Asia, the traveler first feels that nothing has changed: there is still the same plain covered with coppices and fields. However, gradually it becomes noticeable that the hills and hills are almost gone, and the rivers flow more calmly and smoothly. And if in the west, in the Urals, the road was winding, climbing a slope, or diving into a tunnel, then in the Urals it is straight as an arrow. For a good one and a half thousand kilometers, the eye fails to catch any break in the horizon line. These signs of the landscape are the “calling card” of the West Siberian Plain - one of the greatest on Earth (more than 3 million km 2 in area) and remarkable for its truly unique evenness of relief on such vast spaces.

The West Siberian Plain is also the lowest. The rivers flowing along it, as if frozen in their movement; their shores are so low that even a small flood threatens to turn into a flood. On wide flat interfluves and in river valleys expanses for swamps. They are the real owners here (see the article "Swamps"). There are so many lakes scattered among the swamps that doubt creeps in: can such landscapes be called land at all? It is not by chance that even in the slightest degree outstanding and dry parts of the plain are called continents in Western Siberia; for example, there are Tobolsk (maximum height of only 105 m) and Belogorsky (up to 231 m) continents.

In general, on the West-Siberian plain, elevations are low. The most significant - the Siberian Uvaly (up to 285 m) - crosses the lowland from west to east approximately in the middle, but it is easier to find on the map than on the ground, since this flat swampy watershed does not reveal anything remarkable. Much more typical for the landscape are vast lowlands such as the Middle Ob, Barabinsk or Kon-dinskoy, each of which surpasses Switzerland or Belgium in the territory.

The abundance of water reminds of the geological past, when Western Siberia was covered for a long time by sea waters. Evidence of this is the thick layers of sedimentary rocks, and the very flatness of the surface itself. In the sedimentary strata are the richest deposits of oil and gas, which in the second half of the XX century. caught the attention of the whole world.

Despite the common monotony of the West Siberian Plain, its individual sections have their differences. Numerous “decorations” created by permafrost appear to the north of the Siberian Uvala: heaps of bulging (bulgunyakhi) from 3 to 40 m high, thermo-carcass depressions filled with lakes, polygons, spotted tundra, etc. (see the article “Refrigerators of Russia” Increased “aggressiveness” is characteristic of water streams, which are able to build deep ravines along the all-terrain track in a matter of days - there are many of them on the river and sea banks and in the areas where deposits are being developed.

The south of the West Siberian Plain, 1.5-2 thousand km away from the Arctic Ocean, is warm and dry in places. There are relatively few bogs, among them there are also saline swamps - salt marshes. The lakes are no less than in the north, but not on flat interfluves, but in rounded depressions. Many of the lakes are drainless and salty, as they are often located below the main rivers. The level of the Irtysh and Ob are somewhat higher than the Barabinsk lowland and the Kulunda plain separating them.

In the southeast, where the Predal-Thai plain lies, one can observe a curious natural phenomenon associated with the tectonic processes that formed the Altai Mountains. The upper layers composing the plain sedimentary rocks under pressure from the south were creased into gentle folds. As a result, surprisingly smooth ridges parallel to each other appeared — ridges and hollows dividing them. The bottoms of hollows here and there are covered with sand, in some places they are overgrown with pine forests, which, due to their elongation, are called tape forests.

SIBERIAN "MOTHER". MIDDLE SIBERIAN PLANE AND PLAINS OF YAKUTIA

A powerful stream of the Yenisei, crossing Siberia from south to north, forms the eastern border of Western Siberia. Crossing to the right bank of the great river, you can get from the kingdom of marshes to a completely different world. The uniform lowland is replaced by a motley mosaic of elevated spaces. In Central Siberia, there are deep valleys with steep slopes, so the terrain is a bit similar to the mountain. Therefore, a huge region, stretching to the east of the Yenisei, is called the Central Siberian Plateau. At the same time, flat interfluves, dominant both in area and in height, make it possible to classify most of its parts as high plainsor plateau.

The highest on the Central Siberian plateau is the north-western plateau of Putoran (1701 m). Deep valleys with wide bottoms, processed by glaciers, cut through Putorana in different directions. The lower reaches of many valleys are occupied by lakes, in which almost sheer slopes are reflected. To the south and east, the level of the plateau gradually decreases, the interfluves expand, and in some places even are covered with swamps. Approximately in the middle of the plateau, from the lower reaches of the Angara to the northeast, there is a wide hollow (less than 400 m). According to some researchers, there was once a valley of a powerful river, whose waters flowed into the Lena basin.

The Yenisei Ridge (1104 m) rises above the Yenisei, one of the few places in Siberia where the crystalline basement protrudes and the landscape is closest to the mountain. To the east of the ridge, the foundation again hides under the cover of sedimentary rocks, and the terrain becomes relatively flat. On the vast expanse of the plateau, between the Yenisei and Baikal, several gentle undulating ridges were formed (up to 1.5 thousand meters).

Surprisingly smooth strokes stand out in the openwork drawing of the Central Siberian river network - they indicate the direction of the fractures in the crust. One example is the Prilenskoe Plateau in the south of Yakutia; strictly parallel valleys stretched in several directions form here a kind of lattice, clearly visible on maps and satellite images. While swimming along the rivers, one can admire the “sculptures” characteristic of the Siberian plateaus — rock cliffs of the most varied, often bizarre form; somewhere they are called yars, somewhere - cheeks, somewhere - pillars.

Gradually descending, the plateau in the east passes into the Central Yakutia Plain, which stretches along the foothills of the Verkhoyansk Mountains. Again, as in Western Siberia, there are many swamps and lakes, but this is no longer due to the abundance of precipitation, but to numerous rivers flowing here from all sides, and permafrost, which holds the earth, penetrating hundreds of meters deep. The climate is very dry, so that in the vicinity of the marshes you can often see the winds carried by the sands. Unforgettable impression   leave gentle long slopes; they are covered by detit - narrow parallel strips along which thawed soil slowly creeps along during the warm season.

From an airplane, the low watersheds of Central Yakutia look as if neatly combed with a frequent comb.

The great plains discovered in the north of the Arctic Ocean, in the south and east, are bordered by a chain of mountains. Since antiquity, the paths of merchants and conquerors passed on this semi-confined space. The nomadic peoples of Asia swiftly overcame the plains along the steppe south, heading west to Europe. On the taiga trails and polar snows, Russian conquerors of Siberia and Far East. The transport arteries, which were later laid across the plains of Eurasia, still serve as the framework that holds the largest Russian state in the world.

The Mountain Tooth is located next to the Ostro Zimina hill (2744 m) in the Klyuchevskaya volcano group. The first ascent to the top of the easiest way made topographers tentatively in 1950-60 years. In 1971, the first ascent of the eastern edge of the 3A c. Anatoly Skrigitil's group (Vladivostok) committed. Later sporting ascents are unknown to the authors. Estimating the difficulty of climbing the walls of the Mountain Tooth can be very tentative, since no one has done their exploration. You can probably talk about the fifth category of complexity.

Inaccessible mountain site at the southwestern foot of the Ichinsky volcano - the highest point of the Sredinny Range. The photographs show a view from the northeast. On this side of the massif there is a rather large mountain lake. The nature of the southwestern slopes of the massif is unknown. From the side of the Ichinsky volcano, the experienced ascender and climber F. Farberov made reconnaissance approaches, who rated the area as very promising. The difference of basalt bastions is up to 500 m. Probable difficulty of routes to the fourth to fifth category of complexity. Climbing the rocky tops of the array are unknown.

A person’s foot did not step on these beautiful peaks, and probably even under these slopes. The fortress of the rocks no one rated. The paths of ascent to the tops can be estimated not lower than the fourth category of complexity.

The stone is perhaps the most difficult peak for climbing in Kamchatka. This ancient giant is a neighbor of Klyuchevskaya Sopka. The ways of the third and fourth categories are laid on its summit. The main difficulties are weather, slope steepness, strong ice. The eastern side of the mountain is a 2.5-kilometer wall with a steepness in the upper part up to 70 degrees. Exit to the top along this path is a 160-meter basalt bastion. Probable ways of climbing the wall were viewed in 1983 at the first ascent of the neighboring route of the fourth category of complexity. The wall of the sixth category of complexity is objectively dangerous due to rockfalls due to the relatively low strength of its components. volcanic rocks. Therefore, tactically the only option is the winter passage of the wall. At the same time, previous attempts at winter ascents to Kamen, even along easier routes, ended in vain. In winter (and not only in winter) such winds prevail here, which may not allow you to get out of a tent in a firn for several days, even for the departure of natural needs. All the snow during this period blows off the winds, exposing the transparent ice on the slopes up to 45-50 degrees. To dress and other equipment you need to pick up, as in the Himalayas. Women's Jackets

In the vast spaces Russian Federation   there was a place even for such a miracle of nature as volcanoes. Amazing formations of rocks, frozen magma and ash are located on the Kamchatka Peninsula, famous among tourists for its unique nature. This article reviewed and indicated their location on the map.

Volcanoes of Kamchatka on the map with the names:

1. Klyuchevskaya Sopka - 4750 m.

Klyuchevskaya Sopka — the highest volcano of Kamchatka. This volcano is the largest active volcano   in Russia. It is located in the east of the peninsula, only 60 km from the shores of the Bering Sea, near Nameless volcano. A feature of Klyuchevskaya Sopka can be considered its shape - it is an even cone from which hot air continuously exits. The structure of the volcano is formed mainly of frozen magma, which is covered with a layer of loose mass from above, and the top of this giant is covered with ice.

Over the past 270 years, the Kluchevskaya Sopka has spewed lava a great number of times, fifty of which are the largest. All the most large-scale eruptions occurred in the 18-19 centuries. In the crater of the hill with a diameter of 500 meters, lava constantly explodes, as a result of which fragments of rock and ash are ejected into the nearby surroundings.

2. Tolbachik - 3682 m.

Belonging to a group of volcanoes near Klyuchevskaya Sopka, this volcanic massif includes 120 side cones. Tolbachik consists of three parts: flat dome, Sharp Tolbachik (highest point) and Flat Tolbachik (active cone). The diameter of this volcano is amazing because it extends over 2 km. Tolbachik refers to hawaiian type   volcanoes - huge, flat thyroid magmatic formations, from which very liquid lava is ejected. The last time Tolbachik spewed magma flows in 1976; it became the largest basalt eruption in the history of Kamchatka.

3. Ichinskaya Sopka - 3607 m.

Sopka is located right in the center of the peninsula, being a part of the Middle Range. This is the only volcano in the mountain range that is active today. Ichinskaya Sopka belongs to stratovolcanoes, forming a cone, formed as a result of the layering of ash, lava and tephra. Three peaks that form something like a dome are covered with glaciers. Hot gases escaping from the crater can be observed at altitudes above 3000 meters. Sopka is distinguished by the presence of numerous side domes, as well as slag cones.

4. Kronotsky Sopka - 3527 m.

Like Klyuchevskaya Sopka, the Kronotsky Sopka is located near the eastern coast of the peninsula and also belongs to stratovolcanoes. The cone-shaped and ribbed top of a giant is covered with snow and ice. This volcano is considered to be active, but eruptions are extremely rare. The foot of the Kronotsky Hills is covered with forests of cedar elfin wood and an unusual variety of birch, and the picturesque lake of the same name and the famous Valley of Geysers, located not far from the summit, give this place an indescribable charm.

5. Koryak Sopka - 3456 m.

The volcano continues to this day, being less than 40 km from the administrative center of Kamchatka. Like most peninsula volcanoes, Koryak Sopka   is a stratovolcano: its massif is formed by slags (basalt, andesite), ash and lava. The peak itself is similar to a truncated cone of the correct form and is under a layer of ice. The slopes and nearby valleys are covered, like the Kronotsky hill, with cedar and birch groves. The most remarkable eruptions occurred in 1896 and 1957.

Volcanoes - an extraordinary, fascinating, but terrible phenomenon that can bring destruction. This article has been reviewed the most high volcanoes   Kamchatka. In addition to the presented volcanoes, there are many more peaks on the Kamchatka Peninsula, worthy of attention, and the peninsula itself with geysers, mountain ranges and unique flora and fauna is worth a visit to it and see the breathtaking wonders of nature with your own eyes.