Plains and mountains of Russia. The largest plains in the world: where are they located?

At the heart of the territory Russian Federation There are large tectonic formations - shields, platforms, folded belts, the impact of which is expressed in the versatility of the relief of our state. Thus, Russia is characterized by numerous lowlands, hills, and mountain systems.

Russian and Siberian Plain

Most of the territory of the state, which is located on two platforms formed in the Precambrian period (Russian and Siberian), is occupied by plains. In the Russian Federation there are three flat areas - the Central Siberian Plateau, the West Siberian Plain and the East European Plain. The height of the plains does not reach 200 m above sea level, but within their boundaries there are also some hills, in particular: the Smolensk-Moscow, Central Russian, Volga uplands and the Timan Ridge. An interesting fact is that in the south of the Russian Federation, the plain abruptly turns into the Caucasus mountain system, which was formed in the modern cycle of Alpine mountain building.

East European and West Siberian Plain

The East European and West Osiberian plains are separated by the Ural Mountains, which stretch in the north-south direction for more than 2.5 thousand km. From the southeast, the West Siberian Plain is framed by the Altai mountain system.

The Central Siberian Plateau reaches an altitude of 500-700 m above sea level. In the south, this platform is adjacent to the ancient Baikal fold. The territory between the Lena coast and Chukotka is located on Mesozoic folding, which explains the presence here mountain formations- Verkhoyansk, Chersky, Kolyma Highlands.

The Pacific fold belt, which runs in the extreme northeast, includes the island of Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka. These islands are the peaks of sea mountains that continue to grow to this day, as evidenced by the intense earthquakes in the region.

The northwestern territory of Russia, between the White Sea and the border with Finland, is located on the Baltic crystalline shield. The relief here has its own characteristics - the presence of denudation hills, sea and lake plains. Low mountains in this area border swampy lowlands.

Mountain systems of Russia

In the south of the state there is the Greater Caucasus mountain system, which forms a natural border with Azerbaijan and Georgia. Mount Elbrus is the highest point in the Caucasus, its height reaches 5600 m. Caucasus Mountains are part of the Carpathians - Crimea - Pamir mountain belt.

In the south of Siberia there are the Altai Mountains (the highest point is Mount Belukha, 4500m). The Altai mountain system includes subparallel ridges that pass into the Sayan mountain system. The mountains that surround Lake Baikal are mostly low, but they continue to grow. The highest is the Daursky arch with a height of about 2500 m.

The oldest and longest, but at the same time low, mountains are the Urals, the average height of which is 400m. The highest point of the Ural mountain system is Mount Narodnaya, whose height is 1895 m.

Plan

1. Geographical location.
2. Relief of the West Siberian Plain.
3. Climate.
4. Water.
5. Natural resources
6. Natural areas
7. Generalization.

1. West Siberian Plain - The third largest plain in the world. Its area is 2.6 million sq. km. In the west - the Ural Mountains, in the east - the Central Siberian Plateau, in the south - the Kazakh small hills, in the north - the coast of the Kara Sea (Arctic Ocean).

2. Nowhere in the world can one find such a huge space with such a flat topography, seemingly sloping towards its center. At the base of the Western Siberian Plain lies the West Siberian Plate, on which a thick sedimentary cover (3-4 thousand km) covered a plate of Paleozoic age.

3. Climate - continental and quite harsh. The plain is located in temperate latitudes, and its northern part extends beyond the Arctic Circle. In the north of the plain, the climate is subarctic with cold, windy winters and cool summers. There are few in the Arctic Circle solar heat and light. Total solar radiation, in the north 70 kcal., in the south 90 kcal./cm.

4. The plain is rich inland waters and exceptionally swampy. The largest river is the Ob with its tributary Irtysh. This is one of the greatest rivers in the world. In terms of the number of swamps, the West Siberian Plain is also a world record holder: nowhere in the world is there such a wetland. The main reserves of the country's peat are concentrated in the swamps.

5. In the depths: oil, gas, peat, iron ores, salts.
On the surface: water, forest, fertile soils in the south, reindeer pastures, forage meadows, biological: mushrooms, berries, nuts, fish.

6. TUNDRA .
— Climate severity:
— The winter is long, cold, windy.
— Summer is cool, July temperature is + 5 - 10 degrees.
— Precipitation falls 200-300 mm per year.
- Little heat, little evaporation,
- Excessive moisture
— Permafrost is widespread.
Plants: Mosses, lichens, dwarf birch trees, willows, a lot of berries: cloudberries, cranberries, lingonberries, a lot of mushrooms.
Animals: deer, arctic foxes, lemmings. Many herbivorous birds nest.

TAIGA FOREST SWAMP zone - the largest in area. The kingdom of spruce, fir, cedar, larch, pine (spruce-fir, larch-cedar-pine forests, with lichens and shrubs).
The southern part of the taiga is covered with birch and aspen small-leaved forests.
(Mink, marten, sable, chipmunk, squirrel, badger, bear, wolf, fox, mole, white hare.
Capercaillie, hazel grouse, turtledove, woodpecker, sandpiper, gray crane, snipe, snipe.). There is no zone of broad-leaved forests.
Urmany is a swampy area of ​​the taiga (between the Ob and Irtysh rivers)

FOREST-STEPPE - (KULUNDA) - its width is small,
— pine forests with steppe species of animals: bunting, field pipit, jerboa,
— taiga species: squirrel, capercaillie,
- many lakes,
- fertile soils,
- arable land.
There are solonetzes and solonchaks - in conditions of insufficient moisture.

STEPPE - occupy small areas on South
— there is little precipitation here, ranging from 300-350 mm
- grassy, ​​with fertile chernozem and chestnut soils,
- can give high yields wheat, corn, sunflower, vegetables (but often hampered by lack of moisture and dust storms in early summer).

7. West Siberian Plain the second largest in Russia and the third in the world. It has a unique geographical location.

Features of similarity with the Russian Plain are highlighted: deep rivers, clearly defined zoning.

Differences:

• a young platform with a thick sedimentary cover;
• flat plain; — due to the decreasing influence of the Atlantic Ocean, the climate is continental;
• excessive moisture, severe swampiness;
• the largest natural zone is taiga;
• rich in natural resources, large oil and gas deposits are known.

Views: 26,585

You might be interested

What types of plains are there?

The large plains of the world are the object of study by specialists. The plains truly amaze with their beauty and grandeur. This is confirmed by everyone who has seen this kind of area not only on the map.

Few people know where the most large plains world, and which of the plains are the most extensive. Plain is a type of terrain characterized by slight fluctuations in elevation. All plains are divided into lowlands, plateaus and hills. The lowlands are located at a distance of up to 200 meters above the main sea level. The hills are located at a distance of over 500 meters above the main sea level. Everything between these levels is a plateau.

Amazonian lowland and Gobi plain

Geography teachers know that the largest and most majestic plain in the world is the Amazon Lowland. Its area is more than 5 million square kilometers. The plain rises 10-100 meters above the main sea level. The Amazonian lowland is located in South America and stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the deepest river in the world - the Amazon. Almost the entire area of ​​the plain is occupied by humid equatorial forests. The second longest is the Gobi Plain, which bears the name of the desert of the same name.

The Gobi Plain is located in Central Asia. It is a plateau and is sandwiched on all sides by mountain ranges. On the territory of the Gobi there are both rocky surfaces and surfaces on which plants grow that can only be found in this corner globe. The local climate is quite harsh, since the plain is located at an altitude of approximately 1000 meters above sea level. Very large plains are located in the Sahara Desert. The Sahara is the largest desert on earth. Its area is about 8 million square kilometers, which is quite comparable to a continent such as Australia. The entire territory of the Sahara is made up of plains that are crossed by dry river beds.

East African plateau

The largest plain on the African continent is the East African Plateau. Its length is more than 17,000 kilometers in length. Greater length The West Siberian Lowland also has. It is a former basin of the Arctic Ocean. There are a lot of lakes and swamps on the plain. This is primarily due to its origin, as well as the fact that it is located at a distance of 10-12 meters above the main sea level. It is noteworthy that all the most famous oil and gas fields in Russia are located here. The East European Plain is also called “Russian”. It is located near the Ural Mountains. Its territory also contains rich mineral deposits.

The most large deposit- Kursk magnetic anomaly. Each continent can find its own plains, which will be the largest for a given continent. All of them deserve some attention from scientific researchers. Some of them attract thousands of tourists with their beauty, who want to see with their own eyes at least a small part of the majestic plain. That is why it is very popular to lay tourist routes through some plateaus.

The largest plains in the world evoke delight and admiration. Those who love to travel can be advised to choose a tourist route passing through one of these plains.

one of the largest plains on our planet (second largest after the Amazon Plain in Western America). It is located in the eastern part. Since most of it is located within the borders of the Russian Federation, it is sometimes called Russian. In the northwestern part it is limited by the mountains of Scandinavia, in the southwestern part - by other mountains central Europe, in the southeast - , and in the East - . From the north, the Russian Plain is washed by waters and, and from the south by, and.

The length of the plain from north to south is more than 2.5 thousand kilometers, and from west to east - 1 thousand kilometers. Almost the entire length of the East European Plain is dominated by gently sloping plains. Most of the country's major cities are located within the territory of the East European Plain. It was here that many centuries ago it was formed Russian state, which later became the largest country in the world by its territory. A significant part is also concentrated here natural resources Russia.

The East European Plain almost completely coincides with the East European Platform. This circumstance explains its flat terrain, as well as the absence of significant natural phenomena associated with movement (,). Small hilly areas within the East European Plain arose as a result of faults and other complex tectonic processes. The height of some hills and plateaus reaches 600-1000 meters. In ancient times, the shield of the East European Platform was at the center of glaciation, as evidenced by some landforms.

The East European Plain. Satellite view

On the territory of the Russian Plain, platform deposits lie almost horizontally, making up lowlands and hills that form the surface topography. Where the folded foundation protrudes to the surface, hills and ridges are formed (for example, the Timan Ridge). On average, the height of the Russian Plain is about 170 meters above sea level. The lowest areas are on the Caspian coast (its level is approximately 30 meters below the level).

Glaciation left its mark on the formation of the relief of the East European Plain. This impact was most pronounced in the northern part of the plain. As a result of the passage of the glacier through this territory, many arose (Pskovskoe, Beloye and others). These are the consequences of one of the most recent glaciers. In the southern, southeastern and eastern parts, which were subject to glaciations for more early period, their consequences are smoothed out by processes. As a result of this, a number of hills (Smolensk-Moscow, Borisoglebskaya, Danilevskaya and others) and lake-glacial lowlands (Caspian, Pechora) were formed.

Even further south is a zone of hills and lowlands, elongated in the meridional direction. Among the hills one can note the Priazovskaya, Central Russian, and Privolzhskaya. Here they also alternate with plains: Meshcherskaya, Oksko-Donskaya, Ulyanovskaya and others.

Even further south are the coastal lowlands, which in ancient times were partially submerged under sea level. The flat relief here was partially corrected by water erosion and other processes, as a result of which the Black Sea and Caspian lowlands were formed.

As a result of the passage of the glacier through the territory of the East European Plain, valleys were formed, tectonic depressions expanded, and even some rocks were polished. Another example of the influence of the glacier is the winding deep peninsulas. When the glacier retreated, not only lakes formed, but also concave sandy depressions appeared. This happened as a result of deposition large quantity sand material. Thus, over many millennia, the multifaceted relief of the East European Plain was formed.

Russian Plain

Almost all species exist on the East European Plain natural areas available in Russia. Off the coast in

The totality of the irregularities of the entire earth's surface is usually called the Earth's topography. Obviously, the surface of the Earth cannot be called absolutely flat, and when studying the relief, we consider such natural formations like mountains and plains.

Concept of the Earth's relief

In different parts of the planet, the surface height is completely different; differences can reach several tens of kilometers. The Earth's topography is unique in that its formation continues to this day.

This occurs due to the collision of lithospheric plates, volcanic eruptions and erosion rocks rains and rivers. The processes that shape the topography of our planet are divided into two categories - external And internal.

TO external processes include the activity of winds, flowing waters, glaciers, the influence of plants and animals. It is impossible not to mention human activity, which is an anthropogenic force and actively influences the formation of the earth's topography.

Internal processes are called endogenous, they are represented by the subsidence and uplift of the crust, plate movements, earthquakes and volcanism.

Plains and mountains

One of the main forms of relief is the plain. The plateau is a plain of more than 500 m, a highland - from 200 to 500 m, and a lowland - up to 200 m. Plains and mountains occupy 60% and 40% of the earth's surface.

A vast area of ​​land with slight slopes and fluctuations in height is a plain. Plains are classified according to absolute altitude: those that lie below sea level are the Turfan Depression 154 m, the Qattara Depression 133 m, lowland plains– Mississippian, Amazonian, Turanian and Atlantic, upland – Tarim Basin, Great Plains North America and the Ustyurt plateau.

Elevated plains are also distinguished - these are Rbu al-Khali and the Great Victoria Desert. Plain, i.e. its surface can be concave, inclined, convex and horizontal.

There are other classifications: ridged, stepped, flat, hilly. In many ways appearance the plain depends on its history of structure and development.

A significant part of the plains is composed of layers of sedimentary rocks high power and is confined to the plates of young and ancient platforms. Such plains are called stratal plains. Example: West Siberian Lowland.

The Great Chinese Plain, Indogan and Kura-Araks are alluvial plains. The water-glacial plains are the foothills of the Altai, Alps and Caucasus, and the glacial plains are the north of Russia and Europe, as well as the north of North America.

The Kazakh small sandpiper, the plains of the Baltic and Canadian shields are denudation plains. Vivid examples plateau, smooth surfaces, which are limited by ledges, are the Deccan, Ustyurt and Colorado plateaus.

Vast, sharply dissected areas of the earth's surface raised high above the plains are called mountains. Such areas of land have sharp changes in height and have a folded-block structure.