Relief of the western part of the Far East. Geological structure and relief of the Far East. Ready-made works on a similar topic

1) On the map, study the geographical location of this region of Russia.

Think about the impact it has on the nature of the Far East.

The Far East occupies the extreme eastern position in the country. The region stretched from Chukotka to the Ussuri region. The northern regions of the Far East lie beyond the Arctic Circle, and the southern regions lie at the latitude of the Mediterranean. The territory of the Far East consists of the mainland, peninsular (Kamchatka, Chukotka) and insular (Sakhalin, Kuril, Commander Islands, etc.). This geographical position causes a wide variety of natural conditions.

2) Define geographical coordinates extreme northern and southern points of the Far East, compare its latitudinal position with other territories of our country.

Its extreme northern point is Cape Shelaginsky (700N, 1710E), the southernmost point is at the mouth of the Tyumen-Ula River (420N, 1300E). Compared to other regions of the country, the Far East covers large quantity climatic zones and has a wide variety of conditions.

3) What subjects of the federation are part of this area.

It consists of six administrative units: Primorsky, Khabarovsk and Kamchatka Territories. Amur, Magadan and Sakhalin regions.

Questions in a paragraph

*Remember what resources the seas are especially rich in Pacific Ocean washing the coast of Russia.

The seas of the Pacific Ocean are especially rich in biological resources, are important as international sea routes, and have great recreational potential.

*Explain why in winter there are great contrasts between the temperatures of the coastal and inland regions of the Far East.

The coastal areas have a milder and more humid monsoonal climate. Due to the features of the relief, moist air masses do not penetrate deep into the mainland, and a sharply continental climate is formed in the interior.

*Name the largest rivers flowing in the temperate zone of the Far East.

Lena, Yana, Indigirka, Kolyma.

Questions at the end of the paragraph

1. Indicate the most specific features of the geographical location of the Far East.

The extreme eastern position in the country and remoteness from other areas. The Far East has a large latitudinal elongation and a huge meridional one along the entire Pacific coast of Russia. The region has a long coastline.

2. Tell us about the researchers of the Far East, name and show geographic features bearing their names.

In the 17th century, Russian expansion began in Siberia and the Far East. Yakutsk was founded in 1632. In 1647, the Cossacks, led by Semyon Shelkovnikov, founded a winter hut on the shores of the Sea of ​​​​Okhotsk, on the site of which Okhotsk, the first Russian port, is today. In the middle of the 17th century, Russian explorers, such as Poyarkov and Khabarov from the Yakut prison, went south to the Zeya and Amur rivers, where they encountered tribes that paid tribute to the Qing Empire (China), that is, they were under Chinese citizenship. As a result of the first Russian-Chinese conflict between Russia and the Qing Empire, the Nerchinsk Treaty was concluded, according to which the Cossacks were to transfer to the Qing government the territories of the Albazinsky Voivodeship formed on the lands of the Daurs. The treaty defined the system of trade and diplomatic relations between states. The border between the countries under the Nerchinsk Treaty in the north passed along the Gorbitsa River and the mountains of the watershed of the Amur Basin. The area of ​​the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk between the Kivun and Taikan ranges remained undelimited. At the end of the 17th century, Russian Cossacks Atlasov and Kozyrevsky began to explore the Kamchatka Peninsula, which early XVIII century was included in Russian Empire.

In 1724, Peter I sent the First Kamchatka Expedition to the peninsula, led by Vitus Bering. Expedition enriched Russian science valuable information about the eastern coast of Siberia (in particular, the territory of today's Magadan and Kamchatka regions), new maps, accurate determinations of the coordinates of the Far Eastern coast, the strait, which was later called the Bering Strait. In 1730 Russian government The Second Kamchatka Expedition was organized under the leadership of Bering and Chirikov with the task of reaching the shores of America (in particular, the Aleutian Islands and Alaska). In the 18th century, Krasheninnikov, Steller, Chichagov were engaged in the exploration of Kamchatka.

In the 18th century, Old Believers and disgraced dignitaries, such as Golovkin, were exiled to Yakutia.

In the 19th century, active development of the Far East began by Russian pioneers, which was largely facilitated by the rapid weakening of the power of the Qing empire, which in 1840 was drawn into the first opium war. fighting against the combined forces of England and France in the south of the country, in the regions of Macau and Guangzhou, they pulled over significant material and human resources. The northern regions of China were left practically without any cover, which Russia did not fail to take advantage of, along with other European powers, taking Active participation in the section of the decrepit Qing Empire. In 1850, Lieutenant G. I. Nevelskoy landed at the mouth of the Amur and established a military post there without permission. Convinced that the Qing administration, which by that time had not recovered from the consequences of the first opium war and was bound in its actions by the outbreak of the Taiping uprising in the country, was unable to adequately respond to the territorial claims of Russia, Nevelskoy decided to declare the mouth of the Amur and the coast of the Tatar Strait the possessions of the Russian Empire. . May 14, 1854 - the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, Count N. N. Muravyov, having received from G. I. Nevelsky data on the absence of Qing military units along the Amur, organized the first river rafting, which included: the Argun steamer , 48 boats, 29 rafts and about 800 people. Rafting delivered to the lower reaches of the Amur ammunition, food, troops (a hundred Cossacks, the 2nd cavalry brigade of the Transbaikal army). Part of the troops then went by sea to Kamchatka to strengthen the Peter and Paul garrison, while part remained on Chinese territory to implement the Muravyov project for the development of the Amur region.

A year later, the second rafting took place, in which about 2.5 thousand people participated. By the end of 1855, there were already five Russian settlements in the lower reaches of the Amur: Irkutsk, Bogorodskoe, Novo-Mikhailovskoe, Sergeevskoe. In 1858, the right bank of the Amur officially ceded to Russia under the Aigun Treaty concluded with the Qing Empire.

3. Give a description of the relief of the Far East.

Almost the entire territory of the Far East belongs to the areas of Cenozoic folding. And in the extreme east, the earth's crust is especially unstable, and turmoil continues in our time. The relief of the Far East is mostly mountainous. This is a region of earthquakes and tsunamis, a seismic zone. In the south, medium-altitude and low mountains (Sikhote-Alin) prevail, high mountains (volcanoes) stand out on the Kamchatka Peninsula (Klyuchevskaya Sopka - 4750 m), there are territories with a flat relief (Central Kamchatka Plain - intermountain depression), there is also the Kolyma Highlands, Anadyr Plateau.

4. Why does the distribution of soils in the Far East differ from the zoning scheme of the Russian Plain?

The formation of certain soils is associated with relief and climate. Soils are tied in distribution to natural areas. climate, relief, natural areas(their areas and distribution) of the Russian Plain and the Far East are different, therefore, the zonal distribution of soils is different.

Relief

Most of the territory of Russia is located in a stable region of the lithosphere - the Eurasian lithospheric plate and is represented by the earth's crust of the continental type, which determines the dominance of a low-contrast plain and plateau relief with isolated areas of low mountains. The exceptions are: a) the Far East region, which is part of a mobile belt with large amplitudes of tectonic movements, high seismicity and manifestation of volcanism, located on the border with the Pacific plate; b) Southern Siberia mountains With Baikal rift system; c) The Crimean Mountains and the Greater Caucasus are part of the inland Alpine-Himalayan mountain belt. The position in the north of the mainland, mainly in temperate latitudes, partly in the polar region, the dominance of the continental, and over a large area and sharply continental climate explains the predominance of geomorphological processes characteristic of the cold humid climate. Fluvial processes, processes of physical weathering and gravitational displacement of masses have been widely developed. Along with this, vast spaces are subject to cryogenic morphogenesis. Relic relief plays an important role in the geomorphological structure of the territory of Russia. The primary features of its form, created by glaciers during the era of Pleistocene cooling, have been most fully preserved. The participation of more ancient (Cenozoic, less often Mesozoic) peneplains and leveling surfaces, as well as traces of transgressions of sea and lake basins in the form of terraced accumulative plains, is noticeable. The increase in heights is generally from north to south and from west to east, towards the Pacific Ocean. According to the absolute heights and the nature of the relief in the continental part of the territory of Russia, 6 large regions: 1) hilly-flat European part; 2) low-lying-plain Western Siberia; 3) plateau-like Central Siberia; 4) mountains of Southern Siberia; 5) mountains and plains of the Northeast; 6) mountains and plains of the Far East. The mountain systems of the Crimea, the Urals, and the Caucasus, which are not part of them, serve as orographic elements limiting and delimiting in relation to the first two regions. The relief of the islands belonging to Russia in most cases reveals a morphostructural unity with the nearby continental areas, being their orographic and morphological continuation (see map).

the East European Plain

General information. The European part of Russia is almost entirely occupied by one of the largest plains on Earth - East European Plain, or Russian, corresponding to the ancient platform of the same name (average heights of the plain are about 170 m). Geostructurally, the plain corresponds to East European platform, includes the denudation plain on the Baltic Shield and the East European Plain proper on the Russian and Scythian plates. The highest heights are noted on the Kola Peninsula in the Khibiny, the lowest - on the coast Caspian Sea .

Northern regions. The crystalline basement of the platform, composed of strong igneous and metamorphic rocks, is exposed within the Baltic Shield in Karelia and on Kola Peninsula. During the Pleistocene, the region was repeatedly covered by gigantic glaciers that spread south and east from here. The relief created by them has changed little and still determines the appearance of the landscape. They predominate as exaration forms associated with the destructive activity of ice sheets (they plowed out numerous depressions occupied by lakes or swamps, "ram's foreheads" and "curly rocks"), and forms of glacial and water-glacial accumulation (drumlins, eskers, kams, moraine ridges). There are also a number of large uplands - tundra, including low-mountain appearance ( Lovozero tundra). The maximum heights (more than 1000 m) are in the Khibiny. To the south and east of the Baltic Shield, the crystalline basement of the platform subsides under a cover of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks. In the continental part of the Arkhangelsk region and in the Komi Republic, swampy plains are developed on them, alternating with plateaus, ridges and ridges. In a number of areas, karst landscapes are widespread (the White Sea-Kuloi plateau, up to 217 m high). The largest upland, the Timan Ridge (height up to 471 m), marks the outcrop of Precambrian folded structures and is distinguished by relatively sharp landforms. Near the Urals, large undulating forms are outlined in the relief, reflecting folds in the sedimentary cover of the platform (Chernyshev Ridge, up to 253 m high). Stretch along the Arctic coast Bolshezemelskaya tundra(height up to 253 m) and Malozemelskaya tundra(height up to 171 m), in the relief of which the influence of permafrost and ancient glaciations, which left moraine hills and ridges - musurs, is noticeable. The southern limit of the Baltic Shield is clearly expressed in the relief in the form of the Baltic-Ladoga ledge (Glint) up to 56 m high. To the south of it, limestone plateaus stretch, dissected by canyon-like valleys and abounding in karst forms. The plateau in the south is bordered by bowl-shaped basins of glacial origin, the central parts of which are occupied by lakes: Chudsko-Pskovskoe, Ilmen, Bely, etc. western moraine relief left by the Valdai glaciation. Bells are characteristic - isolated flat tops that arose on the site of glacial lakes. A similar relief has the Smolensk-Moscow and the Galich-Chukhloma Uplands, which continue it in the northeast, formed during the epochs of the Dnieper and Moscow glaciations.

Central regions. They include the Central Russian Upland, the Volga Upland, the General Syrt and the Bugulma-Belebeevskaya Upland; Northern Ridges, Ufa Plateau, High Trans-Volga and adjacent Cis-Urals, as well as depressions separating them: Meshcherskaya lowland , Oka-Don Plain and the valleys of the main rivers (Volga, Don, Kama, Oka). The region was not subjected to glaciation and was formed under the long-term influence of fluvial (mainly erosional) processes. The interfluves are usually wide, the relief is flat or slightly convex, less often wavy. In the Cis-Urals, they are complicated by isolated remnants (shikhans) and karst phenomena (for example, Kungur cave). The rivers freely meander, on the low floodplain there are numerous oxbow lakes. The valleys are wide and asymmetrical: with a steep, as a rule, right and sloping left slope, on which the staircase of terraces is well expressed. The valleys are decorated with picturesque cliffs - mountains (Zhiguli and Sovereign Mountain on the Volga, Sparrow Hills in Moscow, Galichya Gora on the Don, Belogorye on Vorskla and Oskol, etc.). High steep river banks on the East European Plain are associated with such dangerous phenomena as landslides, the occurrence of which is largely due to the influence of human activities. Another natural disaster caused by anthropogenic intervention is accelerated ravine erosion, which reached its largest size in the black earth regions after their almost universal plowing and deforestation.

Southern regions. Occupied by a strip of seaside Kuban-Azov lowland And Caspian lowland. Connects them Kumo-Manych depression, which only a few millennia ago served as a strait that united the Azov-Black Sea and Caspian basins. The Caspian lowland has a pronouncedly flat relief of marine and alluvial-deltaic origin; to the coast of the Caspian Sea, it drops to a mark of -28.4 m (2019) - the lowest point in Russia. A minor complication is introduced by the chains of Baer mounds of problematic genesis and depressions filled with salt lakes (Elton and Baskunchak) formed above the salt domes. There are also areas of blown sands with eolian relief (dunes, dunes, etc.). An anomalous height for this area (up to 250 m) is the "sand mountain" Sarykum. The general flatness of the territory is somewhat disturbed by the eastern end of the Donetsk Ridge (within Russia, the height is up to 215 m), the Salsko-Manych Ridge (the height is up to 221 m) and the Ergeni Upland (the height is up to 222 m). As a link to the mountains Caucasus speaks Stavropol Upland, having the form of a vast high dome dissected by river valleys, which corresponds to the bending of the sedimentary strata of the platform cover, which occurred in the latest (Pliocene-Quaternary) time, the height is up to 831 m (Mount Strizhament). In accordance with the warm and dry (semiarid and arid) climate, eolian processes play a significant role in the exogenous morphogenesis of the southern regions of the East European Plain. Their activation is greatly facilitated by economic activity, primarily plowing and grazing. At times, they take on the character of dangerous and even catastrophic phenomena (black storms associated with the blowing of the fertile soil layer).

Crimean mountains

Mountain system stretching to the south Crimean peninsula(Crimea) parallel to the Black Sea coast from southwest to northeast in the form of three ridges separated by two longitudinal valleys. They are distinguished by a high concentration within a relatively small area of ​​unique geological and geomorphological phenomena.

The main ridge (Yayla) has a length of 150 km (from Balaklava to Mount Agarmysh) and a maximum height of 1545 m (Mount Roman-Kosh on Babugan-Yayle, the highest point of the Crimean Mountains). The inner ridge reaches a length of 125 km (from Sapun Gora to Stary Krym), a height of up to 739 m (Mount Kubalach). The outer ridge is stretched for 114 km (from Cape Fiolent to the city of Stary Krym), it is the shortest and lowest - a height of 344 m (mountain Kazantash), for its small heights it is often called a foothill. The mountains are 50–60 km wide. The inner and outer ridges are typical cuestas, they have same character slopes, gently sloping to the northwest and north, steep from the south. The summit surface of the Main Ridge is a chain of flat table-like peaks - yail. The western part of Yaila is a wavy plateau, its individual parts are named: Baydarskaya, Ai-Petrinskaya, Yalta, Nikitskaya, Gurzufskaya, Babugan-Yayla. In the east, it breaks up into more or less isolated plateau-like massifs - Chatyrdag, Dolgorukovskaya Yayla, Demerdzhi-Yayla, Mount Tyrke, Karabi-Yayla. The karst of Yayla is very pronounced, it is a classic example of bare karst of the Mediterranean type. In the clefts of the slopes of most yayls there are many passes. The southern slope of the Main Ridge forms a strip Southern coast of Crimea, its relief is characterized by amphitheaters, heaps of rocks (the so-called chaos), picturesque isolated massifs ( Karadag, Ayudag, Castel, etc.).

Ural Mountains

General information. The extended mountain system of the Urals, which forms a conditional boundary between Europe and Asia, exists in isolation from other mountainous countries of the continent, surrounded by vast plains and extends almost meridionally for more than 2000 km, forming an important physical and geographical boundary in the north of the mainland. Morphostructurally, the Ural Mountains correspond to a folded Paleozoic complex penetrated by intrusions of various compositions, which forms an ancient suture zone along the eastern boundary of the East European Platform. This ancient mountain system modern times was rejuvenated tectonic movements moderate intensity. In general, the Ural Mountains are low mountains with a predominance of small (a few hundred meters) elevation changes and gentle slopes. Traditionally, the mountain system is subdivided into the Polar Urals, Subpolar Urals, Northern Urals, Middle Urals and Southern Urals; each site has individual features of morphology and features of the history of the development of the relief. In morphostructural terms, the northern continuation of the Urals is the low Pai-Khoi ridge (More-Iz Mountain, 423 m), which occupies the interior of the Yugorsky Peninsula.

Polar Ural has a length of more than 380 km. Its southwestern strike is somewhat different from the general one for the entire mountain system. The Polar Urals is a swell-like uplift, dissected by wide steep-sided valleys into separate mountain ranges. Almost everywhere there are traces of glacial processing of the relief - relics of the Pleistocene glaciation eras. In the axial zone, a number of alpine-type ridges with pointed peaks - carlings and steep slopes are distinguished (the highest point is Mount Payer, 1472 m). Valleys - typical troughs with a trough-shaped transverse profile - a consequence of the activity of the glacier, in some - lakes.

Subpolar Urals reaches a width of 150 km, its length is 230 km, the maximum height is 1895 m (Mount Narodnaya). The mountain system breaks up into a series of subparallel ridges, forming a wide fan in the north. There are isolated alpine-type massifs that rise several hundred meters above the surrounding plateau, among them - Mount Manaraga (1662 m) and Mount Saber (1497 m) with spectacular jagged ridges and small glaciers on the slopes.

Northern Ural is the longest (more than 500 km) part of the mountain system. It is formed by a number of parallel orographic lines (Poyasovy Kamen, Tulymsky Kamen, Khozatump, and other ranges) separated by wide tectonic depressions. The highest point is Mount Telpoziz (1617 m) in the northern part, where traces of glacial activity with sharp relief features are still found. The rest of the area is dominated by gentle slopes and smooth outlines of peaks. The exception is isolated massifs - stones: Tulymsky (1469 m), Denezhkin (1492 m), Konzhakovsky (1569 m), etc., their pyramidal peaks are covered with stone placers, steps stand out on the slopes - upland terraces. A characteristic feature of the Northern Urals is the presence of remnants - tumps on low flattened peaks. On the Manpuner plateau (height up to 840 m) rises a series of 30-meter stone pillars.

Middle Ural- the lowest part of the mountain system with a length of approx. 400 km. The main space is occupied by high plains, complicated by ridges (Kirgishansky, up to 555 m high; Konovalovsky, up to 726 m) and ridges (Kaslinsko-Sysertsky, up to 508 m high), which should in fact include hills called ridges (Ufaleysky, up to 609 m). Low mountains in the Middle Urals can only be considered small massifs (the highest point is Mount Oslyanka, 1119 m).

Southern Urals reaches a width of 250 km with a length of approx. 550 km. It is formed by more than a dozen subparallel ridges, fanning out into southbound. A number of massifs stand out: Big Iremel (1582 m) and Small Iremel (1449 m), Yamantau (1640 m) and some other peaks. At altitudes above 1200 m, they are covered with rocky placers and have a tundra-like landscape. In the Taganay, Zyuratkul and Nurgush ridges there are ridges and peaks with sharp picturesque features of the rocky relief associated with the preparation of vertically standing layers of strong rocks. The wide development of limestones and other soluble rocks is due to karst landforms, including - Kapova cave.

Caucasus mountains

General information. The strip of mountains of the Greater Caucasus with a total length of St. 1200 km limits the plains of the European part in the south, "closing" them between the Azov-Black Sea and Caspian basins. The main massif of the highlands of this part of Russia is concentrated here. In the axial zone of the Greater Caucasus are located Main, or Dividing Range and Side Ridge. The northern macroslope of the Greater Caucasus belonging to Russia is formed by a series of parallel mountain ranges, the absolute heights of which increase from north to south. Along the strike, the mountain system is conditionally subdivided into western, central and eastern parts, differing in height and geomorphological structure. The western tip of the Caucasus is Taman Peninsula, among the accumulative plains of which low anticlinal ridges and hills of mud volcanoes rise (height up to 164 m).

Western Caucasus, starting in the area of ​​​​the city of Anapa, has a low-mountain appearance for a significant extent. The ridges are characterized by asymmetry: the southern slope facing the sea is short and steep; the northern one is extended and noticeably more gentle. The relief clearly shows a young folded morphostructure in the form of longitudinal ridges and depressions separating them. In malleable Meso-Cenozoic limestones, clays and marls, short streams washed out deep gorge-like valleys, which divided the ridges into numerous narrow spurs. The middle mountains are confined to the axial zone, which is isolated in the form of the Main (Dividing) Range. The Lagonaki tract (up to 2200–2500 m high) and the Fisht mountain massif (2867 m) are distinguished by expressiveness of sculptural forms, which is associated with the preparation of karst limestones. Here and on the slopes facing the coast, there are many caves (Vorontsovskaya and others), picturesque canyons, and waterfalls. Along the northern foot of the Greater Caucasus stretch monoclinal ridges - cuestas: ridges rocky ridge, Pasture and Black Mountains, formed by layers of sedimentary rocks gently inclined to the north, with a gentle northern slope and a steep, steep to sheer southern slope. The highlands of the Greater Caucasus are confined mainly to blocky morphostructures composed of older, predominantly Precambrian, partly Paleozoic, rocks. A significant role in its structure also belongs to Cenozoic volcanic rocks, which form large massifs. The dissection of the mountain relief reaches its maximum values ​​and is represented by the deepest (2–3 km relative elevations) valleys-gorges (the valley of the upper Kuban and its tributary Laba). In the lower reaches, closer to the exit from the mountains, they have a V-shaped transverse profile, in the upper reaches they have a U-shaped trough shape. The general background of the heights of the peaks noticeably exceeds 3000 m and increases towards the east. The ridge line of the ridges has a sawtooth longitudinal profile. Almost all peaks bear glaciers and eternal snows. The Western Caucasus is bounded in the east by the Elbrus volcanic massif.

Central Caucasus, extending to the east of Elbrus, is characterized by maximum heights. It is also characterized by division into a number of longitudinal mountain ranges that continue beyond its borders. The peaks of the Main (Dividing) Range are not lower than 4000 m, the highest are Shkhara (5068 m) and Dzhangitau (5058 m). The crest of the ridge in the region of these peaks breaks off to the north in the form of the often almost sheer Bezengi wall. The Side Range has a similar appearance - a mountain range consisting of a series of short ridges separated by deep gorges. The highest points are the peaks of Koitantau (5152 m) and Dykhtau (5204 m). In the east, the Central Caucasus completes the boundary volcanic massif of Kazbek (5033 m). In the foothill zone, cuestas continue - the Rocky Range (height up to 3646 m). On the Mineralnye Vody plateau stand alone domed peaks - laccoliths: Beshtau (1401 m), Mashuk (993 m), etc.

Eastern Caucasus formed by a significant (up to 160 km) expansion of the mountain system, the convex part facing the northern plains. It is composed of sedimentary rocks of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic, crumpled into folds. The general background of altitudes is noticeably reduced: the average height is 2500–3000 m, the highest point is Mount Tebulosmta (4492 m). The structure is clearly seen in the complex orography of the region and in the morphology of numerous ridges, collectively called "Dagestan". Cuestas and structural slopes are widespread. There are straight (anticlinal ridges and synclinal valleys) and inverted (anticlinal valleys, synclinal ridges and plateaus) folded morphostructures (the most famous are Gunib and Khunzakh). In the northern foothills, a number of low anticline ranges stand out: Tersky (up to 593 m high), Sunzhensky (Zamankul Mountain, 926 m), etc. They separate the Ossetian and Grozny plains. The contrasting relief of the Caucasus Mountains and high absolute heights ensure the development of a wide range of exogenous processes, their massive nature and high flow rates. In the first place are gravitational phenomena (landslides, landslides, screes, avalanches), which often acquire dangerous and catastrophic proportions. The channel processes and associated mudflow activity are very vigorous.

West Siberian Plain

General information. One of the largest low-lying accumulative plains of the globe is the West Siberian Plain, which occupies a vast space between the Ural mountains and the Yenisei valley and includes monotonous low-lying plains (an area of ​​about 3 million km 2). The plain was formed on the plate of the same name, composed of thick layers of sedimentary rocks, at the base of which there is a folded basement of predominantly Paleozoic consolidation. The highest points are located on the western and southern periphery of the plain and belong to the ridge uplands in the transition zones to the mountains of the Urals and Altai; average height approx. 120 m. In general, the space of Western Siberia reveals a slight slope from south to north, towards the coast of the Kara Sea.

North West Siberian Plain It is occupied by flat plains with predominant heights of 30–80 m, complicated by the Gydan, Yuribei, and other ridges (height up to 150 m). The relief shows traces of Pleistocene marine and glacial accumulation. Cryogenic processes are widespread, forming khasyreys (depressions with a cellular microrelief), sede (ice mounds), raps (heaving mounds), solifluction slushes on slopes, and other characteristic forms. In connection with human economic activity (development of oil and natural gas fields), thermal erosion processes have intensified, which led to the appearance of numerous ravines.

CenterWest Siberian Plain complicated by a large swell-like uplift of sublatitudinal strike - Siberian Ridges(height up to 245 m). Other elevated parts are noticeably lower: Tobolsk Mainland (up to 105 m high) and Belogorsky Mainland (up to 231 m high), Vasyugan Plain (up to 170 m high). Strong swamping processes are taking place everywhere, especially on flat interfluve areas, where sogrs, ryams and galleys are formed - landscapes with a characteristic hummocky relief of peat bogs.

South of the West Siberian Plain occupy Ishim Plain , Baraba lowland And Kulunda Plain with an almost perfectly flat relief, slightly disturbed by closed depressions and low "manes" - extended ridges of a predominantly northeast strike. The exception is the hilly-ridged relief of the Ob plateau and the Pre-Altai plain, rising to 300 m or more.

Central Siberia

General information. One of the largest natural regions in Russia - Central Siberia - is located in the central part of Siberia, between the valley of the Yenisei River and the western foot of Verkhoyansk ridge. In the south it borders on the mountains of Altai, Sayan, Baikal and Transbaikalia. In the north it is washed by the Kara and Laptev seas. Area approx. 4 million km 2. The length from north to south is 2800 km, from west to east 2500 km. The relief of Central Siberia is very diverse: in the north - byrranga mountains, south - North Siberian Lowland with remnant ridges, in the east -, in the south - the Irkutsk-Cheremkhovskaya plain. Most of Central Siberia is occupied by the largest in Russia Central Siberian Plateau .

Central Siberian Plateau and the plains and lowlands adjacent to it, together corresponding to a large tectonic formation - Siberian platform with an Early Precambrian crystalline base, form the basis of the region's topography. Long-term (from the Mesozoic) relief formation in subaerial conditions, uneven uplift earth's crust, lithological heterogeneity of the strata that make up the platform cover, and a sharply continental climate dominated by permafrost have led to a very complex orographic structure and diversity morphosculptures. The plateaus formed on the sedimentary rocks of the platform cover and intrusions intruded into them, often expressed in the relief in the form of traps - steps on the slopes and interfluves, received the greatest development. The plateaus are dissected by deep canyon-like valleys, the channels of the rivers flowing in them often also have a stepped profile, abound in rapids, rapids (sometimes waterfalls). In the south of the Central Siberian Plateau, the Angara, Biryusa and Leno-Angara plateau, in general, forming several large undulating landforms corresponding to gentle bends of rock layers. The heights increase from west to east, reaching almost 1500 m. The plateaus are complicated by a number of short low (height up to 1000 m) ridges (Anadekan, Katyrminsky, etc.) and ridges (Angarsky, Kovinsky). In the southeast, along both banks of the middle reaches of the Lena, there is a vast, slightly rising from north to south, the Prilenskoye Plateau (altitude up to 700 m). Along the border of the plateau with the mountains of Southern Siberia and the Baikal region, the Irkutsk-Cheremkhovskaya Plain and the Cis-Baikal Depression (up to 300–700 m high) stretch with a gently undulating relief. The southwestern edge of the Central Siberian Plateau is formed by a ledge of the crystalline base of the platform with its characteristic features of low mountains with domed peaks - the Yenisei Ridge (up to 1125 m high). The central regions of the plateau are occupied by vast plateaus - Zaangarsky, Tungussky, Central Tungussky, Siverma and Vilyuisky plateau; the heights of their flat peaks range from 400 to 800 m, in some places isolated ridges rise above them (Mount Naxon, 1035 m). In the north of the plateau, a separate dome of the Anabar Plateau (up to 908 m high) stands out, in the central part of which the most ancient (Archaean) basement rocks are exposed. On its western slopes there is a ring-shaped relief depression of problematic genesis – the Popigai astrobleme (an impact or impact morphostructure of cosmic origin). The most elevated is the northwestern part of the plateau - the Putorana Plateau (Mount Kamen, 1678 m), the dissection of the relief here reaches its maximum depth (500–800 m) and expressiveness, creating the appearance of a mountain landscape. Pleistocene glaciation transformed the valleys into typical troughs, the wide bottoms of which are occupied by lakes in areas of overdeepening. The slopes are complicated by numerous cirques, some of which still contain small glaciers.

Central Yakut lowland, into which the Central Siberian Plateau gradually passes in the east, extends along the lower reaches of the Lena and its left tributary, the Vilyui. It is characterized by cryogenic processes and the bulgunnyakhs associated with them. Widespread are large, but shallow, rounded in terms of thermokarst depressions that arose on the site of melted masses of underground ice - alas. Many of them are occupied by lakes. Solifluction dominates on the gentle long slopes of the hills - the slow sliding of thawed soils, resulting in the formation of narrow parallel stripes - delli. A sharp contrast with cryogenic forms is formed by areas of sands not fixed by vegetation with eolian processing (dunes, dunes).

North Siberian lowland, adjacent from the north to the Central Siberian Plateau, confined to a large trough filled with Meso-Cenozoic sediments, extends in the sublatitudinal direction. Flat marshy areas with absolute elevations of 50–100 m and dominance of cryogenic morphosculpture alternate with moraine hills and ridges up to 300 m high. A number of forms are associated with salt-dome tectonics in the form of large hills and rounded depressions with lakes (Portnyagino).

Byrranga mountains- the elevated northern part of the Taimyr Peninsula. Only a compact massif in the east of the peninsula (altitude up to 1125 m) has a low-mountain appearance. The rest of the space is occupied by hilly plains and ridges 250–400 m high, the tops of which occasionally rise to a height of 600–700 m. Relic morphosculpture predominates. glacial erosion(exarations): trough valleys, smoothed rock ledges; in the low mountains - cirque processing of slopes, on which cryogenic processing is superimposed by the processes of solifluction, kurum formation, frost buckling.

Southern Siberia

General information. A number of mountainous countries in the south of the Asian part of Russia form a mountain belt of latitudinal strike, joining in the east with the mountains of the Far East. In morphological and structural terms, they are united by belonging to the Paleozoic belt of Central Asia, elongation along the southern margin of the Siberian Platform, and a long history of relief development, generally inherited from ancient stages. Morphosculpture region is determined mainly sharply continental climate, which causes the wide development of physical weathering and cryogenic processes. The ratio of mountains and plains in the transition zone is different. In the west, in the foothills of Altai, there is a gradual increase in heights with a series of ridges, ridges and low ridges. Among them is the Salair Ridge (height up to 621 m, Mount Kivda), the western slope of which is gentle and long, it still retains the features of a high plain. To the east, the hill descends more sharply and has a semi-mountainous appearance. A similar asymmetric structure has an extended mountainous country Kuznetsk Alatau, consisting of many short, mostly low, ridges and ridges (mountain Upper Tooth, 2178 m) with erosional relief. Only individual massifs rising above 1800 m can be classified as middle mountains, but they, as a rule, have flat peaks - taskyls, limited by steep slopes with car cavities on the eastern, leeward side. The space between Salair and Alatau occupies Kuznetsk basin with complex erosional dissection, in the south it passes into the Mountain Shoria massif (height up to 1614 m). Closes the strip of low mountains Abakan Ridge(height up to 1984 m) - a kind of transitional bridge to the middle mountains of the Sayan and Altai.

Russian Altai is part of a vast mountainous country, which extends to the adjacent territories of Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China and has, on the whole, arched outlines, reflecting the uneven intensity of the latest uplifts. A system of blocky ridges and intramountain depressions is distinguished. The central and southern regions are occupied by high mountains of the alpine type with a sharply dissected relief and significant mountain-valley glaciation. It is formed by the Sailyugem ridges (height up to 4082 m), Yuzhno-Chuysky (height up to 3936 m), North Chuysky ridge(height up to 4177 m) and Katunsky with the highest point of Altai and all of Siberia - Mount Belukha (4506 m). The peaks are covered with eternal snow (squirrels). The ridges of the highlands are separated by basins of tectonic origin, the largest are the Chui and Kurai steppes. The southeast of Altai is occupied mainly by medium-altitude plateaus (altitude up to 2000–2500 m). The exceptions are the isolated Mongun-Taiga massif (3970 m) and the Shapshalsky ridges (altitude up to 3608 m) and Tsagan-Shibetu (altitude up to 3383 m) bordering on the Sayans. Relic glacial morphosculpture is widely developed, modern cryogenic and gravitational processes reach great intensity. The northern and western peripheries of the mountainous country have a flat-mountain appearance, where a number of fan-shaped divergent ridges stand out; as they approach the surrounding plain, their absolute marks decrease, the middle mountains are replaced by low mountains. In the summit belt, fragments of the ancient peneplain, transformed by the processes of nivation and kurum formation, can be traced. Erosion morphosculpture predominates on the slopes and in the valleys; often they look like gorges. A large tectonic failure in the northeast is occupied by the picturesque Teletskoye Lake.

Sayans and mountains of Tuva, immediately adjoining the Altai from the east, have a significantly different orography. The ridges that form them are noticeably lower, have the form of wide swell-like uplifts of predominantly sublatitudinal and northeastern strike (in contrast to Altai, where submeridional and northwestern directions are typical) and are separated by large basins. The Western Sayan has a maximum elevation of 3122 m (Kyzyl-Taiga massif), the main background of peak heights is 2000–2500 m (some ranges - Uyuksky, Ergak-Targak-Taiga - are slightly lower). Massive dome-shaped and flattened peaks, covered with stone ruins, predominate. Traces of Pleistocene glaciations are developed sporadically, steep slopes and sharp ridges are associated with them. A similar ratio of cryogenic and glacial morphosculpture is also characteristic of the Eastern Sayan, which is somewhat higher (mountain Munku-Sardyk, 3491 m). The flat, treeless peaks of its lowered western and northern spurs are often covered with light moss lichen, which is why they got the local name "white mountain". The ridges of the higher, eastern part are characterized by bald mountains widely distributed in Siberia - Kitoisky, Tunkinsky, etc. Here, the relatively lowered Okinsky plateau stands out. It and the surrounding mountains are characterized by a wide development of volcanic relief. The last eruptions occurred in the Holocene, the forms they created are perfectly preserved (Kropotkin and Peretolchin volcanoes and lava flows associated with them). In the mountains of Tuva, the ridges stand out: Academician Obruchev (height up to 2895 m), Tannu-Ola (height up to 3056 m) and Sangilen (height up to 3276 m), very similar in geomorphological structure to the mountains described above. Between them and the Sayans, as well as at the foothills, are the Minusinsk, Todzha (East Tuva), Tuva, Tunkinsk, Turan and Ubsunur basins. Their relief is very diverse: fragments of flat, inclined and stepped accumulative plains created by river and lake sediments; lowered spurs with dense erosional dissection; hilly-depression moraine landscape with numerous lakes; areas with wind-blown sands collected in dunes; small volcanic cones and short lava flows.

Baikal rift system, which occupies a central position in the mountains of southern Siberia, is expressed in the relief by a chain of large depressions, elongated in a northeasterly direction. Against the background of the general development of the region inherited from the most ancient stages, the rift system is a relatively young neoformation. Although the formation of large superimposed fractures of the earth's crust began as early as the Paleocene, the main movements along them, reaching an amplitude of several kilometers, occurred in the Neogene-Quaternary. They had an emphatically blocky character, which was expressed in a sharply contrasting relief, straightness and angularity of the boundaries of depressions and uplifts. The largest basin (length up to 700 km, width up to 50 km) is mainly occupied by Lake Baikal (depth 1642 m). Its bottom is lined with a layer of sediments up to 6 km thick or more and is complicated by a number of uplifts that form islands (Olkhon and others) and peninsulas (Holy Nose). The rift system includes the already mentioned Tunka depression, as well as Barguzin basin, Verkhneangarskaya, Muya-Kuandinskaya, Verkhnecharskaya depressions and a number of others. The subsidence of the blocks of the earth's crust within them was not so significant, the bottoms are lined with a relatively thin (except for the Tunka) layer of sediments and are occupied mainly by wide river valleys. It should also be noted the cryogenic processing of accumulative plains (thermokarst, heaving mounds) and massifs of semi-fixed sands with aeolian relief.

Transbaikalia- a vast region with complex orography, located to the east of Lake Baikal, from Patom Highlands And North Baikal Highlands in the north to the border with Mongolia and China in the south and to the Argun and Olekma rivers in the east. Stands out in the northeast Stanovoye Highlands, where the Kodar ridge (up to 3072 m) and the South Muya ridge (up to 3067 m) have the maximum heights, which are in contact with the depressions rift zone and their appearance resemble the mountains of the Baikal region. As one moves away from the rift zone, the middle mountains give way to low mountains, and the altitudinal contrasts and steepness of the slopes decrease. The north of the region closes the Patom Highlands (height up to 1771 m) with an ancient folded structure, which is reflected in the orientation of the arcuately curved ridges and the valleys separating them. The central part of Transbaikalia is occupied by Vitim Plateau(height up to 1846 m), consisting of a number of low swell-like ridges of northeast strike. In the southeast, it is continued by a series of extended ridges of a similar appearance, of which the most significant are the Yablonovy Ridge (height up to 1706 m), Tsagan-Khurtei (height up to 1586 m), Chersky (height up to 1644 m), Olekminskiy Stanovik (height up to 1908 m ) And Borshchovochny Ridge(height up to 1498 m). The low mountains are characterized by a wide development of kurum formation processes; there are manifestations of Quaternary volcanism, which left traces in the relief in the form of plateaus and small cones. The appearance of most of the ridges of Southern Transbaikalia is similar. Among the specific features of the relief, one can note large tectonic depressions occupied by accumulative plains (Gusinoozerskaya depression) and isolated mid-mountain massifs (Sokhondo bald mountains, 2500 m, and Barun-Shabartuy, 2519 m). The exposure asymmetry of the ridges is well expressed, which is associated with the uneven illumination of the ridges. The southern, well-heated, dry and treeless slopes (salt-bakers) are noticeably steeper than the northern, waterlogged and subject to intensive cryogenic processing.

Baikal region- the territory adjacent from the west and east to Lake Baikal (often considered as part of Transbaikalia), unites ridges Primorsky ridge(mountain Three-headed Golets, 1746 m), Baikal Range(mountain Chersky, 2588 m), Khamar-Daban(height up to 2371 m), Barguzinsky ridge(height up to 2841 m) and a number of less significant rises between them. They are characterized by a sharp contact with the Baikal and other rift basins in the form of high, steep tectonic ledges. Peaks up to a height of 1800 m are often flattened, with fragments of primary peneplain. Higher up, traces of glacial processing are noticeable, the highest ridges have the features of an alpine relief with its characteristic sawtooth ridges and cirque modeling of slopes. The high seismicity of the region provokes collapses, landslides, avalanches and mudflows.

Eastern part of the mountains of Southern Siberia confined to the high edge Siberian platform – Aldan-Stanovoi shield, within which the sedimentary cover is either absent or very thin. Most of it is occupied Aldan Highlands. Maximum heights (up to 2306 m) are reached only by free-standing domed peaks, composed of igneous rocks. They rise several hundred meters above the flat interfluves, which are actually a continuation of the southern plateaus of the Central Siberian Plateau. The main complicating element of the relief is the valley-canyons, cutting to a depth of up to 500 m even more ancient crystalline basement rocks. The asymmetric Stanovoy Range stretches along the southern outskirts of the highlands: the northern slope is very gentle, imperceptibly turning into the highlands; the southern one is steep and short, facing the plains and depressions of the Amur region. Sharply prominent mid-mountain massifs (height up to 2256 m) bear traces of glacial processing; in general, low mountains with a nival cryogenic relief of a bald shape prevail. In depressions there are small volcanic cones and lava covers.

Northeast Siberia

General information. The north-east of Siberia is distinguished by extremely complex orography, which is formed by several mountain systems, a number of uplands and plateaus, alternating with vast low-lying plains and numerous depressions. The morphostructure of the region reflects its position at the junction of three lithospheric plates– Eurasian, North American and Pacific: mosaic structure of the earth's crust and a long history of development, during which cardinal rearrangements of tecto- and morphogenesis repeatedly occurred. The last of them were expressed in two main directions of orography. The northwest strike is characteristic of the Arctic coast and inland regions, in which Mesozoic consolidation structures predominate. The northeastern direction is more characteristic of the Pacific coast, where young volcanic formations are widespread and the influence of the Alpine orogeny is strong. For the morphosculpture of the Northeast, the harsh continental climate with long frosty and little snow winters, which determines the widespread development of thick permafrost and the dominance of cryogenic processes, is of decisive importance.

mountain systems(traditionally called ranges) consist of many mountain ranges, massifs and ridges and define the main features of the orography of the inland regions of the Northeast. Their length is up to 1000 km or more. Along the eastern edge Siberian platform in the form of swell-like uplifts stretch Verkhoyansk Range and Sette-Daban, to the east - Chersky Range and Momsky Range. At the heart of the mountain systems lies the thickness of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks, crumpled into folds. Low mountains predominate, in the orography of which a folded structure in the form of parallel or echelon-shaped diverging ridges is clearly traced. The ridges are dissected by through valleys, cutting through the mountains in the cross of their strike (antecedent valleys). The middle mountains are confined to the axial zone and have the features of large blocky uplifts. The mountain system of the Suntar-Khayat ridge extending to the southeast orographically continues the Verkhoyansk one, is similar to it in relief, but has a different internal structure. It is composed of Precambrian crystalline rocks. The extended southern spurs descending to the Sea of ​​Okhotsk are overlain by Cenozoic volcanic rocks.

Plateaus and uplands are also characteristic of the inland regions of the Northeast. A strip of relatively reduced relief between the previously mentioned mountain systems is formed by predominantly similar, but less dislocated sedimentary strata. Janskoe Plateau, Elga, Nersk plateaus, Oymyakon Highlands and the Upper Kolyma Highlands. The heights of flat peaks gradually increase from northwest to southeast from 400–600 m to 1000 m or more. The Yukagir Plateau has a different morphostructure, at the base of which lies an ancient crystalline massif covered with layers of sedimentary rocks.

Strip of coastal lowlands(the largest Yano-Indigirskaya lowland And Kolyma lowland- located in the lower reaches of the rivers of the same name) extends in the north of the region, they are composed of a stratum of frozen rocks with a high (up to 90%) degree of ice content (yedoma), formed in the Pleistocene, when low-lying land plains extended to the shelf spaces of modern Arctic seas. Now Yedoma is in a relict state and is intensively destroyed by the processes of thermokarst, thermal erosion and thermal abrasion, which form the characteristic cryogenic relief of the lowlands. Flat areas have absolute elevations of 30–70 m; they are in sharp contrast with isolated hills and ridges (up to 400–500 m high) composed of dense bedrock. Low-lying spaces are also interrupted by large hills: Polusny Ridge and Ulakhan-Sis Ridge, Alazeya Plateau .

Intramountain depressions occupy a special position in the orography and morphostructure of the Northeast. Among them, in size and geodynamics, a system of basins with sharp steep sides is distinguished - the Momo-Selennyakhskaya depression and the Seimchano-Buyunda depression, which continues it in the southeast - the Momsky rift.

Isometric massifs of igneous origin- a distinctive feature of the morphostructure of the Northeast. They can be found almost everywhere, but more often in the axial parts of the ranges, where they are composed of intrusions of predominantly granitoid composition. Isometric massifs rise sharply (by several hundred meters) above the surrounding space and occupy a dominant position in the relief. Most of the middle mountains are confined to them; on the plateaus they form low-mountain ridges, on the plains - remnant uplands. There are also cone-shaped and dome-shaped forms of volcanic origin. Among them are the Balagan-Tas extrusive dome of the Holocene age (northern side of the Momskaya depression) and the Anyui volcano, which erupted in the 18th century. with the formation of a crater and a lava flow that spread down the valley.

Okhotsk-Chukotka volcanogenic belt, stretching along the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and further to the northeast, is expressed in the relief by a wide strip of highlands, plateaus, plateaus and ridges with a very diverse relief. Dissected low mountains prevail; there are peaked ridges with a height of more than 2000 m and flat interfluves that preserve fragments of ancient volcanic covers (Olskoe plateau). In some places there are dilapidated volcanic structures of the central type (Russian Mountains) and depressions of various genesis. Among the latter, a rounded depression occupied by Lake Elgygytgyn, of cosmogenic (astroblem) or volcanic (caldera) origin, stands out.

Koryak Highlands, separated from the volcanogenic belt by a strip of intermountain depressions ( Parapolsky Dol And Anadyr lowland), acts as the northernmost morphostructure of the Alpine belt bordering the Pacific Ocean. The orography of the highlands has a centrifugal structure with a gradual increase in height from the periphery to the middle part (Ledyanaya Mountain, 2453 m).

Far East

General information. The territory of the Far East stretches from north to south for more than 4.5 thousand km. It is washed by the waters of the Bering, Okhotsk and Japan Seas of the Pacific Ocean. Includes the Eurasian mainland, the Kamchatka Peninsula. Mostly a mountainous country, the plains occupy small spaces, mainly along the valleys of the Amur and its tributaries.

Kamchatka has a transitional character of relief from the mainland to the ocean, which is emphasized by its isolated peninsular position. It is often included in the Kuril-Kamchatka island arc, which forms above the subduction zone and separates the oceanic (Pacific) and continental (Eurasian) lithospheric plates. The main orographic elements of the peninsula are median ridge(height up to 3607 m) and East Ridge(height up to 2375 m) of fold-block origin. They are separated by the Central Kamchatka lowland, along the western (Okhotsk) coast there is an inclined West Kamchatka lowland, complicated by a series of low anticline ridges. A direct expression of tectonomagmatic processes in the subduction zone is the abundance of volcanic forms of different sizes, morphology, genesis, and age, including modern ones. The largest among them are volcanic ridges and massifs consisting of merged cones. The Klyuchevskaya group of volcanoes stands out with the highest point of the Far East and the entire Asian part of Russia (volcano Klyuchevskaya Sopka). Quite spectacular are the free-standing regular cones of volcanoes Kronotskaya Sopka, Koryakskaya Sopka , Avachinskaya Sopka and a number of others. The tops of volcanoes are usually crowned with explosive funnels - craters. There are a number of large failure basins - calderas. On the periphery, volcanic apparatuses are surrounded by lava plateaus, tuff and ash plains; extrusive domes, cinder cones, and other meso- and microforms of volcanic relief are numerous. The destructive activity of exogenous processes leads to the appearance of gullies - barrancos on the slopes of volcanoes. Many of the cones are crowned with glaciers and bear traces of modern and relict (Pleistocene) glacial processing.

Mainland mountains occupy the narrowest zone on the western coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Here it is represented by the only Dzhugdzhur mountains, which in general continue the morphostructure Okhotsk-Chukotka volcanoplutonic belt Northeast. south of Verkhnezeya Plain and the Uda depression, the mountain belt expands to 500 km and acquires complex orography. There are predominantly medium-altitude Yam-Alin-Bureinskaya (height up to 2370 m) and low-mountain Nizhneamurskaya (height up to 1573 m) mountainous countries, each of which consists of numerous ridges and massifs. A low-mountain chain formed by the Tukuringra and Dzhagdy ranges extends to the west. In the heterogeneous morphostructure of the Far Eastern mountain belt, fragments of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic folding with a predominance of the latter, as well as volcanic formations different ages and large intrusions, mostly of granitoid composition. A characteristic feature of the orography is the abundance of intermountain and intramountain depressions, partly occupied by accumulative plains, partly by reservoirs (lakes) and sea bays. A large submeridional depression stands out - the Evoron-Chukchagir depression, extending from the Amur valley to the Tugur Bay, which is actually a continuation of the depression. In the west, in the Middle Amur region, between the mountains and the Amur valley, there is a large lowered massif with stepped plains - Amur-Zeya Plain And Zeya-Bureya plain. Downstream in the Amur valley, there are a number of extensions of a complex configuration - the Middle Amur and Lower Amur lowlands. Basically, these are flat flood plains with absolute elevations up to 50 m, over which ridges and individual peaks rise, including those of volcanic origin. The final link in the south of the Russian sector of the Far East is the relatively monolithic uplands of Sikhote-Alin. It is characterized by asymmetry: relatively short eastern and extended western macroslopes. However, the heights of the main watershed are not predominant: the highest points belong to the western spurs. The Sikhote-Alin is a typical mid-mountain area with average values ​​of relative heights of ridges over river valleys (300–700 m) and steepness of slopes (7–20º). It is characterized by a hilly relief, consisting of a combination of pyramidal (rarely domed) peaks with smoothed soft outlines. The hills are connected by winding ridges with low, easy-to-travel saddles-passes. An additional element in the landscape of the Sikhote-Alin is made by ancient volcanic structures, concentrated mainly along the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan. They have been preserved in the form of separate cones and basalt plateaus, often dissected by deep canyons.

Islands

The Arctic and Pacific Oceans and their seas contain a large number of islands of various sizes, positions, origins and topography.

Islands of the Arctic Ocean Basin, belonging to Russia, are elevated areas of a vast shelf. The archipelago occupies the extreme northwestern position in the Russian sector of the Arctic. Franz Josef Land, more than 80% of which is hidden under ice sheets. Rare nunataks (height up to 620 m) rise above the surface of the glacier. Other ice-free areas are concentrated in small "Arctic oases" and on the coast. They have a hilly relief with pronounced cryogenic morphosculpture. The Novaya Zemlya archipelago and Vaygach Island, in essence, are the northern continuation of the Ural mountain system. The strip of land 100–140 km wide forms several smooth bends in accordance with the folded Paleozoic structure that composes it. There are many glaciers, especially on Severny Island, where they form an ice sheet. The mountain relief prevails with heights up to 1547 m. The peaks in the elevated mid-mountain axial part are alpine-type, on the low-mountain periphery they are more often plateau-like. The valleys have an emphatically trog-like appearance, often turning into bays - fjords. The exceptions are the hilly plains of the Gusinaya Zemlya Peninsula and the Vaygach Islands. Relic glacial relief on open areas undergoes intensive cryogenic and nival processing. The archipelago Severnaya Zemlya is geomorphologically closely connected with the adjacent continental land. The ancient (Precambrian) morphostructures of the northern part of Taimyr continue here, which rise to 874 m or more on the mountainous island of Bolshevik. There are ubiquitous traces of glacial processing, which continues under the ice domes. In areas not occupied by glaciers and mountains, plateaus up to 250 m high are common, turning into terraced plains on the shores. Numerous small islands off the coast of the Taimyr Peninsula ( nordenskiöld archipelago, the islands of Sergey Kirov, etc.) are typical rocky skerries. New Siberian Islands(area of ​​more than 38 thousand km 2) have a predominantly flat relief (height up to 50–180 m), disturbed by a number of remnant groups (the highest point is Mount De Longa, 426 m). Their relief is similar to the coastal lowlands of the North-East: an abundance of thermokarst forms, polygonal soils, baidzharakhs, characteristic of the icy strata (edom) composing them. A special position is occupied by the recently drained Bunge Land, which now acts as a connecting link between the former islands of Kotelny and Faddeevsky. The sands covering it are exposed to the action of the wind and have an eolian relief. The exception is the group of small De Long Islands, which carry ice domes. Fragments of basalt and sandstone plateaus up to 426 m high are typical for them. The large Wrangel Island (area 7.6 thousand km 2) off the northern coast of Chukotka has a contrasting mountainous relief in its inner parts (up to 1096 m high). In the north and south there are swampy low-lying plains with polygonal relief.

Pacific Islands very diverse in their position, origin and topography. Of the largest within the shelf, it should be noted Karaginsky Island(area about 2 thousand km 2; the highest point is Mount Vysokaya, 920 m) off the eastern coast of Kamchatka and the group of Shantar Islands (area about 2.5 thousand km 2; height up to 720 m) near the western coast of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bOkhotsk. Geomorphologically, they are similar to the adjacent continental land: mountainous, have dense erosional dissection. Commander Islands are the western end of the Aleutian island arc - the surface part of an extended ridge at the bottom of the ocean, surrounded by deep-water depressions. The islands are composed of igneous rocks, in the hilly relief (height up to 631 m) features of partially destroyed volcanic structures are preserved. Similar origin Kuril Islands, forming an arc 1200 km long; the largest are Iturup, Kunashir, Paramushir, etc. They are based on folded volcanic-sedimentary strata of the Mesozoic, over which rise volcanic cones and covers. Many of the volcanoes are active or were active in historical time, they are distinguished by expressive relief forms. There are many cone-shaped buildings of the correct form (maximum height 2339 m - Alaid volcano). Craters and calderas are typical, including those occupied by lakes; other forms and complexes of volcanic relief. The relief of the largest of the islands belonging to Russia - Sakhalin (area 76.4 thousand km 2) is also associated with the latest tectonic movements in the transition zone from the continent to the ocean. Parallel chains stretch along the coast West Sakhalin Mountains And East Sakhalin Mountains, which have a low-mountain appearance and reflect anticlinal structures and uplifts of the Meso-Cenozoic sedimentary strata in the relief. The North Sakhalin Plain is also subject to folded deformations, where the corresponding swell-like uplands and depressions are distinguished. The relict volcanic morphostructure in the form of low plateaus and buildings of the central type is common on the western coast of the island. The mountainous regions have a dense erosional dissection, and the intensity of avalanche processes is very high there, significantly modeling the relief of the slopes. (On the relief of the bottom of the seas, see the article

Geological structure of the Far East

The Far East is an area of ​​new Cenozoic folding, part of the Pacific Fold Belt. The Pacific Ocean, washing the shores of the Russian Far East, is the remnant of a single World Ocean. It is “advancing” on it from two sides by land in the form of America and Asia. In the contact zone, the continental plates “crush” the oceanic crust under them. The result is the formation of deep oceanic depressions, and volcanism and earthquakes accompany the most active mountain building processes. It turns out that the belt of mobile sections of the earth's crust - geosynclines - surrounds the Pacific Ocean and "compresses" the ring around it.

Experts note that the area of ​​the Pacific Ocean is shrinking. A chain of mountain ranges formed around it, called the Pacific Volcanic Belt. "The advance of land on the sea" and active mountain-building processes are also characteristic of the Russian Far East. A large number of volcanoes in this area is a consequence of the geological youth and feature tectonics. The Kamchatka Peninsula is distinguished by an abundance of volcanoes, $180$ of them are known here, including $29$ of active volcanoes. The Kuril Islands are also a chain of volcanic mountains.

Ready-made works on a similar topic

• Coursework 400 rubles.
• Essay Geological structure and relief of the Far East 260 rub.
• Test Geological structure and relief of the Far East 240 rub.

Near the Kuril Islands there is a deep-water Kuril-Kamchatsky trench, the depth of which reaches $9700$ m. Not all scientists, but a number of them, believe that in such trenches, according to the theory of lithospheric plates, the oceanic crust subsides under the continental crust. A complex tectonic structure is noted in the northern part of the Far East, the age of which is more ancient. Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands are mobile parts of the Pacific belt, are characterized by active volcanic activity and are located in the zone of the modern geosyncline.

In the tectonic structure of the mainland of the Far East, there are:

1. Structures of the platform series;
2. Folding systems;
3. marginal arrays.

The southeastern marginal part of the Far East has narrow deep-water depressions that run along the boundary of the oceanic crust. According to L.I. Krasny, a well-known geologist, a number of large megablocks of the earth's crust can be distinguished in the Far East.

These include:

1. Aldano-Stanovoy megablock;
2. Amur megablock;
3. Kolyma megablock;
4. Sea of ​​Okhotsk megablock;
5. Bering Sea megablock.

Within Aldano-Stanovoy The megablock contains such structural elements as the Aldano-Stanovoi Shield and the southeastern part of the Siberian Platform. A feature of the shield is its tendency to uplift, as a result of which the most ancient crystalline complexes appeared on the surface.

The main structural elements of the Amur megablock are:

1. Quite large intergeosynclinal massifs - Bureinsky, Khankaysky;
2. Amur-Okhotsk and Sikhote-Alin geosynclinal-folded systems;
3. East Sikhote-Alin volcanic belt.

The Kolyma megablock is characterized by:

1. Verkhoyansk-Chukotka folded region;
2. Omolon and Okhotsk massifs;
3. South Anyui fold zone;
4. Okhotsk-Chukotka volcanic belt.

In the Sea of ​​Okhotsk megablock stands out:

1. Island Kuril-Kamchatka arc;
2. Koni-Taigonossky volcanic belt;
3. Two geosynclinal-folded systems - Hokkaido-Sakhalin and East Sakhalin;
4. Sea of ​​Okhotsk massif;
5. Deep-sea South Sea of ​​Okhotsk depression.

The Bering Sea megablock includes:

1. Southern part of the Koryak geosyncline-fold system;
2. Northern part of the Kuril-Kamchatka island arc;
3. Western part of the Aleutian-Alaska system.

Relief of the Far East

The predominance of mountainous relief is connected with the complex tectonic structure of the northern part of the Far East. The plains occupy a subordinate position and are located on the shores of sea bays protruding into the land or in intermountain depressions - the Anadyr lowland, the Penzhinskaya lowland, the Parapolsky Dol, the Central Kamchatka depression. Most of the northern mountain ranges of the Far East are anticlines or blocky horst massifs. Depressions are confined to synclinal troughs. The ridges of the Chukchi Highlands compose the rocks of the Verkhoyansk complex and belong to the Mesozoic folding.

Within the limits of the Okhotsk-Chukotka volcanogenic belt, the southern ridges of the Chukotka highlands, the Anadyr plateau, the western part of the Anadyr-Penzhinsky depression, and the ridges of the northern coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk were formed. They are composed of volcanogenic terrestrial formations of Upper Cretaceous, Paleogene and Quaternary age. The Cenozoic folded zone includes the eastern regions of the Far East - the Koryak Highlands, Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands. They are located in the zone of modern geosyncline and active volcanic activity. The highest mountains, whose height is $2,000-$3,000 m, are associated with this part of the territory. The highest point is the active volcano Klyuchevskaya Sopka - $4750$ m. Not only tectonic processes took part in the formation of the modern relief of the Far East. A large role is given to the intensive erosional activity of rivers, due to the humid climate, the proximity of sea coasts, and the density of erosional dissection.

The following took part in the formation of the relief:

1. Double Quaternary glaciation;
2. physical weathering;
3. Deluvial flush;
4. Permafrost relief formation, especially solifluction.

Remark 1

In general, for the Far East, the characteristic types of relief are low-mountain and mid-mountain massifs. Some of them are dissected by a network of deep valleys, others are massive with flat tops. The average heights vary from $500$-$600$ m to $1500$-$1700$ m. The highest ridges of the Chukotka, Koryak highlands and Kamchatka have a high-altitude, often alpine relief, which is characterized by various forms created by both modern and Quaternary glaciers. Lava plateaus play a significant role in the relief of the Far East.

Minerals of the Far East

The Russian Far East is rich in various minerals, in terms of the reserves of which it is the leader not only in Russia, but also in the world. Hydrocarbons, apatites, rare earth metals, rare metals, silver, polymetallic ores, manganese ores, titanomagnetite ores, copper and iron ores occur in the bowels of the region. It is planned to develop coal, bauxite, tin, the chemical characteristics of which correspond to world standards. In the Far East there are such deposits, the development of which does not require large expenditures, therefore, a long time for their development will not be required.

The mineral deposits of the Far East are not well studied and have a number of characteristic features:

1. There is no infrastructure necessary for development;
2. Terrain inaccessible for reconnaissance;
3. Transportation for ore processing is very expensive;
4. Insufficient depth to extract raw materials.

The East is not only one of the four cardinal directions. This is also the name of a large macro-region of the planet, which has a special culture and is opposed to the so-called Western world. It consists of three parts: Near, Middle and Far East. About the relief, climate, natural resources and cities of the last of these regions and will be discussed in our article.

Far East on the map

The Far East is most often called the eastern expanses of Russia, adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, which stretches from the Chukotka Peninsula in the north to Primorsky Krai in the south. The area of ​​the region is over 6 million square meters. km, which is approximately 36% of the total territory of the country.

In a broader interpretation, the Far East also covers the countries of East and Southeast Asia, including the islands of the Sunda Archipelago.

Administratively, the Far East of Russia coincides with the borders of the Far Eastern Federal District. It includes nine subjects of the federation (marks on the map correspond to the numbers from the list). This:

1. Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
2. The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).
3. Kamchatka Krai.
4. Magadan Region.
5. Khabarovsk region.
6. Amur region.
7. Primorsky Krai.
8. Jewish Autonomous Region.
9. Sakhalin region.

Far East time zones: UTC+9, UTC+10, UTC+11 and UTC+12. The time difference with Moscow in this region is 6, 7, 8 and 9 hours, respectively.

From north to south, the territory of the Far East stretches for 4500 kilometers, from west to east - for almost 3500 km. Thus, the southern extremities of the region are located at the latitudes of Sofia, Rome and Toulouse, while its northern outskirts are far beyond the Arctic Circle. Due to such a wide geographic location, climate, natural resources and relief of the Far East are exceptionally diverse.

Climate and inland waters

The climatic features of the region are particularly contrasting. So, in Chukotka, a “frosty” subarctic climate dominates, in Yakutia - sharply continental, but in Primorsky Krai - monsoon. In the Far North, winters are severe, with little snow and long (up to nine consecutive months). The complex and predominantly mountainous relief has a considerable influence on the formation of the region's climate.

In the cold season, most of the Far East experiences heavy precipitation (rain, snowfall, snowstorms). This is explained simply: in winter, cold air currents from the so-called Asian Low mix with warm air masses from the Pacific Ocean, forming a large number of cyclones. Especially heavy snowfalls fall on Kamchatka and Sakhalin. Sometimes the height of the snow cover here reaches 5-6 meters!

In summer, abundant monsoon rains occur in the southern and southeastern parts of the region, as a result of which the largest Far Eastern river, the Amur, very often overflows its banks, leading to catastrophic consequences. At the same time of the year, the Pacific coast often suffers from strong typhoons coming from the south.

The river network of the Far East is dense and well developed. The watercourses of the region are usually full-flowing and often overflow their banks during rains. The longest river in the Far East is the Lena. It begins on the slopes of the Baikal Ridge and flows into the Laptev Sea, forming a vast multi-branched delta.

There are also many lakes in the Far East. Most often they are located in lowlands, as well as in zones of active volcanism. The largest lake in the region is Khanka, located on the border of Primorsky Krai and the Chinese province of Heilongjiang.

The relief of the Far East: common features

The relief of the region is predominantly mountainous. Plains and lowlands occupy only about 25% of its territory. This is the land of volcanoes, earthquakes and seismically active zones. Another feature of the local relief is a rather complex coastline.

The following natural and geological factors had a considerable influence on the formation of the relief of the Far East in its current form:

• Quaternary glaciations (there were two of them).
• Active physical weathering of rocks.
• Permafrost processes (especially solifluction).

The local landscapes may seem unusual and even a little "unearthly". The mountains and highlands here are smooth, soft, without expressive ridges or canyons. However, the closer to the shore of the Ocean, the more often there are pointed rocks and steep cliffs. The plateau plains stretching along the river valley of the Amur and its largest tributaries are also typical for this area.

Mountains of the Far East

There are plenty of mountains in this region. But many of them are low or medium in their absolute height. The largest mountain systems of the Far East include:

• Sikhote-Alin.
• Suntar Khayat.
• Verkhoyansk chains.
• Dzhugdzhur.
• Chersky Ridge.
• Sredinny and Vostochny ranges of Kamchatka.

Sikhote-Alin is the largest mountainous country in the Far East. It stretches for almost 1200 km within the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories. The highest point of the massif is Mount Tordoki-Yani (2090 meters). The Sikhote-Alin mountain system is extremely heterogeneous. Its northern part is represented by gently rounded wooded peaks, while the southern part, on the contrary, is distinguished by a strongly dissected relief, with numerous gorges, rocky ledges and stone screes.

The Kamchatka Peninsula is rich in volcanoes, of which there are at least three hundred. The largest and most famous of them is Klyuchevskaya Sopka. This is the highest mountain in the Far East and the Asian part of Russia as a whole. Its absolute height is constantly changing: after the last eruption in 2013, it is 4835 meters above sea level. It is worth noting that the unique and incredibly beautiful volcanoes of Kamchatka are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Natural wealth of the region

The Far East is extremely rich in various natural resources(in particular, mineral resources), which enables the region to take far from the last place in the country's economy. What just does not lie in its depths! These are gold, nickel, tin, diamonds, manganese, polymetallic and manganese ores, oil, gas, hard and brown coal, phosphorites. True, due to the vast territory, harsh climatic conditions and low population of the region, all these resources are practically not developed.

Huge and diverse reserves of forest resources in the Far East. Their total volume is estimated by experts at about 11 billion cubic meters of wood. It is important to note that the forestry, fishing industry, as well as the extraction of non-ferrous metals account for over 50% of all marketable products in the region.

Population and cities of the Far East

The population of this region is extremely small. To realize how much, the following fact will help: almost twice as many people live in Moscow alone than in the entire Far East. While this region is larger than Western Europe. Today, about 6.3 million people live within its boundaries.

top five largest cities Far East includes:

• Khabarovsk.
• Vladivostok.
• Yakutsk.
• Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
• Blagoveshchensk.

Today, the Far East is the leader in Russia in terms of depopulation processes. And with the birth rate in the region, everything is in order. The main reason for the demographic decline is the colossal outflow of the population to other regions or countries. The forecasts of scientists in this regard are disappointing: by 2050 the population of the Far East may be reduced to 4 million people.

As a solution to the demographic problem in the region, experts propose a variety of measures: reducing prices for utilities, activating social and cultural life, etc. Among the most exotic options is a proposal to move the capital from Moscow to one of the Far Eastern cities.

The Far East is one of the largest economic and geographical regions of Russia. Includes Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, Amur, Kamchatka, Magadan and Sakhalin regions, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Area - 3.1 million sq. km 2. Population 4.3 million man (1959). The territory of the Far East stretches from north to south for more than 4.5 thousand km. km. It is washed by the Chukchi, Bering, Okhotsk, and Japanese seas. The Far East is predominantly a mountainous country; the plains occupy relatively small spaces, mainly along the valleys of large rivers (the Amur and its tributaries, the Anadyr, etc.). There are active volcanoes in Kamchatka.

A huge stretch (from the Arctic to the subtropics), a variety of climatic conditions, poor development of the territory and, along with this, the presence of natural resources leave an imprint on the economy of the region. The role of the Far East in the development of Russia's foreign trade is great. The closest trade ties are with China, Vietnam, and Japan. In foreign trade operations, the seaports of Vladivostok and Nakhodka are of particular importance.

Primorsky Krai is located in the southern part of the Far East and occupies an area of ​​165.9 thousand km 2 . It borders with the People's Republic of China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, in the north - with the Khabarovsk Territory, from the east it is washed by the waters of the Sea of ​​Japan. The composition of the region includes the islands: Russian, Slavic, Reineke, Putyatina, Askold, etc.

Most of the territory is occupied by mountains belonging to the Sikhote-Alin system (maximum height 1855 m. Cloudy). The most extensive lowlands are Ussuriyskaya and Prikhankayskaya. The climate is characterized by a pronounced monsoon character. Most of the rivers belong to the Amur basin;

Minerals: tin, polymetals, tungsten, gold, fluorites, coal, Construction Materials. The most famous deposits: tin - Kavalerovsky ore district; tungsten - Vostok-2; polymetals - Nikolaev; fluorites - Voznesenskoye, coal - Lipovedskoye, Rettikhovskoye, Pavlovskoye, Bikinskoye.

On the territory of Primorsky Krai there are 25 administrative districts, 11 cities, 45 urban-type settlements, 221 village councils. On 01.01.1992 The population in the region was 2309.2 thousand people. Human. Population density 13.9 people. for 1 km 2. 32% of workers and employees are employed in the region's industry, 8% in agriculture, 12% in transport, and 11% in construction.

The economic activity of the Primorsky Territory is focused on the development of oceanic industries: maritime transport, the fishing industry, ship repair, offshore construction, etc. They account for more than a third of the gross social product.

In the total marketable output of industry and agriculture of Primorsky Krai, industry accounts for 88%. The industries that determine the participation of Primorsky Krai in interregional exchange include: fish (31% of production), engineering and metalworking (25%), forestry and woodworking (4%) and mining and chemical industry (2%). Primorye provides the country with 15% of the catch of fish and seafood, the main part of boron products and fluorspar, a significant part of lead, tin, tungsten, but the development of the economy is hindered due to the deterioration of the fund (in industry - 42.8%, in construction - 43.0%) .

Primorsky Krai has a developed diversified agriculture. In agricultural production, the share of animal husbandry is 60%. In the total consumption of the region's population, local production of vegetables, milk and meat takes up to 60-65%; The population is fully provided with its own potatoes.

Primorye is the most developed region of the Far East in terms of transport. The territory of the region is crossed from north to south by the end section of the Trans-Siberian railway, which has several exits to the sea coast, where large transport hubs have been created (Vladivostok, Nakhodka, Vostochny Port, Posyet).

Economic relations of the region: fish and fish products, non-ferrous metals, and their concentrates, commercial timber, furs, soybeans, rice, honey, antlers are exported; Ferrous metals, machinery and equipment, oil products, food and light industry products, building materials are imported.

The Khabarovsk Territory borders on the Primorsky Territory, the Amur and Magadan regions. It is washed by the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Sea of ​​Japan.

The territory of the region is 824.6 thousand km 2 . Mountainous relief prevails here (over 70% of the territory), the main mountain ranges are: Sikhote-Alin, Turan ranges, M. Khingan, Bureinsky, Badzhalsky, Yam-Alin, Stanovoy, Coastal, Dzhugdzhur; the most extensive lowlands: Lower and Middle Amur, Evoron-Tugan (in the south), Okhotsk (in the north). The climate is monsoonal, with severe and little snowy winters and warm, humid summers.

The rivers of the territory of the region belong to the basins of the Pacific and Northern arctic oceans. The largest river of the region is Amur, other large rivers are Tumnin, Uda, Tugur, Amgun, Bureya, Bidzhan, Bira.

Minerals: tin, mercury, iron ore, hard and brown coal, graphite, brucite, manganese, feldspar, phosphorites, alunites, building materials, peat.

The Khabarovsk Territory includes 22 administrative districts, 9 cities, 44 urban-type settlements, 2528 rural councils. The region includes the Jewish Autonomous Region. On 01.01.1992 the population of the region amounted to 1855.4 thousand people. (in the Jewish Autonomous Region - 216 thousand people), including urban population- 78.4%. Population density - 2.3 people. for 1 km 2. The regional center is the city of Khabarovsk (601 thousand people). Largest cities regions: Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Birobidzhan, Amursk. Agriculture poorly developed.

The Khabarovsk Territory occupies key positions in the unified transport system Far East. The configuration of the region's transport network in the future will be determined by the transit railway lines - the Trans-Siberian and BAM. They are adjoined by railway lines: Izvestkovaya - Chegdomyn, Volochaevka - Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Komsomolsk-on-Amur - Sovetskaya Gavan. Developed maritime transport - Vanino. Widely used air Transport. The Okha-Komsomolsk-on-Amur oil pipeline is in operation.

Economic relations of the Khabarovsk Territory: products of mechanical engineering and metalworking (energy and foundry equipment, agricultural machinery), non-ferrous and ferrous metallurgy, forestry, woodworking and pulp and paper industries, chemistry, fish and fish products are exported; oil and oil products, ferrous metallurgy products, machinery and equipment, light industry products, fertilizers, food are imported.

Climate

The main features of the nature of the Soviet Far East are determined by its position on the eastern outskirts of Asia, which is subject to the direct influence of the Pacific Ocean and the seas related to it. The Far East is washed by the Chukchi, Bering, Okhotsk and Japanese seas, and in places and directly by the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Since their impact inland is rapidly weakening, the Far East occupies a relatively narrow strip of land, stretching from southwest to northeast for almost 4,500 km. In addition to the mainland, it includes Sakhalin Island, the Shantar Islands (in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk), the Kuril Island Arc, and the Karaginsky and Commander Islands located next to the Kamchatka Peninsula.

The climate of the Far East is distinguished by a special contrast - from sharply continental (the whole of Yakutia, the Kolyma regions of the Magadan region) to monsoonal (southeast), which is due to the vast extent of the territory from north to south (almost 3900 km.) And from west to east (to 2500-3000 km.). This is determined by the interaction of continental and sea air masses of temperate latitudes. In the northern part, the climate is exceptionally harsh. Winter with little snow, lasts up to 9 months. The southern part has a monsoon climate with cold winter and wet summers.

The most significant differences between the Far East and Siberia are associated with the predominance of a monsoon climate in the south and a monsoon-like and maritime climate in the north, which is the result of the interaction between the Pacific Ocean and the land of North Asia. The influence of the marginal seas of the Pacific Ocean, especially the cold Sea of ​​Okhotsk, is also noticeable. The complex, predominantly mountainous terrain has a great influence on the climate.

In winter, currents of cold air rush to the southeast from the powerful Asian High. In the northeast, along the outskirts of the Aleutian Low, the cold continental air of Eastern Siberia interacts with warm sea air. As a result, cyclones often occur, which are associated with a large amount of precipitation. There is a lot of snow in Kamchatka, blizzards are not uncommon. By east coast peninsulas, the height of the snow cover can sometimes reach 6 m. Snowfalls are also significant on Sakhalin.

In summer, air currents rush from the Pacific Ocean. Maritime air masses interact with continental air masses, as a result of which monsoon rains occur throughout the Far East in summer. The monsoon climate of the Far East covers the Amur Region and Primorsky Territory. As a result, the largest Far Eastern river, the Amur, and its tributaries flood not in the spring, but in the summer, which usually leads to catastrophic floods. Devastating typhoons often sweep over coastal areas, coming from the southern seas.

Under the influence of the coastal position, the maritime and monsoon climate, the boundaries of geographical zones on the plains of the Far East are strongly shifted to the south. Tundra landscapes are found here at 58-59°N. sh., i.e., much to the south than anywhere else on the mainland of Eurasia; forests reaching the extreme southern regions of the Far East and extending further, make up salient feature the entire margin of the continent in the middle latitudes, while the steppe and semi-desert landscapes, which are widespread at these latitudes in the more western interior parts of the continent, are absent here. A similar picture is typical for the eastern part of North America.

The complex relief, which is characterized by a combination of mountain ranges and intermountain plains, determines the landscape differentiation of the territory, the wide distribution of not only plain, forest and tundra, but especially mountain-forest, as well as bald landscapes.

In connection with the history of development and the position in the vicinity of floristically and zoogeographically diverse areas, the territory of the Far East is distinguished by a complex interweaving of landscape elements of various origins.

Relief

The relief of the Far East, like its nature, is distinguished by its diversity and unusual combinations. But its main feature is the menacing breath of the bowels. Mountains and depressions predominate, different in appearance, shape and origin. The extreme south is occupied by the asymmetric Sikhote-Alin (2077 m): in the east, its steep slopes come close to sea bays, and in the west, ridges and hills gradually decrease to 300-400 m, passing into the Amur valley.

Behind the narrow (at its narrowest point no more than 12 km) and shallow Tatar Strait, Sakhalin is visible from the shore in clear weather. Two mountain ranges - West and East Sakhalin - frame the central part of the island, occupied by the Tym-Poronai depression (lowering), named after the Tym and Poronai rivers. Sometimes catastrophic earthquakes occur here.

garland Kuril Islands form mountain peaks, the base of which is hidden at a depth of several kilometers (up to 8 or more). Most of these mountains are volcanoes, extinct and active. The highest ones (Alaid - 2339 m; Stokan - 1634 m; Tyatya - 1819 m) are located at the northern and southern ends of the giant arc. Over the past 10 million years, volcanic lava outpourings and major earthquakes have occurred from time to time. These phenomena are accompanied by the current mountain building.

The Kamchatka Peninsula (area - 370 thousand km2) is a vast territory with mountain ranges, coastal plains, and volcanic massifs. The highest of the volcanoes is Klyuchevskaya Sopka (4750 m), located in the Klyuchevskaya group of volcanoes. The relatively flat line of the flat western coast differs sharply from the eastern coast, indented with bays and bays, with its high cliffs. The median ridge (3621 m) stretches across the entire peninsula from the northeast to the southwest. Ancient crystalline rocks were completely covered by volcanic ones. As a result, plateaus, gently sloping hills and mountain ranges appeared. In places there are rounded depressions (calderas) of volcanoes. The Eastern Range (2300-2485 m) has a more dissected relief and reaches the shores of the Pacific Ocean with its spurs. The ridge is surrounded by volcanoes on all sides. In total, there are more than 160 volcanoes in Kamchatka; it is not without reason that it is called the "country of fire-breathing mountains".

To the east of the peninsula are the Commander Islands (Bering Island, Medny, etc.). The central parts of the islands are stepped plateaus facing the ocean with steep ledges.

Bibliography:

1. http://refoteka.ru/r-101023.html

2. http://www.referat.ru/referat/dalniy-vostok-5289

3. http://www.protown.ru/information/hide/4323.html

4. https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/

5. http://answer.mail.ru/question/90052414

http://refoteka.ru/r-101023.html

http://www.referat.ru/referat/dalniy-vostok-5289

http://www.protown.ru/information/hide/4323.html

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/

http://answer.mail.ru/question/90052414