Northeastern Siberia. Features of the relief of northeastern Siberia Iron and copper ores
General characteristics of North-Eastern Siberia
To the east of the lower reaches of the Lena lies a vast territory, bounded in the east by the mountain ranges of the Pacific watershed. This physical and geographical country was named North-Eastern Siberia. Including the islands of the Arctic Ocean, North-Eastern Siberia covers an area of more than $1.5 million sq. km. Within its borders is the eastern part of Yakutia and the western part of the Magadan region. North-Eastern Siberia is located in high latitudes and is washed by the waters of the Arctic Ocean and its seas.
Cape Svyatoi Nos is the northernmost point. The southern regions are in the Mai River basin. Almost half of the country's territory is located north of the Arctic Circle, which is characterized by a diverse and contrasting relief. There are mountain ranges, plateaus, flat lowlands along the valleys of large rivers. Northeastern Siberia belongs to the Verkhoyansk-Chukotka Mesozoic folding, when the main folding processes took place. The modern relief was formed as a result of the latest tectonic movements.
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The climatic conditions of North-Eastern Siberia are severe, January frosts reach -$60$, -$68$ degrees. Summer temperature +$30$, +$36$ degrees. The temperature amplitude in some places is $100$-$105$ degrees, there is little precipitation, about $100$-$150$ mm. Permafrost fetters the soil to a depth of several hundred meters. On the flat territories, the distribution of soils and vegetation cover is well expressed in zonality - on the islands, the zone of arctic deserts, continental tundra and monotonous swampy larch woodlands. Altitudinal zonality is characteristic of mountainous regions.
Remark 1
Explorers I. Rebrov, I. Erastov, M. Stadukhin delivered the first information about the nature of North-Eastern Siberia. It was the middle of the $XVII$ century. The northern islands were studied by A.A. Bunge and E.V. Toll, but the information was far from complete. Only in the $30$ years of the expedition of S.V. Obruchev changed the ideas about the features of this physical and geographical country.
Despite the variety of relief, North-Eastern Siberia is mainly a mountainous country, lowlands occupy $20% of the area. The mountain systems of the outlying ranges of the Verkhoyansk, Chersky, Kolyma Uplands are located here. In the south of North-Eastern Siberia there are the highest mountains, the average height of which reaches $1500$-$2000$ m. whose height is $3147$ m.
Geological structure of the North-East of Siberia
In the Paleozoic era and at the beginning of the Mesozoic era, the territory of North-Eastern Siberia belonged to the Verkhoyansk-Chukotka geosynclinal marine basin. The main evidence of this is the thick Paleozoic-Mesozoic deposits, reaching $20$-$22 thousand meters in places, and strong tectonic movements, which created folded structures in the second half of the Mesozoic. The most ancient structural elements include the median massifs Kolyma and Omolon. A younger age - Upper Jurassic in the west, and Cretaceous in the east - have other tectonic elements.
These elements include:
- Verkhoyansk folded zone and Sette - Dabansky atiklinorium;
- Yanskaya and Indigirsko-Kolyma synclinal zones;
- Tas-Khayakhtakhsky and Momsky anticlinoria.
By the end of the Cretaceous, northeastern Siberia was a territory elevated above neighboring regions. The warm climate of that time, and the denudation processes of mountain ranges leveled the relief and formed flat surfaces of leveling. The modern mountain relief was formed under the influence of tectonic uplifts in the Neogene and Quaternary period. The amplitude of these uplifts reached $1000$-$2000m. Cenozoic subsidences are occupied by lowlands and intermountain basins with strata of loose deposits.
Approximately from the middle of the Quaternary period, glaciation began, on mountain ranges that continued to rise, large valley glaciers appeared. The glaciation had an embryonic character, according to D.M. Kolosov, on the plains, firn fields formed here. The formation of permafrost begins in the second half of the Quaternary in the archipelago of the New Siberian Islands and in the coastal lowlands. The thickness of permafrost and ground ice reaches $50$-$60$ m in the cliffs of the Arctic Ocean.
Remark 2
The glaciation of the plains of northeastern Siberia was thus passive. A significant part of the glaciers were slow-moving formations that carried little loose material. The exaration impact of these glaciers had little effect on the relief.
Mountain-valley glaciation is better expressed, on the outskirts of mountain ranges there are well-preserved forms of glacial exaration - cirques, trough valleys. Valley Middle Quaternary glaciers reached a length of $200$-$300$ km. The mountains of North-Eastern Siberia, according to most experts, experienced three independent glaciations in the Middle Quaternary and Upper Quaternary.
These include:
- Tobychanskoe glaciation;
- Elga glaciation;
- Bokhapcha glaciation.
The first glaciation led to the appearance of Siberian conifers, including Dahurian larch. During the second interglacial epoch, mountain taiga prevailed. It is typical for the southern regions of Yakutia at the present time. The last glaciation had almost no effect on the species composition of modern vegetation. The northern limit of the forest at that time, according to A.P. Vaskovsky, was noticeably shifted to the south.
The relief of the North-East of Siberia
The relief of North-Eastern Siberia forms several well-defined geomorphological tiers. Each stage is associated with a hypsometric position, which was determined by the nature and intensity of the latest tectonic movements. The position at high latitudes and the sharp continentality of the climate cause different altitudinal limits of the distribution of the corresponding types of mountainous relief. In its formation, the processes of nivation, solifluction, and frost weathering are of greater importance.
Within North-Eastern Siberia, in accordance with morphogenetic features, the following are distinguished:
- Accumulative plains;
- Erosion-denudation plains;
- Plateau;
- low mountains;
- Mid-mountain and low-mountain alpine relief.
Separate areas of tectonic subsidence occupy accumulative plains, characterized by a slightly rugged relief and small fluctuations in relative height. Such forms are spreading, which owe their formation to permafrost processes, large ice content of loose deposits and thick underground ice.
Among them are:
- Thermokarst basins;
- Permafrost heaving mounds;
- Frost cracks and polygons;
- High ice cliffs on the sea coasts.
The accumulative plains include the Yano-Indigirskaya, Sredne-Indigirskaya, and Kolyma lowlands.
At the foot of a number of ridges - Anyuisky, Momsky, Kharaulakhsky, Kulara - formed erosion-denudation plains. The surface of the plains has a height of no more than $200$ m, but can reach $400$-$500$ m near the slopes of a number of ridges. Loose deposits here are thin and they are composed mainly of bedrock of different ages. As a result, gravel placers, narrow valleys with rocky slopes, low hills, spots-medallions, and solifluction terraces can be found here.
Between the Verkhoyansky ridge and the Chersky ridge there is a pronounced plateau terrain- Yanskoye, Elginskoye, Oymyakonskoye, Nerskoye plateaus. Most of the plateaus are composed of Mesozoic deposits. Their modern height is from $400$ to $1300$ m.
Those areas that were subjected to uplifts of moderate amplitude in the Quaternary are occupied low mountains, with a height of $300$-$500$ m. They occupy a marginal position and are dissected by a dense network of deep river valleys. Typical landforms for them are an abundance of stony placers and rocky peaks.
Middle mountain relief is mainly characteristic of most of the massifs of the Verkhoyansk Range system. Yudomo-May Highland, Chersky Ridge, Tas-Khayakhtakh, Momsky. In the Kolyma Highlands and the Anyui Range, there are also mid-mountain massifs. Their height is from $800$-$2200$ m. The mid-mountain massifs of North-Eastern Siberia are located in the mountain tundra, above the upper limit of woody vegetation.
High Alpine relief. These are the ridges of the highest mountain ranges - Suntar-Khayata, Ulakhan-Chistai, Tas-Khayakhtakh, etc. They are associated with the areas of the most intense uplifts of the Quaternary period. The height is more than $2000$-$2200$ m. The activity of Quaternary and modern glaciers plays a significant role in the formation of the Alpine relief, therefore, large amplitudes of heights, deep dissection, narrow rocky ridges, cirques, cirques and other glacial landforms will be characteristic.
It occupies an area of about 7 million square kilometers. Eastern Siberia is called the area located east of, to the mountains that form the watershed between and. It occupies the largest area. In the north and east there are two lowlands: North Siberian and Central Yakut. In the south and west there are mountains (, Yenisei Ridge). The length of this region from north to south is about 3 thousand kilometers. In the south there is a border with and, and the northernmost point is Cape Chelyuskin.
During the Mesozoic period, most of Central Siberia experienced uplift. It is no coincidence that the highest point of the Central Siberian Plateau is located in this area - (its height is 1700 meters above sea level). In the Cenozoic, surface uplift continued. At the same time, a river network was being created on the surface. In addition to the Putorana plateau, the Byrranga, Anabar and Yenisei massifs rose most intensively. Subsequently, active tectonic processes that took place in this territory led to a change in the river system. Traces of river systems that existed in ancient times have survived to our time. At the same time, river terraces and deep river valleys of the central part of Siberia were formed.
Cape Chelyuskin
The vast majority of river valleys in Central Siberia are canyon-like and asymmetrical. Their characteristic feature is also a large number of terraces (six to nine), which indicates repeated tectonic uplifts of the territory. The height of some terraces reaches 180-250 m. On and in the North Siberian lowland, the river valleys are younger, and the number of terraces is somewhat less. Even the largest rivers have here three or four terraces.
Four relief groups can be distinguished on the territory of the Central Siberian Plateau:
- plateaus, ridgesplateaus, ridges, and mid-mountain massifs on ledges of the crystalline basement
- bedded uplands and plateaus on sedimentary Paleozoic rocks;
- plateau
- and reservoir-accumulative
Most of the tectonic processes that took place in antiquity and in modern times, on the territory Eastern Siberia matched in direction. However, this did not happen throughout the entire territory of the Central Siberian Plateau. As a result of these discrepancies, depressions similar to the Tunguska were formed. There is no permafrost (the Lena-Angara and Lena-Aldan plateaus). But the main small relief forms on the territory of the Central Siberian plateau are still erosive and cryogenic.
Due to the strongest monsoons, sharply continental, characteristic of Eastern Siberia, here you can find a large number of stony placers and screes in mountain ranges, on the slopes of river valleys and on plateau surfaces.
Questions and tasks
1. Compare the relief of Eastern and Western Siberia.
The modern relief of Western Siberia is due to geological development, tectonic structure and the influence of various exogenous relief-forming processes. The main orographic elements are closely dependent on the structural-tectonic plan of the plate, although the prolonged Meso-Cenozoic subsidence and the accumulation of a thick layer of loose deposits largely leveled the unevenness of the basement. The low amplitude of geotectonic movements is due to the low hypsometric position of the plain. The maximum amplitudes of uplifts reach 100–150 m in the peripheral parts of the plain, and in the center and in the north they are replaced by subsidence up to 100–150 m. However, a number of lowlands and uplands stand out within the plain, commensurate in area with the lowlands and uplands of the Russian Plain.
Western Siberia has the form of a stepped amphitheater, open to the north, to the coast of the Kara Sea. Three high-altitude levels are clearly traced within its limits. Almost half of the territory has a height of less than 100 m. The second hypsometric level is located at heights of 100–150 m, the third is mainly in the range of 150–200 m with small areas up to 250–300 m.
The highest level is confined to the marginal parts of the plain, to the Outer Tectonic Belt. It is represented by the North Sosva, Upper Taz and Lower Yenisei uplands, the Ob plateau, the Turin, Ishim, Kulunda, Ket-Tym plains.
Eastern Siberia is located on the ancient Siberian platform. And most of the territory of the region is occupied by the Central Siberian Plateau, elevated above sea level from 500 to 1700 m. The foundation of this platform is the oldest crystalline rocks, whose age reaches 4 million years. The next layer is sedimentary. It alternates with igneous rocks formed as a result of volcanic eruptions. Therefore, the relief of Eastern Siberia is folded, stepped. It contains many mountain ranges, plateaus, terraces, deep river valleys.
2. Explain the climatic features of Eastern Siberia.
The formation of the climate in Eastern Siberia is affected by its territorial location and relief features. Far from the Atlantic Ocean, Eastern Siberia is characterized by pronounced continental climate features. This is manifested in exceptionally large seasonal differences in air temperature, low cloud cover, and low precipitation in the flat area. In winter, the weather in Eastern Siberia is formed under the influence of a vast area of high pressure - the Asian anticyclone. However, the position of the center of the anticyclone, the pressure in it, and the area of distribution change significantly during the cold period. This determines the variability of circulation, which is also associated with daily fluctuations in air temperature, which is especially typical for the southwest of Yakutia. Although cyclonic activity is weakened in winter, it significantly affects the weather: air masses change, precipitation falls, and snow cover forms. Continental air prevails here, which cools in the surface layer, and in December - February in the lower layers it becomes colder than the Arctic. The average air temperature in January in the vast expanse of Eastern Siberia varies from -26 in the southwest to -38, -42 ° in the Central Lowland. In valleys and hollows, the air temperature can drop to -60°C. However, against the background of a very low average monthly temperature, with the removal of warmer continental air from Central Asia, China, relative warming is observed in the Baikal and Transbaikal regions, accompanied by an increase in temperature to –15° and above. With a long-term removal of relatively warm air masses, the daytime air temperature in Eastern Siberia can be above 0°. Summer in Eastern Siberia is warm: up to 30 - 40% of solar heat is spent on air heating, and up to 50% in the south of Transbaikalia and the east of the Central Yakutsk lowland. Therefore, despite the inflow of cold air from the Arctic seas, from the north of Western Siberia and from the Sea of Okhotsk, the average temperatures in July vary across the territory from north to south from 14 to 18°. The highest temperatures in these areas occur during the removal of continental air from China and Mongolia (35 - 38 °). In summer, the frequency of cyclones over Eastern Siberia is greater than in winter. They mainly come from the west, southwest and northwest. In the second half of summer, there are outlets of southern cyclones, which are associated with significant precipitation. The relief and features of atmospheric circulation distribute precipitation over the territory. The annual amount of precipitation varies within 130 - 1000 mm, and there is no well-pronounced, as in the European territory of Russia and Western Siberia, a gradual decrease in precipitation to the south. The combination of heat and moisture contributes to the growth of forests in most of Eastern Siberia. However, the complex relief of this region violates the natural zonality.
3. Select from the text the features of the lake-river network of Eastern Siberia. What is their significance for the economic development of the region?
The basis of the river network is formed by the Yenisei and Lena, which are among the greatest rivers in the world. Both of them begin in the mountains of Southern Siberia and flow north almost in a meridional direction.
Both the Yenisei and the Lena are striking in their size and abundance of water; each of them collects water from a pool of more than 2 million square meters. km and has a length of more than 4 thousand km; annually in the seas of the Arctic Ocean they take out over 1100 cubic meters. km of fresh, relatively warm water.
The interfluves of these rivers are drained by a dense network of their tributaries. The upper reaches of many large tributaries are often located close to each other, and this feature of the river network has long been used by the Russian population of Siberia.
There are a huge number of lakes in Eastern Siberia. The main one is the Baikal. This is the deepest lake in the world - 1637 m. It contains the world's largest supply of fresh water (1/5).
Oz. Taimyr is located in the center of the Taimyr Peninsula, beyond the Arctic Circle, at the foot of the Byrranga plateau. This is the northernmost of the large lakes of the USSR. The area of its water surface is 4650 km2. The lake is shallow. Its average depth is 2.8 m, the maximum is 26 m. The river flows into the lake. Upper Taimyr, and the river flows out. Lower Taimyr, which flows into the Taimyr Bay of the Kara Sea. The average monthly surface water temperature in July is 5-7°C. The lake is ice-free for about 3 months.
It should be noted that some lakes of alas-like depressions are significantly saline. The primary mineralization of these lakes, apparently, is associated with minerals contained in buried ice. Other lakes in the region In the north-west of the region, in the lower reaches of the Yenisei, the Khantai group of lakes of glacial origin stands out. The largest of this group is the shallow lake. Pyasino with an area of about 850 km2. Lakes Lama, Glubokoe, Khantaiskoe, Vivi, and others also belong to this group. An exceptional abundance of lakes is characteristic of the region of the Kolyma and Alazeya lowlands. In the Vitim basin there are groups of Eravna and Arakhlei lakes. A significant number of lakes are located in the Baikal region and in Transbaikalia, as well as in the upper part of the Yenisei basin, in the so-called Minusinsk basin.
4. Name the features of the natural zones of Eastern Siberia, using the text of the paragraph and the maps of the atlas.
The northern plains and mountainous areas are dominated by tundra and forest-tundra, and in the Far North, on the ocean coast of Taimyr and on the Arctic islands (Severnaya Zemlya), arctic deserts dominate.
Most of Eastern Siberia is covered with light coniferous larch forests, the border of which in the north goes quite far - up to 70 s. sh. In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, larch forests occupy half of the entire taiga.
In the Angara basin, large areas are also occupied by pine forests, and in the Western Baikal region - by dark coniferous spruce-cedar forests. Only in the southern regions of the region in the basins (Minusinsk, Kuznetsk) there are areas of steppes and forest-steppes. The area has huge reserves of wood raw materials. The total timber stock is almost 40% of the all-Russian fund. However, the main tracts of forests are located in the poorly developed territory, where logging is almost not carried out.
An important wealth of the region is fur-bearing animals: sable, squirrel and arctic fox, the main object of hunting for the indigenous population of this region. Agricultural land is concentrated mainly in the southern part of the region, in the steppe and forest-steppe areas and along the banks of rivers in the taiga zone. Severe climatic conditions and the inaccessibility of many areas, a sparse population, despite the innumerable natural resources, are a deterrent to the economic development of Eastern Siberia.
General characteristics of North-Eastern Siberia
To the east of the lower reaches of the Lena lies a vast territory, bounded in the east by the mountain ranges of the Pacific watershed. This physical and geographical country was named North-Eastern Siberia. Including the islands of the Arctic Ocean, North-Eastern Siberia covers an area of more than $1.5 million sq. km. Within its borders is the eastern part of Yakutia and the western part of the Magadan region. North-Eastern Siberia is located in high latitudes and is washed by the waters of the Arctic Ocean and its seas.
Cape Svyatoi Nos is the northernmost point. The southern regions are in the Mai River basin. Almost half of the country's territory is located north of the Arctic Circle, which is characterized by a diverse and contrasting relief. There are mountain ranges, plateaus, flat lowlands along the valleys of large rivers. Northeastern Siberia belongs to the Verkhoyansk-Chukotka Mesozoic folding, when the main folding processes took place. The modern relief was formed as a result of the latest tectonic movements.
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The climatic conditions of North-Eastern Siberia are severe, January frosts reach -$60$, -$68$ degrees. Summer temperature +$30$, +$36$ degrees. The temperature amplitude in some places is $100$-$105$ degrees, there is little precipitation, about $100$-$150$ mm. Permafrost fetters the soil to a depth of several hundred meters. On the flat territories, the distribution of soils and vegetation cover is well expressed in zonality - on the islands, the zone of arctic deserts, continental tundra and monotonous swampy larch woodlands. Altitudinal zonality is characteristic of mountainous regions.
Remark 1
Explorers I. Rebrov, I. Erastov, M. Stadukhin delivered the first information about the nature of North-Eastern Siberia. It was the middle of the $XVII$ century. The northern islands were studied by A.A. Bunge and E.V. Toll, but the information was far from complete. Only in the $30$ years of the expedition of S.V. Obruchev changed the ideas about the features of this physical and geographical country.
Despite the variety of relief, North-Eastern Siberia is mainly a mountainous country, lowlands occupy $20% of the area. The mountain systems of the outlying ranges of the Verkhoyansk, Chersky, Kolyma Uplands are located here. In the south of North-Eastern Siberia there are the highest mountains, the average height of which reaches $1500$-$2000$ m. whose height is $3147$ m.
Geological structure of the North-East of Siberia
In the Paleozoic era and at the beginning of the Mesozoic era, the territory of North-Eastern Siberia belonged to the Verkhoyansk-Chukotka geosynclinal marine basin. The main evidence of this is the thick Paleozoic-Mesozoic deposits, reaching $20$-$22 thousand meters in places, and strong tectonic movements, which created folded structures in the second half of the Mesozoic. The most ancient structural elements include the median massifs Kolyma and Omolon. A younger age - Upper Jurassic in the west, and Cretaceous in the east - have other tectonic elements.
These elements include:
- Verkhoyansk folded zone and Sette - Dabansky atiklinorium;
- Yanskaya and Indigirsko-Kolyma synclinal zones;
- Tas-Khayakhtakhsky and Momsky anticlinoria.
By the end of the Cretaceous, northeastern Siberia was a territory elevated above neighboring regions. The warm climate of that time, and the denudation processes of mountain ranges leveled the relief and formed flat surfaces of leveling. The modern mountain relief was formed under the influence of tectonic uplifts in the Neogene and Quaternary period. The amplitude of these uplifts reached $1000$-$2000m. Cenozoic subsidences are occupied by lowlands and intermountain basins with strata of loose deposits.
Approximately from the middle of the Quaternary period, glaciation began, on mountain ranges that continued to rise, large valley glaciers appeared. The glaciation had an embryonic character, according to D.M. Kolosov, on the plains, firn fields formed here. The formation of permafrost begins in the second half of the Quaternary in the archipelago of the New Siberian Islands and in the coastal lowlands. The thickness of permafrost and ground ice reaches $50$-$60$ m in the cliffs of the Arctic Ocean.
Remark 2
The glaciation of the plains of northeastern Siberia was thus passive. A significant part of the glaciers were slow-moving formations that carried little loose material. The exaration impact of these glaciers had little effect on the relief.
Mountain-valley glaciation is better expressed, on the outskirts of mountain ranges there are well-preserved forms of glacial exaration - cirques, trough valleys. Valley Middle Quaternary glaciers reached a length of $200$-$300$ km. The mountains of North-Eastern Siberia, according to most experts, experienced three independent glaciations in the Middle Quaternary and Upper Quaternary.
These include:
- Tobychanskoe glaciation;
- Elga glaciation;
- Bokhapcha glaciation.
The first glaciation led to the appearance of Siberian conifers, including Dahurian larch. During the second interglacial epoch, mountain taiga prevailed. It is typical for the southern regions of Yakutia at the present time. The last glaciation had almost no effect on the species composition of modern vegetation. The northern limit of the forest at that time, according to A.P. Vaskovsky, was noticeably shifted to the south.
The relief of the North-East of Siberia
The relief of North-Eastern Siberia forms several well-defined geomorphological tiers. Each stage is associated with a hypsometric position, which was determined by the nature and intensity of the latest tectonic movements. The position at high latitudes and the sharp continentality of the climate cause different altitudinal limits of the distribution of the corresponding types of mountainous relief. In its formation, the processes of nivation, solifluction, and frost weathering are of greater importance.
Within North-Eastern Siberia, in accordance with morphogenetic features, the following are distinguished:
- Accumulative plains;
- Erosion-denudation plains;
- Plateau;
- low mountains;
- Mid-mountain and low-mountain alpine relief.
Separate areas of tectonic subsidence occupy accumulative plains, characterized by a slightly rugged relief and small fluctuations in relative height. Such forms are spreading, which owe their formation to permafrost processes, large ice content of loose deposits and thick underground ice.
Among them are:
- Thermokarst basins;
- Permafrost heaving mounds;
- Frost cracks and polygons;
- High ice cliffs on the sea coasts.
The accumulative plains include the Yano-Indigirskaya, Sredne-Indigirskaya, and Kolyma lowlands.
At the foot of a number of ridges - Anyuisky, Momsky, Kharaulakhsky, Kulara - formed erosion-denudation plains. The surface of the plains has a height of no more than $200$ m, but can reach $400$-$500$ m near the slopes of a number of ridges. Loose deposits here are thin and they are composed mainly of bedrock of different ages. As a result, gravel placers, narrow valleys with rocky slopes, low hills, spots-medallions, and solifluction terraces can be found here.
Between the Verkhoyansky ridge and the Chersky ridge there is a pronounced plateau terrain- Yanskoye, Elginskoye, Oymyakonskoye, Nerskoye plateaus. Most of the plateaus are composed of Mesozoic deposits. Their modern height is from $400$ to $1300$ m.
Those areas that were subjected to uplifts of moderate amplitude in the Quaternary are occupied low mountains, with a height of $300$-$500$ m. They occupy a marginal position and are dissected by a dense network of deep river valleys. Typical landforms for them are an abundance of stony placers and rocky peaks.
Middle mountain relief is mainly characteristic of most of the massifs of the Verkhoyansk Range system. Yudomo-May Highland, Chersky Ridge, Tas-Khayakhtakh, Momsky. In the Kolyma Highlands and the Anyui Range, there are also mid-mountain massifs. Their height is from $800$-$2200$ m. The mid-mountain massifs of North-Eastern Siberia are located in the mountain tundra, above the upper limit of woody vegetation.
High Alpine relief. These are the ridges of the highest mountain ranges - Suntar-Khayata, Ulakhan-Chistai, Tas-Khayakhtakh, etc. They are associated with the areas of the most intense uplifts of the Quaternary period. The height is more than $2000$-$2200$ m. The activity of Quaternary and modern glaciers plays a significant role in the formation of the Alpine relief, therefore, large amplitudes of heights, deep dissection, narrow rocky ridges, cirques, cirques and other glacial landforms will be characteristic.
Eastern Siberia is part of the Asian territory of the Russian Federation. It is located from the borders of the Pacific Ocean to the Yenisei River. This zone is characterized by an extremely harsh climate and limited fauna and flora.
Geographic Description
Eastern and occupy almost two-thirds of the territory of Russia. They are located on the plateau. The eastern zone covers an area of about 7.2 million square meters. km. Its possessions extend up to the Sayan mountain ranges. Most of the territory is represented by the tundra lowland. The mountains of Transbaikalia play a significant role in the formation of the relief.
Despite the harsh climatic conditions, there are quite a lot of large cities in Eastern Siberia. The most attractive from an economic point of view are Norilsk, Irkutsk, Chita, Achinsk, Yakutsk, Ulan-Ude, and others. Within the zone are the Zabaikalsky and Krasnoyarsk Territories, the republics of Yakutia, Buryatia, Tuva and other administrative regions.
The main type of vegetation is the taiga. It will be washed from Mongolia to the borders of the forest-tundra. Occupies over 5 million sq. km. Most of the taiga is represented by coniferous forests, which make up 70% of the local vegetation. Soils develop unevenly relative to natural zones. In the taiga zone, the soil is favorable, stable, in the tundra - rocky, frozen.
Within the interfluve and lowlands, insignificant swamps are observed. However, they are much less than in the same Western Siberia. But in the eastern region, arctic deserts and deciduous plantations are often found.
Terrain characteristics
Eastern Siberia of Russia is located at a high level above the sea. All the fault of the plateau, which is located in the middle part of the zone. Here the height of the platform varies from 500 to 700 meters above sea level. The relative averageness of the region is noted. The highest points are the interfluve of the Lena and the Vilyui plateau - up to 1700 meters.
The base of the Siberian platform is represented by a crystalline folded basement, on which there are huge sedimentary layers up to 12 kilometers thick. The north of the zone is determined by the Aldan shield and the Anabar massif. The average thickness of the soil is about 30 kilometers.
To date, the Siberian platform contains several main types of rocks. These are marble, and schist, and charnockite, etc. The oldest deposits date back to 4 billion years. Igneous rocks were formed as a result of eruptions. Most of these deposits are located in and also in the Tunguska depression.
The modern relief is a combination of lowlands and uplands. Rivers flow in the valleys, swamps form, coniferous trees grow better on the hills.
Features of the water area
It is generally accepted that the Far East faces the Arctic Ocean with its "facade". The eastern region borders on such seas as the Kara, Siberian and Laptev. Of the largest lakes, it is worth highlighting Baikal, Lama, Taimyr, Pyasino and Khantayskoye.
Rivers flow in deep valleys. The most significant of them are the Yenisei, Vilyui, Lena, Angara, Selenga, Kolyma, Olekma, Indigirka, Aldan, Lower Tunguska, Vitim, Yana and Khatanga. The total length of the rivers is about 1 million km. Most of the inland basin of the region belongs to the Arctic Ocean. Other external water areas include such rivers as Ingoda, Argun, Shilka and Onon.
The main source of nutrition for the inner basin of Eastern Siberia is the snow cover, which melts in large volumes under the influence of sunlight from the beginning of summer. The next most important role in the formation of the continental water area is played by rains and groundwater. The highest level of the basin's runoff is observed in the summer.
The largest and most important river in the region is the Kolyma. Its water area occupies more than 640 thousand square meters. km. The length is about 2.1 thousand km. The river originates in the Upper Kolyma Highlands. Water consumption exceeds 120 cubic meters per year. km.
Eastern Siberia: climate
The formation of meteorological features of the region is determined by its territorial location. The climate of Eastern Siberia can be briefly described as continental, consistently severe. There are significant seasonal fluctuations in cloudiness, temperature, and precipitation levels. The Asian anticyclone forms vast areas of high pressure in the region, especially this phenomenon occurs in winter. On the other hand, severe frost makes air circulation changeable. Because of this, temperature fluctuations at different times of the day are more significant than in the west.
The climate of North-Eastern Siberia is represented by changeable air masses. It is characterized by increased precipitation and dense snow cover. This area is dominated by continental flows, which are rapidly cooling in the ground layer. That is why in January the temperature drops to a minimum. Arctic winds prevail at this time of the year. Often in winter, you can observe air temperatures down to -60 degrees. Basically, such minima are inherent in depressions and valleys. On the plateau, the indicators do not drop below -38 degrees.
Warming is observed with the arrival of air flows from China and Central Asia to the region.
winter time
No wonder it is believed that Eastern Siberia has the heaviest and most severe. The table of temperature indicators in winter is proof of this (see below). These indicators are presented as average values for the last 5 years.
Due to the increased dryness of the air, the constancy of the weather and the abundance of sunny days, such low rates are easier to tolerate than in a humid climate. One of the defining meteorological characteristics of winter in Eastern Siberia is the absence of wind. Most of the season there is a moderate calm, so there are practically no blizzards and snowstorms here.
Interestingly, in the middle part of Russia, a frost of -15 degrees is felt much stronger than in Siberia -35 C. Nevertheless, such low temperatures significantly worsen the living conditions and activities of local residents. All living quarters have thickened walls. Expensive fuel boilers are used to heat buildings. The weather begins to improve only with the onset of March.
warm seasons
In fact, spring in this region is short, as it comes late. The eastern one, which changes only with the arrival of warm Asian air currents, begins to wake up only by mid-April. It is then that the stability of positive temperatures during the daytime is noted. Warming comes in March, but it is insignificant. By the end of April, the weather begins to change for the better. In May, the snow cover completely melts, the vegetation blooms.
In summer, the weather becomes relatively hot in the south of the region. This is especially true for the steppe zone of Tuva, Khakassia and Transbaikalia. In July, the temperature here rises to +25 degrees. The highest rates are observed on flat terrain. It is still cool in the valleys and highlands. If we take the whole of Eastern Siberia, then the average summer temperature here is from +12 to +18 degrees.
Climate features in autumn
Already at the end of August, the first frosts begin to envelop the Far East. They are observed mainly in the northern part of the region at night. During the day the bright sun shines, it rains with sleet, sometimes the wind intensifies. It is worth noting that the transition to winter is much faster than from spring to summer. In the taiga, this period takes about 50 days, and in the steppe area - up to 2.5 months. All these are characteristic features that distinguish Eastern Siberia from other northern zones.
The climate in autumn is also represented by an abundance of rains coming from the west. Moist Pacific winds blow most often from the east.
Precipitation level
Relief is responsible for atmospheric circulation in Eastern Siberia. Both the pressure and the speed of air mass flows depend on it. About 700 mm of precipitation falls annually in the region. The maximum indicator for the reporting period is 1000 mm, the minimum is 130 mm. The level of precipitation is not clearly defined.
On the plateau in the middle lane, it rains more often. Due to this, the amount of precipitation sometimes exceeds the mark of 1000 mm. The most arid region is Yakutsk. Here the amount of precipitation varies within 200 mm. The least rain falls between February and March - up to 20 mm. The western regions of Transbaikalia are considered the optimal zones for vegetation with respect to precipitation.
Permafrost
Today there is no place in the world that could compete in terms of continentality and meteorological anomalies with a region called Eastern Siberia. The climate in some areas is striking in its severity. In the immediate vicinity of the Arctic Circle lies the permafrost zone.
This area is characterized by low snow cover and low temperatures throughout the year. Because of this, mountain weather and the ground lose a huge amount of heat, freezing to whole meters in depth. The soils here are mostly stony. Groundwater is underdeveloped and often freezes for decades.
Vegetation of the region
The nature of Eastern Siberia is mostly represented by taiga. Such vegetation extends for hundreds of kilometers from the Lena River to the Kolyma. In the south, the taiga borders on the local possessions are untouched by man. However, due to the arid climate, the threat of large-scale fires always hangs over them. In winter, the temperature in the taiga drops to -40 degrees, but in summer the figures often rise to +20. Rainfall is moderate.
Also, the nature of Eastern Siberia is represented by the tundra zone. This zone is adjacent to the Arctic Ocean. The soils here are bare, the temperature is low, and the humidity is excessive. Flowers such as cotton grass, gravel, poppy, saxifrage grow in mountainous areas. From the trees of the region, one can distinguish spruces, willows, poplars, birches, pines.
Animal world
Almost all regions of Eastern Siberia are not rich in fauna. The reasons for this are permafrost, lack of food and underdevelopment of deciduous flora.
The largest animals are the brown bear, lynx, elk and wolverine. Sometimes you can meet foxes, ferrets, stoats, badgers and weasels. Musk deer, sable, deer and bighorn sheep live in the central strip.
Due to the eternally frozen soil, only a few species of rodents are found here: squirrels, chipmunks, flying squirrels, beavers, marmots, etc. But the feathered world is extremely diverse: capercaillie, crossbill, hazel grouse, goose, crow, woodpecker, duck, nutcracker, sandpiper, etc. .