Mountains of southern Siberia. Mountains of southern Siberia, general characteristics

General characteristics of Southern Siberia

The mountain belt of Southern Siberia is the largest mountainous country in Russia, covering an area of ​​more than $1.5 million sq. km. This is a deep area and elevated above the level of the World Ocean. The distribution of landscapes here has a well-defined altitudinal zonation. More than half of the area is occupied by typical mountain taiga landscapes. The relief is very rugged and the amplitudes of its heights lead to diversity and contrast natural conditions. Winters are quite severe, which is a condition for the spread of permafrost.

Thanks to the warm summer period the upper boundary of landscape zones occupies a high position. Steppes, for example, rise to a height of $1000$-$1500$ m, and forest zone has an upper limit of $2300$-$2450$ m. The nature of this physical-geographical country is also influenced by the adjacent territories. For example, the nature of the steppe landscapes of the Altai foothills is similar to the Western Siberian steppes, the forests of Northern Transbaikalia are almost no different from the South Yakut taiga, the steppe intermountain basins of Tuva and Eastern Transbaikalia are similar to the Mongolian steppes.

The mountains of Southern Siberia do not allow the penetration of air masses from the west and north into Central Asia and are an obstacle to the spread Siberian plants and animals to Mongolia and vice versa. This belt of mountains, starting from the 17th century, has always attracted the attention of Russian travelers. The first Russian cities were founded by pioneer Cossacks - Kuznetsky Ostrog, Krasnoyarsk, Nizhneudinsk, Barguzinsky Ostrog.

In the 18th century, the first non-ferrous metallurgy and mining enterprises appeared here - the Nerchinsk silver smelting plant and the Kolyvan copper smelting plant. The discovery of gold deposits in Altai, Salair, and Transbaikalia was great importance for the further development of the country. The Russian Academy of Sciences, the Geographical Society, and the Mining Department send their expeditions to this physical-geographical country, which include prominent scientists - P.A. Chikhachev, I.A. Lopatin, P.A. Kropotkin, I.D. Chersky, V.A. Obruchev et al.

Note 1

A great contribution to the study of the region was made by the work of Siberian scientific and production organizations. The materials collected over this long period of time provide sufficient full description features of the nature of the mountain belt of Southern Siberia. The study of the geological structure of the territory contributed to the discovery of large mineral deposits.

Physiographic location of Southern Siberia

The mountain belt of Southern Siberia is a continental territory, remote from the oceans. The mountains stretch from west to east for $4500$ km. They start from the plains Western Siberia and reach the ridges lying on the coast Pacific Ocean. To the north and east of Altai there are two ridges. In the first case, the Salair Ridge and Kuznetsk Alatau, in the second case, the Western Sayan and Tannu-Ola. Between the ridges is the Tuva Basin. Eastern Sayan is located perpendicular to Western Sayan. Between them and Kuznetsk Alatau The Minusinsk Basin is located. The Eastern Sayan gradually turns into the Khamar-Daban and Barguzinsky ranges - these are the Baikal ranges. To the east of Lake Baikal begins the Transbaikal Mountain country. It consists of low Yablonovy, Borschovochny, Olekminsky ridges and elevated plains - the Vitim Plateau.

The mountains of Southern Siberia are located between the Northern river basin Arctic Ocean, internal drainless region Central Asia and the Amur basin. The mountains have clear natural boundaries in the north and west, which separate them from neighboring physiographic countries. The southern limit is state border Russia with Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China. In the east from the confluence of the Shilka and Arguni, the border goes north, reaches the Stanovoy Range and goes to the upper reaches of the Zeya and Maya.

The mountains of Southern Siberia include:

1. Altai;
2. Western and Eastern Sayan;
3. Ranges of the Baikal region;
4. Highlands of Transbaikalia;
5. Stanovoy Ridge;
6. Aldan Highlands.

These ranges unite into two large mountainous countries, which formed within the geosynclinal zone. This gigantic zone is the result of interaction between Chinese and Siberian platforms.

The resulting countries have names:

1. Altai-Sayan mountainous country;
2. Baikal mountainous country;
3. Aldan-Stanovaya mountainous country.

The width of this mountainous country is from $200$ to $800$ km.

The geographical location of Southern Siberia influences the features of nature:

1. Altitudinal zonation is well expressed in the distribution of landscapes;
2. More than $60$% of the area is occupied by typical mountain-taiga landscapes;
3. The mountainous terrain is very rugged;
4. Natural conditions are varied and contrasting.

Relief of Southern Siberia

In terms of age, the relief of the mountain belt of Southern Siberia is relatively young, formed in Quaternary time. The result of its formation was the latest tectonic uplifts and erosional dissection.

The Altai-Sayan mountainous country includes:

1. Kuznetsk-Salair mountain region;
2. Altai Mountains;
3. Both Sayans;
4. Tuva mountain region.

The Baikal mountainous country includes:

1. Ranges of the Baikal region;
2. Ranges of Transbaikalia;
3. Baikal-Stanovaya mountain region.

Note 2

The highest mountain region in the mountain belt of Southern Siberia is Altai with the Belukha peak, whose height is $4506$ m. The Baikal mountainous country has lower altitudes and only within the Baikal-Stanovoy mountain region they become more than $3000$ m. In the structure of the mountains of Southern Siberia there is in orographic terms, symmetry, the center of which is the Baikal seam. The mountain ranges have a northwest direction to the west of this seam, and a northeast direction to the east of it. Large forms of relief in the mountain belt of Southern Siberia include mountain ranges, highlands, plateaus, intermountain basins - Kuznetsk, Minusinsk, Tuva, Tunkinsk, Baikal.

A feature of the mountains of Southern Siberia is the tiered relief:

Alpine highland terrain – highest tier. Its formation occurred in areas of significant Quaternary uplifts above $2500$ m.

This relief characterizes:

1. Great depth of dissection;
2. Significant height amplitude;
3. Predominance of narrow ridges with steep slopes;
4. Hard to reach peaks;
5. Distribution of modern glaciers.
6. Distribution of glacial landforms - troughs, sheep's foreheads, curly rocks, etc.

The alpine terrain, characterized by its harsh climate, accounts for $6$% of Russia's area. Nivation, frost weathering, and solifluction play a major role here.

Mid-mountain terrain. It is typical for Southern Siberia. Its formation is associated with the erosional dismemberment of ancient denudation surfaces raised by neotectonic movements. Characteristic of this relief are extensive flat interfluves and a dense network of deep river valleys.

Low mountainous terrain. It is typical for the outlying areas, where the elevation is the least. Low mountains have a height of $300$-$800$ m and form chains of hills.

Features characteristic of low-mountain terrain:

1. Small amplitude of the latest tectonic movements;
2. Low relative heights;
3. Gentle slopes;
4. Development of deluvial cloaks.

Low-mountain relief is clearly expressed in the intermountain depressions of Eastern Transbaikalia.

Ancient leveling surfaces. These are undulating or small hilly denudation plains, widely represented in Eastern Altai, Sayan, Northern Transbaikalia at an altitude of $1500$-$2600$ m. The relief was formed by denudation processes during the Mesozoic era and Paleogene. IN Cenozoic era these plains were raised by tectonic movements to different heights. IN central regions In the southern Siberian mountain belt, the amplitude of uplifts reached a maximum compared to the outskirts.

Intermontane basins. They are located at an altitude of $400$-$1300$ m. As a rule, they are limited by the steep slopes of neighboring ridges, and they are composed of Quaternary loose sediments carried down from neighboring ridges. Basins most often have a flat topography. Their relative height amplitudes are small.

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

This complex system of mountain ranges and massifs consists of the Altai, Western and Eastern Sayan, Tuva, Baikal and Transbaikalia mountains, the Stanovoy Range and the Aldan Highlands and stretches along the southern borders of Russia from the Irtysh to the Amur region for 4,500 km. You can select some characteristic features for this territory:

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

Relief of the mountains of Southern Siberia

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

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

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

Mineral deposits: ore, copper, coal

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

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

The relief of the mountain belt of Southern Siberia is very diverse. Nevertheless, the mountains also have a lot in common: their modern relief is relatively young and was formed as a result of recent tectonic movements. Sharp shapes high mountains Southern Siberia arose mainly in Quaternary time, after young tectonic uplifts. However, the top surface of many ridges and massifs is often flat and slightly rugged, which indicates a previously existing almost flat topography.

Most characteristic feature relief of the mountains of Southern Siberia - the distribution of its main types in the form of geomorphological belts, or tiers - is explained by their different modern hypsometric position.

Alpine high-mountain relief is formed in areas of particularly significant Quaternary uplifts - in the highest ridges of Altai, Southern Tuva, Sayan, Stanovoy Highlands and Barguzinsky ridges, rising above 2500 m. Areas of its distribution are distinguished by significant depth of dissection, large amplitude of heights, predominance of steeply sloped narrow ridges with numerous inaccessible peaks, and in some areas - a wide distribution of modern glaciers and snowfields. The processes of Quaternary and modern glacial erosion played a particularly significant role in the modeling of the alpine relief. Therefore, it is typical for numerous karins and cirques, the bottom of which is occupied by placers of rubble or karma lakes with clear cold water.

The rivers, starting from high mountain lakes, flow in wide trough-shaped valleys. At their bottom, numerous traces of the exaration and accumulative activity of glaciers have been preserved everywhere - ram's foreheads, curly rocks, crossbars, lateral and terminal moraines.

Areas of alpine relief occupy no more than 6% of the country's area and are characterized by harsh climatic conditions. In this regard, the processes of nivation, frost weathering and solifluction sliding of clastic material along slopes bound by permafrost play an important role in the transformation of the relief.

Mid-mountain relief is especially typical for Southern Siberia, occupying over 60% of the country's area. It was formed as a result of erosional dismemberment of ancient leveled surfaces and is located almost entirely in the mountain-taiga belt within altitudes from 800 to 2000-2200 m, forming the middle tier of the relief. Thanks to Quaternary uplifts and a dense network of deep river valleys, fluctuations in relative heights in mid-mountain massifs are quite significant - from 200-300 to 700-800 m, and the steepness of valley slopes is from 10-20 to 40-50°. Since medium-altitude mountains long time were an area of ​​intense erosion; the thickness of loose sediments here is usually small.

The main elements of the mid-mountain relief are flat interfluves and deeply incised steep river valleys. Most of the valleys are distinguished by their morphological youth: they have a V-shaped transverse profile with steep rocky slopes and a stepped longitudinal profile with numerous waterfalls and rapids in the riverbed.

In the interfluvial spaces, gently sloping forms with rounded outlines of peaks, covered with a cloak of eluvial and deluvial deposits, predominate. The amplitudes of relative heights here rarely exceed 200-300 m. The processes of ancient denudation played the most significant role in the formation of the relief of the interfluves; modern erosion in such areas is not very intense due to the small size of watercourses and remoteness from large rivers.

Low-mountain relief is developed in the least elevated marginal areas. Low-mountain areas are located at an altitude of 300-800 m and are formed by narrow ridges or chains of hills stretching from the mid-mountain massifs towards the foothill plain. The wide interridge depressions separating them are occupied by the valleys of small low-water rivers, beginning in the low-mountain zone, or by larger transit flows, originating in the interior regions of neighboring mountainous regions. Low-mountain relief is characterized by a small amplitude of recent tectonic movements, insignificant relative heights (100-300 m), gentle slopes, and the widespread development of deluvial raincoats, sometimes burying the lower parts of the slopes.

Areas of low-mountain relief are also found at the foot of mid-mountain ridges along the outskirts of some intermountain basins (Chuyskaya, Kuraiskaya, Tuva, Minusinskaya), at an altitude of 800-1000 m, and sometimes even 2000 m. Low-mountain relief is especially typical for the intermountain depressions of Eastern Transbaikalia, where the relative altitude the remnant hills are from 25 to 300 m high, and they are often literally buried in the thickness of colluvial rubble and loam carried down from the peaks.

In the regions of Eastern Altai, Sayan and Northern Transbaikalia, poorly dissected by modern erosion, ancient planation surfaces are widespread. Most often they are located at an altitude of 1500 to 2500-2600 m, but in the peripheral regions of the country they are found on the tops of massifs that do not rise above 1000-1200 m.

The leveling surfaces are undulating or shallow denudation plains covered with large-block placers of bedrock fragments. Above their surface in some places rise low (up to 100-200 m) dome-shaped hills, composed of the most hard rocks; Between the hills there are wide, gently sloping hollows, sometimes swampy. In some places (for example, on the Chulyshman Highland) there are areas with superimposed accumulative glacial relief.

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

Intermountain basins are important element relief of the mountains of Southern Siberia and are often of considerable size. They are usually limited by the steep slopes of neighboring ridges and are composed of loose Quaternary sediments (glacial, fluvioglacial, proluvial, alluvial). Most of the intermountain basins are located at an altitude of 400-500 to 1200-1300 m, and only the Chui “steppe” in Altai (up to 70-80 km in length and 35-40 km in width) lies at an altitude of 1750-2000 m. Formation of the modern relief of the basins associated mainly with the processes of accumulation of loose sediments, which were carried here from neighboring ridges. Therefore, the topography of their bottom is most often flat with small amplitudes of relative heights; Terraces are developed in the valleys of slow-flowing rivers, and in the outlying areas adjacent to the mountains there are sheets of deluvial-proluvial material.

The mountain system of Southern Siberia includes:

Altai Mountains
- Salair
- Kuznetsk Alatau

Mountains of Tuva
- Mountains of the Baikal region
- Mountains of Transbaikalia
- Aldan Highlands
- Stanovoy Ridge

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

This complex system of mountain ranges and massifs consists of the Altai, Western and Eastern Sayan, Tuva, Baikal and Transbaikalia mountains, the Stanovoy Range and the Aldan Highlands and stretches along the southern borders of Russia from the Irtysh to the Amur region for 4,500 km. Several characteristic features can be identified for this territory:
1. dominance of medium-high and high folded-block mountains, which are separated by large and small basins;
2. year-round action of continental air masses;
3. altitudinal zonation (mountain-taiga forests and mountain tundra on the slopes of ridges are combined with forest-steppe and steppe areas in intermountain basins).

Relief of the mountains of Southern Siberia

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

The relief of the mountains of Southern Siberia is characterized by contrast and a large amplitude of relative heights. The Main Region is dominated by strongly dissected mid-mountain ridges with heights from 800 to 2000 m. On the slopes of high alpine ridges with narrow ridges and peaks up to 3000-4000 m there are glaciers and eternal snow. The Altai Mountains are the highest, where the highest point in all of Siberia is located - Mount Belukha (4506 m).
In the past, mountain building was accompanied by earthquakes, faults of the earth's crust and the introduction of intrusions with the formation of various ore deposits of minerals; in some areas these processes are still ongoing. This mountain belt belongs to the seismic regions of Russia; the strength of individual earthquakes can reach 5-7 points.

Mineral deposits: ore, copper, coal

Large deposits of iron ores were formed here in Mountain Shoria and Khakassia, polymetallic ores in the Salair Ridge and Altai, copper (Udokan deposit) and gold in Transbaikalia, tin (Sherlovaya Mountain in the Chita region), aluminum ores, mercury, molybdenum and tungsten. This region is also rich in reserves of mica, graphite, asbestos and building materials.
Large intermountain basins (Kuznetsk, Minusinsk, Tuva, etc.) are composed of loose clastic deposits carried down from the ridges, which are associated with a thick thickness of hard and brown coals. In terms of reserves, the Kuznetsk basin ranks third in the country, second only to the Tunguska and Lena basins. More than half of Russia's total industrial reserves of coking coal are concentrated in the basin. In terms of accessibility for industrial development (advantageous geographical location, many seams lie close to the surface, etc.) and high quality of coal, this basin has no equal in Russia. A number of brown coal deposits have been discovered in the basins of Transbaikalia (Gusinoozersk, Chernovskie mines).

The entire mountain system of Southern Siberia is located in the interior of the continent, so its climate is continental. Continentality increases to the east, as well as along the southern slopes of the mountains. Heavy rainfall occurs on the windward slopes. There are especially many of them on the western slopes of Altai (about 2000 mm per year). Therefore, its peaks are covered with snow and glaciers, the largest in Siberia. On the eastern slopes of the mountains, as well as in the mountains of Transbaikalia, the amount of precipitation decreases to 300-500 mm per year. There is even less precipitation in the intermountain basins.

In winter, almost all the mountains of Southern Siberia are under the influence of the Asian maximum atmospheric pressure. The weather is cloudless, sunny, with low temperatures. It is especially cold in intermountain basins, in which heavy air flowing from the mountains stagnates. The temperature in winter in the basins drops to -50...-60°C. Against this background, Altai especially stands out. Cyclones often penetrate here from the west, accompanied by significant cloudiness and snowfall. Clouds protect the surface from cooling. As a result, Altai winters differ from other areas of Siberia in their great softness and abundance of precipitation. Summer in most of the mountains is short and cool. However, in the basins it is usually dry and hot with an average July temperature of +20°C.

In general, the mountains of Southern Siberia are an accumulator within the arid continental plains of Eurasia. Therefore, the largest rivers of Siberia - the Irtysh, Biya and Katun - the sources of the Ob; originate in them; Yenisei, Lena, Vitim, Shilka and Argun are the sources of the Amur.
The rivers flowing from the mountains are rich in hydropower. Mountain rivers fill lakes located in deep basins with water, and above all the largest and most beautiful lakes in Siberia - Baikal and Teletskoye.

54 rivers flow into Baikal, and one river flows out - the Angara. Its deepest lake basin in the world contains gigantic reserves of fresh water. The volume of its waters is equal to the entire Baltic Sea and accounts for 20% of the world's and 80% of the internal volumes of fresh water. The water of Lake Baikal is very clean and transparent. It can be used for drinking without any cleaning or treatment. The lake is home to about 800 species of animals and plants, including such valuable commercial fish as omul and grayling. Seals also live in Baikal. Currently, a number of large industrial enterprises and cities have been built on the banks of Lake Baikal and the rivers flowing into it. As a result, the unique qualities of its waters began to deteriorate. In accordance with government decisions, a number of measures are being taken to protect nature in the lake basin to maintain the cleanliness of the reservoir.

Differences in temperatures and the degree of moisture on mountain slopes are directly reflected in the nature of the soil and vegetation cover of the mountains, in the manifestation of altitudinal zonation. Steppes rise along the slopes of Altai to a height of 500 m in the north and 1500 m in the south. In the past, feather grass and mixed-grass steppes were also located along the bottom of intermountain basins. Nowadays, the fertile black soils of the steppe basins are almost completely plowed. Above the steppe belt, on the damp western slopes of Altai, there are spruce-fir forests with an admixture of cedar. In the drier Sayan Mountains, the Baikal Mountains and Transbaikalia, pine-larch forests dominate. Mountain taiga permafrost soils formed under the forests. The upper part of the forest belt is occupied by dwarf cedar. In Transbaikalia and the Aldan Highlands, the forest zone almost entirely consists of shrub thickets of dwarf cedar. Above the forests in Altai there are subalpine and alpine meadows. In the Sayan Mountains, on the Baikal and Aldan highlands, where it is much colder, the upper sections of the mountains are occupied by mountain tundra with dwarf birch.

Altai Mountains, Gorny Altai:

Location: Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China
Age: 400-300 million years.

Salair:

Location: Russia
Age: 400-300 million years.

Kuznetsk Alatau:

Location: Russia
Age: 400-300 million years.

Location: Russia, Mongolia
Age: 1000-450 million years.

Mountains of Tuva:

Location: Russia
Age: 1200-550 million years.

Mountains of the Baikal region:

Location: Russia
Age: 1200-550 million years.

Mountains of Transbaikalia:

Location: Russia, Mongolia, China
Age: 1600-1000 million years.

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

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

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

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

Tectonic and geological structure of the region, relief and minerals

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

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

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

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

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

Climate and inland waters of the region

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

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

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

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

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

Soils, flora and fauna of the region

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

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