One of the largest mountain systems in the continent, which stretches for 4,500 kilometers, the total area of more than half a million square kilometers - the mountains of Southern Siberia.Hidden in the depths of Asia, starting with the west and the plains stretching to the Pacific Ocean, these chains form the watershed between the great Siberian rivers flowing into the Arctic Ocean, and no less famous reservoirs of the Far East, gives its waters Pacific.Belt Mountains of southern Siberia has a considerable height above sea level and clearly broken the landscaped area.More than 60% takes mountain taiga.The surface topography of the entire length of extremely rugged, with large amplitudes of heights, and this is caused by a wide variety of terrain and contrasts climatic conditions.
Geology
Mountains of southern Siberia were formed not at once.First tectonic uplift occurred in the Baikal region and in the Eastern Sayan Mountains, talking about it Precambrian and Lower Paleozoic rocks.It was formed in the Paleozoic Altai, West Sayan and Salairsky range.After all, already in the Mesozoic, rose Eastern Trans-Baikal.Mountain building continues to this day, what they say and annual earthquake shifts Earth's crust in the form of slow subsidence or uplift.Mountains of southern Siberia and formed under the influence of Quaternary glaciation.Glaciers covered with a thick layer of not only all the arrays, but also far out on the plains of the south-west.It dismembered ridges and glaciers formed the rock niche, due to what became narrow ridges and steep slopes - steep ravine - deep.
climate and terrain types
On the entire length of the mountain area of southern Siberia have negative average annual temperatures, ie long winter with very large frost.On the western slopes of the summer rain, snow powerful - up to three meters.For this reason, the mountains of Southern Siberia in those areas covered by crude taiga (fir, cedar), there are many wonderful meadows and marshes.On the eastern slopes and in the hollows of precipitation is considerably less hot summers and very dry, often steppe landscapes.Of all the mountain ranges of South Siberia for the snow line rises only in the Altai, in the Eastern Sayan Mountains and Stanovoi Highlands - only there are glaciers.Especially a lot of them in the Altai - 900 square kilometers of glaciers.
birthplace of the great rivers
It was there that originate all the great Siberian river Ob, Irtysh, Yenisey, Lena, Amur.They initially flow in the narrow picturesque valleys between steep inaccessible cliffs.The course is incredibly fast - channel biases reach several tens of meters per kilometer of traffic.At the bottom of almost all the rivers have left traces in the form of glaciers curly rocks, "mutton foreheads", crossbars and moraines.Mountains of southern Siberia, which studied the map, even in school, formed in their basins and circuses lakes of exceptional beauty.They are many, and some other more beautiful.For example, cascading Multinskiye Altai, there Teletskoe - a local gem and amazing Aya.Grand and beautifully purest lake in the world - Lake Baikal.Beautiful Markakol Ulug-Khol, Todzha.
