The absolute height of the Scandinavian mountains. Scandinavian mountains - an extensive network of mountain ranges and numerous full-flowing rivers

Scandinavian Mountains, Scandinavian Highlands - a mountain system located in Norway (western part and northern tip) and Sweden (eastern part). highest heights are located on Norwegian territory in the southern third of the highlands: the city of Galdhøpiggen (2469 m) on the Yutunheimen plateau; the neighboring peak on the same plateau is approximately the same height, the elevation mark is 2405 m to the south-west, and 2340 m to the south.

The highest peaks of the Scandinavian mountains of the Swedish part of the highlands are located much to the north (Kebnekaise, 2123 m; Sarek, 2090 m).

Most of the highlands belong to the Caledonian folding area and are formed by Late Proterozoic igneous and sedimentary-metamorphic rocks, Paleozoic (mainly Cambrian, Ordovician and Silurian) volcanogenic and sedimentary strata (of the latter - slates, sandstones, limestones, etc.). Abundant intrusions.

The tectonic structure of the Scandinavian mountains is characterized by complex folding and cover structures, which are directed towards the bounding highlands with southeast Baltic crystalline shield. Its raised edge is involved in the structure of the Scandinavian mountains in the south and east. Mountain uplifts arose in the Devonian. After that, they were leveled, but in the Neogene and Quaternary period they began to slowly rise again. The uplift was accompanied by faults in the earth's crust. Faulting dislocations play an important role in the formation of the upland relief.

In the Quaternary period, the highlands served as the center of the continental glaciation of Europe. The thickness of the glacier in some places exceeded 1500 m. Its exaration activity led to the processing of elevated peneplainized surfaces - fjelds (fjellis). These surfaces are sometimes crowned with groups of pointed peaks - nunataks. It was believed that all nunataks rose above the ice sheet, but it was found that in some cases they were covered with ice and not everywhere they are true nunataks. Glacial exaration also owes the appearance of smoothed rocky hills - sheep's foreheads and numerous hollows with lakes and swamps. Continental glaciation, when reduced, passed on both slopes of the highlands into valley glaciation, fed by the remaining ice sheets of watershed surfaces.

A sharp contrast to the fjelds of the watershed part of the highlands is the strongly dissected West Coast. There are numerous trough valleys developed by glaciers, which descended from the drive-separated surfaces towards the coast. They pass into the upper reaches of narrow sea bays - fjords - with high and steep rocky shores. Their directions and outlines are predetermined by tectonic faults. These are also trough valleys processed by glaciers, which are flooded (in the lower parts) by sea waters.

Fluvioglacial and alluvial terraces are observed in the main valleys, tied to the levels of marine terraces. In areas of limestone distribution, various karst phenomena are found. The leading role in modern relief formation belongs to erosion, and in the upper tier of the Scandinavian mountains - the activity of snow (including avalanches) and ice.

The eastern slope of the highlands is more flatter than the western one. Glaciers also descended along it from the watershed fields, which developed numerous trough valleys and hollows occupied by lakes, which are elongated in the direction of ice movement to the east-southeast and southeast. Tectonic ledge facing the Baltic crystalline shield and Baltic Sea, the highlands are separated here from the Norland Plateau, which occupies the elevated margin of this shield (up to 800 m abs. alt.). Its step is inclined to the east-southeast, it is a denudation plain with lakes, moraine hills and remnants of solid crystalline rocks - monadnoks processed by the mainland glacier.

In the north, the Scandinavian mountains pass into the low (300-500 m) hilly Finnmarken plateau with individual peaks exceeding 1000 m (Chuokkarassa, 1139 m).

The western and eastern slopes of the uplands are sharply different in terms of climate. The climate of the Norwegian coastal slopes is humid maritime, very mild, with abnormally warm winters due to warm air brought by cyclones from the ocean and the warming influence of the North Atlantic Current.

In the north, along the outer banks Lofoten Islands, in January, the temperature anomaly compared to the average latitude temperature is +24° and is the largest in the world. The climate of the eastern slopes of the highlands is less humid and more continental, with significant contrasts between summer and winter.

Due to the large meridional extent of the Scandinavian Mountains, significant differences are created between south and north. Naturally, there is a great difference in the climate of the coast and the eastern foot of the mountains, on the one hand, and the strip of severe highlands, on the other.

The average January temperature on the Atlantic coast is from +2° in the south to -4° in the north, in July - respectively from 14 to 8° - summer, therefore, is cool.

In the upper Scandinavian mountain range average temperature in January it drops to 16°, in July - to +8, +6°. Abundant precipitation (over 1000 mm, in the upper tier of mountains up to 4000 mm/year and more) in more fall out in the autumn-winter half-year and in a smaller one - in the spring-summer. On the eastern slope of the highlands precipitation is less than 1000 mm/year, in the rain shadow area behind the highest elevations of the Norwegian part of the mountains - less than 500 mm/year, in the north, in Finnmark - 300-800 mm.

The humid maritime climate and the ruggedness of the surface of the Scandinavian Highlands determine the considerable density of the river network. Rivers for the most part short, but relatively high-water, with rapids and waterfalls. Their food is rain and snow, partly glacial. There are numerous lakes, the basins of which are predominantly of tectonic-glacial origin.

About 3060 sq. km of the surface of the highlands is covered with ice sheets, as well as mountain-valley glaciers. There are hanging, cirque and transitional glaciers. Ice sheets and ice caps cover high mountain plateaus - fields. Such glaciers in our country are referred to as the Scandinavian type, while Norwegian authors call this type "Norwegian". In terms of the area of ​​modern glaciation, the Scandinavian mountains are in first place among the mountains of mainland Europe. Permafrost, even in the north, in Lapland and Finnmark, is rare, apparently only in some swamps.

Despite the favorable climate, the flora and fauna of the Scandinavian Highlands, as well as the entire Scandinavian Peninsula, are poor in species. This is due to the fact that during the last glaciation (about 25 thousand years ago) almost their entire area was covered with ice. Plant and animal organisms relatively recently populated the territory freed from ice and, moreover, found here homogeneous large areas edaphic conditions.

On the slopes of the Scandinavian mountains absolute altitude 1000-1100 m in the south and 300-600 m in the north there is a mountain forest high-altitude zone. In the south, it includes belts with massifs of broad-leaved (beech, oak) and mixed forests on burozems and soddy-podzolic soils (common up to a height of 300-400 m). These forests include areas of northern European deciduous and mixed forests.

In the south above mixed are located coniferous forests on mountain-podzolic soils, to the north starting from sea level and from the eastern foot of the Scandinavian mountains. These forests are combined with the boreal coniferous region. They are dominated by spruce and pine, an admixture of birch and aspen is common. Although in coastal areas with a maritime (oceanic) climate, woody vegetation, as a rule, does not penetrate far to the north; in Scandinavia, a positive winter temperature anomaly and the sufficiency of summer heat allow pine forests spread above 70 ° N. sh. In the north, pine is mixed with birch, and in places, on sandy-pebble terraces, pure pine forests grow.

In the polar coastal areas of the Scandinavian mountains, conifers are disappearing, but the hardy mountain birch reaches tree size in the northernmost valleys. She dresses the slopes of the fjords in the Narvik region and to the north, thanks to which northern fjords have a friendly, rather than stern appearance in summer. To the south of this birch, light forests and crooked forests are formed at the upper border of the forest (on dwarf dry peat podzols), occupying 150-200 m vertically. On the western slopes of the uplands, due to high moisture content, the forest alternates with massifs of heaths and peat bogs or is replaced by them.

Above the forest line, there are Scandinavian mountain tundras with moss-lichen and herbaceous-shrub vegetation (with bushes of willow, dwarf birch, crowberry) and meadows used as summer pastures. Above them are bare rocks, devoid of higher vegetation, and further glaciers.

In the Subarctic and Arctic ( north coast) areas, even with a small amount of summer precipitation, long-melting snows provide plants with moisture, but the growing season is short. Low-growing shrubs dominate there, mainly dwarf birch, as well as meadow and moss-lichen tundra and forest-tundra (with rare birch undergrowth) vegetation.

Elk, wolf, fox, lynx, hare, etc. live in the forests of the Scandinavian mountains, in the south - red deer, roe deer. Lemmings and arctic foxes are typical for the tundra; reindeer graze on the Finnmarken plateau and south of it and in the mountain tundra. The spectrum of altitudinal zonality of the landscapes of the Scandinavian mountains includes, first of all, the mountain-forest zone with belts of broad-leaved and mixed (only in the south), coniferous, birch forests and birch crooked forests. Higher are the zones of mountain meadow-tundra (with belts of shrub tundra and rocky meadow-tundra) and meadows; then rocky, nival-glacial.

Ores of iron, copper, zinc, lead, titanium, molybdenum, niobium, and pyrite are mined in the Scandinavian mountains. There are large reserves of hydropower, which operate numerous, mostly small, hydroelectric power stations, especially in the south of Norway. Forest resources are utilized in the woodworking and pulp and paper industries.

The area of ​​arable land relative to the entire area of ​​the mountains is negligible, but mountain meadows are used as pastures, and mountain tundras are used as reindeer pastures. The population is dominated by Norwegians and Swedes, from the national minorities in the north live the Sami (Lappers) and Kvens (Norwegian Finns). The population density is extremely low.

The Scandinavian mountains are classified as low and are located on the territory of Sweden and Norway. With an area of ​​1700 by 1300 kilometers they are the largest mountain range in Northern Europe.

West Side The mountain range consists of hundreds of sheer cliffs that break into the calm waters of the North Sea. This part of the Scandinavian Mountains is known mainly due to the most beautiful fjords, millions of aesthetes and lovers come to admire the beauties of which every year. active rest. In this part of the highlands is Mount Galhepiggen, which, with a height of 2469 meters, is the highest point in Scandinavia. The exact coordinates of Gal'khepiggen are 61°38?00? northern latitude, 8°18?00? east longitude. The eastern branch of the Scandinavian Mountains, localized on the territory of Sweden, includes low mountain peaks, smoothly turning into the Norland plateau. Here, the Swedish pride of Kebnekaise (2111 m.)

It is believed that the Scandinavian mountains formed 520-480 million years ago. This happened as a result of the collision of the two most ancient continents Gondwana and Laurasia. Modern look Mountain chain acquired as a result of the movement of Europe's largest glacier, which formed hundreds of fjords and vast horseshoe-shaped valleys.

To preserve the untouched landscapes in Swedish Lapland, the Sarek nature reserve was established in 1909. protected area included about 100 peaks, the height of which ranges from 1800 to 2000 meters, several glaciers, as well as countless waterfalls, fast mountain rivers and picturesque gorges.

Up to a mark of 1000 meters, the slopes of the Scandinavian mountains are covered with taiga pine and spruce forests, and in the south - mixed and broad-leaved forests. The temperate climate in the southern part of the chain is replaced by a subarctic climate in the north. Roe deer, reindeer, foxes, hares, elk, hazel grouse, capercaillie, black grouse live in the mountains, and the mountain slopes are also actively used by local residents for grazing domestic animals. Fishing is established in coastal areas, oil production and mining are developed. The valleys of the Scandinavian mountains included dozens of modern ski resorts. In 1994, the resort of Lillehammer hosted the Winter Olympic Games.

Video: In the mountains of Norway - the highest peak in Scandinavia - Mount Galdhopiggen - 2469 m.

Northern Europe, with a total length of 1700 km and a width of 1300 km, is called the Scandinavian Mountains. West Side mountain slopes approaches forming sheer and steep coasts, peninsulas, capes, islands. The steepness and inaccessibility of the mountains are proved by 178 tunnels laid on the section of the Oslo-Bergen railway (Norway).

The eastern part gradually declines and passes into the Norland Plateau. The Scandinavian mountains are highlands, which consist of separate elongated ridges, plateaus, and intramountain depressions. In many places there are leveled surfaces, cut by deep fjords and valleys. The modern relief was formed due to water erosion, the activity of ice, wind and snow.

The mountain range forms numerous fjords, which were formed under the influence of the movement of glaciers. This sea ​​bays, deeply cutting into the territory of the land, with high rocky shores. As a rule, the depth of the Scandinavian fjords reaches one kilometer.

It is believed that the Scandinavian mountains are low. The maximum peak - Mount Galhepiggen with a height of 2469 m - is located on the southern slope of the mountain system, on the highest point in Sweden - Mount Kebnekaise (2111 m) - is located in the northern part of the peninsula. mountain system Scandinavia is covered with glaciers, which are considered the largest in the European part. The climate in these parts is temperate, only in the strip extreme north- subarctic.

On the territory of Sweden, in the Scandinavian mountains (in Lapland), there is a large national reserve"Sarek". It was founded in 1909 and covers an area of ​​194,000 hectares. On this area there are over 90 mountain peaks with a height of 1800 meters. Among them mountain rivers, waterfalls, gorges and 100 glaciers.

The Scandinavian mountains are penetrated by a dense river network, which is formed by the predominance of a wet and intense dissection of the mountain range. Rivers, as a rule, are short and full-flowing, full of waterfalls and countless rapids. Their maximum filling begins in the spring, mainly from melting snow and heavy rains, less often from glaciers. Due to the high speed of the current, ice does not form on the rivers in winter. These mountains in Europe have a large number of lakes of tectonic-glacial origin.

Where the height of the mountains reaches 1000 meters in the southern part and up to 500 meters in the northern part, the slopes are covered with coniferous taiga forests. The forest massif of the western slopes alternates with shrub vegetation and peat bogs. In these parts, pines and spruces predominate. Beyond these heights, a belt of birch sparse forests extends to a height of 200 m, which is replaced by a zone of mountain tundra. locals in the summer they use this area for grazing livestock.

In the eastern part of the mountains, broad-leaved trees predominate, and the fauna of the Scandinavian mountains is represented by hares, foxes, elk, squirrels, roe deer, and seals. Among the birds in the forests there are hazel grouse, black grouse, capercaillie, sea ​​coast and lakes - waterfowl. in sea and river waters there are many commercial fish.

The Scandinavian mountains are rich in deposits of ores of pyrites, copper, iron, lead and titanium. In the North Sea, in the shelf part, there are oil reserves.

Which are considered the most ancient in all the globe. Occupying an area of ​​up to 804 thousand square meters. km, these mountains represent the largest mountain range in northern Europe. These mountains are about 300 million years old and presumably in their place was originally the Cambrian-Silurian Sea. Also in old times these mountains were more similar to the current Alps. The tops of the mountains were sharper, and the border was more distinct. It could happen that over the next million years the mountain range gradually leveled off and disappeared altogether. But in the first years of the Tertiary period, about 50 million years ago, the relief of the Scandinavian mountains, as they are called, began to change due to the lowering of the North Atlantic region and the rise of the leveled earth's surface hundreds of meters in height. And during the first ice age, the modern geological period - the Quaternary, which began about 1.5 million years ago, the topography of the area was created, which we can observe today. As then, so now high peaks mountain range subjected to constant destruction due to iodine erosion. In addition, the destructive effect on the mountains had climatic conditions and windy air currents. The Scandinavian mountains are classified as low, rocky and harsh. Today, the Scandinavian Mountains are not a continuous mountain range, but an uncountable number of plateaus that are raised relative to sea level by no more than 1000 meters. They are located on the territory of such states as Norway and Sweden.

Glacier Jostedalsbreen

Nowadays, there are still Scandinavian Peninsula extensive large glaciers. And these are the largest glaciers on the European mainland. An example is the Jostedalsbreen glacier, which is located on the Norwegian western side of the Scandinavian mountains. Its area is about 480 square meters. km., and the thickness of the ice reaches 580 m. The highest point is Mount Lodarskapa. It stretches up to 2082 meters. The narrow tongues of the Jostedalsbreen ice cap cover the territory of a number of neighboring regions. In 1991, this largest land glacier received the status - "". Now a lot of tourists and lovers come here thrill. Many of them not only admire the picturesque landscapes of mountains, valleys, rivers and waterfalls, but also personally ascend to the tops of the mountains.
During the summer months, the ice cover is covered from above with a thin layer of water, as the glacier melts, making it difficult to walk on it without special accessories. The melting ice forms of the glacier surface look delightful and bizarre. And with careful listening, you can hear the menacing sounds of ice fragments falling into deep cracks, the convergence of avalanches and the movement of ice. And yet, despite the menacing sounds of nature, huge icefalls look great, which slide into the valleys formed by them. These icefalls are constantly melting and, flowing down, form lakes that turn into turbulent streams of mountain rivers.

Fjords of Scandinavia

The mountain ranges of the Scandinavian Mountains on the western side are sheer cliffs that are washed by the waters of the North and Norwegian Seas. In addition, due to tectonic faults and ancient glaciation, this part of the mountains is strongly dissected by river valleys. And between the sea and the steep western slopes is a thin strip of strandflat. The landscape of these mountains has been created and modified since ice age. The shell of ice, up to about 2 km thick, which about ten thousand years ago covered the entire area of ​​Scandinavia, began to move and its actions resembled the actions of a bulldozer knife that rakes countless layers of sand, loam, rubble and boulders. Thus, there was a release from gravel, which led to a softening of the contours of the relief in some places, and in others they were outlined more clearly. The ground sagged under the weight of thick ice, especially in coastal areas. Thus, narrow and deep bays with steep banks and salty water were formed. sea ​​water called fjords. Many fjords have stratified water, because in addition to sea ​​water they get drunk and fresh water from a melting glacier. The Norwegian fjords are characterized by steep, rising 700-900 meters of coast, streams of glaciers descending along the gorges, which have greenish caps of spruce forests, which are located on the flat tops of the mountains.

Sognefjord

Unlike rivers that originate on land, flow through canyons and rush to the sea, fjords are filled with water in the reverse order - from the sea to the land of the peninsula along winding, rocky gorges. Let's get acquainted with the deepest and longest fjord in the world - the Norwegian Sognefjord. It stretched deep into the peninsula and cut through almost half of the country for about 210 km. Its width is from 3 to 6 km. and a maximum depth of up to 1300 m. Many fjords can still be listed and described, but we will focus on only two: Hardanger Fjord and Nerøy Fjord.
The Hardangerfjord is the third longest fjord in the world and the second longest fjord in Norway. It stretches inland for 171 km. and has maximum depth- 890 meters. Surrounded by many amazing waterfalls And Rocky Mountains, whose height reaches 1.5 km. It is also one of the most beautiful fjords in the world. To all this beauty, it remains to add the presence of orchards on the banks.
Nærøyfjord is considered the narrowest fjord in the country. Its length is only 17 km, but the rocky walls come so close to each other that it seems as if the gorge turns into a tunnel. The width of the narrowest point of the fjord is 300 m. Like all the others, this fjord is also surrounded by sheer cliffs, reaching a height of up to 1700 meters, and compact village towns and farmers' lands are located on the banks.

Fjelds of Scandinavian mountains

The mountains on the east side gradually become lower and pass into the Norland Plateau, which has the appearance of a plateau. Its height reaches 500 m. This plateau, thanks to ledges, approaches the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia.
In the southern part of the Scandinavian mountains there are a large number of impressive sheet-like summit surfaces (fjelds), on which one can see sharp peaks (nunataks) protruding above the snow cover of a mountain glacier and striving for the sky. The boundaries of the snow of the southern fjelds pass at altitudes up to 1200 meters. These fjelds include: Dovrefjell, Telemark and many others. And in the northern fjelds, the snow lines drop to 400 meters. On the lower parts of the relief, one can find gentle hills and ravines bordering them, forming swamps and lakes.
Due to the powerful movements of sections of the earth's crust in the mountains of the peninsula, the relief significantly decreased and tectonic valleys formed, which broke the fields into independent arrays. Fjords wedged into these massifs from the western side, and from the eastern side - river valleys and lakes formed by fjords. characteristic feature The Scandinavian mountains have the fact that it is in the south that the largest and highest fields are concentrated. This is explained by the fact that in the region of the Trondheims fjord there is the Jämtland zone of a large transverse trough, due to which the mountains drop sharply. But, moving north from this zone of subsidence, the height of the mountains again increases. The region of the northern part of the mountains is called Hjølen.

Waterfalls and waterfalls

Mountain rivers flow from the mountains to the west, which do not freeze in winter due to the rapid current. Most of them fall from the towering peaks into the fjords and form into waterfalls, their heights reach up to 600 meters. For example: in Norway, the cascading Vinnufossen waterfall has a height of about 860 meters, Kile - about 560 meters, and the Seven Sisters Waterfall is one of the most beautiful. On the territory of Finland, mountain rivers flow through wide canyons covered with ledges of hard rocks and, thus, unsafe rapids and waterfalls are formed. For example, let's call the Imatra waterfall.

Vinnufossen waterfall

Not far from the Norwegian Sundalsør is Vinnufossen, which is fed by the waters of the Vinna River and is one of the highest in Europe. He is the sixth in the world. Before falling, the mass of water is divided into four jets, which, when falling, are transformed into a white foamy mass. This waterfall looks especially beautiful in spring and summer, when it is saturated with the waters of melted glaciers. Further, its waters fall into the Driva River.

Seven Sisters Waterfall

This waterfall belongs to the category of the most beautiful. Its streams flow along the stepped cliffs into the Geirangerfjord. Seven streams fall into the fjord from a height of up to 250 m. opposite side fjord housed a waterfall called Groom, and a little further there is another waterfall - Bridal Veil.
Exists beautiful legend about how once a daredevil Viking decided to woo one of the beautiful sisters and brought a veil to dress her chosen one. But the sisters were so beautiful and charming that the Viking thought for a long time and turned into a waterfall Bridegroom in front of the brides of the Seven Sisters. The veil, flying off his hand, caught on a nearby rock, and a waterfall appeared - the Bridal Veil.

Imatrankoski waterfall

The Imatra waterfall is located on the Vuoksa River, seven kilometers from Lake Saimaa. It is this lake, located on the territory of Finland, that is the source of the Vuoksa River. This waterfall until 1920 was a natural waterfall. After it was blocked by a dam and a hydroelectric power station was built nearby, water began to be released in the summer months. Tourists thus have the opportunity to see how a mass of water falls noisily down from the dam, fills its channel in a few minutes and rushes with a stormy foamy stream to the main channel of the river, which is 1.5 km below.

(Sweden) Scandinavian mountains Scandinavian mountains

scandinavian mountains- a system of mountains on the Scandinavian Peninsula. The length is about 1700 km, the width is up to 1320 km. Western slopes come directly to the North Sea, forming steep banks, the famous Norwegian fjords. The eastern slopes gradually decrease and turn into flat spaces in the territory of Sweden. The northeastern part of the Scandinavian Mountains, stretching from the Trondheimsfjord to the Finnmarksvidda Plateau, has the name Hjölen, or Kjölen (Norwegian Kjölen - literally "keel").

The height of the mountains is relatively small. The most high point- Mount Galdhøpiggen (Norwegian Galdhøpiggen), 2469 m, located in the southern part of Norway. The highest point in Sweden is Mount Kebnekaise. Kebnekaise), 2111 m. The relief is smoothed by the activity of ancient glaciers. The modern glaciers of the Scandinavian Mountains are the largest in mainland Europe.

The humid maritime climate and the ruggedness of the surface determine the presence of a large number of rivers, most of which are short, with a strong current, not covered with ice even in winter time. A large number of lakes.

The slopes of the mountains are covered with taiga forests, shrubs, peat bogs, as well as mountain tundra and meadows. There are deposits of ores of iron, copper, titanium, pyrites. The Scandinavian mountains were laid down about 480 million years ago. Caledonian folding. The formation of the Scandinavian Mountains took place around the end of the Ordovician-Middle Silurian. The Iapetus Ocean, which formed in the early Cambrian and separates North America (Laurentia) and Europe (Baltic), began to expand, and pushing Laurentia and Baltica aside, at the beginning of Ordovician it reached a width of 2000 km, but then it began to narrow again as Lawrence, Greenland and the Baltic began to converge. In the end, about 440 million years ago, the Baltic moved towards Greenland, and that towards Laurentia. At this time, huge masses of sand, pebbles, remnants of volcanic island arcs begin to compress with colossal forces, raising the first peaks of the Scandinavian mountains.

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Notes

Literature

• Eramov R. A. Scandinavian mountains // Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978.
• Scandinavian mountains // Dictionary of modern geographical names. - Yekaterinburg: U-Factoria. Under the general editorship of Acad. V. M. Kotlyakova. 2006.
• Scandinavian mountains // Geography. Modern illustrated encyclopedia. - M .: Rosman. Under the editorship of prof. A.P. Gorkina. 2006.
• Scandinavian mountains // USE: Universal vocabulary-encyclopedia (Ukrainian)

Links

• Askheim, Svein.(Nor.) . Store norske leksikon (January 29, 2014). Retrieved April 15, 2014.

An excerpt characterizing the Scandinavian mountains

For marriage, the consent of the father was needed, and for this, the next day, Prince Andrei went to his father.
The father, with outward calm, but inward malice, received his son's message. He could not understand that someone wanted to change life, to bring something new into it, when life was already ending for him. “They would only let me live the way I want, and then they would do what they wanted,” the old man said to himself. With his son, however, he used the diplomacy he used on important occasions. Assuming a calm tone, he discussed the whole matter.
Firstly, the marriage was not brilliant in relation to kinship, wealth and nobility. Secondly, Prince Andrei was not the first youth and was in poor health (the old man especially leaned on this), and she was very young. Thirdly, there was a son whom it was a pity to give to a girl. Fourthly, finally, - said the father, looking mockingly at his son, - I beg you, postpone the matter for a year, go abroad, take medical treatment, find, as you like, a German, for Prince Nikolai, and then, if it’s love, passion, stubbornness, whatever you want, so great, then get married.
“And this is my last word, you know, the last ...” the prince finished in such a tone that he showed that nothing would make him change his mind.
Prince Andrei clearly saw that the old man hoped that the feeling of his or his future bride would not stand the test of the year, or that he himself, the old prince, would die by this time, and decided to fulfill the will of his father: to propose and postpone the wedding for a year.
Three weeks after his last evening at the Rostovs, Prince Andrei returned to Petersburg.

The next day after her explanation with her mother, Natasha waited all day for Bolkonsky, but he did not arrive. The next day, the third day, it was the same. Pierre also did not come, and Natasha, not knowing that Prince Andrei had gone to her father, could not explain his absence to herself.
So three weeks passed. Natasha did not want to go anywhere, and like a shadow, idle and despondent, she walked around the rooms, in the evening she secretly cried from everyone and did not appear in the evenings to her mother. She was constantly blushing and irritated. It seemed to her that everyone knew about her disappointment, laughed and regretted her. With all the strength inner grief This vainglorious grief added to her unhappiness.