How to describe mountains in beautiful words. Ural Mountains: general information. Nival high-altitude belt

Mountains occupy about 40% of the Earth's surface* They are on every continent and large island * Even mountain ranges stretch along the bottom of the oceans, individual peaks of which rise above the water, forming islands or chains of islands * Australia has the smallest number of mountains, and most of the mountains of Antarctica are hidden under ice.

The youngest mountain system on our planet is the Himalayas, the longest is the Andes (about 7560 km long), and the oldest mountains are the mountains belonging to the Nuvvuagittuq mountain formation, located in the vicinity of Hudson Bay (about 4.28 billion years old). ).

Mountains are very diverse. Top shape peak-shaped, dome-shaped, plateau-shaped, and other mountains are distinguished. The mountains are different by origin: tectono-denudation, volcanic, etc. In the Sayans, Transbaikalia and the Far East, a special type of mountain - hills - prevails. The hills are distinguished by a conical shape and a rocky or flattened top.

In mountain formations are often distinguished individual peaks, rising high above the surrounding, even alpine, landscape. These peaks include the city of Chomolungma in the Himalayas, Elbrus in the Caucasus, Belukha in Altai.

The relief of mountainous regions is characterized by the presence mountain ranges- elongated mountain formations with a clearly defined axis, along which the highest mountains are located. This axis is often the watershed of the area.

In the case when the height of the mountain range is small, and the tops of the mountains are rounded, then such a chain of mountains is called mountain range. Mountain ranges, as a rule, are the remains of ancient destroyed mountains (in Russia - the Timan ridge, the Yenisei ridge, etc.)

The mountain range has two slope often dissimilar to one another. While one slope is gentle, the other can be steep (Ural Mountains).

The top part of the mountain ranges is called mountain ridge. The ridge crest can be pointed (near young mountains) or rounded and plateau-like (near old mountains).

Wide depressions with gentle slopes are called mountain passes.

Approximately the same in length and width, a mountain uplift, which is characterized by weak dissection, is called mountain range. (Putorana Plateau in Eastern Siberia, Russia).

The intersection of two mountain ranges is called mountain knot. Mountain knots consist of high hard-to-reach mountains (mountain knot Tabyk-Bogdo-Ola in Altai).

Mountain ranges that are identical in origin and located in the same order (linearly or radially) are called mountain systems. The outskirts of mountain systems, characterized by low altitudes, are called foothills.

Africa is characterized by a special kind of mountains called canteens. They are characterized by flat tops and stepped slopes. The formation of these mountains is associated with the action of the water of the rivers that cut through the formation valley.

The presence of mountains is characteristic not only for land. The bottom of the ocean is also replete with various kinds of mountain formations. Single mountains of volcanic origin are scattered here and there along the bottom of the oceans. Active volcanoes pour out lava, ash and rock fragments, have pointed peaks. The tops of extinct volcanoes are smoothed out by waves and currents. The tops of many underwater volcanoes form islands. Iceland is an example of such an island.

There are mountain ranges at the bottom of the oceans. The most important discovery in recent years in oceanology was the discovery mid-ocean ridges. They run almost in the middle of each ocean, forming a huge single chain. Read more about mid-ocean ridges

Mountain systems occupy about forty percent of the surface of our planet: they can be seen on every continent, on many islands and on the ocean floor. The smallest ranges are located on the Australian continent, and almost all the mountain ranges of Antarctica are safely hidden under the ice.

Mountains are called part of the earth's crust, which, as a result of the movement of tectonic plates, volcanic eruptions or other processes occurring inside the planet, rose to a considerable height and began to rise above the plains. The height of some hills is small and is about three hundred meters, others rise more than eight thousand meters above sea level. The type of mountains is extremely diverse: it can be a separate peak, or it can be the longest mountain ranges, which include hundreds and even thousands of cones.

Considering that the structure of the mountains is ten percent sedimentary, and ninety percent igneous and metamorphic rocks (appeared as a result of changes in the structure of sedimentary and volcanic rocks), geologists often discover mineral deposits inside them and under the mountain.

The relief of the mountains consists of several parts:

Mountain (hill) - a low or high cone-shaped mountain, consisting of a peak, slopes and a sole (the place where the slopes merge with the surrounding territory);
Ridges are mountain heights strongly elongated in a line, the slopes of which, on the one hand, are often flat, on the other, are steep. They are also watersheds, since they direct the water of the rivers flowing downhill from different sides of the slopes in opposite directions. For example, the Rocky Mountains are elongated from the north in a southeast direction, while their length is about five thousand kilometers, due to which the Rocky Mountains are a watershed between the basins of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans;

Saddle - a relief depression between two hills located next to each other, usually is the beginning of two hollows that go downhill in different directions;
Hollow - an open depression in the relief lowering downhill at a slight slope, which at the bottom, when the slopes merge, forms a spillway line;
Basin - located below sea level, a depression having a conical shape, which is characterized by a bottom, slopes and an edge line - the place where the slopes merge with the surface.

Formation theory

About how exactly the mountains of the world were formed, people throughout the history of their development put forward a variety of theories. At first it was myths, legends and tales, then the versions began to be more substantiated. For example, it has been suggested that mountain systems arose due to the movement of matter under the ocean floor, causing its surface to buckle, which causes the earth's crust to swell along the ocean margins.

This hypothesis did not explain in any way the presence of mountain systems within the mainland. Then they considered the version that the Earth is constantly decreasing in volume, and this happens abruptly and leads to deformation of the surface, where folding forms, some of which rise above the surface, and the other goes downhill.

Later, the idea appeared that the mountain system was formed during the drift of the continents. The idea was not bad, but it did not explain the reason for the movement of the continents, so it was forgotten. Instead, another hypothesis arose, suggesting that there are currents inside the Earth that cause the earth's crust to rise and fall (go downhill), affecting the relief of the planet. Despite the fact that many people liked the idea, no scientifically based evidence was found to confirm it.

The modern hypothesis of mountain formation arose in the middle of the last century, when the movement of lithospheric plates was proved, during the collision of which a thinner plate goes under the neighboring one, forming elevations on the earth's surface. This theory was combined with previous versions, it explained a lot and was accepted as the main one.

Age of mountains

Based on the theory of the movement of tectonic plates and soil analysis, it was found that each mountain system was formed at its own time. The age of young ranges is from 50 to 80 million years, while the old mountain systems appeared more than a hundred million years ago (for comparison, the age of our planet is about four and a half billion years).

Young mountain ranges (Rocky Mountains, Himalayas) are interesting because their internal processes are still developing.

For example, due to the constant collision of the Indian and Asian plates, the high mountains of the Himalayas grow by five centimeters per year. This process is always accompanied by earthquakes, and in some cases by volcanic eruptions. The young, growing mountain system is easily recognizable by its sharply defined relief, consisting of alternating peaks and ledges, the sharp shape of peaks, the presence of very steep and high slopes, which complicate both the ascent and descent from the mountain.

It differs from the younger ancient mountain system in that all processes inside it have long subsided, while external ones, causing erosion, continue to affect the surface of the Earth. An interesting fact: geologists have discovered more than one area on the plains, where previously there was a mountain system, from which only roots remained, securely hidden under a thick layer of sedimentary rocks. The most ancient hills of the Earth were recognized as the remains of mountains that are located in the Hudson Bay region: they appeared almost simultaneously with our planet.

As for the ancient mountains, which time has not wiped off the face of the Earth (for example, the Ural or Scandinavian), they can be recognized primarily by their height, not exceeding one and a half thousand meters, gentle slopes, and also by strong erosion. If in the young mountains water streams flow in narrow gorges, then the rivers of the old mountain flow along a well-defined wide river valley.

It is not uncommon for older mountain ranges to include young formations. For example, the Rocky Mountains, which appeared as a result of a tectonic shift from 80 to 50 million years ago, are a young part of the Western Cordillera, which began to form more than 120 million years ago. It should be noted that the Rocky Mountains are still growing, therefore, in the region where they are located, earthquakes and post-volcanic phenomena are not uncommon.

Mountain views

The answer to the question of what mountains are is not as simple as it seems: mountain ranges differ not only in age, but also in structure, origin, shape, location, height:

In terms of altitude, low mountains are characterized by a height of up to 800 meters, for middle mountains - up to 3 thousand meters and high mountains - more than 3 thousand meters. The height of the mountains in some cases can reach simply incredible proportions. For example, the height of Everest, which for a long time was listed in reference books as the highest mountain in the world, is almost nine kilometers. Recently, this championship was called into question when a large mountain was discovered at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, exceeding the size of Chomolungma: the height of the inactive Mauna Kea volcano from the bottom to the top exceeds ten kilometers.
By origin - volcanic, tectonic or erosional (erosion of plains by strong river flows, for example, canyons and mesas, consisting of limestone, basalt, sandstone).
On top - a young high mountain usually has a peaked, pointed shape. The top of the mountain can have a plateau-like, dome-shaped or rounded shape, which is typical both for old, heavily destroyed volcanoes, and for areas where a large mountain arose as a result of a collision of plates.

Zoning

If the hill itself is low, then the nature of the mountain at its base and at the top is not particularly different. True, this largely depends on which group of altitudinal zonation it belongs to. For example, the characteristic of mountains of the continental type implies the complete absence of forests.

But giving a description of the low and medium elevations of the coastal type, one cannot fail to mention the presence of a forest landscape and meadows. If we are talking about a mountain with a height of more than three thousand meters, it is worth considering: in order to climb to its top, you must overcome absolutely all the belts of our planet. Therefore, the weather in the mountains differs significantly from the climate of the plains located near them.

This is due to the fact that temperature indicators decrease by six degrees with each kilometer traveled. In addition, the atmospheric pressure decreases, the level of solar radiation increases and the amount of precipitation changes. Accordingly, such weather in the mountains also affects nature.

How many belts a high mountain will have depends largely on the climatic zone in which it is located (mountains near the equator have the largest number of zonal belts). It is also important at what height these zones will be located, how the slopes are located: on the sunny side they are usually lower. Geologists divide altitudinal belts into several parts.

Nival high-altitude belt

Only a high mountain can boast of the presence of a nival belt: in the tropics, it begins at an altitude exceeding 6.5 km above sea level. m., the farther north it is, the lower it is located (ascent and descent from the mountain is quite difficult and often fraught with death).

This zone is characterized by the presence of glaciers and eternal snows (Rocky Mountains or the Himalayas, which include the highest mountain in the world, Everest), while the surface, not covered with snow, is subject to severe erosion, primarily weathering. The vegetation here is extremely sparse - lichens and a few herbs. There are also few animals: sometimes predators wander here, rodents meet, birds fly in and you can see some types of insects.

Mountain-tundra altitudinal belt

Winter in the mountain-tundra zone is long, summer is short and cold. Average temperatures do not exceed +9°C. A strong wind constantly blows here, and the ground often freezes (only lichens, mosses, and low shrubs grow). This belt is not typical for all mountains: it is absent in warm latitudes, instead of it, an alpine or subalpine belt is located at this level.

Alpine altitudinal belt

The Alpine belt is characteristic of mountains of the coastal type, and almost never occurs in sharply continental latitudes. In the Himalayas, it is located at an altitude exceeding 3.6 kilometers, in the Alps and Andes - 2.2 kilometers. In the short summer period, meadows bloom profusely here, but the winter is long and the slopes are completely covered with snow.

Desert-steppe belt

It is typical for mountains that are located in desert and semi-desert areas of tropical latitudes and in temperate zones. In more arid regions it is located above the subalpine belt, in more humid regions it is above the mountain-forest zone. The landscape of this zone is first characterized by the presence of a steppe, then semi-deserts and deserts.

Subalpine altitudinal belt

In this zone, meadows are mixed with small patches of forests. Sometimes geologists combine this zone with the Alpine zone and call it the mountain-meadow belt.

Mountain-forest altitudinal belt

The mountain-forest belt is characterized by the presence of forest landscapes, while the vegetation here is extremely abundant and all its types largely depend on the latitude where the mountain is located. This belt goes downhill.

Human life in the mountains

Despite the fact that people settle mainly in the lowlands, at the base of the mountain, they have long since learned to benefit from almost the entire mountain surface and are learning to make the most of relatively small spaces. For example, in the Alps (the highest mountain is Mont Blanc with a height of 4810 m), at the foot you can often see vineyards and orchards, the middle part is sown with crops, and cattle graze in alpine meadows.

In the same mountains, thanks to the large amount of minerals, salt and precious metals, the mining industry is developed, paper and cellulose are harvested from the forest, and hydroelectric power stations were built on the banks of the rivers.

Also actively used by people and mountains located on the American continent. A striking example is the Rocky Mountains (the largest mountain of the range is Elbert, 4.4 km high). The Rocky Mountains hide in their bowels huge reserves of coal, lead, zinc, silver, shale, oil and natural gas. Despite the fact that there are relatively few people living here (four people per square kilometer, and the population of only a few cities exceeds fifty thousand),

The Rocky Mountains have an extremely developed agriculture and forestry. Americans and Canadians successfully use mountain lands for grazing livestock and for growing crops.

The Rocky Mountains are an extremely popular place among tourists today: there are a huge number of national parks here, among them is Yellowstone, famous for its geysers and geothermal springs.

The area of glaciers in Russia is about 60 thousand km2. Basically, these are ice sheets of Novaya Zemlya, Severnaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land and other islands of the Arctic Ocean. Only about 5% of the total area falls on the mountain glaciers of the Caucasus, Altai, Kamchatka and other mountain systems. The bulk of Russia's glaciers are concentrated on the Arctic islands and in mountainous regions.

The North Caucasus is the youngest mountains in Russia, it is an area located on the border of the temperate and subtropical zones. Latitudinal zonality is replaced here by vertical zonality. For an inhabitant of the plains, the mountains of the Caucasus are a vivid example of the "multi-story" nature. Features of the nature of the North Caucasus. Caucasus - young mountains formed during the period of Alpine folding

A glacier is a mass of ice of predominantly atmospheric origin, experiencing a viscous-plastic flow under the action of gravity and taking the form of a stream, a system of streams, a dome (shield) or a floating plate. Glaciers are formed as a result of the accumulation and subsequent transformation of solid atmospheric precipitation (snow) with their positive long-term balance.

A volcano is a hole in the earth's crust through which a fiery mixture of gases, steam, ash and half-molten rock (lava) is ejected to the surface with great force. Ash particles fall to the ground, covering it in a thick layer and sintering into a light gray stone. Over millions of years, volcanic mountains form from layers of lava. Often they are very high and have the shape of a cone with a crater on

The Putorana Plateau is located in the area of continuous permafrost. Winter is very cold - up to -44, so the best time to visit is summer, especially during the polar day (from July 11 to August 2). The absolute maximum temperature at this time reaches +30. At the same time, you can raft along the rivers Khugdyaki, Ambardakh, Maymecha, which make it possible to practice “Only mountains can be better than mountains” - mountain ranges are located in various parts of the globe, among the peaks of which real champions are often found. For many centuries, some peaks remained a real terra incognita for a person - in view of their inaccessibility, he got the opportunity to climb them not so long ago. In this article, we will look at the TOP 7 most

There are 6 mountain systems in our country, but it so happened that the Caucasus Mountains distinguished themselves by the highest ridges. Let's get acquainted with the top 5 highest mountains in Russia. Mount Elbrus is located where the republics of Karachay-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria border. Such remoteness is not a hindrance for thousands of extreme people who have set themselves the goal of climbing to the very point of the country and

The entire surface of the land can be divided into two parts - plains and mountains. Between them there are also transitional forms, for example: a hilly surface, an elevated plain, a plateau, a highland, a peneplain, a plateau. Mountains are very diverse. If the elevation has a relative height of more than 200 m, well-defined slopes and a sole line, this is a mountain. Vast areas of the earth Two of the world's greatest "avalanche" disasters that occurred in our century, happened in Peru in the valley of the Santa River. January 10, 1962 on the top of Huascaran, a huge snow cornice, about 1 km wide and more than 30 m thick, broke off. It happened in the evening - a dull rumble that shook the gorges was heard for many kilometers. “A mass of snow and ice with a volume of approximately 3 million m3 rushed the “Stone Belt of the Russian Land” - this is how the Ural Mountains were called in the old days. Indeed, they seem to gird Russia, separating the European part from the Asian. The mountain ranges, stretching for more than 2000 kilometers, do not end on the shores of the Arctic Ocean.They just submerge into the water for a short time, in order to then "emerge" - first on the island of Vaygach.And then on the archipelago differentiation of landscapes in the mountains becomes extraordinarily complex.

Eruptions are long-term (for several years, decades and centuries) and short-term (measured by hours). The precursors of eruptions include volcanic earthquakes, acoustic phenomena, changes in the magnetic properties and composition of fumarole gases, and other phenomena. Eruptions usually begin with an increase in gas emissions, first along with dark

The average height of the Transantarctic Mountains is about 2000-3000 m. Part of them between the Khorlik and Teron ridges is also hidden under the ice sheet. Approximately 480 km from the Great Transantarctic Mountain Range is the South Pole. The height of the South Geographical Pole is about 2800 m, and the ice thickness in its area reaches 2810 m. Along the coast of East Antarctica The main pattern of differentiation of the vegetation cover in the mountains, as well as the soil cover, is altitudinal zonality, which geobotanists and botanical geographers call altitudinal zonality. Due to the superimposition of the influence of exposure on it, different substrates due to frequently changing rocks in space, differences in the steepness of slopes, the distribution of moisture, etc. The mountain fauna is often quite sharply demarcated from the plains. For example, relatively few species are common to the desert plains and mountains of Central Asia. In the Crimean Mountains, many animals characteristic of the plain Steppe Crimea are absent. This is partly due to the contrastingly different ecological situation, and in addition, in the process of evolution, many animals have adapted. Landslides are a common occurrence in areas where slope erosion processes are actively manifested. They occur when the masses of rock that make up the slopes of the mountains lose their support as a result of an imbalance in the rocks. Large landslides occur most often as a result of a combination of several of these factors: for example, on mountain slopes composed of alternating impervious mountains, mountains differ from plains in the spatial structure of the soil cover, while it is different in folded mountain structures and in regenerated mountains. The latter are characterized by a combination of the structure characteristic of folded mountains (in areas of young incision and dissection of the relief), with a structure that is associated with ancient leveled surfaces. A different structure is typical for mountains full of dangers. But researchers, climbers, geologists and just tourists are penetrating further and higher into the mountainous regions. Each peak has its own unique history of people joining it. Every year, dozens, hundreds of expeditions go to conquer the mountain peaks. Not everyone returns... But why, in spite of everything, do people strive for them? Climbers answer Mountain building, the process of formation of mountain structures as a result of the manifestation of vertical tectonic movements, which are faster than the speed of exogenous processes - the destruction and demolition (denudation) of rocks or the accumulation of sediments (accumulation), leading to the leveling of the earth's surface. Mountain building is characteristic of the mobile belts of the Earth. weathering on slopes. Usually seen V mountainous and foothill areas with a continental climate Pass - a depression on the crest of a mountain range, usually between neighboring river valleys; the most accessible and safest place to cross a mountain range or other dividing ridge. Two or more passes, between which there are no sections that are relatively difficult to pass, as well as climbing the watershed ridge, the path along the ridge to the next pass and the descent of Lavina - (German Lawine, from Middle-Century Lat. labina - landslide), snowy collapse, a mass of snow falling or sliding off steep mountain slopes. Avalanche formation is possible in all mountainous areas where a stable snow cover is established. Avalanches are most frequent in the Caucasus and in the mountains of Central Asia. Avalanches can occur at any time of the year and day: from congestion. Mountain ridge - a pronounced peak part of a mountain range or massif, the place where its slopes converge. They can be jagged and sharp, rounded, plateau-like with a rocky, scree, grassy, snow or ice surface. A mountain ridge with a sharp edge and steep slopes. knives; short sharp ridges with means. slope - ribs; separate

The structure, the structure of any part of the earth's crust, determined by the totality of tectonic movements and the history of their development. Geotectonics (or tectonics) is one of the geological sciences about the movements of the earth's crust, the forms of geological structures, the history of their occurrence and development. Tectonic movements of the earth's crust, crushing strong rocks into folds

A mudflow is a stream of water, mud and stones, merged into one viscous mass, rushing through mountain valleys with great force. This is one of the formidable natural phenomena characteristic of mountainous and foothill regions. When you see a mudflow in the bed of a small river, you involuntarily wonder where this violent force came from. Like an avalanche, a mudflow occurs suddenly. A glacier is a natural formation, which is an accumulation of ice of atmospheric origin. Having accumulated in a sufficient mass, ice, with its inherent plasticity, begins to move under the action of gravity. In the polar regions of the Earth, ice forms ice domes, shields, and extensive covers that hide often complex mountainous relief underneath. In temperate mountains To make a trip to different geographical zones of the Earth, it is not at all necessary to cross continents, but it is enough to climb a high mountain. With height, as you know, the temperature decreases, the humidity of the air changes. There is a high-altitude (vertical) zonality of natural conditions: climate, soils, vegetation and wildlife. To some extent, it resembles the Natural compounds of minerals, their totality, the commonwealth of minerals. The structure of the rock is determined by its structure, i.e., the features of the connection of mineral grains, their size, shape. Some rocks consist of large crystalline grains; others - from the smallest crystals visible only through a microscope; still others, from a vitreous substance; fourth - combined Volcano - a geological formation above the channels and cracks in the earth's crust, through which molten rocks and underground gases come to the surface. Usually a mountain (hill) appears at this place, composed of the products of the eruption - lava flows, layers of ash, volcanic emissions (bombs). The hole from which volcanic material comes out is called a vent. The conditions for photographing in the mountains have their own characteristics, without taking into account which it is difficult to get a high-quality picture. The atmosphere here changes very quickly. It is fraught with not only difficulties, but also considerable opportunities for obtaining spectacular shots. Low-creeping wisps of clouds, dissolving from the grid of rain, the distant, snatched from the darkness by a penetrating ray of sun
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Victoria Popova
Abstract of the complex lesson "What the mountains tell about"

Subject: About what mountains tell.

Educational - continue to introduce children to inanimate nature, give basic information about mountains: what are mountains who lives in the mountains, what grows, what they are made of mountains; Introduce the words - magma, vent, lava.

Educational

To develop cognitive interest, the ability to analyze, compare, generalize, draw simple conclusions.

To develop the cognitive activity of children in the process of independent implementation of the experiment.

nurturing: Encourage children to draw conclusions on their own.

- Guess the riddle: Stands on one leg, turns, turns his head, shows us countries, mountains, rivers, oceans.

What is this? (It's a globe)

-Consider a globe. Why is the globe painted in different colors (brown mountains, green - plains and forests, blue - seas, yellow - deserts)

show on the globe mountains. A video message is played in which the mistress of the mountains invites the children to discover the secrets she has hidden in envelopes.

What do you think mountains can tell about themselves?

The children come to the table on which the envelope lies, the teacher takes out the task from it.

In front of us on the table are stones of various shapes and sizes. arrange them so that the old stones are in one basket. And the young in the other. (Children examining the stones, distributed in baskets)

Explain your choice. (children explain: pointed stones are young, and smooth are old. They became so from time to time thanks to the wind and water)

Guys, can we figure out what mountains old, and which young (children consider photo depicting mountains, explaining where the old mountains where the young

Now we move on to the next envelope.

Look at this diagram. What do we see? Mountains these are giant folds of the earth's crust, that is, skin. They consist of layers of various rocks. Some rocks are hard while others are soft. Soft rocks are easily affected by rain and wind. Because of this, collapses occur in the mountains, gorges, cliffs, canyons are formed.

-Solid: granite, coal, diamonds, silicon, malachite.

-Soft: chalk, gypsum, asbestos.

Minerals are mined in different ways. Some in open pits, others deep underground in mines.

Guys, is it possible to find shells in the mountains? It turns out you can. Mountains were once coral reefs, but are now far from the sea. Since that time, shells have been preserved in the rocks. The highest mountain in the world is Everest, it is located in the Himalayan mountains. What mountains of Russia do you know the names of? (Caucasian mountains, Ural).

Here is another secret about minerals discovered.

Let's move on to the next envelope.

Look carefully at these pictures. (they depict animals and birds, trees and shrubs located in the mountains) Please tell me how these pictures are connected with the mountains? (Children express their opinions.) The answer is obvious - in the mountains there are not only stones, but also vegetation, animals and birds.

I see you are a little tired. I suggest doing a workout.

Children perform characteristic movements.

And now the next envelope is on our way. We open.

Look here for items that were used by blacksmiths in antiquity. I I will tell you about the fire-breathing mountains. These mountains called volcanoes. And they called them volcanoes because they existed legend: (children sit down on the carpet) There lived in the world a god named VOLCANO and he was a blacksmith. He built himself a blacksmith inside the highest mountains. He beat with a heavy hammer on iron, fanned the fire. And the mountain stood in the middle of the sea. When Vulkan worked with a hammer, the mountain trembled, the roar and rumble spread far around. From the hole at the top mountains red-hot stones, fire and ashes flew with a deafening roar. The volcano is working, people said with fear and went away from this place. Since then, they began to call fire-breathing mountains"volcanoes".

Now there are three types on earth volcanoes: Sleepers - who can wake up to explode in fiery lava at any time.

Active - constantly spewing fountains of boiling lava.

Extinct - those that erupted a very long time ago, but are now extinct.

Let's go to the table. It has a model of a volcano. Volcanoes as we see it cone-shaped mountains. If you look from above, you can see a hole - this is a crater, a large bowl with steep slopes, and at the bottom is bright orange - this is a vent-hole that goes deep into the ground. And the fiery liquid coming out of the volcano is lava.

So the historical secret of the mountains was revealed to us.

The next secret is the envelope.

The mistress of the mountains offers us to make a volcano on our own.

Inside the layout is a plastic yogurt cup. 1 teaspoon of soda, a little gouache paint, citric acid, 3 drops of detergent. Consistently mixed and observed. (There will be a simulated volcanic eruption)

But at the bottom of the ocean, when an eruption occurs, the frozen lava can form a cone of such a height that if the top is above the water, then after the volcano goes out there will be an island. Many islands in the Pacific Ocean are of volcanic origin.

It's good that everyone got a volcano. Did you like the secret mountains?

A video clip is turned on in which the hostess of the mountains says that everyone coped with the tasks. Now they are rewarded for their work. Only in exchange we must remember the secrets that she revealed to us.

I thank you all for today's work.

Ural mountains- a unique natural object for our country. Probably, it is not necessary to think to answer the question why. The Ural Mountains - the only mountain range that crosses Russia from north to south, is the border between two parts of the world and the two largest parts (macro-regions) of our country - European and Asian.

Geographical position of the Ural Mountains

The Ural Mountains stretch from north to south, mainly along the 60th meridian. In the north they bend towards the northeast, towards the Yamal Peninsula, in the south they turn towards the southwest. One of their features is that the mountainous territory expands as you move from north to south (this can be clearly seen on the map on the right). In the very south, in the region of the Orenburg region, the Ural Mountains connect with nearby elevations, such as General Syrt.

Strange as it may seem, the exact geological boundary of the Ural Mountains (hence the exact geographical boundary between Europe and Asia) still cannot be accurately determined.

The Ural Mountains are conditionally divided into five regions: Polar Urals, Subpolar Urals, Northern Urals, Middle Urals and Southern Urals.

To one degree or another, part of the Ural Mountains is captured by the following regions (from north to south): Arkhangelsk Region, Komi Republic, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Perm Territory, Sverdlovsk Region, Chelyabinsk Region, Republic of Bashkortostan, Orenburg Region , as well as part of Kazakhstan.

Origin of the Ural Mountains

The Ural Mountains have a long and complex history. It begins back in the Proterozoic era - such an ancient and little-studied stage in the history of our planet that scientists do not even divide it into periods and epochs. Approximately 3.5 billion years ago, on the site of future mountains, a rupture of the earth's crust occurred, which soon reached a depth of more than ten kilometers. Over the course of almost two billion years, this fault widened, so that about 430 million years ago an entire ocean was formed, up to a thousand kilometers wide. However, soon after this, the convergence of lithospheric plates began; the ocean disappeared relatively quickly, and mountains formed in its place. It happened about 300 million years ago - this corresponds to the era of the so-called Hercynian folding.

New large uplifts in the Urals resumed only 30 million years ago, during which the Polar, Subpolar, Northern and Southern parts of the mountains were raised by almost a kilometer, and the Middle Urals by about 300-400 meters.

At present, the Ural Mountains have stabilized - no major movements of the earth's crust are observed here. Nevertheless, they still remind people of their active history to this day: earthquakes happen here from time to time, and very large ones (the strongest had an amplitude of 7 points and was recorded not so long ago - in 1914).

Features of the structure and relief of the Urals

From a geological point of view, the Ural Mountains are very complex. They are formed by breeds of various types and ages. In many ways, the features of the internal structure of the Urals are associated with its history, for example, traces of deep faults and even sections of the oceanic crust are still preserved.

The Ural Mountains are medium and low in height, the highest point is Mount Narodnaya in the Subpolar Urals, reaching 1895 meters. In profile, the Ural Mountains resemble a depression: the highest ridges are located in the north and south, and the middle part does not exceed 400-500 meters, so that when crossing the Middle Urals, you can not even notice the mountains.

View of the Main Ural Range in the Perm Territory. Author of the photo - Yulia Vandysheva

It can be said that the Ural Mountains were “unlucky” in terms of height: they were formed in the same period as Altai, but subsequently experienced much less strong uplifts. The result - the highest point of Altai, Mount Belukha, reaches four and a half kilometers, and the Ural Mountains are more than two times lower. However, such an "elevated" position of Altai turned into a danger of earthquakes - the Urals in this respect is much safer for life.

Typical vegetation of the mountain tundra belt in the Ural Mountains. The picture was taken on the slope of Mount Humboldt (Main Ural Range, Northern Urals) at an altitude of 1310 meters. Author of the photo - Natalia Shmaenkova

The long, continuous struggle of volcanic forces against the forces of wind and water (in geography, the former are called endogenous, and the latter exogenous) has created a huge number of unique natural attractions in the Urals: rocks, caves and many others.

The Urals is also known for its vast reserves of minerals of all types. This is, first of all, iron, copper, nickel, manganese and many other types of ores, building materials. The Kachkanar iron deposit is one of the largest in the country. Although the metal content in the ore is low, it contains rare, but very valuable metals - manganese, vanadium.

In the north, in the Pechora coal basin, hard coal is mined. There are noble metals in our region - gold, silver, platinum. Undoubtedly, Ural precious and semi-precious stones are widely known: emeralds mined near Yekaterinburg, diamonds, gems of the Murzinskaya strip, and, of course, Ural malachite.

Unfortunately, many valuable old deposits have already been depleted. "Magnetic mountains", containing large reserves of iron ore, have been turned into quarries, and malachite reserves have been preserved only in museums and in the form of separate inclusions at the site of old mines - it is hardly possible to find even a three-hundred-kilogram monolith now. Nevertheless, these minerals largely ensured the economic power and glory of the Urals for centuries.