What are the Altai mountains. Mountains of the Altai Territory: characteristics, geology, relief, minerals, climate and hydrography

The alpine relief in Altai rises above the surface of the ancient peneplain and occupies higher sections of the Katunsky, Chuisky, Kuraisky, Saylyugem, Chikhachev, Shapshalsky, Southern Altai, and Sarymsakty ranges. Alpine relief is less common than the surface of the ancient peneplain. Ridges with alpine landforms are their most elevated axial parts (up to 4000-4500 m), strongly dissected by erosion and frost weathering. The main landforms here are peaked peaks and carlings, cirques, trough valleys with lake basins, moraine hills and ridges, landslides, screes, and frost-solifluction formations. The general pattern of the high-mountain alpine relief in Altai is the leveling of interfluves and the decrease in the depth of valleys as one moves away from the axial parts of the ridges to their peripheries. The mid-mountain relief has heights from 800 to 1800-2000 m and occupies more than half of the territory of Altai. The upper limit of the distribution of the mid-mountain relief is limited by the plane of the ancient peneplain, but this boundary is not sharp. The relief here is characterized by smoothed, rounded forms of low ridges and their spurs, separated by river valleys. An extensive, dense hydrographic network contributed to the strong erosional dissection of the middle mountains. The depth of the river valleys reaches 300-800 m. The mid-mountain erosive relief is distributed mainly in the northern, northwestern and western parts of Altai. In the altitude range from 1000 to 2000 m, it is characterized by massive rocky ridges, with a predominance of steep slopes and narrow V-shaped or terraced valleys (Katun, Biya). In the altitude range of 500-1200 m, the upper parts of the slopes of the ridges are softer and leveled. The valleys are wider with well-developed floodplains and meandering channels.

The low-mountain relief is also distinguished in Altai, which covers the peripheral part of the mountainous region and occupies the space between the foothill plains and the middle mountains. Absolute heights range from 400 to 800 m, and at some peaks they reach 1000 m. The relief of the low mountains is characterized by flattened or dome-shaped interfluves and gentle deluvial slopes. Near large valleys and the northern "face" of Altai, the division of the low-mountain relief is especially fragmented. In some places, it looks like a rocky "badland" - a small hillock. A characteristic feature of the Altai relief is the wide distribution of intramountain basins of different heights. They occupy latitudinal valleys-grabens and belong to areas of tectonic subsidence. These are the Chui, Kurai, Dzhulukul, Bertek, Samokhin, Uimon, Abay, Kan intramountain basins. Some of them are located at a considerable height and therefore were exposed to the action of ancient glaciers that formed the relief of their bottoms, others are at low (medium-altitude) levels and were more exposed to accumulative activity, being receptacles of ancient lake basins.

Soviet Altai is located within Altai Territory RSFSR and East Kazakhstan region. In the north, Altai is separated by a ledge from the West Siberian Plain, in the southeast and east it directly touches the Mongolian Altai and the Western Sayan, in the west it gradually decreases, acquiring the character of low mountains and small hills within the Kazakh CCP. The highest ridges (above 3200-4000 m) - Katunsky, Severo-Chuysky and South-Chuysky, etc., are located in the central and eastern parts of the Soviet Altai and have a strike close to latitudinal; to the north, the direction of the ridges changes to submeridional. Intermountain basins are widespread (Chuyskaya, Kuraiskaya, Uymenskaya, Kanskaya, etc.).

A powerful accumulator of atmospheric moisture, Altai is the center of significant mountain glaciation. More than 1300 are known in the high ranges with total area about 900 km2. The largest and high-water rivers: Katun, Bukhtarma, Chuya, Biya, Charysh. The hydropower resources of the rivers are great (12-13 million kW). There are over 3,500 lakes (the largest are Teletskoye and Markakol). Soil and vegetation belts are distinctly expressed in Altai: mountain-steppe, mountain-forest and high-mountain. Steppe vegetation is distributed up to a height of 500-600 m in the north and 1000-1500 m in the south. The forest belt up to a height of 1700-2000 meters occupies about 70% of the territory of Altai. Fir, cedar-fir and larch forests predominate. Subalpine and alpine meadows, as well as mountain tundra, are widespread in the high-mountain belt. The climate of Altai is temperate, sharply continental. January average temperature in high mountains from -26 to -30°С., July 13-14°С.

Minerals of Altai

Geological structure and minerals. Altai is one of the links; is a complex system formed by strata intensively dislocated during the Caledonian and Hercynian eras of tectogenesis. The folded structures are mainly southeast-northwest oriented. In the post-Paleozoic time, folded and mountain structures were destroyed and turned into a denudation plain (peneplain).

The modern mountain relief of Altai was formed as a result of differentiated movement of individual blocks in and Quaternary times along numerous faults, which was accompanied by glaciation and intense erosional dissection.

Mountain Altai

By features geological structure Altai is divided into Gorny Altai and Southwestern Altai. The former, which occupies a large, northeastern part of the Altai (about 4/5 of its entire territory), is mainly a Caledonian folded structure, and the Southwestern Altai is a Hercynian. Within the latter, zones are distinguished: Rudny Altai in the northwest and Southern Altai, continuing to the southeast of Rudny Altai.

Some researchers attribute the Kalba zone to Altai, which merges in the west with the Ob-Zaisan folded system of East Kazakhstan; it is formed by siliceous-shale series - the Lower Carboniferous, as well as terrigenous deposits of the Middle Carboniferous. Late Paleozoic are widespread, incl. age. Southwestern Altai is separated from the Kalbinsk zone by the Irtysh deep fault, and from Gorny Altai by the faults of the Northeastern shear zone. Its structure involves sedimentary-volcanogenic deposits of the Middle and Upper Devonian and terrigenous strata of the Lower Carboniferous, which unconformably lie on the ancient (Lower Paleozoic) metamorphic; widely developed granite massifs (Leninogorsk, Zmeinogorsk, Kalbinsky complexes). The thickness and formational composition of deposits, as well as the nature of tectonic disturbances, testify to the structure of the Rudny Altai and the structure of the Southern Altai. In Gorny Altai, several structural-formational zones of northwestern and submeriodinal strike are distinguished.

Main tectonic structures (from west to east): Talitsky anticlinorium (Lower Paleozoic); in the south - the Kholzun-Chuya anticlinorium (Precambrian, Lower Paleozoic); to the east of the anticlinorium zone there is a large Anui-Chuya synclinorium with thick (up to 10 km) marine and continental Silurian and Devonian deposits of geosynclinal-orogenic type. To the east, the Katunsky anticlinorium is traced, in which uplifts of the Salair epoch of orogeny, characteristic of the more eastern regions of the Altai-Sayan region, appeared. Further east, the Uymeno-Lebed trough (synclinorium) stands out, inheriting the strike of folded structures of the Lower Paleozoic; its structure is generally similar to that of the Anui-Chuya synclinorium. located in the extreme east mountain country The Chulyshman and Abakan anticlinoria are more closely related to the Western Sayan and the folded systems of Tuva in terms of their geological development.

All listed major tectonic structures are limited; the fold-block structure of Gorny Altai is characterized by a wide development of lower orders. Many of them control the distribution (for example, Salair granitoids in the Katunsky anticlinorium, Caledonian - mainly in the zone of the Chulyshman anticlinorium, and Hercynian - in the structures of the central and western parts of the Altai Mountains, which are of great importance in the Altai metallogeny). In accordance with the strike of the main geological and structural zones in Altai, there are several (from east to west): mercury (Katunsky anticlinorium), molybdenum-tungsten and iron ore (Kholzunsko-Chuysky anticlinorium), polymetallic Rudny Altai, tungsten-tin-copper Kalbinskaya zone.

Rudny Altai

The main wealth of the subsoil is the polymetallic deposits of Rudny Altai (see map). They are localized in the area of ​​distribution of the Devonian volcanic strata, are closely genetically related to them, forming a family of lead-zinc-copper-barite pyrites of volcanic origin.

The main deposits of copper-lead-zinc ores: Korbalikhinskoye, Stepnoye, Talovskoye, Nikolaevskoye, Belousovskoye, Berezovskoye and others; deposits of lead-zinc ores; Ridder-Sokolnoye (Leninogorskoye), Zyryanovskoye, etc. Altai has long been famous for its rich and valuable deposits (, etc.). 4 groups of outcrops are confined to the Cenozoic faults: Abakansky Arzhan, Belokurikha (south of the city of Biysk), Rakhmanovsky and Dzhumalinsky springs.

History of the development of mineral resources

The oldest evidence of the use of stone for the manufacture of tools dates back to the Paleolithic era (about 100-50 thousand years ago). In the 5th-4th millennium BC. began mining for the manufacture of ceramic dishes. In the era of copper and bronze, Altai becomes one of the largest centers of metal smelting. The earliest copper ore workings are presumably dated to the 3rd millennium BC. Mining operations acquired a special scope in the middle of the 2nd - 1st half of the 1st millennium BC. e., when most of the currently known copper, lead and tin deposits that come to the surface were developed: Ridder-Sokolnoye, Zolotushinskoye, Zyryanovskoye, etc.

Predominantly oxidized were mined. Mining was carried out at Kazanchukur. Of particular importance for ancient metallurgy, not only Altai, but also the vast territories of North Asia, as well as Eastern Europe, were Kalbinsk and Narym. Mining in the Bronze Age was carried out in a variety of ways: continuous open spaces with the development of the richest areas of deposits; (depth up to 30 m) with local excavation of mineral veins; (up to 70 m), also following the directions of ore veins. The penetration of hard rocks was carried out with the help of "burning". Mining tools and tools for grinding ore were found: stone hammers, horn and bronze picks, picks, wedges. The galleries were fastened with wood. The ore was taken out in leather bags. As ladders, tree trunks with notches or with left branches were used. There are also known places for smelting copper and tin ores (Kanai, Trushnikov). Items made of tin bronzes, smelted in Altai, are found in Kazakhstan, Western Siberia, and Eastern Europe. The decline of the copper and tin ore industries is planned in the early Iron Age (end of the 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD). Apparently, the development of iron ore deposits began at the same time, although there is practically no specific information about ancient mines. Information about mining in Altai in the Middle Ages is equally scarce. From the ancient miners, not only mining excavations remained, but also melting pots and bronze tools. When excavating barrows in the valleys of pp. Katun, Charysh, Aley found bronze, silver and gold goblets, decorated with images of birds and animals. Traces of the mining activities of the ancient inhabitants of Altai were of great help to Russian settlers in search of ore.

In the 20s. In the 18th century, ore miners from the Ural industrialist Altai discovered an ore deposit near Kolyvanskoye Lake and laid the first Loktevsky (Kolyvano-Voskresensky) copper smelter in Altai, then the Barnaul and Shulbinsk copper plants appeared (1739-44). In 1736, the Zmeinogorsk deposit was discovered, from the ores of which they began to extract and. At the beginning of 1746, a decree was issued on the transfer of the Altai mines and factories to the ownership of the royal family, and the settlement of Altai increased. Despite the remoteness from industrial areas in the Altai mining district, it successfully developed. Village on the river Barnaulka, inhabited by artisans and miners, became in 1771 the city of Barnaul, the center of government for the entire mining district. In 1786, the Ridderovskoye deposit of polymetallic ores (lead, copper, gold, silver) was opened, then silver and about 800 others, of which only a few dozen were mined. In the 1780s mining of silver and gold reached largest sizes. By order of Catherine II, a grinding factory was founded at the old Loktevsky copper smelter. By the beginning of the 19th century. Altai took the 1st place in Russia in the extraction and smelting of lead and silver. Silver was exported to St. Petersburg, and since the 18th century, the Suzunsky plant minted "Siberian" and later all-Russian small-change coins from copper. The level of mining technology of the late 18th - early 19th centuries. did not yet allow the development of complex polymetallic ores with closely intergrown fine grains of sulfurous ore minerals. At the Altai mines (including the richest Ridderovsky) only low-melting oxidized ores of the upper zones were mined, after which the development was stopped.

Altai explorers

The beginning of the study of Altai by Russian scientists dates back to the first half of the 18th century. In 1721, D. visited Altai, in 1734 -, in 1771 -. Geological studies by P. A. Chikhachev (1842), G. E. Shurovsky (1844) and engineers of the Mining Department contributed to the expansion of the mineral resource base of metallurgical plants in Altai. The first Altai on a scale of about 1:1,000,000 was compiled by Chikhachev and published in 1845 in Paris. After the peasant reform of 1861, mining in Altai began to decline. The tsarist government leased a number of mining enterprises and factories into concession. At the beginning of the 20th century important scientific results were obtained thanks to the geological research of V.K. In Soviet times, a comprehensive and planned study of the entire territory of Altai began. A great contribution was made by scientific expeditions with the participation of V. P. Nekhoroshev, M. K. Korovin, M. A. Usov, N. I. Gornostaev, B. F. Speransky, K. V. Radugin, V. A. Kuznetsov, M V. Muratov, D. I. Gorzhevsky, G. F. Yakovlev and others.

Mining

Planned prospecting and exploration led to the discovery of a number of new deposits of ores of non-ferrous and rare metals, gold, non-ferrous and ornamental stones, non-metallic minerals, which revived the mining industry in this area. During the years of the Great Patriotic War 1941-45 Altai has become a powerful economic region with a highly developed mining industry. A medium-scale survey was carried out almost throughout the entire territory, and a large-scale survey was carried out in mining areas. Hundreds of deposits and ore occurrences of minerals have been identified.

Modern Altai as a geological structural unit occupies three large economic regions of the CCCP: Kazakhstan, West Siberian and partly East Siberian. Diverse in appearance, quality and scale, the Altai deposits serve as the base for a mining and processing industry that is complex in terms of technology. The Ust-Kamenogorsk lead-zinc, Leninogorsk polymetallic, Irtysh polymetallic, Belogorsk mining and processing, Zyryanovsk lead plants operate on the basis of Altai deposits. On the basis of Kulunda salts, the Slavgorod Chemical Plant, the Kuchuksky sulfate and Mikhailovsky soda plants, and the Burlinsky salt mine operate. The Aktashsky mine works. On the basis of mineral resources, metalworking, mechanical engineering, and the industry of non-metallic building materials (PA Altaistroymaterialy) have developed.

The power industry of Altai is based on coal, as well as on hydropower pp. Ob, Biya, Katun and Charysh. The main energy producers are the Ust-Kamenogorsk and Bukhtarma HPPs (on the Irtysh). Large mining and processing plants have turned into economic centers and industrial concentration centers (Ust-Kamenogorsk, Leninogorsk, etc.), around which auxiliary (component) and new industries are being formed. The main mining regions of Altai: South Altai (copper, gold, mercury, lead, zinc), Rudno-Altai (lead, zinc, copper, barite), Gorno-Altai (mercury, tungsten, gold), Kulundinsky (salts, sulfates) . In almost all areas, mineral building materials are mined. Many types of mineral raw materials are used for cladding buildings and various handicrafts (marble, jasper, augite rocks, gypsum).

In the extreme southeast of Western Siberia, between 48° and 53° N. sh. and 82°-90° E. the vast mountain system of Altai extends. The limiting absolute heights of the Siberian Altai range from 350 to 4500 m, and the increase in the heights of mountain ranges and the bottom of river valleys occurs in a southeasterly direction. In the northeast, Altai is in contact with the Kuznetsk Alatau and the Western Sayan; Mongolian Altai departs from it to the southeast, and hilly steppe spaces of the Kazakh upland with absolute heights of 300-500 m (with gradual transitions to Altai) adjoin from the southwest. In the north and north-west, Altai is quite sharply limited by a steep erosion-tectonic scarp up to 300-500 m high, which can be traced along approximately 52 ° N. sh. Further to the southwest, the border of Altai becomes less distinct; its continuation here are low granite manes, far reaching into the steppes of Kazakhstan.

The mountain ranges of Altai are fan-shaped. The largest high-mountain node here is the Tabyn-Bogdo-Ola mountain range, bordering Mongolia, located in the upper reaches of the river. Argut, a tributary of the river. Katun. Its main peak - Kuitun - reaches 4358 m in height and bears powerful glaciation. Mongolian Altai extends from it outside the USSR to the south-east, in the latitudinal direction the system of ridges of the Southern Altai goes to the west, and the border mountain range - Saylyugem (with elevations up to 4029 m) stretches to the east, which begins the Eastern Altai. Between these mountain systems of the Southern and Eastern Altai, within the wide-open arc they form, lies the Central or Inner Altai, which is continued by the ridges of the northwestern part of Altai.

Southern Altai consists of ridges (in the direction from east to west): Tarbagatai, Sarym-Sakty and Narymsky, from which several mountain ranges separate to the south and southwest, going towards the Zaysan depression (ridges Kurchumsky, Azu, etc.) , with low dissection and high difficult passes. Their slopes are asymmetrical - gentle to the south and abruptly breaking off to the north. The ridges of the Southern Altai are the watersheds between the waters of the tributaries of the river. Black Irtysh and the system of the river. Bukhtarmy. In the highest parts they are covered with eternal snows and numerous glaciers. In the eastern part of these ridges, heights reach 3915 m, and in the western part 3350 m. The highest point of the Southern Altai (Mount Kirei) has a mark of 3790 m. High passes are characteristic of the Southern Altai.

Eastern Altai consists of a series of ridges located on the watershed between the system of the Ob, Abakan and Kobdo rivers. These are the ridges - Sailyugem, Chikhacheva and Shapshal. Sailyugem (absolute height up to 4029 m) stretches along the border with the MPR and serves as a watershed between the river systems. Ob (rr. Argut, Chuya, Bashkaus, Chulyshman) and r. Kobdo. From the Chikhachev Ridge, the Chulyshmansky, Kuraisky and Aigulaksky ridges depart to the west, which in turn separates a whole fan of ridges that fill the space between the river. Katun and Teletskoye Lake.

In the upper reaches of the river Ony (systems of the Abakan River) Eastern Altai adjoins the Western Sayan through the Shapshal ridge. The characteristic features of the relief of the Eastern Altai are a significant elevation, the comparative smoothness of mountain ranges with more or less gentle slopes; dome-shaped peaks and a significant development of raised hilly plains (plateaus) are also typical. Of these plateaus (the so-called "steppes"), we will name the Chui steppe, the Kurai steppe, the Chulyshman plateau, the Ukok plateau, located at altitudes from 1500 to 2300 m and being the threshold to similar high steppes and semi-deserts of Central Asia.

Central, or Inner Altai. Two main mountain ranges (northern and southern) are clearly distinguished here, having an almost latitudinal strike and gradually decreasing in the direction from east to west. The southern chain consists of a high massive Katunsky ridge (Katunsky proteins) with the highest point of Altai - Mount Belukha (4506 m).

A direct continuation of the Katunsky proteins to the east is the river separated from them by the gorge. Arguta ridge of the South Chuisky proteins with the main peak - Mount Irbistu (up to 3958 m). To the west of the Katunsky ridge, separated from it by the valley of the river. Katun is located in the Kholzun ridge with altitudes up to 2600 m. Mountain ranges here rise above the snow line and carry thick snow and the largest glaciers of Altai.

The northern chain of the ridges of the Central Altai starts from the river. Chui Severo-Chui squirrels with a complex mountain knot Bish Iirdu (height 3899 m) and continues further to the west under the name of the Terektinsky ridge (up to 2891 m height). It is followed by the Korgon (2500 m), the lower Tigiretsky (2255 m) and Kolyvan (Mount Sinyukha - 1197 m) ridges. The last of them is gradually lost in the steppe plains.

From the Kholzun ridge to the west, a number of ridges extend radially, sometimes distinguished into the system of ridges of the Western Altai - Ulbinskiy (1792 m), Ivanovskiy (up to 2674 m), Ubinskiy, etc.

To the northwest and north of the Terektinsky and Korgon ridges are located in a wide fan mountain ranges- Seminsky (2506 m), Cherginsky (2010 m), Anuysky, Baschelaksky (2359 m). All of them are strongly eroded and have the appearance of medium-altitude mountains, not reaching the upper limit of the forest zone.

The Central Altai is characterized by a high contrast of heights and the presence of wide intermountain depressions with a flat bottom (Uimon, Katanda, Abai steppes), with an absolute height of up to 1000 m. As a rule, the degree of exposure of the Altai ridges increases in the direction direction is difficult and their patency.

ALTAI (from the Turkic-Mongolian "altan" - golden), a mountain system in Asia, in southern Siberia and Central Asia, in Russia (the Altai Republic, the Tyva Republic, the Altai Territory), Mongolia, Kazakhstan and China. It is elongated in latitude from 81 to 106 ° east longitude, in longitude - from 42 to 52 ° north latitude. It extends from the northwest to the southeast for more than 2000 km. It consists of high mountains (the highest point is Mount Belukha, 4506 m) and mid-mountain ranges and intermountain basins separating them. In the north and northwest it borders on the West Siberian Plain, in the northeast - on the Western Sayan and the mountains of South Tuva, in the east - on the Valley of the Big Lakes, in the southeast - on the Gobi Desert, in the south - on the Dzungarian Plain, in the west The valley of the Irtysh river is separated from the Kazakh uplands. Altai - a watershed between the Northern basin Arctic Ocean and drainless region of Central Asia. Orographically, the Gobi Altai, the Mongolian Altai and the Altai proper, or the Russian Altai, are distinguished. The latter is often identified with the concept of "Altai" and is part of the sub-latitudinal mountainous country of Southern Siberia - mountains, forming a western ending with a latitude of over 400 km, from north to south - about 300 km (see map).

Relief. The relief of the Russian Altai was formed as a result of a long-term impact of exogenous processes on the growing uplift and is characterized by a wide variety of forms. Most of the ridges of the northwestern or sublatitudinal strike form a fan, diverging in a westerly direction. The exceptions are the ridges of the northern submeridional orientation and the southern periphery. There are a number of vast plateaus (Ukok and others), highlands (Chulyshman and others) and mountain ranges(Mongun-Taiga, etc.), as well as large intermountain basins occupied by steppes (Chuyskaya, Kuraiskaya, Uimonskaya, Abayskaya, Kanskaya, etc.). High mountain ranges and massifs are located mainly in the east and southeast. Ridges rise above 4000 m: Katunsky (up to 4506 m), Sailyugem (up to 3499 m), Severo-Chuysky (up to 4177 m). The ridges are significant in height: South Chuisky (up to 3936 m), Southern Altai (up to 3483 m), Chikhachev (up to 4029 m), Tsagan-Shibetu (up to 3496 m) and Shapshalsky (up to 3608 m). The isolated Mongun-Taiga massif (3970 m) is distinguished by high-mountain relief. The highlands are characterized by peaked ridges, steep (20-50° and more) slopes and wide valley bottoms filled with moraine or occupied by glaciers. The landslide-scree slopes are widely developed, formed by intensively proceeding gravitational processes. Glacial landforms are widespread: cirques, glacial cirques, troughs, carlings, moraine ridges and ridges. The mid-mountain and low-mountain ranges are located mainly in the west and north of Altai. Among them, the most significant are: Terektinsky (up to 2926 m), Aigulaksky (up to 2752 m), Iolgo (up to 2618 m), Listvyaga (up to 2577 m), Narymsky (up to 2533 m) and Baschelaksky (up to 2423 m) ridges. In the middle mountains, alpine relief features are found fragmentarily. Wide massive interfluves with flattened and plateau-like peaks dominate, where cryogenic processes are developed, leading to the formation of kurums and altiplanation. There are karst landforms. River valleys are often narrow steep gorges and canyons 500-1000 meters deep. The peripheral low mountains of Altai are characterized by a relatively shallow depth of dissection (up to 500 m) and gentle slopes. The valleys are wide, flat-bottomed, with a well-defined complex of terraces. Fragments of ancient leveling surfaces have been preserved on the flat tops. The bottoms of the basins are occupied by sloping plains of proluvial origin and by moraine amphitheatres, bordering the ends of the trough valleys. In the east of Altai, the bottoms of the basins are complicated by thermokarst forms.

Geological structure and minerals. Altai is located within the Paleozoic Altai-Sayan folded region of the Ural-Okhotsk mobile belt; is a complex folded system formed by Precambrian and Paleozoic strata, intensively deployed in the Caledonian epoch of tectogenesis and the Hercynian epoch of tectogenesis. In the post-Paleozoic time, mountain-folded structures were destroyed and turned into a denudation plain (peneplain). According to the peculiarities of the geological structure and the age of the final folding, the Caledonian Gorny Altai in the northwest (occupies about 4/5 of the entire territory) and the Hercynian Rudny Altai in the southwest and south are distinguished. The anticlinoria of Gorny Altai (Kholzunsko-Chuysky, Talitsky, etc.) are mainly composed of the flyschoid terrigenous series of the Upper Cambrian - Lower Ordovician, overlying Vendian-Lower Cambrian ophiolites, siliceous shale formations, and presumably Precambrian metamorphites, which in some places protrude to the surface. Superimposed depressions and grabens (the largest - Korgon) are filled with molasses of the Middle Ordovician - Lower Silurian and early Devonian. The deposits are intruded by Late Devonian granites. Within Rudny Altai, which has a Caledonian basement, rocks of the Middle Devonian-Early Carboniferous volcano-plutonic association and Late Paleozoic granitoids are widespread. In the Oligocene-Quaternary, Altai experienced uplift associated with regional compression of the earth's crust, caused by the convergence of the lithospheric microplates limiting it (Dzhungar, Tuva-Mongolian). The formation of the mountain structure proceeded according to the type of a large arch, which at the last stages of development was deformed by a system of ruptures, as a result of which a series of block morphostructures in the form of high ridges and depressions separating them formed in the central and southern parts. Instrumental observations record vertical movements of the earth's crust, the speed of which reaches several centimeters per year. Uplifts occur unevenly, are accompanied by overthrusts, which causes the asymmetry of the ridges.

Altai is one of the most seismically active inland regions of the world. One of the largest seismic catastrophes (9-10 points) occurred in the high-mountainous Kosh-Agach region on September 27, 2003. Traces of ancient catastrophes (paleoseismodislocations) are known.

The main wealth of the interior of Altai is the deposits of precious metals and pyrites of lead-zinc-copper-barite ores (Korbalikhinskoye, Zyryanovskoye, etc.), which form the polymetallic belt of Rudny Altai. In Gorny Altai there are deposits of mercury, gold, iron, tungsten-molybdenum ores. The deposits of ornamental stones and marble have long been known. There are thermal mineral springs: Abakan Arzhan, Belokurihinskiye and others. The climate of Altai is continental in the foothills, sharply continental in the inner and eastern parts, which is determined by the position in temperate latitudes and a significant distance from the oceans. The winter is severe and long (from 5 months in the foothills to 10 months in the highlands), which is facilitated by the influence of the Asian anticyclone. The average January temperature is (in the foothills) from -15 to -20°С; in the northeast it is somewhat higher and on the shores of Lake Teletskoye it reaches -9.2°С; in basins where temperature inversions are common, it drops to -31.7°C. The recorded minimum temperature is -60°С (in the Chuya steppe). Strong cooling is associated with the widespread development of permafrost, the thickness of which in some places is up to several hundred meters. Summer is relatively short (up to 4 months), but warm. The average July temperature ranges from 22°C (in the foothills) to 6°C in the highlands; in the basins and southern foothills it is possible to rise to 35-40°С and more. The values ​​of 14-18°С are typical for the middle and low mountains. The frost-free period at an altitude of up to 1000 meters does not exceed 90 days, above 2000 m it is practically absent. Precipitation is associated mainly with western moisture-bearing flows and is distributed extremely unevenly over the territory and over the seasons. The exposure asymmetry is clearly expressed, in which the windward slopes of the ridges, especially the western periphery, receive significantly more precipitation than the inner basins. Thus, in the highlands of the Katun and South Chuya ranges, up to 2000 mm of precipitation or more falls annually, while the Kurai and Chui steppes are one of the most arid places in Russia (up to 100 mm of precipitation per year). The lack of moisture in the hollows is also explained by the drying effect of mountain-valley winds - foehns, especially in winter and autumn. In the low and middle mountains, an average of 700-900 mm of precipitation falls annually. The maximum precipitation occurs in summer. The thickness of the snow cover in northern and western regions and in the highlands it reaches 60-90 cm or more, in the hollows - less than 10 cm, and in years with little snow, a stable cover is practically not formed. Over 1500 glaciers with a total area of ​​about 910 km 2 are known in the Altai mountains. They are most common in the Katunsky, South and North Chuysky ridges. The largest glaciers are Taldurinsky, Aktru (Akturi) and Maashey (Mashey), which are 7-12 km long.

Altai. Katun river.

Rivers and lakes. Altai is dissected by a dense network (several tens of thousands) of mountain rivers, which, according to their diet, belong to the Altai type: they feed on melted snow waters and summer rains; characterized by a long spring flood. Most of the rivers belong to the Ob basin, both of its sources - Katun and Biya - are located in Altai and are its main water arteries. The western spurs are drained by the right tributaries of the Irtysh River, among which the Bukhtarma River stands out. The rivers of the northeastern part of Altai (Abakan, etc.) have a drain into the Yenisei River valley, the southeastern outskirts belong to the drainless region of Central Asia. Total number lakes in Altai over 7000, with a total area of ​​over 1000 km2; the largest are Markakol and Lake Teletskoye. Many small (usually 1-3 km 2 or less) ancient glacial lakes often fill picturesque deep trough valleys. In the north of Altai there are karst lakes.

Landscape types. In Altai, the altitudinal zonality of landscapes is well expressed. In the lower landscape zone there are steppes, in the north mainly meadows, with areas of forest-steppes. In the south, the steppes form a wide belt, rising to a height of 1000 meters or more, and in some places have the features of deserts, turning into semi-deserts. Of the mountain-steppe animals, ground squirrels, voles, hamsters, and badgers are common; from birds - steppe eagle, coccyx, kestrel. The appearance of the steppes in the intermountain basins is similar. The gazelle antelope, the Mongolian marmot, the cat's manul, etc. are found there. Leached and podzolized chernozems are developed in the steppe lowlands, and peculiar dry-steppe chestnut and dark chestnut soils are found in the hollows. The insignificant forest-steppe belt is associated with the expositional asymmetry of humidity and illumination, when larch (rarely birch, aspen or pine) grows on the northern slopes of the low mountains, and meadow steppes grow on the southern slopes. The forest belt prevails in the Altai mountains. Mountain taiga forests dominate here: dark coniferous, so-called black taiga from fir, spruce and Siberian cedar pine (or “cedar”), and light coniferous from larch and Scotch pine. Among the inhabitants of mountain forests, taiga animals are typical - bear, lynx, Siberian weasel, squirrel, musk deer, maral, etc.; from birds - capercaillie, hazel grouse, nutcracker, woodpeckers, crossbills. The black taiga on deep podzolic or brown forest soils rich in humus is widespread in the western foothills and in the northeast. Fir forests gravitate towards the middle part mountain slopes, cedar taiga - to the upper parts. In dark coniferous forests, the herbaceous layer is made up of large-herb and tall-herb species; the undergrowth is often absent or consists of ground cover (mosses, lichens), to which shrub and shrub layers are added. Larch forests occupy significant areas in the basin of the middle reaches of the Katun River, on the Terektinsky and Kurai Ranges. pine forests, often of a park type, are distributed mainly along the valleys of the Katun and Chulyshman rivers. In the light coniferous forests, the grass-shrub layer is diverse. Gray forest soils above 1700 m turn into forest-tundra and mountain-tundra. The upper limit of the forest in height ranges from 1600 to 2400 m; sparse taiga grows here with well-developed tall grasses, shrubs and grass-shrub layers. Above - cedar and larch light forests, alternating with thickets of shrubs (derniks) and subalpine meadows. Among the shrubs dominate birch round-leaved, willow, juniper, Kuril tea. Tall grass meadows contain many valuable species: maral root, hellebore Lobel, blueberries, bergenia, etc. Alpine meadows, common in the highlands of western and central regions Altai, alternate with spots of moss-lichen cover or stony placers. There are formations of large-grass, small-grass, grass-sedge and cobresia meadows. The highlands also feature landscapes of subalpine meadows, mountain tundra, rocks, stony placers, glaciers and eternal snows. Most of the highlands are occupied by mountain tundra, which are not distinguished by a wide variety of species. There are meadow, moss-lichen, shrub and rocky tundras. Above 3000 meters there is a nival-glacial belt. Of the animals of the alpine belt, the Altai pika, mountain goat, snow leopard, and reindeer are characteristic. special type The intrazonal landscapes of Altai are represented by swamps, which are distributed almost everywhere on flat interfluves and plateaus.

Specially protected natural areas. 5 objects of Altai (Altaisky Reserve, a protective strip around Lake Teletskoye, Katunsky Reserve, natural Park Beluga whale and Ukok Quiet Zone), called the Golden Mountains of Altai, have been included in the World Heritage List since 1998. natural landscapes and individual natural monuments are also protected in the Markakol Reserve. A number of reserves have been created. For the economy of Altai, see the articles Altai Territory, Altai (Republic of Altai) and Tuva.

History of discovery and research. The first scientific studies of the nature of Altai date back to the 1st half of the 18th century, when ore deposits were discovered in the west and the first copper smelters were built. Russian settlers, mostly runaway factory and state peasants, appeared in the north of Altai in the middle of the 18th century. The first Russian settlements, including those of the Old Believers, began to appear in the 1750-70s, mainly along the valleys of the middle course of the rivers. In the 19th century, the upper reaches of the rivers began to be settled, mainly by Kazakh nomads from China and Kazakhstan. In 1826, K. F. Ledebur studied the flora of Altai. In 1828 alluvial deposits of gold were discovered. In the first half of the 19th century, geological research was carried out by P. A. Chikhachev (1842), G. E. Shchurovsky (1844) and engineers of the mining department. In the 2nd half of the 19th century, numerous expeditions worked in Altai, including Russian geographical societies, Academy of Sciences, which included V. A. Obruchev, V. V. Sapozhnikov, who studied modern glaciation and the vegetation cover of Altai for a number of years. Since the 1920s, a systematic study of the nature of Altai has been carried out: large-scale topography, and geological surveys, as well as the study of various natural resources in connection with the development of the mining industry, hydropower and agriculture.

Lit .: Kuminova A.V. Vegetation cover of Altai. Novosib., 1960; Mikhailov N.I. Mountains of Southern Siberia. M., 1961; Gvozdetsky N.A., Golubchikov Yu.N. Mountains. M., 1987.

General information

The relief of the Altai Mountains is diverse, it stands out: sections of ancient plains, alpine-type glacial high-mountain relief, mountains of medium (1800-2000 meters) and low height (500-600 meters), deep basins. The ridges are indented numerous rivers that feed on snow. Stormy water flows flow into the lakes famous for their beauty, lying in picturesque valleys. In the Altai Mountains, the Biya and Katun rivers are born, which, merging, form the Ob, one of the deepest and longest rivers in Russia.

The highest ridge of the Altai Mountains is Katunsky. With its snowy slopes, sharp peaks, picturesque lakes and glaciers, this part mountain system Altai is similar to the Alps.

The Altai Mountains are famous for their caves, of which there are more than 300, especially in the basin of the Katun, Anui and Charysh rivers. Gorny Altai is the land of waterfalls, the highest of which is the 60-meter Tekelu, which flows into the Akkem River.

The weather in the Altai Mountains is unpredictable, so you should not rely on weather forecasts. Being in the mountains on a warm clear day, you can witness the sudden birth of a cloud and visit its very thick.

The climate of the region is sharply continental with cold winters and warm summers. The weather in any particular place depends on its altitude and the prevailing winds. In the Altai Mountains there is both the warmest place in Siberia and its cold pole. The climate is formed under the influence of arctic masses, warm and humid winds of the Atlantic and the hot air of Central Asia. Winter in the region lasts from 3 to 5 months, one of the coldest places is the Chui Valley, where the temperature drops to -32°. Much warmer in southern regions Altai Mountains - for example, in the area of ​​Lake Teletskoye, winter pleases with comfortable ten degrees below zero. In spring and autumn, cold snaps and frosts are frequent, lasting until mid-June in the highlands. The warmest month is July with an average temperature of +14 to +16°; in the highlands - from +5 to +8°, ​​here the temperature drops by 0.6° with an increase in altitude for every 100 meters.

In summer, daylight hours in the region last 17 hours, which is more than in Yalta or Sochi.

Gorny Altai is famous for its rich flora and fauna. In a relatively small area of ​​the region, almost all types of vegetation in Asia, Kazakhstan and the European part of Russia grow. Taiga, steppe, mountain tundra and alpine meadows are located on the Altai Mountains of different heights.

In each natural area live animals adapted to certain environmental conditions. Some of them - bears, deer, sable - roam from one area to another. Elk, musk deer, roe deer, ground squirrel, fox, wolverine, squirrel, and ermine are also found in the Altai Mountains. The rarest animal on Earth lives in the highlands - the irbis (snow leopard), as well as the Siberian goat and the red wolf.

In the Altai Mountains, endemic species have also formed that live only here: mountain turkey, tundra partridge, Altai buzzard. Other birds of the region are the gray goose, mallard duck, gray crane, snipe, owl, nutcracker.

Attractions

Lake Teletskoye is a true pearl in the placer of Altai lakes. The purest waters, framed by mountains and centuries-old cedars, alpine meadows and magnificent waterfalls, remoteness from civilization are the sources of the charm of the famous lake.

Ukok plateau - protected natural area, a place of concentration of burial mounds of various chronological eras. Local residents believe that the plateau is the threshold of the firmament, "the end of everything", a special sacred place to whom they entrust the bodies of the dead. In many burial mounds, cooled by permafrost, well-preserved household items of great historical value were found. Unique nature the plateau and the surrounding Altai Mountains inspired the artist Nicholas Roerich to create world-famous paintings. In the village of Upper Uimon there is a house-museum of the painter, where you can see his paintings and buy their copies.

Chemal is a picturesque area of ​​the Altai Mountains, where the Katun carries its waters past rocky mountains that fascinate with their impregnability.

Karakol lakes - 7 reservoirs amazing beauty, stretching in a chain along the western slope of the Iolgo ridge. To admire the lakes lying at an altitude of 2000 meters, you will have to use horses or a specially equipped vehicle.

Lower Shavlinskoye Lake is located surrounded by mountains Dream, Fairy Tale and Beauty in the vicinity of the village of Chibit. Pagan idols are installed on the shore of the reservoir.

The discovery of the Denisova Cave, located in the valley of the Anui River in the Soloneshsky District, has become a notable event in world archeology. The remains of a 42,000-year-old man were found in the cave. In addition, the oldest cultural layer of habitation of people who lived in a cave 282,000 years ago was discovered here. At the parking lot ancient man more than 80,000 different stone household items, iron products of the XIV century, bronze knives of later periods were found. The cave is accessible to people with any level of physical fitness. Before the eyes of a tourist who is not too lazy to get here, a unique so-called "layer cake" appears, consisting of more than 20 cultural layers formed in different eras of human existence.

Altai cave, one of the deepest and longest in Siberia and Altai, goes down 240 meters, and its length is 2540 meters. This natural landmark is located, protected as geological monument nature, in the village of Cheremshanka in the Altai Territory. The Altai cave is actively visited by amateur tourists and professional speleologists.

Mount Belukha, which is part of the Katunsky Range and revered as sacred by local residents, is the highest point in Siberia and Altai, towering 4509 meters above the picturesque valleys of the Ukok plateau. Belukha is located at an equidistant distance from the four world oceans and is the geographical center of Eurasia. Many who have visited Belukha or near it admit that they felt the enlightenment of consciousness and the incredible energy of these places. Here reigns special atmosphere, tuning in a philosophical way. And this is not self-hypnosis, many scientists claim that powerful bioenergy fields really exist around the mountain. Buddhists believe that somewhere on the top of the mountain there is an entrance to the fabulous land of Shambhala, which only the elite can see. The sources of the main Altai river Katun originate in the Belukha glaciers.

Chuisky Trakt is the Novosibirsk-Tashant highway, ending at the borders of Mongolia. After driving along it, you will be able to get to know the Altai Mountains better and see all their diversity.

Other sights of the Altai Mountains worthy of attention:

• Lake Aya;
• Multinsky lakes;
• Kucherlinsky lakes;
• Lake Manzherok;
• Rock paintings of primitive people in the Kalbak-Tash tract;
• Scythian burial mounds of Pazyryk;
• Mount Altyn-Tu;
• Patmos Island on Chemal with the Church of St. John the Evangelist;
• The Tsar's mound - a burial site over 2000 years old;
• Valley of the Chulyshman River with numerous waterfalls.

This is only a small part of those natural and man-made miracles, which are rich in the Altai Mountains.

Why go

Adherents of sports tourism have known and visited the Altai Mountains for several decades. Mountain rivers of Altai are ideal for rafting. Speleologists descend into mysterious caves, climbers storm mountain peaks, paragliders hover over picturesque landscapes, nature has prepared countless places of stunning beauty for lovers of hiking. Equestrian tourism is well developed in Altai, which makes it possible to visit the most inaccessible corners of the region, where you can see the Red Book argali sheep, lakes of unreal beauty, hear the inimitable and heartbreaking cries of marals during the rut.

Fishing in the Altai Mountains traditionally attracts many tourists not only from neighboring regions, but also from the European part of Russia, as well as from abroad. The waters of local rivers are rich in valuable fish - grayling, taimen, whitefish, rainbow trout, burbot, pike and other species.

People go to Altai to get medical treatment and relax in one of the most environmentally friendly places on Earth. The seismically active region is rich in healing thermal springs, local radon waters are especially valued. Belokurikha - the most popular Altai balneological resort, famous for its unique microclimate, modern sanatorium and medical facilities and excellent opportunities for active rest. Vacationers get an unforgettable pleasure walking along the health path along the turbulent river Belokurikha, rushing through the forest gorge. At the service of tourists is a chairlift that lifts the guests of the resort to Mount Tserkovka (height 815 meters), from the top of which a stunning view of the Altai expanses opens.

One of the hallmarks of the Altai Mountains is deer, on the treatment of which the whole medical industry is based on the treatment of antlers. Panty - young, non-ossified antlers of deer, cut only from males in June-July. Male individuals provide a unique healing product, rich in amino acids and microelements, a recognized elixir of health and longevity. To obtain valuable raw materials, deer are bred in captivity - the animals live in the vast territory of the deer, where they are protected from predators and poachers. Only once a year the red deer are disturbed in order to cut off their antlers. On the basis of many marals, medical bases have been created, where vacationers improve their health among mountains and forests, enjoying peace and quiet in the bosom of Altai nature.

In winter, visitors are welcome to the ski resorts of Altai - Manzherok, Belokurikha, Turquoise Katun, Seminsky pass.

IN Lately The tourist infrastructure in the mountainous regions of Altai is developing rapidly: modern hotels and recreation centers are being built, new excursion routes are being developed, new roads are being laid and old ones are being improved. The number of agencies offering a variety of tours to Altai has grown significantly.

Information for tourists

Find suitable accommodation in tourist areas The Altai Mountains are not difficult - everywhere there are camp sites of different levels of comfort, hotels and boarding houses. Many locals offer accommodation in the private sector for a very moderate fee.

Communication in Gorny Altai is available in all major tourist destinations. It would be useful to have SIM cards of two or three operators with you, because. in some areas, the connection is better with Beeline, and in others - with Megafon.

Going to Altai even at the height of summer, be sure to stock up on warm clothes - in mountainous areas, the night temperature can drop to +5°C.

Popular souvenirs from Gorny Altai are honey, velvet antlers, pine nuts, teas from alpine herbs, original wooden products of local residents, amulets, national musical instruments and household items.

In places that are sacred to the Altaians, one should not indulge in fun, shouting and littering. Do not flatter your pride - do not leave ugly inscriptions "Here was ..." on the man-made and natural sights of Altai. From tourists, local residents expect respect for their land, ancestors and wildlife.

How to get there

The most convenient way to get to Altai from Novosibirsk is by train or bus to Barnaul or Biysk. From these cities there are several flights a day to Gorno-Altaisk and others settlements region. If you are traveling by car, then from Novosibirsk you should go along the M-52 highway (Chuysky Trakt).