Mountains: characteristics and types. The oldest mountains in the world

High view of antiquity.
Ural mountains- the oldest mountain formations on Earth. Formation began in the late Devonian period - more than 364 million years ago. It ended in the Triassic period - after 135 million years. The system includes unique mountain Pencil (Turkic Kara-tash), whose age is 4.2 billion years - 400 million years younger than the Earth. Consists of an igneous rock with a minimal content of organic compounds, called Israndite.

The first mention dates back to the 7th century BC - Herodotus tells about the poem "Arimaspeia" by Aristaeus Proconesus. For the first time the mountains of the Urals are depicted by Claudius Ptolemy (2nd century AD). The Arab geographer al-Idrisi gave more detailed description in his work of the twelfth century. A Russian mention can be found in The Tale of Bygone Years (XI century AD). The current name was given to them by the Russian geographer Vasily Tatishchev in the 18th century, separating them from the ancient designations: Hyperborean and Riphean. In the Tatar language “Ural” means “stone belt”.

The bizarre system of mountains of the Urals stretches from south to north for more than 2500 kilometers ( for the most part 60th meridian). It lies among the West Siberian and East European plains, extending up to 160 km wide. Is natural boundary Europe and Asia. In the south, the mountains expand, deviating to the southwest, in the north they bend towards the Yamal Peninsula.

In antiquity, geographers separated the Southern (Noros), Middle (Rimnus) and Northern (Hyperborean) sections of the Urals. Now a conditional division into 5 regions has been adopted: Southern, Middle, Northern, Subpolar, Polar.
The appearance of the Ural Mountains is not the same everywhere.
In the north: thin ridges, rocky peaks and glaciers.
In the foothills there are herds of deer.
Middle Ural- the lowest part. Time has turned it almost into a plain, on which the remnants of the destroyed mountains rise - remnants.
In the south, the mountains rise again. There are rivers flowing in bottomless gorges, many lakes.

In mountain forests of middle and southern Urals many different animals. The Ural Mountains are rich in minerals (48 items) and minerals (200). Non-ferrous metal and iron ores, salts, coal, precious metals occur here. There are abundant deposits of skarn-magnetite ores, oxide nickel, copper pyrite, chromite, gold and platinum, bauxite and asbestos. The Petersburg Hermitage presents bowls made of Ural jasper and malachite. It is difficult to list all the fossils in the bowels of the Urals.

In 2001, Canadian scientists tried to challenge the age championship of Mount Pencil. The age of the Nuvvuagittuk rocks, located near the Eskimo village of the same name, was named 4.3 billion years. Disputes continue to this day, leaving the palm behind the Urals.

What are the oldest mountains on planet Earth?

1. Mountains are found on all continents and many major islands in Greenland, Madagascar, Taiwan, New Zealand, British, etc. The mountains of Antarctica are largely buried under the ice sheet, but there are individual volcanic mountains, such as Mount Erebus, and mountain ranges, including the mountains of Queen Maud Land and Mary Byrd Land, are high and well defined in relief. Australia has fewer mountains than any other continent. In the North and South America Europe, Asia and Africa are represented by cordilleras, mountain systems, ranges, groups of mountains and single mountains. Himalayas in the south Central Asia, represent the highest and youngest mountain system in the world. The longest mountain system is the Andes in South America, stretching for 7560 km from Cape Horn to caribbean. They are older than the Himalayas and apparently had a more complex history of development. The mountains of Brazil are lower and much older than the Andes. IN North America mountains reveal very big variety by age, structure, structure, origin and degree of dismemberment. Laurentian Upland, occupying the territory from the lake. top up Nova Scotia, is a relic of highly eroded high mountains formed in the Archaean more than 570 million years ago. In many places, only the structural roots of these ancient mountains remain. The Appalachians are intermediate in age. They first experienced uplift in the Late Paleozoic c. 280 million years ago and were much higher than now. Then they underwent significant destruction, and in the Paleogene ca. 60 million years ago were re-raised to modern heights. The Sierra Nevada mountains are younger than the Appalachians. They also went through a stage of significant destruction and re-uplift. System rocky mountains The USA and Canada are younger than the Sierra Nevada, but older than the Himalayas. The Rocky Mountains formed during the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene. They survived two major stages of uplift, the last in the Pliocene, only 23 million years ago. It is unlikely that the Rocky Mountains have ever been higher than at present. The Cascade Mountains and Coast Ranges in the western United States and most of the mountains of Alaska are younger than the Rocky Mountains. The coast ranges of California are still experiencing very slow uplift.
2. The Ural Mountains are the oldest in the world
3. The most ancient mountains on Earth are the mountains of the Kola Peninsula .. . In the ancient Indian legend "Mahabharata" a description is given of the ancestral home of the Aryans, where high mountain Meru s main peak Mandara, above which was the North Star (Putorana Plateau). In the cosmology of Ancient Iran, it was argued that during the creation of the World, Khara Berezaiti (Mount Meru) was created first of all. All other mountains of different parts of the world have grown through e root system and were connected by underground roots with this primeval high Hara (Meru). The "Avesta" says that the first mountain that arose on Earth is the Great Hara. There is a story in Zoroastrian teaching that sacred mountain grew in three stages over 800 years. On the highest peak, shining with gold and gems, a palace was built for Mithra, the great Aryan God... Indication of ancient sources that Mount Meru was not far from northern ocean, under polar star, with the wealth of waterfalls, rivers, lakes, flora and fauna, birds, as well as the fact that the mountains are the most ancient on Earth, indicate that the abode of the Aryan gods was located on the Putorana plateau in the area mountain top 1700 meters high, located to the east of the city of Norilsk and Lake Lama. This is confirmed by the fact that before the new era, near Lake Lama and on the Putorana Plateau, Aryan peoples- Arimaspians. In these places, and today there are numerous ground and underground structures. Lake Lama has interesting stone formations, as well as underground labyrinths, extending to the east and north. There are suggestions that near Lake Lama in different time there were capitals and cult centers of various peoples, including the Aryans and Arismans (arimasps). cultural centers ancient peoples were near the rivers Yantali, Kochechum and in the bend of the river Minchanda under the thickness of the "cultural layer" of the earth.
   About seven thousand years ago, a significant part of the Aryans, under the pressure of the cold that appeared, went into southbound towards Altai, Turgai plateau, India.
4. Ararat
5. If I'm not mistaken, then according to the school curriculum, these are the Ural Mountains. There are no sharp rocks, time destroyed them the most.
6. I forgot what they're called, but you can google it. They are located exactly in South Africa.
7. Why did it interest you?
8. There are no ancient mountains on earth. they are all from the same time.

Ural ... a mysterious, almost mystical land, where the Azov-mountain hides innumerable treasures, the great snake Poloz guards its gold deep underground, and the Mistress copper mountain keeps the ancient secrets of the skill of stone cutters... This land, glorified by I. Bazhov, is notable not only for its tales. The Ural Mountains are low - their highest peaks they barely “overcome” one and a half kilometers, but ... this is what they are remarkable for: the lower the mountains, the older they are. The low Ural Mountains are the most ancient not only in Russia, but also on the planet as a whole.

In the Bashkir folk tale speaks of a giant who wore his untold riches in his belt pockets - and once stretched from sandy shores Caspian to cold Kara Sea, and the Stone Belt, which was called the Urals - from the Bashkir word "urau" (encircle). It is possible that we have an etymological myth before us - this name may well go back to the pra-Turkic root, meaning "hill", or to the Mansi "ur" (mountain).

How and when did this “stone belt” appear on Earth, dividing Europe and Asia? This story began in the Mesozoic period - about 160 million years ago, when dinosaurs walked the Earth. Two grandiose "fragments" of the ancient continents approached, their edges began to crumple and crumble (geologists call this a "broken plate"). The rocks gradually eroded, filling in the hollows... but that was only the beginning of the story.

If we could travel by car 70 million years ago, we would see the sea at the foot of the mountains - shallow, with a winding coastline. The mountains themselves then could compete with the Himalayas in height, and according to some sources even surpassed them! This height was the result of tectonic movement in the area, due to which the mountains "grew up" significantly. At the same time there was a reversal of several rivers.

In the last few hundred thousand years, the Ural Mountains have not increased - they have only collapsed, obeying the all-powerful time, or rather, the all-powerful weathering processes. What we can observe today are only the foundations of ancient, once high mountains.

But the geological history of the Ural region did not end there - it only changed its character. So, a fault stretched from Bredy to Kopeysk through Troitsk, which over time can grow to the size of the Atlantic Ocean - you just need to wait a couple of hundred million years. A gigantic basin like Baikal may form, and in the future, a sea like Red, and there a direct path to Pacific Ocean. Before that, even less - only two or three hundred thousand years - and we will see it ...

But it will still be. In the meantime, we can only be amazed not only by the antiquity of the Ural Mountains, but also by their climatic diversity: the sands of the desert - and northern ice, subpolar tundra - and alpine meadows ... The diversity of minerals is no less striking: there is gas, and oil, and diamonds, and iron, and marble ... and, of course, malachite, which we remember when it comes to the Urals and the Urals tales.

There are places on Earth that have remained unchanged for millions of years. When you get to such places, you willy-nilly imbued with reverence for time and feel like just a grain of sand. This review contains the oldest geological antiquities of our planet, many of which are still a mystery to scientists today.

1. The oldest surface

In Israel, one of the local desert areas looks the same as almost two million years ago. Scientists believe that this plain remained dry and extremely flat for such a long time due to the fact that the climate did not change here and there was no geological activity. According to those who have been here, you can look at the endless barren plain almost forever ... if you can stand the wild heat well.

2. The oldest ice

At first glance, the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica appear to be ice-free. Their eerie "Martian" landscapes are made up of bare rocks and a thick layer of dust. There are also remnants of ice about 15 million years old. Moreover, a mystery is connected with this most ancient ice on the planet. For millions of years, the valleys have remained stable and unchanged, but in last years they started to thaw. For reasons unknown, the Garwood Valley experienced unusually hot weather for Antarctica. One of the glaciers began to melt intensively for at least 7000 years. Since then, it has already lost a huge amount of ice and there is no sign that this will stop.

3. Desert

4. Oceanic crust

340 million years

5. Reefs created by animals

The oldest reef is not just one or two sprigs of corals. This is a massive petrified “network” that stretches for 7 km. And it is in Africa. This miracle of nature was created in Namibia by claudins - the first creatures with skeletons. Extinct rod-shaped animals made their own cement from calcium carbonate, like modern corals, and used it to stick together. Although very little is known about them today, scientists believe that claudins combined to protect themselves from predators.

6. Mount Roraima

Three countries border this mountain: Guyana, Brazil and Venezuela. Its huge flat top is a popular tourist attraction, and when it falls a large number of precipitation, then water from the mountain flows down in waterfalls to the plateau below. The sight of Roraima inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle so much that he wrote his famous classic “ lost World". At the same time, few tourists know that Mount Roraima is one of the most ancient formations in the world.

7. Water

At a depth of 3 kilometers in a Canadian mine lies what used to be the prehistoric ocean floor. After scientists took samples from a “pocket” of water found in a mine, they were shocked when this liquid turned out to be the oldest H2O on the planet. This water is older than even the first multicellular life.

8. Impact crater

9 Tectonic Plates

10. Earth

Scientists believe that a part of the Earth, which the planet was at birth, may have fallen into their hands. In Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic, volcanic rocks have been found that formed before the earth's crust formed. This discovery may finally reveal what happened to the globe before it gets hard. These rocks contained a previously unseen combination of chemical elements - lead, neodymium and extremely rare helium-3.

For everyone who is interested in the history of our planet, we have collected.

wanted I would say that the Ural Mountains are the most ancient, but according to scientific research, they are only 350 million years old. Therefore, in terms of age, they were “overtaken” by the mountain formations in Canada - Nuvvuagittuk. These mountains are approximately 4.28 billion years old, i.e.

Of the most or young mountain formations. available on the planet, these are the Himalayas, according to scientists, they have “only” 50-70 million.

Basic The distinguishing feature between young and ancient mountains is that the ancient mountains are very destroyed. they have less contrast mountainous terrain and not significant differences in height. Young mountains, on the contrary, have a very sharp relief, although absolute height doesn't matter. Young mountains do not have to be high.

Still, the Ural Mountains may well compete for the title of the oldest mountains on the planet. At least it has long been known that Mount Pencil. which is located between Miass and Zlatoust, has an age of 4.2 billion years. This is almost the same (4.28 billion years) as that of the mountain system Nuvvuagittuq close to Hudson Bay. But such a small difference may well be the result of an error in determining the age of the mountains.

Mountain Pencil consists of israndita- dense, heavy and almost black stone. This rock is from the mantle of the Earth, and not from its crust, it was not possible to detect any organic matter in it.

The mountain got its name because of the deposits of graphite nearby, school slate boards and pencils were made from it. Once the mountain was high, but over the millennia it collapsed and its height is now only 600 meters.

The youngest mountains are those that formed over the past 50 million years, that is, in the era of the last continental drift. These are the Himalayas, the Alps, the Andes and the Cordilleras, and even the Caucasus - all these are very young mountains, mountains of the same age. But as for the oldest mountains, then the question is more complicated. Start in determining the age of mountains from age rocks wrong, you never know that the rock was formed during the solidification of the earth's surface billions of years ago, this does not make it a mountain. A mountain is an uplift of the earth's surface as a result of the movement of continental plates, and what continental plates can we talk about 4 billion years ago? That's why ancient mountains of the world are considered the Ural and scandinavian mountains that formed over 300 million years ago. And the most ancient rocks were found in Australia - zirconium from the green continent is more than 4.38 billion years old.

Latest in time mountain system that appeared on our Earth, these are the Himalayas with the greatest peak in the world - Chomolungma. 38 million years ago, the Great Himalayas began to rise, then the Lesser Himalayas, and about 7 million years have passed since the formation of the Sivalik Mountains. This is the most South part Himalayas bordering the Indian Plain. The height of this system is only about 2.5 thousand meters. mountain range The Himalayas are still growing and have grown by 1370 meters in the last 1.5 million years.

And the mountains of the Urals and Canada compete for the title of the oldest mountain formation. Further research will someday establish this for sure.

Mountains are steeper and higher than hills, the natural rise of the surface on Earth. The very process of mountain formation occurs under the influence of the volcanic impact of faults, uplifts tectonic plates. In this process, the deposits between the plates become mountain ranges. One of the most famous mountains- The Himalayas will be the youngest, the oldest are the Scandinavian Mountains, Nuvvuagittuk, the Ural Mountains.