Low mountains located in the east of Australia. Australia (Continent)

Australia is a continent of plains, they occupy most territories, as well as plateaus and lowlands. The mountains are located in the eastern part of the mainland: East Australian and Great Dividing Range, which starts in the northern part of Cape York and ends in Tasmania. It stretches for 3500 kilometers and goes around Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria. It is the fourth largest in the world.

– Alpine National Park, Victoria, Australia

Top 10 Australia

Peaks to conquer

On average, the East Australian peaks are only 700 meters, maximum point- 2228 meters - this is Mount Kosciuszko (Australian Alps). The height progresses from the northern part, they are wider and higher in the south. There, the average height reaches 1 kilometer. The highest peaks are the Blue Mountains, Liverpool Range and others. The former have World Heritage status. The ridges are also high in the east and on the coasts, they break off sharply in the direction of the Pacific Ocean, their peaks have a pointed shape. In the west, the ridges are lower, the peaks, on the contrary, are flat. This mountain range divided by basins, forming the eastern and western parts.

I offer you a list of ten peaks in Australia that can boast beautiful views. Treat yourself to stunning views and add these peaks to your climbing list.

– 1 – Mount Warning

– Mount Warning or Wollumbin, New South Wales

In the central part of the region Byron Bay the mountain rises (1159 m.). Near this ancient extinct and already almost destroyed volcano, also known as Wollumbin (Wollumbin), the relic moist evergreen forests of Australia have survived to this day, dating back to the Jurassic period.

This is one of the most amazing places that the driest continent of the Earth has preserved since those distant times, when Australia and Tasmania were one with Antarctica. In these forests, along with typical tropical plants, there are such amazing trees and animals as the Antarctic beech and lyrebirds that have remained in Australia since the time of the dinosaurs.

From point of view weather conditions climbing to the top is best planned from March to November. To climb a peak like Wollumbin (Wollumbin) more physical than technical preparation is required. For a successful ascent, most likely neither crampons nor complex insurance will be required, the ascent can be made in any weather and in almost any season. The organization of intermediate camps, as well as complex logistics, you will not need.

Mountain Mount Warning included in the mountain McPherson Range, which was first explored in 1828 by botanist Allan Cunningham and his partner Patrick Logan, who named the mountains after Duncan McPherson. However, the outlines of the ridge from the shore were seen back in 1770 by the British traveler James Cook, who named the mountain peak he noticed "Warning" (Mount Warning). In general, the highest point Mount Barney, reaches a height of 1372 meters.

There are several national parks on the territory of the mountain range, including one that is part of a World Heritage Site.

– 2 – Mount Gower

– Mount Gower and Mount Lidgbird, Lord Howe Island

Mount Gower or Mount Rover is one of the most amazing sights, one of the oldest volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean (about 20 million years old). This mountain is also known as Big Hill and has a height of 875 meters, making it the highest on the island.

A rather difficult 8.5-hour route leads to the top. No special climbing skills are required.

Lord Howe Island this is the 3rd time on my list - how and how. In addition, the island ranks in the 12 most romantic islands in the South Pacific. Those. here you can not only passively relax on the beach, but also for lovers of active leisure there are activities - like diving, snorkeling, boating, playing tennis and golf, climbing Mount Gower, bird watching and exploration of the nature of the island.

– 3 – Mount Kosciuszko

– Seaman’s Hut, Mount Kosciusko NP, New South Wales

This is a small peak (2228 m.) Kosciuszko was discovered in 1839. Already in the next 1840, the Polish traveler, geographer and geologist Pavel Edmund Strzelecki, who named the mountain in honor of the military and political figure Tadeusz Kosciuszko.

The mountain was previously called Townsend, the name is "Kosciuszko" belonged to a neighboring peak, then considered the highest in the Australian Alps. Since more recent research has shown that Townsend still 20 meters higher, out of respect for Pavel Edmund Strzelecki, the land department of New South Wales decided to change the names of the two mountains in places so that the highest one is still called "Kosciuszko".

The best season for climbing the mountain is from November to March. The pinnacle of this level Mount Kosciuszko is more of an attraction than an object of mountain climbing. This is one of the most welcoming and equipped peaks in the world. To climb, there are several routes that practically do not differ in complexity. Ask about the weather forecast and don't forget a raincoat or raincoat if necessary and go for a walk to Australia's highest peak.

You can start on the "roof of the continent" from - Thredbo (lift and a leisurely walk 6.5 km long) and from the Charlotte Pass (Charlotte Pass) there are two trails 9 km long. and 12 km.

– 4 – Mount Feathertop

– Mount Feathertop, Alpine National Park, Victoria

Mount Feathertop is the second highest mountain in the state of Victoria in Australia, having a height of 1922 meters (the highest mountain in the state of Victoria is Mt Bogong / Mt Bogong /, 1986 m) and is located in Alpine National Park. From June to September it is covered with snow.

The first people to systematically explore Bogong High Plains, were Jim Brown (Jim Brown) and Jack Wells (Jack Wells), they named the mountain "Feathertop" in 1851.

In 1906 from Harrietville a track was laid to the mountain (today the Bungalow Spur hiking route is close to it) and a hut was built near the spring on flat terrain. The hut was rebuilt in 1912 and is now known as the Feathertop Hut. From the Federation Hut, a 2 km long track leads up the mountain, which connects to other hiking tracks leading to the mountain - Razorback and North West Spur.

– 5 – Mount Barney

– Mount Barney, Queensland

Highest point McPherson Range, Mount Barney, reaches a height of 1372 meters. It is located in the southeastern part of Queensland, about 130 km. southwest of Brisbane, near the border with New South Wales (New South Wales). It is the fifth tallest in Queensland.

It's popular tourist place For hiking through the tropical forest. The mountain consists of two main peaks (East Peak and slightly higher West Peak), as well as a number of smaller auxiliary peaks. East Peak is the most popular for climbing. In the culture of the local aborigines, the mountain occupies a prominent place.

On August 3, 1828, explorer Allan Cunningham named the mountain Mt. Lindsay. However, presumably the Inspector General of New South Wales, Thomas Mitchell, renamed the mountain in 1840 to Mount Barney, in honor of George Barney, a colonial engineer.

The first European to climb Mount Barney was Captain Patrick Logan who summited East Peak over what is now called Logan's Ridge on an exploratory expedition in 1828. The ascent report was written by botanists Charles Fraser and Allan Cunningham, who accompanied Logan (Logan) while climbing.

Created in 1947 Mount Barney National Park for guard natural heritage surrounding the peak. Mount Barney was included in protected areas Australia's Central and Eastern Rainforests in 1994 to protect rare plants and animals whose habitats are endangered.

– 6 – Walsh Pyramid

– Walshs Pyramid, Wooroonooran National Park, Queensland

Walsh's Pyramid the world's highest free-standing hill (922 m) with a pronounced pyramidal appearance, 20 km south of Burns. It is located in Wooroonooran National Park. For the experienced, the ascent and descent can take 4 to 6 hours. Every year, on the third Saturday of August, the Great Pyramid Race and Farm Product Fair are held here. According to official data, the height of the mountain corresponds to the level of the highest city Ravenshoe. This mountain also has a local Aboriginal name - Buadadjarruga

The mountain was named in 1870 in honor of William Henry Walsh, a minister of the Government of Queensland.

Vurunuran National Park located in the territory, which has been awarded the status of "World Heritage" (Wet Tropics World Heritage Area). Part of the park called "Palmerston" is the most a prime example rainforest ecosystems with the most diverse flora and fauna. More than 500 species of tropical trees grow here, rare endemic species of animals and birds live, including the marsupial rat and the chowchilla bird. Since ancient times, these lands were inhabited by natives of the Wari and Dulgubara tribes. The first European who explored the territory of the future national park was Christie Palmerston. Part of the park is named after him.

– 7 – Mount Ngungun

– Mount Ngungun, Glass House Mountains, Queensland

Mount Ngungun is among the mountains of volcanic origin, true hills, park Glass House Mountains. This mountain is the sixth of 11 in this park in height (253 meters).

The hills were first described by James Cook on May 17, 1770, who gave them their current name. In 1799 they were explored in detail by Matthew Flinders, who also conquered one of them: Birburrum (278 meters). According to modern studies, the age of the hills is about 25 million years. Access to the hills themselves is limited due to the fact that the natives consider them sacred places.

According to Kabi Kabi Aboriginal beliefs, the father is Tibrogargan hill, the mother is Beerwah, and the rest are their sons and daughters, the eldest of which is Coonowrin / Koonourin. Once, when Tibrogargan was looking out to sea, he saw a great rise in the waters. He realized that there was a flood in the distance, and began to worry about Birwa, who bore him many children and was again pregnant, and could not reach the safe height, in the west, without outside help. And, calling to himself the eldest son, Kunourin, and telling him about the flood, he told him to help his pregnant mother gather the little children together so that the family could escape from a natural disaster. Koonourin fled alone in fear and Tibrogargan, angered by his son's cowardice, hit him with such force that he dislocated his neck, and he has never been able to straighten it since. When the sea receded, the family returned to the plain. Kunourin, teased with a crooked neck and he was very ashamed of his behavior, he went to Tibrogargan and asked for forgiveness, but his father simply wept with shame. Kunourin then approached the brothers and sisters to ask their forgiveness, but they too could only weep in shame, which explains the large number of streams and springs. The father, calling his eldest son to him, began to find out why he did not help his mother, to which he replied that he felt that she was big enough to take care of herself, although he did not know then that she was pregnant. Tibrogargan turned his back on his son and still looks out to sea today, refusing to look at his delinquent son, who always cries and cries. Beerwah, still pregnant, as it takes a long time to give birth to a mountain.

– 8 – Cradle Mountain

– Cradle Mountain, Tasmania

Jagged mountain peak, 1545 meters high and being the fifth highest mountain of the island, has become a symbol of the park, and of the whole of Tasmania.

Cradle Mountain named in 1827 by explorer Joseph Fossey, who decided that the site bears a remarkable resemblance to a cradle. In 1831, explorer Henry Hellyer successfully reached the summit of Cradle Mountain.

Speaking of this place, one must definitely mention Gustav Weindorfer. Austrian naturalist who is considered the founding father of tourism in the area. He and his wife Kate chose the site to build a chalet that would allow tourists to stay in the valley and explore its beauties.

- 9 - Mount Bishop and Clerk (Bishop and Clerk)

– Mount Bishop and Clerk, Maria Island / Maria Island, Tasmania

On the northern part is the highest point of the island - Mount Maria of the same name (Mount Maria) with a height of 711 m (according to other sources, 710 m) above sea level. In the same mountain range, to the north, are Martins Tor (705 m) and Mount Pedder (653 m) high. At the northernmost tip of the mountain range is Mount Bishop and Clerk. The highest point of the southern part of the island is Middle Hill, 324 m high. Bishop and Clerk (Bishop and Clerk), so named because they resembled a bishop carrying a miter following a priest.

An interesting and picturesque route is a hike to Mount Bishop and Clerk– 12 km round trip, takes 3 to 5 hours. Australian Traveler named this itinerary one of the top 10 day trips. tourist routes in Australia.

– 10 – St Mary Peak

– St Mary Peak, Flinders Ranges NP,

St Mary's Peak or the highest (1171 m) peak of the Flinders Ranges in South Australia, located on the north-western side of the valley. Located on the territory Flinders Ranges National Park (Flinders Ranges NP). Ranks eighth in the list of the highest peaks in South Australia. The peak also has a local Aboriginal name - Ngarri Mudlanha.

There are two trails leading to the summit - a short 7 km track going along the outer side of Wilpena Pound (14 km, approximately 3.5 hours one way) and a long inner trail going through the middle of Wilpena Pound (21.2 km, about 4 .5 hours one way The trails are considered quite difficult and require serious experience.

St Mary Peak plays a special role in the culture of the local natives, so it will not be shameful if you refuse to climb this peak. According to legend, this peak is the head of the ancient snake Akurra, or rather the snake, whose body was petrified and formed the northeast wall. Wilpena Pound

In the east of the Australian continent, the East Australian mountain system stretches, formed by neotectonic movements on Paleozoic (mainly Hercynian) folded structures. These same structures lie at the base of the smaller southeast slabs. At the outcrops of the Paleozoic and Precambrian folded basement, the Flinders and Lofty mountains were formed.

The physiographic countries of Eastern Australia are predominantly mountainous. Uplifts continue with plateaus about. Tasmania. The ridges break off with steep slopes to the east to the ocean coast and gradually decrease to the west, forming hilly foothills - downs. Low mountains (up to 2000 meters and only a little more in the south of the system) stand in the way of air masses flowing along the western periphery of the South Pacific High. All year round they receive orographic precipitation from the sea air, especially plentiful in summer. There are freshwater lakes, full-flowing throughout the year, forests grow. On the western slopes and in the foothills, precipitation is less, savannahs dominate. The nature of the vegetation changes from north to south as the amount of heat decreases. It plays a role and influence in the north of the Eurasian continent, and in the south - Antarctica, with which Eastern Australia finally lost contact only in the Cenozoic. The region's flora includes Asian species in the north and relic Antarctic species in the south.

Within Eastern Australia, there are three physiographic countries: the Northeast with a subequatorial and tropical climate, the Southeast with a subtropical and about. Tasmania.

North East Australia

The northern part of the East Australian Mountains has specific natural features due to the peculiarities of orography and position within the subequatorial and tropical zones. The border with the South-East runs along approximately 28 ° S. sh., where the character of the mountains changes, and climatic conditions. The axial part of the mountains here is the Great Dividing Range (up to 1600 meters high), dissected by faults and erosion into separate fold-block massifs. Volcanic rocks also take part in its structure. Throughout the year, the region is under the influence of the trade winds. As a result, the North East, which is entirely within the state of Queensland, is distinguished by a number of peculiar features of nature.

This is a region with a mountainous terrain. The eastern ridges and massifs have the greatest height, their slopes are steep and dissected. The transition to the plains in the west is more gradual. In the north, the normal eastern slopes of the ridges and massifs break off to the ocean or to a narrow coastal lowland, while the western slopes pass into low, gently sloping ridges, which are, nevertheless, a watershed between the basins of the Coral Sea and the river. Darling and Lake Eyre. To the south, the ridge becomes narrower, the folded base is hidden under the Mesozoic sediments and thick basalt covers. Mountains with table peaks in the west turn into downs. At the foot of the eastern slopes, a wider (up to 50 km) coastal hilly plain appears.

The climate of the region is tropical. The windward eastern slopes of the mountains receive up to 1500 mm per year, and in some places even more.

In winter, it often comes from the continent, due to which average monthly temperatures(up to 15-17 ° C), it rains less often. However, there is no dry season here. In summer, sometimes relatively cold air from the south, and then can fall by 10°C in less than an hour. The amount of precipitation decreases from east to west and in the inner parts it is 700-800 mm. In the mountains, the average monthly temperatures of the coldest month are negative (about -5°С), and there is snow on the peaks. Night frosts are also on the coast.

The region has many full-flowing turbulent mountain rivers flowing towards the Pacific Ocean. On the western slopes, the cries of the inner basins originate, including Lake Eyre, the Gulf of Carpentaria and the river system. Darling. The rivers are fed by precipitation that falls in the mountains. There are small freshwater mountain lakes.

The slopes of the mountains are wooded. At the eastern foothills and up to a height of 1000-1200 meters, natural vegetation is tropical rainforests, similar in composition to forests Malay Archipelago, with palm trees, tree ferns, many epiphytes and lilies. To the south, eucalyptus trees appear in their composition. Higher in the mountains, low-growing forests grow, above them (from a height of 1600-1800 meters) - crooked forests and shrubs with patches of cereal meadows. On the western slopes and in the intermountain valleys, light eucalyptus and coniferous forests have been preserved in places.

Along the northeast coast of the mainland from Cape York to about. Fraser stretched out the Great Barrier Reef - a giant system of coral buildings. Between them and the coast is a shallow lagoon with atolls scattered across it. The reefs make navigation difficult, but they are a unique attraction that attracts tourists from all over the world.

One of the main riches of the region is forests. Unfortunately, they have survived only along the mountain slopes, unsuitable for agriculture. Agro-climatic conditions allow growing tropical crops here. In the east, on the site of former forests, plantations of sugar cane and fruit trees are laid out, in the west - grain fields. The region, unlike many parts of Australia, is well endowed. In its bowels there are cobalt, nickel, tin ores, in the alluvium of the rivers there is gold. Northeast has good recreational resources. famous seaside resorts Gold Coast in the south of the region. Large incomes, mainly due to tourism, bring the Great Barrier Reef. There are 24 national parks located on the islands of Heror, Green, Fraser, Magnetic, Dunk, Whitesand, Daydream and others. Lizard Island is a national park with an area of ​​​​about 1000 hectares, consisting of 24 beaches with beautiful exotic marine life and crystal clear water.

The most popular starting point for the Great Barrier Reef was the city of Cairns, which has turned from a poor seaport into an international resort. Recreational specialization have many settlements of the coast.

The coastal zone in the southern part of the region is quite densely populated. The farther north, the fewer cities and towns, but the Northeast is used intensively, natural landscapes are significantly changed. The forests suffered greatly, and the previously rich, original forest fauna also became impoverished. Over 400 parks have been organized in the region to preserve the remaining natural landscapes with total area about 3 million hectares, some of which are located on islands near the coast, as well as about 200 small landscape reserves. Among the protected areas there are complete reserves, where scientific work is carried out to study and restore flora and fauna. There are also excursion natural objects, attracting tourists with the beauty of sea and mountain landscapes, exotic flora and fauna.

South East Australia

This is the second physiographic country of Eastern Australia. South of about 28 ° S. sh. the mountains of the Great Dividing Range become higher, the tropical climate is gradually replaced by a subtropical one. Here the North-East borders on the South-East, in the formation of nature of which the temperate latitudes, which come here in winter from the south and west, take a significant part. In the west, the region has a border with the southern part of Western Australia at the foot of the Flinders Range and Torrens Lake, in the northwest - with the Central Plain, where the tropical belt is replaced by the subtropical one. Except the southern part of the East Australian mountain system, the region includes the plain of the river basin. Murray and Flinders and Lofty mountains. The territory occupies the states of New South Wales, Victoria and the eastern part of the state of South Australia. The region has favorable conditions for people's life.

The East Australian Mountains are the highest within the region.

In the north, these are the Blue Mountains (up to 1200 meters high) with table peaks and deep canyons. Further south rise the Snowy Mountains (Australian Alps), whose peaks bear traces ancient glaciation. Here is the highest point of the system - Mt. Kosciuszko (2228 meters). In the south, the Victorian Mountains (1000-1100 meters) have a sublatitudinal strike. Blocky ridges at the outcrops of ancient folded structures - Flinders and Lofty (900-1100 meters) - continue on about. Kangaroo. Between the mountains in the epipaleozoic Murray syneclise there is a flat accumulative lowland, composed from the surface of the alluvium of the Murray-Darling river system. The mountains in the southeast are separated from the lowlands by a strip of downs.

The southern part of the region in winter is under the influence of cyclones of the Antarctic front coming from the west, so the maximum precipitation occurs here during the cold period. The eastern part is exposed to the South Pacific High almost all year round.

Humidly unstable air masses enter the mountain slopes, abundantly irrigating them. They penetrate in a somewhat transformed form into the plains, where 500-600 mm of precipitation falls annually. This flow is more powerful in summer, since there is a low pressure area above the mainland during the warm season. In winter, air transport from the mainland increases. In most of the region, the maximum precipitation is summer. In summer, there are sometimes dry winds from the mainland, accompanied by dust storms. In winter, cold air intrusions are not uncommon, which lower temperatures to negative values ​​​​with an average monthly of 9-11 ° C. In the Australian Alps, snow lies all winter, sometimes it does not melt even in summer.

In the past, there were mainly light forests and shrubs, which are now destroyed. The lands are occupied by grain crops, subtropical crops. This is the most suitable region for agricultural production in Australia. The damp eastern slopes are still occupied in places by eucalyptus forests.

The region has good agro-climatic and land resources. The lack of water in the plains is made up for by the use of rivers. Murray is the most abounding river mainland. Its waters are used for irrigation. The runoff is regulated by reservoirs. mountain rivers, flowing into the ocean and into the Murray basin, have great hydropower potential. The coast and mountains are used for recreational purposes. The Australian Alps is home to the only center on the continent winter sports. In the bowels of the Flinders mountains there are iron and polymetallic ores.

The southeast is densely populated. Here are the most big cities Australia - Sydney and Melbourne, the capital of the Commonwealth of Australia - Canberra. Developed industry. The region has extensive tracts of cultivated land. Cattle are also bred here, and in arid areas, sheep. Natural landscapes are disturbed, natural vegetation is preserved only in the mountains. To preserve natural monuments, remains of flora and fauna, as well as for recreational purposes, there is an extensive network of specially protected areas in the region, with a total area of ​​about 4 million hectares, including about a hundred national and recreational parks. Most of them are located in the mountains.

AUSTRALIA (Australia), the smallest mainland and part of the world; located along with the adjacent islands (Tasmania, Kangaroo, Melville, Bathurst, Groot Island, etc.) in the Southern Hemisphere.

General information. The area is 7631.5 thousand km 2 (with islands about 7704.5 thousand km 2). The extreme points of the mainland: in the north - Cape York (10 ° 41 'south latitude), in the south - Cape Southeast Point (39 ° 11' south latitude), in the west - Cape Steep Point (113 ° 05' east longitude), on in the east - Cape Byron (153°34' E). The southern tropic crosses the mainland almost in the middle. From the south, west and north, Australia is washed by the Indian Ocean and its seas (Timor and Arafura), from the east - by the seas of the Pacific Ocean (Tasman and Coral). The coastline is poorly dissected. Two large bays protrude deep into the mainland: in the south - the Great Australian, in the north - Carpentaria, which separates the most large peninsulas Cape York and Arnhem Land. The largest of the islands within the continental shelf is Tasmania, separated by Bass Strait. The Great Barrier Reef stretches along the northeast coast for 2300 km - a unique coral formation included in the World Heritage List.

Relief. Australia is the lowest of the continents; the average height is about 215 meters. The absolute height of 95% of the territory does not exceed 600 m (see the map of Australia). In Western Australia, a plateau prevails (height 400-500 m) with numerous ridges and mesas. In the west, the flat-topped Hamersley Ridge (altitude 1251 m) rises, in the southwest - the low-mountain ridges Darling (altitude 571 m) and Sterling (altitude 1096 m), in the east the strongly dissected ridges of McDonnell (altitude 1511 m) and Musgrave (altitude

1440 m), in the north - the Kimberley Plateau (height 937 m). Intermountain troughs of Central Australia correspond to vast stratal and accumulative plains: Nullarbor with karst landforms, desert and flat Central Lowland with a depression, Lake Eyre North (the lowest point in Australia, 16 meters below sea level), the interfluve of Murray (Murray) and Darling, coastal plain Gulf of Carpentaria. In the relief of Eastern Australia, the Great Dividing Range stands out with steep eastern and gentle hilly (so-called downs) western slopes; it stretches for 4 thousand kilometers along the eastern and southeast coast mainland.

It consists of a number of isolated plateaus and low-mountain ranges (Gregory, Clark, and others), separated by river valleys and longitudinal intermountain basins; it is crossed by the transverse ridges Drummond, Expedition, Liverpool, and others south of 28° south latitude. The Great Dividing Range is a narrow chain of mid-mountain massifs and ranges (from north to south): Hunter, Blue Mountains, Kallarin and the high Australian Alps with Australia's highest peak - Mount Kosciuszko (altitude 2228 m) in the Snowy Mountains. On the tops of the Snowy Mountains there are forms of mountain-glacial relief. The southern margin of the mainland is occupied by mid-mountain and low-mountain folded blocky ridges Flinders (height

1180 m) and Mount Lofty (height 932 m).

Geological structure. The territory of Australia is tectonically divided into the Precambrian Australian platform, which includes the western and central parts of the continent along with the Arafura Sea, and the Tasmanian Paleozoic fold belt in the east (see Tectonic Map). The structures of the Tasmanian Belt and the Australian Platform are partly covered by a cover of a young platform (Great Artesian Basin syneclise).

The Australian platform is a fragment of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana, which broke up in the Mesozoic. Outcrops of metamorphic rocks of the Archean-Middle Proterozoic basement form shields (blocks) Yilgarn, Pilbara, Aranta, Musgrave, Goler and others, as well as ledges in the northwest and north (Pine Creek). Blocks of Archean consolidation and Proterozoic mobile belts are distinguished in the basement structure. The Pilbara and Yilgarn blocks are Archean granite-greenstone areas composed of rocks of the granite-gneiss complex and greenstone belts. The oldest zircons on Earth (4150 million years) were found in the quartzites of the Yilgarn block. The greenstone belts of the Pilbara block are of the Middle Archean (3.5-3 billion years), and the Yilgarn block are of late Archean (3-2.7 billion years) age and are composed of basalts, komatiites, felsic volcanic rocks and clastic rocks. Outcrops of unreworked Archean formations are also known on the Gawler Plateau and the Pine Creek ledge. Early Proterozoic folded systems, composed of volcanic-sedimentary rocks and granitoids, developed in the interval from 2.2 to 1.6 billion years. These are the systems of Hols Creek and King Liopold with the age of the final deformations of 1.85 billion years, Pine Creek, Tennant Creek - 1.9-1.7 billion years, Capricorn - 1.75-1.6 billion years. In the William and Mount Ise fold systems, active tectonic development continued in the Middle Proterozoic until

1.4 billion years. In Central Australia, the Aranta, Musgrave, Albany-Fraser, and Paterson blocks underwent repeated tectonic deformations, metamorphism, and granitization during the Early and Middle Proterozoic with the formation of mobile polymetamorphic belts. The last episode of magmatic activity in these belts in the interval of 1000-900 million years led to the final consolidation of the basement of the Australian platform. The formation of the platform cover began in the Late Archean (Hamersley protosyneclise - 2.8-2.4 billion years) and continued in the Proterozoic in the Nabberu basin (2.2-1.7 billion years), MacArthur, Birrindudu and Kimberley (1, 8-1.4 billion years), Bangemoll, Victoria River and South Nicholson (1.4-1 billion years), Amadius, Officer, Ngalia, Georgina (about 900 million years). In the Phanerozoic, syneclises (troughs) of Joseph-Bonaparte Bay, Canning, Yukla, grabens (troughs) of Perth, Carnarvon, Fitzroy aulacogen, etc. were formed.

The Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic are represented by shallow marine, lagoonal, and continental deposits of all systems. In the Cambrian, there was an outpouring of plateau basalts in the Kimberley Basin. At the end of the Carboniferous - the beginning of the Permian, a cover glaciation developed. In the Late Cretaceous, as a result of rifting, the separation of Australia from Antarctica and the Hindustan block ended. In the east of Australia there is an extended (3500 km) Tasmanian fold belt, in which fold systems stand out from west to east - Adelaide-Kanmantu, Thomson, Lachlan and New England, which completed their development, respectively, in the Cambrian, early Ordovician, Ordovician, Middle Devonian and at the end of the Paleozoic . The Lachlan and New England fold systems are separated by the Sydney Bowen Foredeep. Since the Triassic, the entire territory of Australia has developed in a platform mode. The cover of the Jurassic-Cretaceous age forms a large (2000 km across) syneclise of the Great Artesian Basin, overlying the folded formations of the Tasmanian belt, the Carpentaria and Murray depressions.

Minerals. Australia occupies a leading position among parts of the world in terms of reserves of uranium, diamonds, nickel, titanium in ilmenite-rutile placers. It is also extremely rich in ores of lead, zinc, tantalum, gold, iron, manganese, bauxites, phosphorites, brown and black coal, oil and natural gas, etc. (table).

Uranium deposits with unique reserves are known on the Gawler plateau (Olympic Dam) and the Pine Creek ledge (Jabiluka, Ranger). The East Kimberley is home to one of the world's largest primary diamond deposits, the Argyle lamproite pipe. Deposits of nickel-cobalt sulfide ores (Kambalda) and gold ores (Kalgoorlie) are associated with the Archean greenstone belts of Western Australia. Gold mineralization is also noted in the structures of the Proterozoic and Phanerozoic (Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory, etc.). Nickel ore deposits are known in the Musgrave block. Pyrite deposits of lead, zinc, silver, and copper are concentrated in Proterozoic structures - the Mount Isa folded system, the MacArthur Basin, and others (Broken Hill, MacArthur River, Mount Isa). Deposits of lead ores - on the island of Tasmania. Deposits of ferruginous quartzites are associated with the Late Archean-Early Proterozoic sedimentary strata, the reserves of which in the Hamersley Basin (iron ore basin) are among the largest in the world. Deposits of tantalum ores - in Western Australia (Greenbushes and Woogdina). The weathering crusts along the Archean granites and Lower Proterozoic volcanic rocks are associated with bauxite deposits (Gov, Weipa). Phosphorite deposits are known in the Cambrian deposits of the Georgina Basin (Queensland and northern territory). Huge reserves of coal are concentrated in the Permian deposits of Eastern Australia (the Sydney and Bowen coal basins). Oil and gas fields are located in the Gippsland sedimentary basins in the Bass Strait, Carnarvon (Barrow), Perth Trough, on the shelves of the western and northwestern coasts, discovered in the interior of Australia (the Amadius and Big Artesian Basin), oil shale - in the states of Queensland and Tasmania. In Eastern Australia there are numerous deposits of ores of tungsten, molybdenum, tin, antimony, bismuth, vanadium, significant in terms of reserves. Tungsten deposits are known on King Island in Bass Strait. Small deposits of manganese ores - on the island of Groot Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria, in the states of the Northern Territory, Western Australia (WoodyWoody deposit). In the beach sands of the eastern and southwestern coasts - this means the amount of rutile, zircon, ilmenite, monazite. Australia has large resources of precious and ornamental stones, among which noble opal and sapphire play the main role (deposits in the states of South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland).

Climate. Australia is the driest continent on Earth (see maps Average Air Temperature and Annual Precipitation). Climatic conditions are characterized by high amounts of solar radiation - from 5880 to 7500 MJ/m 2 per year. More than 50% of the territory is located in the tropical zone, the northern tip is in the subequatorial zone, and the southern tip is in the subtropical zone. In the north, precipitation falls mainly in summer (December - February), in the south - in winter (June - August). The dividing line between summer and winter precipitation maxima runs from 20-25°S in the west to 30-32°S in the east. Deviations of precipitation amounts from annual norms average from 15% to 40%; west of the Great Dividing Range, droughts are common, although in some months the amount of precipitation exceeds the annual norm. During the dry season, fires occur intermittently, mainly in the state of New South Wales.

Since the 1980s, there has been an “ozone hole” over Australia, which is associated with a sharp increase in the incidence of melanoma among the white population of the mainland. In the subequatorial climate zone the summer monsoon (up to 70% of precipitation falls) and winter dry seasons are clearly expressed. Constantly high air temperatures are characteristic - up to 20-28 ° С; before the start of rains - up to 40 ° C. The north coast is occasionally hit by tropical hurricanes; in 1974 Hurricane Tracy devastated the city of Darwin. Two sectors are distinguished in the tropical climatic zone: continental dry desert and semi-desert (from the coast indian ocean in the west to the Great Dividing Range in the east) and oceanic (on the east coast and windward mountain slopes) with hot, humid summers and warm, less humid winters. The mountains, although not high, prevent the movement of moist air masses inland, and precipitation falls mainly on the coast and the eastern slopes of the ridges. In the central part of Australia, where continental tropical air dominates throughout the year, and annual precipitation does not exceed 250 mm, there is a tropical desert climate (with the hottest Great Sandy Desert in Australia). The average summer air temperature is 28-30°C, although it often rises to 40°C (the absolute maximum is 53.1°C), the winter temperature is 12-20°C (there are sharp cold snaps). Annual and especially daily temperature amplitudes reach 35-40°C. Precipitation usually falls in the form of short showers northern winds in summer and with the south - in winter. Relative air humidity 30-40%. In the southwestern part of the mainland, as well as in the southeastern, in the Murray River basin, there is a Mediterranean type of climate with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. On the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range and in the north of Tasmania, the climate is monsoonal, evenly humid (up to 1500 mm of precipitation per year). The average temperature of the winter months is 5-10°C. In the Australian Alps, large amounts of precipitation are combined with significant seasonal fluctuations in air temperature (there are frosts down to -20 ° C in the mountains). The Nullarbor Plain receives very little rainfall (up to 250 mm) and is characterized by significant seasonal temperature differences (summer 22-24°C, winter 10-12°C). The southern part of the island of Tasmania enters temperate zone. The constant influence of the western air transport causes an abundance of precipitation on the western coast and mountain slopes. Seasonal differences in temperature (15°C in summer and 10°C in winter) are insignificant; in the mountains frosts down to -7°С.

Inland waters. Australia is characterized by a weak development of surface runoff (see map River runoff). The volume of river flow in Australia is only 350 km 3 (less than 1% of the total flow of the Earth's rivers), and the thickness of the runoff layer is about 50 mm per year (6 times less than in Europe, 8 times less than in South America). The most developed river network is on the island of Tasmania, where the rivers are full-flowing throughout the year, flow down from the mountains, are stormy, rapids and have large reserves of hydropower. Australia's rivers are fed almost exclusively by rain. Only on the humid eastern outskirts of the mainland do non-drying short full-flowing rivers flow, and the runoff layer increases to 400 mm per year. About 10% of the territory has a drain into the Pacific Ocean. Almost 30% belongs to the Indian Ocean basin, 60% belongs to the area of ​​​​inland flow. The main watershed is the Great Dividing Range. From its western slopes flow the largest and most full-flowing Murray (Murray) rivers with the Darling tributary, which make up the largest river system on the mainland. The Murray (length 2570 km) is shorter than its tributary Darling (the longest river in Australia - 2740 km), but the most full-flowing (together with the tributary Murrumbidgee) river in Australia. The basin area of ​​these rivers is 1057 thousand km2.

The rivers of the Murray Darling system have a large economic importance, their waters are used in hydropower and for irrigation of fertile but arid lands. In 1974, a project was carried out to transfer part of the flow of the Snowy River to the Murray River basin. In the direction of the Coral and Tasman Seas, short, fast, rapids and the most full-flowing rivers flow down with a clearly defined summer maximum: Fitzroy, Berdekin, Hunter, etc. downstream some rivers are navigable: Clarence 100 km from the mouth, Hawkesbury 300 km. The largest rivers in the northern part of Australia - the Flinders, Victoria and Ord, flowing into the Arafura and Timor Seas, are navigable in the summer in the lower reaches. They often overflow their banks during the summer months. monsoon rains, and in winter they are weak narrow watercourses, which dry up in places in the upper reaches. The rivers of the southwestern part during the dry summer season turn into chains of shallow reservoirs. In desert and semi-desert regions, a network of dry channels, called "screams" in Australia, is preserved, filled with rainwater for a very short time. A particularly dense network of screams (Cooper Creek, Diamantina, Air Creek, etc.) in the Central Plain, where they head to the drainless drying lake Air North. The Nullarbor Plain, devoid of intermittent streams, has an underground water network that flows towards the Great Australian Bight. On the Ord River, Australia's largest reservoir in terms of area, Ord Argyle (about 800 km 2), was created.

There are many lakes and ancient lake basins in Australia. Most of the lakes are drainless and saline, many are filled only after rains. Most large lake Air North in the wettest years reaches an area of ​​15 thousand km 2 , in the dry period it breaks up into shallow reservoirs separated by salt marshes. Large salt lakes include Torrens, Gairdner, Frome, and others. In the western part of Australia, numerous drainless lakes form a plain of salt lakes. On the Gordon River (Tasmania Island) is Australia's largest reservoir in terms of volume, Gordon (11.8 km 3). Especially large in Australia are groundwater resources, including artesian waters, whose basins occupy one third of the mainland (about 2.5 million km 2). 6500 artesian wells in more than 30 artesian basins provide water for industrial, agricultural and domestic purposes. The largest of them: the Great Artesian Basin, Murray, Moreton-Clarence, Yukla, Officer, Georgina, Canning, Carnarvon, Perth, Gipsland. Due to the strong mineralization, not all groundwater is suitable for use.

Soils. In most of Australia, in the interior arid and semi-arid regions, primitive soils of tropical and subtropical deserts and semi-deserts are common. In Western Australia, gravel soils and semi-fixed ferruginous nodular sands (products of ancient soil formation) predominate, on the plains of the Central Lowland - sandy-clay and clay soils, around salt lakes - solonchaks. As moisture increases and the degree of lateritization of the soil stratum increases, the primitive soils of deserts are replaced by reddish-brown semi-desert and red-brown soils of savannahs. In the subequatorial zone, podzolized red soils and podzolized lateritic soils were formed, in the subtropical zone, gray-brown (often solonetzic) and brown soils are characteristic. In the mountains under the forests, red-yellow ferralitic soils are formed, and on the island of Tasmania - brown and yellow-brown forest soils. Often, especially in the subtropics, so-called binomial soils are found, which have a buried profile of ancient soil. Australia is a continent of ancient weathering crusts, lateritic in the north and west, siliceous in the southeast. In the vast ancient lake basins and runoff hollows, dark-colored merged soils have formed. All these types of soils are poor in biophilic elements and require significant doses of fertilizers. Among the destructive processes, secondary salinization, water erosion and deflation are the most common.

Vegetation. The flora and fauna of Australia is distinguished by antiquity and a high degree of endemism. The Australian floristic kingdom, which includes Australia and Tasmania, has no equal in terms of the number of endemics: out of 12 thousand species of higher plants, 80% are endemic (for example, about 500 species of the genus Acacia and about 500 species of the genus Eucalyptus are the most typical representatives of the Australian flora). Along with this, there are representatives of genera and families common in South America (southern beech), South Africa(Proteaceae) and in Southeast Asia (ficus, pandanus, etc.). In Australia, there are formations of tropical forests, wet and dry sclerophyllous forests, tropical and subtropical woodlands, various types of scrub, savannahs, semi-deserts and deserts (see map Geographical zones and zones). An important role in their distribution is played by the degree of moistening of the territory. On the peninsula of Arnhem Land, on the low coastal plains, mangroves are found. The northern and eastern outskirts of the mainland are occupied by indigenous tropical evergreen forests. Giant eucalyptus trees, ficuses, palm trees, pandanuses predominate in their composition. Along the river valleys, the tropical rain forest penetrates into the zone of humid savannahs with rare groups of trees (eucalyptus, bottle tree, acacia). To the south, on the eastern outskirts of Australia, rising along the humid eastern and southeastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range, dense tropical and subtropical forests grow (from eucalyptus trees, tree ferns, representatives of the genus Callitris). With an increase in continentality, forests are replaced by tropical woodlands, shrubs and savannahs.

In the interior of Australia, dense, almost impenetrable thorny thickets of low shrubs are common (low acacias and shrub forms of eucalyptus predominate), as well as vast sandy ones (Great Sandy Desert, big desert Victoria, Simpson, and others) deserts with typical tall turf grasses (spinifex). There are rocky or clay-saline (Gibson) deserts with saltwort-shrub vegetation. Deserts and semi-deserts occupy about 70% of the territory. In the south-west of Australia, on the western slopes of the Darling Range, monodominant forests grow from the bordering eucalyptus - yarraha (height up to 150 m). On the island of Tasmania, wet mixed forests (eucalyptus, southern beeches, tree ferns) are common on the western windward margins, and steppe meadows are on the eastern slopes. Forests, including artificial plantations of American radiata pine, occupied (2000) about 5% of the mainland, including tropical rainforests less than 0.5%. Plants imported from other regions of the world (food, fodder and technical) play a huge role in the appearance of modern Australian landscapes, replacing natural vegetation over large areas. Alien species of plants (buffalo grass, cryptostegia, giant bashful mimosa, prickly pear, etc.) have become malicious weeds.

Anthropogenic landscapes are significantly different from natural ones. About 65% of the territory is involved in the sphere of economic activity. About 40% of all forests have been reduced, including 75% of tropical rainforests (separate massifs in the east have been preserved), more than 60% of the wetlands of the coastal zone in the south and east of Australia have been lost. The most profound changes have been made in the natural landscapes of the subtropical belts. Almost all coastal plains and intermountain basins have been turned into cultivated pastures, orchards and plantations. To the west of the Great Dividing Range, grazing and arable land predominates. The largest areas of irrigated land are concentrated here and the largest amount of grain is produced (the so-called wheat-sheep belt), fruits, vegetables, etc. Fields, orchards, plantations and vineyards are combined with cultivated pastures, also irrigated. The Nullarbor Plain has preserved almost unchanged landscapes with shrub and semi-desert formations. In Western Australia, within the subtropical belt, pastures and arable land are widespread, in the extreme southwest - forestry, on the southwest coast - arable and horticultural landscapes, mainly around the city of Perth and other cities. The rest of the territories (except for protected lands) are occupied by pastures. In the main agricultural areas, soils are subject to processes of secondary salinization and accelerated erosion. On the island of Tasmania, mainly in the eastern part, pastures, arable lands and horticultural and plantation anthropogenic landscapes predominate.

Animal world Australia and the adjacent islands are so peculiar that it stands out as a special Australian zoogeographic region. The fauna is characterized by poor species composition, endemism and the presence of relics. There are only 235 species of mammals, 720 - birds, 420 - reptiles, 120 - amphibians (90% of vertebrate species are endemic). The area is distinguished by the uniqueness of mammals: only here their most primitive representatives live - monotremes (oviparous platypus, echidna and prochidna). Particularly diverse marsupials (more than 10 endemic families): carnivores (marsupial mice, marsupial rats, marsupial martens); marsupial anteaters (one species - in the southwest of Australia); marsupial moles (in sandy deserts Central Australia); climbing marsupials - possums (in humid tropical and subtropical forests they lead mainly an arboreal lifestyle); koalas (one species, marsupial bear, inhabits eucalyptus forests); wombats (marsupial marmots); kangaroos (kangaroo rats, wallabies, real kangaroos), found in various natural landscapes(deserts, forests, etc.).

On the island of Tasmania, two representatives of marsupials that are absent on the mainland live - the marsupial wolf and the marsupial devil. The higher mammals of Australia are represented by only two orders - bats (bats) and rodents (beaver rats, rabbit rats, kangaroo mice - all from the mouse family). The birds are very diverse: emu, cassowary, lyrebird, birds of paradise, various types of parrots and pigeons (including the crowned pigeon), honey flies, weed chickens. Waterfowl nest on rivers and lakes: black swan, geese, etc. Among the reptiles there are frilled lizard, moloch, asps. In tropical rainforests, endemic species of ants, termites, butterflies and beetles are numerous. Inland waters are rich in fish, including endemic species (lungfish cattail). Johnson's crocodile and snake-necked tortoise are common. Predators include dingoes and foxes. Numerous are rats, camels, and rabbits (which have destroyed the grass cover over vast areas), brought from the Old World as pets or objects of hunting. In the southern part of the island of Tasmania, a typical representative of the Antarctic fauna is found - a small penguin. As a result of anthropogenic impacts, 10 out of 144 species of marsupials and 8 out of 53 local species of rodents became extinct. Due to deforestation, many species of animals have become endangered, about 17% of mammal species are listed in the IUCN Red List. The introduced representatives of the fauna of other continents caused great damage to nature.

Specially Protected Areas. In Australia, there are more than 4.5 thousand specially protected natural areas of various categories, occupying about 8% of the area of ​​Australia, including about 500 national parks and natural monuments (among them the symbol of Australia, the remnant massif of Ere Rock). 12 national parks are included in the global network of biosphere reserves, 15 are included in the World Heritage List. In 1879, the first on the mainland and the second in the world Royal National Park was created in the state of New South Wales, located 32 km south of Sydney. The most significant are the world's largest marine park Great Barrier Reef (area 500 thousand km 2) and Kakadu National Park.

Story geographical research . Even in ancient times, it was assumed that in the Southern Hemisphere there is a vast continent stretching to the polar latitudes. Ptolemy (2nd century), and then scientists of the late Middle Ages, showed on maps the continent south of the Tropic of Capricorn and called it Terra Australis Incognita(Unknown Southern Land). It is believed that the Dutchman V. Janszon was the first European who landed in 1606 on the Australian coast in the Gulf of Carpentaria. In the same year, the Spaniard L. Torres discovered the strait, named after him. In the 1620s, Dutch navigators J. Carstens, W. van Colstert, F. Thijsen and P. Neyts discovered the peninsulas of Arnhem Land and Cape York, as well as the western part of the southern coast of Australia. By 1640 Dutch sailors had visited the western, northern and southern coasts. In 1642, the Dutchman A. Tasman passed south of the mainland and discovered an island, which he called Van Diemen's Land. Later, this island was renamed in honor of the discoverer and became known as Tasmania. In 1644, Tasman, moving along the northern coast of Australia, proved that open land much smaller than expected, and does not enter the cold polar latitudes. The western part of Australia is called New Holland.

In 1770, the English navigator John Cook discovered East Coast Australia and announced new land colony of Great Britain, naming it New South Wales. In 1778, the first English penal colony was founded (on the site of modern Sydney). In 1798, the Englishman J. Bass went around the island of Tasmania and mapped the strait, later named after him. His compatriot Captain of the Royal Navy M. Flinders in 1797-1803 sailed around the entire mainland, and on his maps (since 1814) the modern name Australia appeared.

Exploration of the interior of the mainland to find land suitable for grazing began in the 19th century. The first expedition to overcome the Blue Mountains was led in 1813 by G. Blacksland. The Englishman C. Sturt discovered (1829-30) the Darling River and went down the Murray River to the mouth. During the English expeditions in 1830-45, T. Mitchell discovered vast fertile plains to the west of the Great Dividing Range; E. Air mapped the Torrens and North Air lakes, the Flinders and Gawler ridges, and in 1841 traveled along the south coast to Albany. In 1840, the Polish traveler P. Strzelecki discovered the highest peak - Mount Kosciuszko. In 1844-45, the German traveler L. Leichhardt walked along the Great Dividing Range to the Gulf of Carpentaria, and then went to the western coast of the Arnhem Land peninsula, where the city of Darwin is now located. From north to south, the British expeditions of R. Burke and W. Willis (1860) and J. Stuart (1862) crossed the mainland; from east to west in the 1870s - the English expeditions of J. Forrest, E. Giles, P. Warburton. By the end of the 19th century, all major geographic features Australia have been mapped.

peoples. The indigenous population of Australia is the Australian Aborigines, whose ancestors first appeared on the mainland about 60 thousand years BC (a discovery of a man from Lake Mungo, 62 thousand years ago). From the end of the 16th century, Australia began to be settled by Europeans, in the 17th century - mainly by the Dutch, from the end of the 17th century - by the British. As a result of the colonization of Australia by immigrants from the British Isles, the main population of modern Australia, the Anglo-Australians, has developed.

In the 19th century, especially after the "gold rush" of the 1850s and 60s, immigrants from Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, China, the USA, and Canada appeared in Australia. Immigration to Australia continued into the 20th century, including from Malaysia, the Philippines, India and Pakistan. After the 2nd World War, thousands of refugees and displaced persons ended up in Australia, after the Hungarian events of 1956 - about 14 thousand Hungarians, after the Czechoslovak events of 1968 - about 6 thousand Czechs and Slovaks, in the 1970s - about 15 thousand refugees from Lebanon, about 70 thousand - from Indochina. Now in Australia there are about 100 ethnic groups speaking, according to various estimates, 75-100 languages, not counting English and Aboriginal languages. About 25% of the Australian population is of non-British ethnic origin. Thus, the number of Maltese in Australia exceeds the Maltese population of Malta. Ethno-territorial and professional groups have developed: Italian farmers in New South Wales, German vine growers in the Barrosa Valley; there are large Italian, Greek, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian and other communities in the cities.

See the map of Australia. Peoples. See also the Population section of the article Australia (state).

Lit .: Svet Ya. M. History of discovery and exploration of Australia and Oceania. M., 1966; Learmonth A., Learmonth N. Regional landscapes of Australia. L., 1972; Kucm A. Australia and the Pacific Islands. M., 1980; countries and peoples. M., 1981. T. 6: Australia and Oceania. Antarctica; Magidovich I. P., Magidovich V. I. Essays on history geographical discoveries: In 5 vols. M., 1982-1985; Physical geography of continents and oceans. M., 1988; Drozdov N.N. Flight of the boomerang. 2nd ed. M., 1988; Hermes N. Explore wilderness Australia. L., 1997; Smith R. M. National geographic traveler. Australia. Wash., 1999; Amazing facts about Australian landforms. L., 2000; O'Byrne D. Australia. 10th ed. Melb.; L., 2000; Khain V.E. Tectonics of continents and oceans (year 2000). M., 2001.

N. A. Bozhko (geological structure and minerals), T. A. Kovaleva.

Photograph of a panoramic view of the East Australian Mountains.

Medium-altitude, folded-blocky, mostly Hercynian in age, the East Australian Mountains stretch along the eastern coast of the mainland. They are covered with dense evergreen forests on the windward slopes and deciduous-evergreen woodlands on the leeward slopes; they serve as a continental watershed and are fragmented into separate massifs. According to the nature of the landscapes, they can be divided into two regions: northern (up to 28 ° S) and southern. The first is called the mountains of Queensland, the second is the mountains of New South Wales. Much wider and lower than their southern extension, the Queensland Mountains consist of three longitudinal structural and morphological zones: coastal crystalline plateaus and massifs, median basins and the Great Dividing Range or Great Dividing Range. Coastal crystalline plateaus and massifs, with an average height of about 1000 m, are composed mainly of granites and quartzites. They rise steeply above a narrow coastal lowland and are dissected by river canyons. The highest height in them reaches the Bellenden-Ker ridge (Mount Bartle-Freer-1611 m), rising on the eastern edge of the Atherton watershed plateau. Small volcanoes and crater lakes have been preserved on the plateau. It is believed that the activity of volcanoes proceeded in the post-Pliocene and that they are the youngest in Australia. The climate of the coastal lowlands and windward slopes of the mountains is hot, the rainy season lasts from December to April. The sky at this time is covered with thick clouds, the relative humidity of the air reaches 85%. The average temperatures of the warmest months (December-January) are uniformly high (24-26°С) and decrease from the northern border of the region to the southern one by only 1°С. During the dry season, heavy rainfall occurs only between 15° and 20° S. sh., on a mountainous coast, favorably oriented to the prevailing southeast winds at this time. The annual amount of precipitation here reaches 4000 mm. This is the wettest area in Australia. North of 19°S sh. the slopes of the mountains are covered with humid subequatorial forests. Their floristic composition is similar to the forests of Malaya, with which Australia maintained a temporary territorial connection until the Neogene. These forests are very rich in species composition. Tall trees are supported by plank roots, props, the trunks are densely intertwined with vines. The most typical palms in these forests are Archontophoenix alexandrae, Livistona australis and Kentia spp., slender silver tarriertia (Tarriertia argyrodendron), the leaves of which are covered with a silvery coating on the back side, ficuses, bananas. Rattan liana (Calamus muelleri), which is characteristic of Southeast Asia and India, is often found, as well as wild pepper (Piper mestom) climbing the trunks.

Numerous orchids and ferns. Cycads (Macrozamia spp., Bowenia spp.) grow in river valleys, pandanus (Pandanus spp.) grow in swampy valleys, and mangroves are common in estuaries flooded by the tide. Humid subequatorial forests rise up the mountain slopes up to 1000 m. Above them, they are replaced by mountain-type forests, the composition of which is poorly understood. It is only known that along with the disappearance of the most heat-loving species (first of all, palm trees), conifers appear in them: Araucaria cunninghamii and A. bidwillu, Agathis robusta and A. palmerstoni, Podocarpus. Mountain-forest brown soils under moist subequatorial forests are formed under conditions of good moisture and washing on the weathering crusts of sedimentary and mainly crystalline rocks. A strip of lateritic soils extends on the coastal lowland. South of 19°S sh. climatic conditions do not favor the growth of humid subequatorial forests, mainly due to winter dryness and lower temperatures. Therefore, they give way to tropical rainforests, poorer in species composition, less dense, with a significant admixture of eucalyptus. The middle basins are elongated along the East Australian Mountains. They are of tectonic origin, but were subsequently widened and deepened by regressive river erosion in easily eroded Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks. The basins are separated by low watersheds, have a hilly relief, the rivers flow in them in wide valleys. The first basin from the north is crossed by the rivers Berdekin and Sattor; the second collects the waters of Queensland's largest river, the Fitzroy; the third is developed by the Burnett River system; fourth by the Brisbane River. The basins lie in the wind shadow and receive up to 750-1000 mm of precipitation per year. Therefore, they are covered with eucalyptus woodlands. The Great Dividing Range is poorly expressed in relief and deserves the more modest name of the Great Dividing Range. This is a gently sloping swell 500-700 m in height, composed mainly of Paleozoic rocks, covered in the north by basalt lavas. The top of the swell is a flat surface of the Miocene peneplain, swamped in places, with lakes in depressions, shallow and often saline. Nevertheless, the watershed plays a very important role in the distribution of runoff: the rivers flowing into the Coral Sea, into the Gulf of Carpentaria, into the inland runoff basin-Lake Eyre and into the Darling system begin from it. The shift of the continental divide west of the high coastal mountains was the result of the Neogene and Quaternary history of the East Australian Mountains. After meridional faults along the coast and a general uplift, the watershed passed along the coastal granite massifs.

Then, at the beginning of the Quaternary period, the East Australian mountains were again uplifted, and the Great Divide acquired the character of a vault. The uplift led to a sharp revival of the deep erosion of rivers on the windward slopes of the former watershed. The rivers crossed it in rapids gorges and intercepted the currents of ancient rivers in longitudinal basins, formerly heading west. Thus, the Great Dividing Range received its significance as a watershed, which was facilitated by poorly eroded basalt covers crowning its northern and southern parts. Basalt covers were the parent rock for the development of black soils, coinciding in their distribution with savannas. In other areas, eucalyptus sparse forests on red soils predominate; in the south, a significant area is occupied by forests of cypress callitris. The mountains of New South Wales are a narrow belt of closed watershed massifs composed of Paleozoic crystalline and sedimentary rocks. Fault tectonics, tertiary lava covers and volcanic cones, as well as the nature of the rocks that make up individual ranges, are of great importance in the relief. Mountains begin to the south of Brisbane with fold-block New England mountains. They reach an average height of 1200-1300 m (Mount Ben Lomond-1524 m) and have softly undulating peaks. The watershed runs along the western edge of the range, which is lower than the eastern one. The rivers break through the eastern edge, which is elevated along the fault line, in deep gorges. The largest of these is the Clarence River, which is also the largest river in the mountains of New South Wales. From the north and south, the New England Mountains are framed by the Hastings and Liverpool horst ranges, filled with basalts. The rivers divide them with steep-walled stepped canyons. The Liverpool Ridge breaks off in the south to a tectonic depression widened by the erosional activity of the Hunter River. Behind the Hunter Valley, the Blue Mountains begin, composed of sandstones and limestones and divided into a complex mosaic of steep plateaus by canyons, the depth of which reaches 300-800 m. In the drainage basins of the rivers, the canyons expand into huge steeply and stepped amphitheatres. Karst is widely developed in the limestones of the western part of the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains break off to a wide tectonic depression, behind which rises the crystalline peneplain of the Australian Alps (Monaro Plateau). This is the most elevated massif of the East Australian mountains, composed of granites and quartz porphyries. It is divided into blocks by longitudinal valleys, stepwise rising to the west.

They have traces of Quaternary glaciations trough valleys, kars, glacial lakes and ridges of terminal moraines. On the Monaro Plateau lie the sources of the Murray, Murrumbidgee and Snowy River, which have large reserves of hydropower. A new tectonic depression separates the Monaro plateau from the Victorian Alps. The last name is more than conditional, since there are no alpine forms in their relief. It would be more correct to call them the Victorian mountains. They consist of fragmented horst plateaus and massifs, have a latitudinal strike due to tertiary faults, which were accompanied by outpourings of basalts. Volcanic landforms are especially developed west of Melbourne, where lava flows almost completely surround the Ballarat granite plateau. To the south, the Victorian Alps fall steeply to the graben of a large Australian valley, partially flooded by the sea (Port Phillip Bay). Erosive dismemberment of mountains actively proceeds on the southern windward moist slope; the northern arid slope is cut by low-flowing river valleys and covered with scree. The climate in the mountains of New South Wales is subtropical monsoonal. Their northern part (28°-35° S) is characterized by a summer maximum of precipitation. brought by east and northeast winds of the western periphery of the South Pacific High. However, the winter is not completely dry, as the cyclonic precipitation of the polar front penetrates to Brisbane and further north. In the southern part of the uplands, the share of winter cyclonic precipitation increases. On the Monaro plateau, winters are cold and snowy. Snow cover for a long time (on the top of Kosciuszko all year round) remains in the gorges on the leeward slopes, where the snow is carried by strong east winds. The slopes of the mountains have retained, despite heavy felling, significant areas of forests, especially on their eastern side. Humid subtropical forests are most dense south of Sydney. The main forest-forming tree is the almond eucalyptus (Eucalyptus amig-dalina), sometimes reaching a height of 150 m. The trunk of this giant is up to 10 m in diameter. The liviston palm (Livistona australis) coming here from the north and emerging beeches give a peculiar appearance to the forests. The lower layer of these forests is filled with tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica, etc.) with delicate feathery bays. In the undergrowth there are shrubs from the myrtle family, legumes, as well as casuarina. Tree trunks are covered with epiphytes and twisted around lianas. Thin, stony, mountain-forest brown soils have formed under the forests. The reduction of forest tracts has led in many places to catastrophic landslides and erosion of soil horizons.

Above the upper limit of the forest (1600-2000 m), only the Monaro plateau rises, entering the alpine zone. The herbaceous cover of alpine meadows on peat-meadow soils is dominated by Compositae and snow grass (Genus caespitosa). Lots of bush heather.

The world's greatest peaks have been a goal for generations of climbers. The mountains of Australia are not that high. And the highest mountain of the continent is not particularly extraordinary. Although this is true, it cannot be deprived of its uniqueness and charm.

In the article we will talk about which mountain in Australia is the highest and what makes it remarkable.

Australia

Australia is the most mysterious continent, covered with amazing legends. Just a couple of centuries ago, they knew about him only from some legends, and no one then suspected his magnificence and fabulous beauty. Particularly interesting is the fact that in Australia the seasons are diametrically opposed to European times.

The landscapes of Australia, rich in amazing vegetation, are also distinguished by their exoticism. The variety of fauna is also striking.

Relief

Before talking in more detail about which mountain in Australia is the highest (photos are presented in the article), the unique relief of the continent should be described. Australia is mostly a continent of plains, plateaus and lowlands.

Despite the predominance of flat terrain, Australia also has mountain scenery. Rocky massifs are located in the eastern territories of the continent. These are the East Australian Mountains and the so-called Great Dividing Range. The second, which is 3,500 km long, starts in Cape York ( Northern part) and ends in Tasmania. It goes around Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales. In terms of its size, the ridge ranks 4th in the world.

The East Australian Mountains average only about 700 meters in height, and the largest peak is Mount Kosciuszko. The height of the mountains progresses from the northern part, and in the south they are even higher and wider. The average height is about 1 kilometer. The highest peaks of this part are Liverpool, the Blue Mountains (which has the status of a World Heritage Site), etc.

High ridges are also located in the east, on the banks they have sharp cliffs in the direction of the Pacific Ocean. Their tops are pointed. In the western part of the continent, the ridges are lower and their tops are flat. The Blue Mountains are divided into western and eastern parts by basins.

The peaks, one might say, go around the entire mainland and turn it into a green bowl.

Peak List

What is the highest mountain in Australia? For millions of years, the process of formation of mountains on Earth has been going on. The destructive movements of tectonic plates, which have vast areas, lead to their formation. It was in this way that the mountains of Australia were formed, including the highest point - Kosciuszko Peak.

Before we present a list of the highest peaks of the exotic continent, we note an equally remarkable mountain located in the center of the country - Uluru.

It is interesting in that, having a height of only 348 meters, it leaves, curving in an arc, 6000 meters deep into the earth. And at a distance of 25,000 meters from the top of Uluru, it again comes to the surface and rises to a height of 546 meters. But this peak already has a different name - Olga. Now let's find out which mountain in Australia is the highest.

Australia's highest peaks:

• Abbotts and Carruthers peaks (2145 meters each);
• Byattskamp (height 2159 m);
• Elis Ravson (2160 m);
• Ramshead and South Ramshead (heights of 2177 m each);
• No Name Ethridge Range Peak (2180 m);
• Twinoma (height 2196 m);
• Townsend (height 2209 m).

The height of Mount Kosciuszko is 2228 meters. If we consider the entire Australian plate, the highest point is Punchak Jaya (4884 meters), located on about. New Guinea.

From the above list, it becomes clear which mountain in Australia is the highest.

Description of Mount Kosciuszko

The highest mountain of the continent is located in the ridge of the Australian Alps. The height of the peaks in it averages 700 meters.

Since the adjacent vertices are slightly smaller in size, there is almost no significant difference. And yet it is this mountain that looks more picturesque and harmonious.

Snow lies on the tops of the mountain for half a year, and the temperature at these heights reaches -10 °C.

A bit of history

The summit became famous in 1840. Its discoverer is Count Strzelecki (Polish explorer). And it received a symbolic name - in honor of the hero of Poland Tadeusz Kosciuszko (leader of the movement for the country's independence).

It should be noted that the gentle slopes of the summit have never been of particular interest to professional climbers, since climbing it is not difficult. There is an anecdote on this topic among rock climbers, which says that it is easier to get injured on Kosciuszko not from a fall from it, but from a collision with a cyclist.

But the highest mountain in Australia attracts many tourists. What can be an excursion without visiting this charming peak, surrounded by wonderful landscapes, stretching at the very foot and for many kilometers around.

1. Which mountain is the highest in Australia is a question that has been answered differently before. Initially, the peak adjacent to Kosciuszko was considered as such. And this lasted until it was found out that she was 20 meters lower. Then at the tops they simply changed their names among themselves.
2. The Australians call this peak Koziosko.
3. The local population (old-timers), of which there are very few left on the continent (1.5%), classify this mountain as sacred places, and its name is Tar-Gan-Zhil.
4. Kosciuszko is included in the climbing program "Conquering 7 peaks", although in comparison with the giants (for example, Everest), she seems to be a dwarf.
5. This is one of the few peaks chosen by pensioners, because there is a comfortable lift that transports people from the very foot to the top.
6. Most good time for hiking on the mountain - the period from November to March. This time in Australia is summer.