Great Soviet Encyclopedia - Eastern Sayan. General description of the area

Eastern Sayan is a mountain system located within Southern Siberia, in the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, in the Irkutsk region, the western part of Buryatia and the northeastern part of Tyva. The Eastern Sayan begins on the left bank of the Yenisei, to the South-Zdeap from Krasnoyarsk, and stretches for more than 1000 km in a south-eastern direction almost to the shores of Lake Baikal. Geological structure and minerals Geologically, the Eastern Sayan represents an asymmetrical folded structure of a northwest strike, adjacent to the southwestern edge of the Siberian Platform. According to the age of the main folding, the Eastern Sayan is divided into 2 parts, separated by a deep fault zone: Late Precambrian (Riphean or Baikal) in the North-East and Early Caledonian (Cambrian) in the South-West. The structure of the northeastern part includes Precambrian rocks of different ages: ortho- and paragneisses, amphibolites, crystalline schists, green schists, marbles, quartzites, etc. Intrusions of Upper Riphean granitoids and ultrabasites also play a significant role. Precambrian rocks make up a number of blocks of different sizes, separated by a system of deep and regional faults. The marginal blocks adjacent to the Siberian platform are part of its highly elevated fragmented basement, involved in the Baikal folding zone. They are separated from the rest of the Eastern Sayan by the so-called Main Fault, which in tectonic and metallogenic terms represents one of the most important structural parts of the Eastern Sayan.

The structure of the Early Caledonian part of the Eastern Sayan consists mainly of Lower Cambrian, partly Middle Cambrian volcanic-sedimentary formations and Lower Paleozoic granitoid intrusions. All these rocks form a series of large blocks delimited by faults. On the Precambrian and Early Caledonian base of the Eastern Sayan in the Devonian, depressions began to form (Minusinsk, Rybinsk, etc.), filled with volcanogenic and gray-red sedimentary rocks of the Middle and Upper Paleozoic (from Devonian to Permian inclusive) and intrusions of alkaline granites and syenites of Devonian age. Starting from this time, as well as throughout almost the entire Mesozoic, the Eastern Sayan developed under the conditions of a continental regime, and in most of the territory there was destruction of the rising folded structure and a general leveling of the relief. In some Mesozoic depressions, terrigenous-carbon-bearing sediments of considerable thickness accumulated mainly during the Middle Jurassic. Main minerals: mica (muscovite), associated with Upper Riphean pegmatites; gold confined to quartz, quartz-sulfide and quartz-carbonate veins; graphite (Botogolsky Golets); Riphean ferruginous quartzites (Sosnovy Bayts); Late Precambrian bauxites; Place of Birth rare metals and rare earths associated with Upper Riphean pegmatites, Middle Paleozoic alkaline albitized granites and carbonatites; asbestos associated with ultramafic rocks; phosphorites in siliceous-carbonate rocks of the Early Caledonian part. In the Southeast of the Eastern Sayan, mainly in the Tunka Basin, there are well-known mineral springs (Arshan, Nilova Pustyn, etc.).

Relief The main directions of the largest ridges and chains of the Eastern Sayan coincide with the strike of the main tectonic structures and the most important faults. The general long-term leveling of the V.S. relief was interrupted in the Neogene by arch-like uplifts, accompanied by differentiated movements of individual blocks. The growth of these movements, which created the modern mountainous appearance of the Eastern Sayan at the end of the Neogene - Anthropocene, was accompanied in the eastern part of the system by abundant outpouring of basaltic lavas, widespread intense erosional dissection and repeated glaciation of the highest elevated areas, which had a mountain-valley, and in some places semi-cover character. In the western part of the Eastern Sayan, flat-topped ridges predominate, which, gradually rising in a south-eastern direction, form the so-called white mountains (Manskoye, Kanskoye, etc.) and “squirrels”, which received their name from the patches of snow remaining on them most of the year. In the upper reaches of the Kizir and Kazyr rivers there are the Agul Belki, which, together with the Kryzhina ridge joining them from the West and the Ergak-Targak-Taiga (Tazarama) ridge approaching from the South, which is part of the Western Sayan system, form the largest high-mountain unit of the Eastern Sayan with heights of almost up to 3000 m and beautifully expressed alpine relief forms. The watershed Udinsky ridge departs from the same junction, representing a high-mountain chain with sharply dissected relief. Further in the Southeast, the watershed ridges of the Eastern Sayan acquire the character of flat-topped massifs, but to the east of the Tissa River, alpine ridges (the Bolshoi Sayan ridge) again predominate, reaching the highest altitude for the entire Eastern Sayan in the Munku-Sardyk mountain group (3491 m). To the north of Munku-Sardyk, almost parallel in the latitudinal direction, stretch the high Kitoi and Tunkin Goltsy, separated from the main ridges of the Eastern Sayan along the right bank of the Irkut River by a system of intermountain depressions.

Along with sharply dissected relief forms, the Eastern Sayan is also characterized by vast areas of ancient leveled relief, usually located at an altitude of 1800-2000 m to 2400-2500 m, in the eastern part, in the interfluve of the Khamsary and Greater Yenisei and in the basin of the upper reaches of the Oka River, The relief also includes gently sloping plateaus composed of tuffs and lavas that erupted from large shield volcanoes. In contrast to these volcanoes, which are now significantly destroyed by denudation, in the Eastern Sayan (Oka River basin) there are also perfectly preserved very young volcanic formations ( volcanoes Kropotkin, Peretolchin, etc.). Most of the slopes of mountain ranges located at altitudes below 2000 m are characterized by a typical mid-mountain relief with deeply incised valleys and relative altitudes of up to 1000-1500 m. From below, the complex of these forms is surrounded by hilly and low-mountain relief of the foothills. In the intermountain basins (Tunkinskaya and others) and the lower reaches of the Kazyr and Kizir rivers, Various types accumulative relief formed by glacial, water-glacial and lacustrine deposits (hilly-moraine relief, terminal moraines, kame terraces, etc.).

Climate The climate is sharply continental, with long and harsh winters, cool summers with unstable weather, during which the bulk of precipitation falls. The continental climate increases from West to East. At altitudes of 900-1300 m, the average temperature in January ranges from -17 to -25°C, in July - from 12 to 14°C. The distribution of precipitation is closely dependent on the orientation of the mountain slopes: on the western and southwestern slopes, open towards moist ear streams, up to 800 mm or more falls per year, in the northern foothills - up to 400 mm, and in the eastern and south- in the eastern regions located in the “rain shadow” - no more than 300 mm. Winter in the West is snowy, in the East there is little snow; In the eastern part, strata of permafrost rocks are widespread. In the highest massifs - the eastern part of the Kryzhina ridge, the area of ​​Topographers Peak (the largest center), Munku-Sardyk - there are modern, mainly cirque glaciers. About 100 small glaciers with a total area of ​​about 30 km 2 are known.

Types of landscapes The main types of landscapes in the Eastern Sayan are mountain-taiga and alpine. Only in the foothills (up to an altitude of 800-1000 m) and the Tunka depression are light larch and pine forests predominant, alternating with forest-steppe and meadow-swampy areas (along the Irkut River valley). Typical mountain taiga landscapes, occupying more than 50% of the area of ​​the Eastern Sayan, are developed on the slopes of all main ridges and in river valleys. The mountain taiga zone is characterized by a moderately cool and fairly humid (especially in the West) climate. Predominant are dark coniferous taiga spruce-cedar-fir forests on mountain taiga weakly podzolic light deeply leached soils, rising in the West and in the central part to an altitude of 1500-1800 m, and lighter larch-cedar forests on mountainous permafrost-taiga humus-podzolized soils, as well as acidic ferruginous soils, forming in the East and South-East the upper boundary of the forest at an altitude of 2000-2250 m. Mountain taiga forests are the main habitat of the most important representatives of the animal world, many of which are commercial. Here live: squirrel, hare, fox, roe deer, deer, elk, brown bear and others; Birds include hazel grouse, wood grouse, woodpeckers, nutcrackers, etc. Sable and musk deer are found at the upper border of the forest and among the rocks. High mountain landscapes are characterized by a harsh climate, long and cold winters, short and cool summers, and intensive processes of solifluction and physical weathering. The leveled watersheds are dominated by shrub and moss-lichen rocky tundra on thin mountain-tundra soils; In the western, more humid part of the Sayan, along with the mountain tundra, subalpine shrubs and meadows, sometimes tall grass, are often developed. The strongly dissected slopes and peaks of alpine-type mountains represent a rocky desert, almost devoid of vegetation. Stone screes and kurums are widely developed.

The entire geological history of the Earth (about 4.5 billion years) is contained in a tiny geochronological table compiled by scientists. During this time, continents split and moved, and the oceans changed their location. Mountains formed on the surface of our planet, then they were destroyed, and then new mountain systems arose in their place - even larger and even higher.

In this article we will talk about one of the earliest eras of earth folding - the Baikal era. How long did it last? What mountain systems arose at this time? And what are the mountains of the Baikal folding - high or low?

Epochs of folding of the Earth

The entire history of mountain building on our planet is divided by scientists into conventional intervals, periods, and called them folds. We did this primarily for convenience. Of course, there have never been any pauses in the process of formation of the earth's surface.

There are six such periods in the history of the planet. The most ancient folding is Archean, and the most recent is Alpine, which continues in our time. Listed below are all the geological folds of the Earth in chronological order:

• Archean (4.5-1.2 billion years ago).
• Baikal (1.2-0.5 billion years ago).
• Caledonian (500-400 million years ago).
• Hercynian (400-230 million years ago).
• Mesozoic (160-65 million years ago).
• Alpine (65 million years ago to the present day).

Geomorphological structures that formed in one or another era of mountain building are called accordingly - Baikalides, Hercynides, Caledonides, etc.

Baikal folding: chronological framework and general features of the era

The era of terrestrial tectogenesis, covering the period from 650 to 550 million years of the geological history of the Earth (Riphean - Cambrian), is usually called the Baikal folding. It began about 1.2 billion years ago and ended about 500 million years ago. The geological era was named after Lake Baikal, since it was during this time that the southern part of Siberia was formed. The term was first used by Russian geologist Nikolai Shatsky in the 30s of the twentieth century.

In the Baikal folding, due to the activation of folding processes, volcanism and granitization in earth's crust, a whole series of new geological structures have formed on the body of our planet. As a rule, such formations arose on the outskirts of ancient platforms.

Typical folding can be found on the territory of Russia. This is, for example, the Khamar-Daban ridge in Buryatia or the Timan ridge in the north of the country. What do they look like externally? Will the mountains be high or low? Let's answer this question too.

What do Baikalides look like?

The Baikalids were formed a very long time ago. Even by geological time standards. Therefore, it is quite logical that most of them are now in a dilapidated state. For millions of years, these structures were subject to active denudation: they were destroyed by wind, precipitation, and temperature changes. Thus, the mountains of the Baikal fold will be low or medium in height.

Indeed, the absolute heights of Baikalides rarely exceed 2000 meters above sea level. This can be easily verified if we compare the tectonic and physical card Earth. On geological and tectonic maps, the mountains of the Baikal fold are usually marked in purple.

True, ancient Baikalides in many places globe were partially regenerated (rejuvenated) by later Alpine tectonic movements. This, for example, happened in the Caucasus mountains and Turkey.

Significant reserves of non-ferrous metals are most often associated with the geological structures of the Baikal folding. Thus, within their borders there are rich deposits of mercury, tin, zinc, copper and tin.

Mountains of Baikal folding: examples

Geological formations of this age are found in different parts of the planet. They are in Russia and Kazakhstan, Iran and Turkey, India, France and Australia. The Baikalids are located on the shores of the Red Sea and partially cover the territory of Brazil.

It is important to note that the term “Baikal folding” is widespread only in the scientific literature post-Soviet space. In other countries of the world this era is called differently. So, for example, in Europe, the Kadom and Assynt folds correspond in time to it, in Australia - the Luin fold, in Brazil - the Brazilian fold of the same name.

Within Russia, the following geomorphological structures are considered the most famous Baikalides:

• Eastern Sayan.
• Khamar-Daban.
• Baikal ridge.
• Yenisei Ridge.
• Timan Ridge.
• Patom Highlands.

Mountains of the Baikal fold in Russia. Baikal ridge

The name of this ridge is consonant with the name of the mountain building era we are considering. Therefore, we will begin with it to characterize the main Baikalides of Russia.

The Baikal ridge borders the depression of the lake of the same name on the northwestern side. It is located within the Irkutsk region and Buryatia. The total length of the ridge is 300 kilometers.

In the north, the geological structure is visually continued by the Akitkan ridge. The average heights of this baikalide range from 1800-2100 meters. The highest point of the ridge is Chersky Peak (2588 m). The mountain is named after the geographer who made a huge contribution to the study of the nature of the Baikal region.

Eastern Sayan

Eastern Sayan is the largest mountain system in Southern Siberia, stretching for almost a thousand kilometers. Perhaps the most powerful of the Baikalides of Russia. The highest point of the Eastern Sayan reaches 3491 meters (Mount Munku-Sardyk).

The Eastern Sayan is composed mainly of hard crystalline rocks - gneisses, quartzites, marble and amphibolites. Large deposits of gold, bauxite and graphite were discovered in its depths. The eastern spurs of the mountain system, nicknamed by tourists the Tunkin Alps, are considered the most picturesque.

Most developed (in orographic terms) central part Eastern Sayan. It consists of high mountain ranges, which are characterized by vegetation and landscapes of the subalpine type. Kurums are widespread within the Eastern Sayan. These are huge stone placers, consisting of rough rock fragments of different sizes.

Byrranga Mountains

Byrranga is another interesting mountain of the Baikal folding. They are located on the northern Taimyr Peninsula. The mountains are a series of individual ridges, rolling plains and plateaus, deeply cut by canyons and trough valleys. The total length of the mountain system is about 1100 kilometers.

“There is a kingdom of evil spirits, stone, ice and nothing else,” - this is how the Nganasans, representatives of one of the indigenous peoples of Siberia, wrote about these places. The first to put it on the map was the Russian traveler Alexander Middendorf.

These mountains are very low. Although they look quite impressive, as they are located right on the ocean. The height of their maximum point is only 1146 meters. The relief of this mountain system is very diverse. Here you can see both steep and gentle slopes, flat and pointed peaks, as well as a huge variety of glacial forms.

Yenisei and Timan ridges

We will finish our acquaintance with the Baikalids of Russia with a description of two ridges - the Yenisei and Timan. The first of them is located within and only in some places exceeds a thousand meters in height. The Yenisei ridge is composed of ancient and very hard rocks - conglomerates, shales, traps and sandstones. The structure is rich in iron ores, bauxite and gold.

The Timan Ridge is located in the north of the country. It stretches from the shores of the Barents Sea and adjoins Ural mountains. total length ridge - about 950 km. The ridge is poorly expressed in relief. Its central part is the most elevated, where the highest point is located - the Chetlas stone (only 471 m high). Like other structures of the Baikal fold, the Timan Ridge is rich in minerals (titanium, bauxite, agate and others).

Eastern Sayan

mountain system located within Southern Siberia, in the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, in the Irkutsk region, the western part of the Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and the northeastern part of the Tuva Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

The E.S. begins on the left bank of the Yenisei, to the southwest. from Krasnoyarsk, and stretches for more than 1000 km in a south-easterly direction almost to the shores of Lake Baikal.

Geological structure and minerals. Geologically, the V.S. represents an asymmetrical folded structure of a northwestern strike, adjacent to the southwestern edge of the Siberian Platform (See Siberian Platform). According to the age of the main folding, the V.S. is divided into two parts, separated by a deep fault zone: the Late Precambrian (Riphean or Baikal) to the north-east. and Early Caledonian (Cambrian) in the southwest. The structure of the northeastern part includes Precambrian rocks of different ages: ortho- and paragneisses, amphibolites, crystalline schists, green schists, marbles, quartzites, etc. Intrusions of Upper Riphean granitoids and ultrabasites also play a significant role. Precambrian rocks make up a number of blocks of different sizes, separated by a system of deep and regional faults. The marginal blocks adjacent to the Siberian platform are part of its highly elevated fragmented basement, involved in the Baikal folding zone (See Baikal folding). They are separated from the rest of the V.S. by the so-called Main Fault, which in tectonic and metallogenic terms represents one of the most important structural parts of the V.S.

The structure of the Early Caledonian part of the Eastern Sea includes mainly Lower Cambrian, partially Middle Cambrian volcanic-sedimentary formations and Lower Paleozoic granitoid intrusions. All these rocks form a series of large blocks delimited by faults.

On the Precambrian and Early Caledonian foundation of the V.S. in the Devonian, depressions began to form (Minusinsk, Rybinsk, etc.), filled with volcanogenic and gray-red sedimentary rocks of the Middle and Upper Paleozoic (from Devonian to Permian inclusive) and intrusions of alkaline granites and syenites of Devonian age . Beginning from this time, and also throughout almost the entire Mesozoic, the V.S. developed under the conditions of a continental regime, and in most of the territory the destruction of the rising folded structure and a general leveling of the relief took place. In some Mesozoic depressions, terrigenous-carbon-bearing sediments of considerable thickness accumulated mainly during the Middle Jurassic.

Main minerals: mica (muscovite), associated with Upper Riphean pegmatites; gold confined to quartz, quartz-sulfide and quartz-carbonate veins; graphite (Botogolsky Golets); Riphean ferruginous quartzites (Sosnovy Bayts); Late Precambrian bauxites; deposits of rare metals and rare earths associated with Upper Riphean pegmatites, Middle Paleozoic alkaline albitized granites and carbonatites; asbestos associated with ultramafic rocks; phosphorites in siliceous-carbonate rocks of the Early Caledonian part. To the south-east V.S., mainly in the Tunka Basin, there are widely known mineral springs (Arshan, Nilova Pustyn, etc.).

N. S. Zaitsev.

Relief. The main directions of the largest ridges and chains of the V.S. coincide with the strike of the main tectonic structures and the most important faults. The general long-term leveling of the V.S. relief was interrupted in the Neogene by arch-like uplifts, accompanied by differentiated movements of individual blocks. The growth of these movements, which created the modern mountainous appearance of the V.S. at the end of the Neogene - Anthropocene, was accompanied in the eastern part of the system by an abundant outpouring of basaltic lavas, widespread intense erosional dissection and repeated glaciation of the highest elevated areas, which had a mountain-valley, and in some places semi-cover character.

In the western part of the V.S., flat-topped ridges predominate, which, gradually rising in a southeastern direction, form the so-called white mountains (Manskoye, Kanskoye, etc.) and “belki”, which received their name from the patches of snow that remain on them for most of the time. of the year.

In the upper reaches of the river. Kizir and Kazyr are located Agul Belki, which, together with the Kryzhina ridge joining them from the west and the Ergak-Targak-Taiga (Tazarama) ridge joining them from the south, which is part of the Western Sayan system (See Western Sayan), form the largest high-mountain node V.S. with altitudes up to almost 3000 m and beautifully expressed alpine landforms. The watershed Udinsky ridge departs from the same junction, representing a high-mountain chain with sharply dissected relief. Further to the south-east. The watershed ridges of the V.S. acquire the character of flat-topped massifs, but to the east of the river. Tissa is again dominated by alpine ridges (the Bolshoi Sayan ridge), reaching the highest altitude for the entire V.S. in the Munku-Sardyk mountain group (3491 m). To the north from Munku-Sardyk, the high Kitoiskie and Tunkinskie Goltsy stretch almost parallel in the latitudinal direction, separated from the main ridges of the V.S. along the right bank of the river. Irkut is a system of intermountain depressions (see Tunka Basin).

Along with sharply dissected relief forms, V.S. is also characterized by vast areas of ancient leveled relief, usually located at an altitude of 1800-2000 m up to 2400-2500 m, in the eastern part, in the interfluve of the Khamsary and Greater Yenisei and in the basin of the upper reaches of the river. Oka, the relief also includes gently sloping plateaus composed of tuffs and lavas that flowed from large shield volcanoes. In contrast to these volcanoes, which are now significantly destroyed by denudation, in the V.S. (Oka River basin) there are also perfectly preserved very young volcanic formations (volcanoes Kropotkin, Peretolchin, etc.).

For most of the slopes of mountain ranges located at an altitude below 2000 m, characterized by a typical mid-mountain topography with deeply incised valleys and relative heights of up to 1000-1500 m. From below, the complex of these forms is surrounded by hilly and low-mountain terrain of the foothills.

In intermountain basins (Tunkinskaya and others) and the lower reaches of the river. Kazyr and Kizir have developed various types of accumulative relief formed by glacial, water-glacial and lacustrine deposits (hilly-moraine relief, terminal moraines, kame terraces, etc.).

Climate sharply continental, with long and harsh winters, cool summers with unstable weather, during which the bulk of precipitation falls. The continental climate increases from west to east. At altitudes 900-1300 m the average temperature in January ranges from -17 to -25°C, in July - from 12 to 14°C. The distribution of precipitation is closely dependent on the orientation of the mountain slopes: on the western and southwestern slopes, open towards wet ear streams, up to 800 falls mm and more per year, in the northern foothills - up to 400 mm, and in the eastern and south-eastern regions located in the “rain shadow” - no more than 300 mm. Winter in the W. is snowy, in the E. there is little snow; In the eastern part, strata of permafrost rocks are widespread. In the highest massifs - the eastern part of the Kryzhina ridge, the area of ​​Topographers Peak (the largest center), Munku-Sardyk - there are modern, mainly cirque glaciers. About 100 small glaciers are known with a total area of ​​about 30 km 2 .

Rivers and lakes. The V.S. river network belongs to the Yenisei basin. The largest rivers: Tuba (with Kazyr and Kizir), Syda, Sisim, Mana, Kan with Agul, Biryusa with Tagul and tributaries of the Angara: Uda (Chuna), Oka (with the Iya River), Belaya, Kitoy, Irkut; The Great Yenisei (Biy-Khem) and its right tributaries (the most significant Bash-Khem, Tora-Khem with Azas, Khamsara) begin from the southern slopes. Most rivers have a mountainous character almost throughout their entire length, and only rivers that begin within areas of leveled relief flow in the upper reaches in wide flat valleys. The rivers are fed mainly by snow and rain. They open at the end of April - beginning of May, and freeze at the end of October - November. All large rivers have large reserves of hydroelectric power, many are used for rafting. On the Yenisei, where the river crosses the spurs of the V.S. (near the Divnye Mountains), the Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Power Station was built.

Most lakes are usually of glacial origin. The most significant are: Agulskoe, lying in a tectonic depression at an altitude of 992 m, as well as moraine-dammed lakes Tiberkul and Mozharskoe, located at an altitude of about 400-500 m.

Types of landscapes. The main types of V.S. landscapes are mountain-taiga and high-mountain. Only in the foothills (up to an altitude of 800-1000 m) and the Tunka Basin are dominated by light larch and pine forests, alternating with forest-steppe and meadow-swampy areas (along the Irkut River valley).

Typical mountain taiga landscapes, occupying more than 50% of the area of ​​the Eastern Sea, are developed on the slopes of all the main ridges and in river valleys. The mountain taiga zone is characterized by a moderately cool and fairly humid (especially in the west) climate. Dark coniferous taiga spruce-cedar-fir forests predominate on mountain taiga slightly podzolic light, deeply leached soils, rising in the west and in the central part to an altitude of 1500-1800 m, and lighter larch-cedar forests on mountain-permafrost-taiga humus-podzolized, as well as acidic ferruginous soils, forming in the east and southeast. the upper border of the forest at an altitude of 2000-2250 m.

Mountain taiga forests are the main habitat for the most important representatives of the animal world, many of which are commercial animals. Here live: squirrel, hare, fox, roe deer, deer, elk, brown bear and others; Birds include hazel grouse, wood grouse, woodpeckers, nutcrackers, etc. Sable and musk deer are found at the upper border of the forest and among the rocks.

High mountain landscapes are characterized by a harsh climate, long and cold winters, short and cool summers, and intensive processes of solifluction and physical weathering. The leveled watersheds are dominated by shrub and moss-lichen rocky tundra on thin mountain-tundra soils; In the western, more humid part of the Eastern Sea, along with the mountain tundra, subalpine shrubs and meadows, sometimes tall grass, are often developed. The strongly dissected slopes and peaks of alpine-type mountains represent a rocky desert, almost devoid of vegetation. Stone screes and kurums are widely developed.

Within the highlands, reindeer are found, pikas, tundra and white partridges are abundant.

Lit.: Mikhailov N.I., Mountains of Southern Siberia, M., 1961; Central Siberia, M., 1964; Geology of the USSR, Krasnoyarsk Territory, vol. 15, M., 1961; Geology of the USSR, Buryat ASSR, v. 35, M., 1964; Smirnov A.D., Buldakov V.V., Intrusive complexes of the Eastern Sayan, M., 1962; Predtechensky A.A., Main features of the geological development of the western part of the Eastern Sayan in the Precambrian and Cambrian, Novosibirsk, 1967; Zaitsev N.S., features of the tectonic structure of the Sayan-Altai folded region, in the book: Folded Regions of Eurasia, M., 1964; Berzin N.A., Main Fault Zone of the Eastern Sayan, M., 1967; Grosvald M.G., Development of the relief of the Sayano-Tuva Highlands. (Glaciations, volcanism, neotectonics), M., 1965; Olyunin V.N., Neotectonics and glaciation of the Eastern Sayan, M., 1965; Forests of the Urals, Siberia and the Far East, M., 1969 (Forests of the USSR, vol. 4); Malyshev L.I., High-mountain flora of the Eastern Sayan, M. - L., 1965; Types of terrain and natural zoning of the Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, M., 1959; Rogalsky V.I., Tourist routes in the Sayans, M., 1965; Altai-Sayan mountain region, M., 1969.

I. G. Nordega.

Eastern Sayan, Western Sayan (orography diagram).

Big Soviet encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

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Mountains, see Sayans Geographical names of the world: Toponymic dictionary. M: AST. Pospelov E.M. 2001. Eastern Sayan mountain system in ... Geographical encyclopedia

Mountain system in southern Siberia. Length approx. 1000 km (from the left bank of the Yenisei in the southeast almost to the shores of Lake Baikal). The predominant terrain is mid-mountain with altitudes up to 2000 m; highest height 3491 m (in the Munku Sardyk massif). Along the right bank of the river. Irkut... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

EASTERN SAYAN, a mountain system in southern Siberia. Length approx. 1000 km (from the left bank of the Yenisei in the southeast almost to the shores of Lake Baikal). The predominant terrain is mid-mountain with altitudes up to 2000 m; the highest height is 3491 m (in the Munku Sardyk massif). By... ...Russian history

Exist., number of synonyms: 1 mountain system (62) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Synonym dictionary

Mountain system within the Altai-Sayan mountain region. It stretches from the Yenisei to the southeast almost to the southern tip of Lake Baikal for more than 1000 km. Within the Krasnoyarsk Territory and Tuva is located West Side Eastern Sayan.

From the north and northeast Eastern Sayan limited by a steep ledge from the Central Siberian Plateau; in the southwest and west it borders on the Minusinsk intermountain depressions, joining the Western Sayan in the south.

Main in the system Eastern Sayan is the Bolshoy Sayan ridge with the Agul squirrels. This is the main watershed of the Greater Yenisei (Biy-Khem) and Kan, Biryusa (Ona). The maximum height of the ridge is 2600-3000 m. In the upper reaches of the Iya River, the Bolshoi Sayan changes direction to the south. Its maximum height here is 3044 m (Topographers Peak) at the sources of the Khamsary River. The maximum height of the Eastern Sayans - the city of Munku-Sardyk (3491 m) is located in Buryatia.

At the junction of the Ergak-Torgak-Taiga ridge with Eastern Sayan A mountain knot with two peaks stands out - Triangulators (2875 m) and Zablachny (2735 m). To the northwest of this node the Kryzhina ridge branches off with a maximum height of 2922 m (Grandiozny Peak is the highest altitude in the Krasnoyarsk Territory).

Near it is the Fedoseev Pass, named after the writer and surveyor G.F. Fedoseev, who was buried in this place. The specified mountain node is the center of modern glaciation. In total, there are 33 glaciers with a total area of ​​12.3 km2. The continuation of the Greater Sayan in the north-west is the Kanskoye (Pyramid - 2263 m) and then the Manskoye Belogorya, i.e. plateaus exceeding the forest boundary, as well as the Shindinsky ridge (maximum height Mount Moscow, 1828m) and the Koltuz ridge (maximum height 1187m).

Towards the Yenisei, the heights gradually decrease and near the river they do not exceed 1000 m. The northern spurs of these belogorias are the Tushinskoe, Idarskoe, Koiskoe, Kuturchinskoe, and Pezinskoe belogorias. The mid-mountain Eastern Sayan is characterized by an alpine topography - ridge-like peaks, steep slopes covered with kurums, and the Belogoris are characterized by flat watershed surfaces that record fragments of leveling surfaces; there are many remains - a consequence of the preparation of strong rocks ("solid rocks").

All the rivers of the western part of the Eastern Sayans belong to the Yenisei basin - Kan, Kizir, Kazyr, Syda, Sisim, Mana, etc. They are deeply incised, have steep valleys, rapids, and an abundance of waterfalls. Eastern Sayan there are expressive traces of glacial morphosculpture - cirques, cirques, troughs, carlings, terminal moraine ridges, glacial lakes, etc. To the northwest, already beyond the Yenisei, the Eastern Sayan has spurs in the form of the Kurbatovo-Syrsky Belogorie (700-800 m) and Solgon Ridge (700-870 m).

The Sayan Mountains consist of many ridges, the topography of which was formed as a result of tectonic movements and faults. The northeastern slopes of the Eastern Sayan Mountains are gentle; to the south lie the chains of the Kitoi and Tunkinsky char with heights of more than 3000 m (the highest point is 3304 m). The ridges have an alpine topography: high pyramidal peaks, sharp ridges and deep narrow gorges. Accordingly, the nature here is extraordinarily beautiful: - snowy peaks, rocky mountain slopes; streams and small rivers flow down in waterfalls. Waterfalls are also common on main rivers.

Climate Eastern Sayan sharply continental. The influence of the inland sea - Baikal - is already weak. Despite the high daytime temperatures in summer (maximum in most areas +35 C), frosts are possible at night. Due to the absence of high north-south ridges, almost the entire region receives a lot of rainfall in summer.

The mountains are covered up to a height of 2000 m with coniferous forests consisting of larch, cedar, spruce and fir. Below 1000 m along the river valleys there are pine and deciduous trees (birch, aspen, poplar). Animal world quite diverse, due to the inaccessibility of the area: brown bear, red deer, musk deer, chipmunk, sable, marten are found; in the rivers - grayling, taimen, lenok.

Due to the isolation of this area, species of animals that have practically disappeared in the Lake Baikal region have been preserved here: the red wolf and snow leopard (irbis), argali or argali (mountain sheep), Tuvan beaver and reindeer. In total, 36 species of animals and 27 species of plants are known, listed in the Red Book.
Landscape: taiga spruce-cedar-fir forests, rising to 1800 m and higher. At the forest border there are light larch-cedar forests. Higher up there are stone deposits, tundra (almost without vegetation), subalpine meadows.

The main rivers of the region under consideration are Kitoi, Onot, Urik, Oka with its tributaries, Bolshaya Belaya, Uda - powerful taiga rivers. Characteristic Features rivers have a slight slope and a wide valley in the upper reaches, a sharp increase in slope in the middle reaches, narrowing of the valley, canyons with high steep walls.

After the rivers emerge from the mountains onto the plain, the flow becomes calm, the valley expands, and wetlands appear. The Sayan rivers are fed by mixed snow and rain (with a predominance of rain), and are available for rafting from June to the first half of September.

The river regime is characterized by high spring floods and summer low water, interrupted by rain floods during the summer. In steep and narrow river gorges, water during rain floods rises in a few hours and falls in 2-3 days, and the water flow during the flood can exceed the maximum flow of the spring flood several times.

The Kitoi River is a major tributary of the Angara. Kitoy starts from the slopes of the Nuku-Daban mountain cluster at an altitude of 2091 m. The area of ​​the basin is 9360 sq. km., with more than 7500 sq. km. falls on the mountainous part.

In the upper section, the watersheds of the basin are the mountain peaks of the Kitoi and Tunka char with heights reaching 3200-3250 m. The length of the river is 322 km, the total fall is 1453 m. The feeding of the Kitoi River is mixed: 63% rain, 30% underground, 7% - snowy.

Water flow in the upper reaches is estimated at 20-50 cubic meters. m/sec. By the nature of the flow formation, Kitoy can be classified as a river with summer floods, since the spring flood is short-lived, although it is violent. During a flood, the water rises quickly in 1-3 days, then subsides in 2-4 days.

There are three distinct canyon-like areas on Kitoi - Small Cheeks (Upper Canyon), Upper Cheeks, and Motkiny Cheeks.

Administratively, the route passes through the west of the Republic of Buryatia and the southwest of the Irkutsk region. The area is sparsely populated. The main points of transfer to the Eastern Sayan are the cities of Slyudyanka and Nizhneudinsk (Uda air transport). From Slyudyanka, roads lead through the villages of Kyren and the village of Mondy to the villages of Orlik (on the Oka River), Samarta (Kitoi River), and to the upper reaches of Urik.

Irkutsk tourists usually make their hikes in the eastern part of the Sayan Mountains, where the Tunkin Alps, Kitoi Alps and Munku-Sardyk ridges are located. Here is also the highest peak of the V. Sayan - Mount Munku-Sardyk (3495 m.).

Access from Irkutsk by bus from the Tunkinskaya Valley to Arshan, Nilova Pustyn or Mondy. It is possible to drive to the village of Oktyabrsky or the village of Onot, but in this case the approaches through the valleys will be long (60-70 km).
Routes by Eastern Sayan are completely autonomous and have a mountain orientation (a significant part of the passes are category, up to 2B category).

IN summer time Until mid-July the area is dangerous for ticks. Optimal time for hiking – July-August. The main obstacles are passes and crossings of mountain rivers. There are trails in almost all valleys. In summer, prolonged rains are possible.

IN winter time The area has little snow, and ice is widespread. In river canyons there are icefalls and plum trees. It is better not to plan to go through backcountry passes due to the significant avalanche danger.

The optimal time for hiking is February - until mid-March. Bad weather in winter usually does not last long.
Hiking and skiing routes 1 category. there are practically none in the area, so the list contains lines of routes 2-6 categories.

Probably, many modern travelers have thought at least once in their lives about what the height of the Sayan Mountains is. Why might this be of interest? As a rule, there are several explanations at once, the most important of which can be considered ordinary curiosity and an uncontrollable desire to visit all possible highest points, if not the planet as a whole, then at least our country.

This article is aimed at telling about such an amazing geographical feature of our country as the Sayan Mountains. The reader learns a lot useful information O this corner our, by right, vast homeland.

general information

The Sayan Mountains, photos of which can be found in almost any guide to the regions of the Russian Federation, consist of two interlocking mountain systems located in the south of Siberia within the Irkutsk region, Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Republics of Tyva, Khakassia and Buryatia, as well as the northern regions of Mongolia bordering Republics of Tyva and Buryatia.

The mountains are divided geographically into Western and Eastern Sayans, each of which is distinguished by a number of its own characteristic features.

For example, the western part has leveled and pointed ridges without glaciation, between which there are intermountain depressions. For the eastern part, mid-mountain peaks with glaciers are typical.

The Sayan Mountains have many rivers belonging to the Yenisei basin.

The slopes are covered with mountain taiga, turning into high-mountain tundra. Between the mountain systems there are many basins of various shapes and depths. One of the most famous - Minusinsk Basin, having a large number of archaeological sites. In general, it can be noted that the average height amplitude of the Eastern Sayans differs significantly from the identical indicator of the western ranges.

Where did the name come from

Scientists claim that these places received their name in honor of the Turkic-speaking tribe of the same name, who lived in Siberia, in the upper reaches of the Yenisei and Oka.

Later, the Sayans united with other mountain tribes and became part of the peoples of the Republic of Tyva. The ethnos itself belonged to the Samoyed tribes, and its representatives called the mountains “Kogmen”, while the Buryats gave them something more difficult to hear modern man name - "Sardyk".

The Russian Cossacks Tyumenets and Petrov, who visited the estate of Altyn Khan in 1615, spoke about this tribe in their chronicles. Later, in the records of Russian travelers, the mountains were already listed under the name Sayans, the highest point of which, as was later established, is 3491 m.

Features of education

It should be noted that from a geological point of view, these are relatively young mountains, which, according to scientists, appeared approximately 400 million years ago.

They are formed from ancient rocks, including volcanic origin. Before the formation of the mountain system, there was an ocean here, as evidenced by the remains of fossilized algae found.

The formation took place under the influence of climate. During the period of ancient glaciation, the mountains were covered with glaciers, which, as they moved, changed the earth's surface, forming pointed peaks and gorges with steep slopes. After warming, the glaciers melted, filling numerous basins and relief depressions - lakes of glacial origin appeared.

Geographical position

Many people believe that the height of the Sayan Mountains is not so significant and therefore does not deserve special attention. Let's check if this is actually true by taking a closer look at their geographical features.

In general, this hill is a continuation of the Altai mountain system, which serves as the border between China and Russia.

Mountains consist of parallel mountain ranges connected by nodes. The Sayans are connected to the Altai mountain system by the Shabin-Davana ridge. To the north and northwest of it stretches the Kaltanovsky ridge, which abuts the Itemsky ridge, stretching from east to southwest from a tributary of the Yenisei. In the south, the Kaltanovsky ridge connects with the Omaitura foothills. To the east of the Shabin-Davana ridge, the Sayans are divided into two chains. The northern Sayans are known as Kur-Taiga, and the southern ones - Tuna-Taiga.

From the northern Sayan Mountains in the upper reaches of the Sosnovka and Kyzyn-su rivers there is a mountain spur separating the Kantegir and Yenisei rivers. Further through the Yenisei, the Sayan Mountains go in several chains to the northeast.

The majestic river of Siberia, the Yenisei, passes through a massif called the Western Sayan, forming many rapids.

On the right bank of the Yenisei, the mountains smoothly turn into the steppes of the Minusinsk district. The parallel chains of the Sayans have different names. The Kyzyrsuk ridge is closely adjacent to the Yenisei, creating narrow passage with a powerful waterfall called the Big Rapids. Then it passes between the Kyzyr-Suka and Bolshaya Oya rivers to the banks of the Yenisei, where the Biryusa chain drops to a height of 1600 feet.

In addition to the two branches, the Sayans have a mountain range that separates the Kizira. Further, the Agul spur goes to the north and northwest and separates the Tagul and Agul rivers.

How the highest myths and legends of the Sayan Mountains were formed

The power of the stone blocks, resting almost against the sky, has always become an object of inspiration and some respect from the peoples inhabiting these regions. That is why in folklore local residents You can find such a huge number of legends devoted to just this topic. Let's get to know some of them.

In ancient times, the heavenly deity sent his son Geser to earth to fight evil. In those days, all the gods and heroes lived in the mountains, and the throne of Geser was located on the very high mountain. The heavenly hero cleared the world of injustice and monsters and accomplished many feats. His warriors turned to stone, turning into mountains. Now they are called Sayans, and the highest of them, where his throne was, is Munku-Sardyk. The peaks of the Sayan Mountains have ancient names and are shrouded in myths. On many of them, so-called “obos”, or places of worship and sacrifice to the gods, were built from stones and logs.

In general, Geser is a mythological hero who is worshiped by almost all the peoples of Central Asia. The legend about this deity contains numerous plot cycles and has about 22,000 lines. The study of the epic has continued for a hundred years, but there is still no authentic data. Some believe that Geser is a fictional hero, while others are of the opinion that the epic is dedicated to Genghis Khan. It is also possible that Geser means the Roman translation of the title "Caesar" (Caesar). The Buryat Geseriad considers the version that the epic appeared before his birth. But most are inclined to believe that the legends about Geser tell about the life of a military leader who lived in the 11th-12th centuries.

The mystery and riddle of the name

The ancestors of modern Tuvans are the Turkic-speaking Soyot tribe, who in the past lived in the mountains in the upper reaches of the Yenisei and Oka rivers. According to ethnographers, “Soyot” refers to the plural of the word “Soyon”, and therefore this tribe was also called Soyons. Later the word was modified into Sayans. The tribe called the mountains "Cogmen", which meant "heavenly barriers". The Buryats called these mountains “Sardyk”, which translated means “char”.

The Sayan Mountains were first reported by Russian Cossacks Petrov and Tyumenets, who visited Altyn Khan in 1615. The first conqueror of the Sayans was Commissar Pesterov, who checked the border lines in the mountains and was responsible for border posts and signs in 1778-1780. Research on the Sayans began in the 19th century.

Geological features

The Western Sayan has a folded structure and is part of the Caledonian belt of the Paleozoic Altai-Sayan region. It stretches from southwest to northeast in the shape of an ellipse, which is bounded on all sides by faults. The internal structure is due to the complex cover-canopy type of structure.

If we discuss such a complex and multifaceted issue as the height of the Sayans, we cannot fail to mention that the mountain system of the western part is divided into several tectonic zones (North Sayan, Central Sayan, Borussk and Kurtushuba). The North Sayan belt includes Vendian-Cambrian volcanic-sedimentary deposits with a combination of ophiolite rocks in melange zones.

Lower Paleozoic quartzites and diabases, as well as clayey-siliceous shales and hyperbasites are typical for the Kurtushibinsky and Borussky belts. Such rocks belong to complex tectonic-sedimentary mixtures. The Central Sayan belt consists of a complex of volcanic-flyschoid formations of the Early Paleozoic with numerous granite layers. This belt is characterized by tectonic accumulations and uneven changes in sedimentary rocks. The Dzhebash zone, which has a more ancient (Riphean) origin and is located along the northern part of the Western Sayan Mountains, is also sometimes distinguished separately. Altered volcanogenic-flyschoid deposits predominate here.

The Eastern Sayan is divided depending on its age. The northeastern part, adjacent to the Siberian Platform in the southwest, belongs to the most ancient (Precambrian) type, and the southwestern part belongs to the younger (Caledonian) type. The first consists of altered Precambrian rocks, which include ancient gneisses and amphibolites. The central Derbinsky anticlinorium has a structure of younger rocks - shales, marble and amphibolites. The southwestern part of the Sayans is composed of volcanic-sedimentary rocks. In the north and west of the Eastern Sayans, orogenic basins consisting of volcanogenic terrigenous rocks have been formed.

Minerals of the mountains

Considering in more detail such a concept as height, the Sayans cannot be imagined as an integral geological object. Why? The thing is that their eastern part is longer and higher than the western one. For example, the peak of the first part rises above sea level by 3491 m (the highest point of the Sayan Mountains is Munku-Sardyk), while the second - only by 3121 m. And the length of the eastern part is almost 400 km greater than the western one.

However, despite these differences, the value and importance of this array for the economy of our country is difficult to overestimate. The fact is that the amount of useful rocks lying in their strata is truly impressive.

In the Western Sayan Mountains there are deposits of iron, copper, gold, chrysotile-asbestos, molybdenum and tungsten ores. The main wealth of the mountain subsoil is iron and chrysotile-asbestos. Iron ore belongs to the hydrothermal-metasomatic type, associated with gabbroids and granitoids of high basicity. Chrysotile asbestos is associated with Lower Cambrian hyperbasites.

The Eastern Sayan, whose height significantly prevails, is known for deposits of gold, iron, aluminum, titanium ores and other rare metals, graphite, mica and magnesites. Iron deposits are represented by ferruginous quartzites, volcanogenic-sedimentary hematite-magnetite and magnetite ores. are represented by bauxites, urtites and sillimanite-bearing Proterozoic shales. Agricultural ores include secondary phosphorites. There are also small deposits of contact-metasomatic phlogopite and pegmatite muscovite. Reserves of quartz, graphite, jade, chrysotile-asbestos, limestone and building materials have been found in the region.

Western Sayans

This territory stretches to the northeast to the Eastern Sayan, from the sources of the Maly Abakan River to the headwaters of the Kazyr and Uda rivers. The highest point is the Kyzyl-Taiga ridge (3120 m), which is part of the Watershed Sayan Range.

The mountain landscape is characterized by alpine terrain with steep slopes and extensive stone deposits. Mountain peaks in the west they reach heights of up to 3000 m, in the east they drop to 2000 m. The foot of the slopes are covered with pine-deciduous forests, which above turn into dark coniferous taiga.

The upper tiers at an altitude of 2000 m represent mountain taiga with glacial lakes, karas and moraines. On the territory of the Western Sayans there is the Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve.

Eastern Sayan Mountains

The peaks of this territory are covered with non-melting snow. The highest point of the Eastern Sayan Mountains and the Sayan Mountains themselves, as mentioned above, is Mount Munku-Sardyk (3490 m), to which the Oka Plateau adjoins. The plain here is covered with alpine meadows, deciduous forests and mountain tundra; there are also desert rocky areas. In the Central part, a knot of several ridges is formed; its highest peak (Grandiozny peak) has a height of 2980 m.

Topographers Peak (3044 m) is the second largest peak. The main glaciers are located in the area of ​​the main peaks. In addition, in the Eastern Sayan Mountains there is a “valley of volcanoes” with traces of volcanic activity, which is a volcanic plateau. The last lava eruptions occurred approximately 8,000 years ago. The world-famous Stolby nature reserve is located in the Eastern Sayan Mountains.

What to see in Sayan

Taking into account all the facts listed above, it is not surprising that the height of the Sayan Mountains annually attracts such a huge number of travelers from different parts of the globe. Everyone wants to feel like a part of something huge and immense.

However, it is not only the height that attracts you here; the Sayans have a unique taiga landscape with glacial lakes, waterfalls and rivers that create unique landscapes.

The Central Sayan Mountains (Tofalaria) are considered the most inaccessible and deserted region of the mountains. Hidden among the taiga of the Western Sayans is the natural “Stone City”, where the rocks resemble the remains of ancient castles and fortresses. The Eastern Sayans are famous for the Shumak mineral springs and the “valley of volcanoes”.

The Munku-Sardyk region with the Oka plateau is especially beautiful in July, when the mountains are covered with a colorful carpet of poppies, rhododendrons, edelweiss, golden root and other plants. There are many gorges, rivers, lakes and streams, and there are red deer and musk deer. The nature of Munku-Sardyk is almost untouched by man. The ridge itself is located on the border between Russia and Mongolia, and visiting this area is only possible with permission from border service, otherwise the height of the Sayan Mountains can only bewitch from the outside.