Sayans: height. The Sayan Mountains and the Altai: which are higher?

Sayans - the mountain belt of Siberia. They are divided into two systems: Western and Eastern. In this case they are perpendicular to each other. According to scientists, the Sayans are young mountains, which are not more than 400 million years old. Some rocks from which they are formed are of volcanic origin. As a result of the inspection of the site and the excavations carried out, it was assumed that the ocean had previously been located here. This is evidenced by petrified algae in the rocks.

Mountains of Russia - Sayany

The climate in the mountains was formed several million years ago and has not changed to this day. When in the world of "rules" the ice age, the Sayans were completely covered with snow. Near them, small valleys and slopes were formed, usually as a result of falling fragments. After the global warming began, glaciers, thawing, contributed to the formation of various lakes.

Sayans where are they? The eastern part reaches the southern coast of Lake Baikal. The mountains enter the belt of orogeny, which is called the Central Asian. This geological material is considered to be the oldest in Russia. Also, these mountains in no way inferior to the Alps: neither in beauty, nor in size, nor in height.

To this day, several peaks of the mountains have a glacial cover. Snowfields are also common, which are snow accumulations of various sizes in places where the sun's rays do not reach.

Sayany Mountains on the map of Russia can be seen if you look at the south of Siberia. They are located both in the territory of the Federation and Mongolia. In fact, the Sayan Mountains are two connecting mountain systems that differ in relief and have a clear boundary line. The point of intersection is Central Sayan.

Western Sayan

What is the height of this mountain belt? Sayany Mountains in the west rise by 3 thousand meters. The length is 650 km. The neighbor in the south-west is Altai. The ridges of the mountain system are quite steep slopes, rugged terrain, a large cluster of stones.

The western ridges are elongated in an upright position. In the south-west the ridge is called Saljur, in the center is Saylyg-Kham-Taiga, the zone near the Yenisei coast is called Sayanskaya.

Influences the diversity of the relief of the slopes. Sayany Mountains, for example, near the forest border form a high alpine relief. For him, typical characteristics are low and steep slopes, deep-bottomed carrhes.

Middle-mountain relief prevails in the south and north. The ridges here are flat, gently sloping. Also around the mountains are many river valleys, which are already overgrown with taiga.

Winter here is frosty, spring comes late. Melting snow occurs, as a rule, at the end of May. The summer does not last long, many cold winds blow. Snow was often observed in July-August. For September, there are many earthquakes.

Depressions cool faster, so the mountains often have a higher temperature than the basins.

East Sayan

And what is the height in the east? Sayany Mountains there reach 3,491 m. This mountain system extends through Southern Siberia, the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Irkutsk Region, Buryatia and Tyva.

The Eastern Sayan begins near the Yenisei and ends near the shores of Lake Baikal. The mountain system is located in the sharply continental climatic zone. Winter is always frosty and long, and summer is short and cold. In January, the minimum temperature is -25 ^о С, and in July - +12 ^о С. On each slope there is a different amount of precipitation (from 300 mm to 800 mm per year).

Near the mountains there are glaciers and rivers. Lakes were formed as a result of melting ice. A large accumulation of minerals was found near the Tunkinsky Golts.

To protect the environment, parks and reserves have been established near the mountains.

Flora and fauna

The Sayany Mountains, the photos of which are widely represented in the article, are rich in forests, the prevailing trees in which are spruce, cedar, fir. They are located at an altitude of 1500 m. Often there are leaf-cedar plantings.

The climate is severe: cold winters prevail, strong winds and cool summers. The relief is usually indented, but in some places it is leveled, covered with tundra. In places where there is enough humidity, there are meadows and small bushes grow.

Here, berries grow: raspberries, currants, strawberries, strawberries and others.

From animals you can often see wolves, bears, moose, squirrels, hares. Woodpeckers, hazel grouses, capercaillie, jays - all these birds are found in forests located on the slopes.

Rivers and tourism

Sayans - mountains, whose map fully shows their splendor, attracts tourists. Since the system captures almost the whole of Siberia, it is difficult not to notice it. That is why it is often visited by mountaineers from different countries. The most attractive places (besides the mountains themselves) are small rivers, lakes and waterfalls. In these parts of the wild nature, which is little affected by human hands. There are also reserves here.

The Sayany Mountains (see photo below) are rich in rivers. They have mixed food with a predominance of snow and rain. All of them belong to the basin of the Yenisei, and also their sources are the Big and Small Yenisei. The most bright and beautiful river is Biy-Khem. Its length is 600 km. Thanks to its picturesque landscapes, it is the most visited and popular in these parts.

Altai Mountains

One of the most beautiful mountain ranges is the Altai Mountains. This system, in which high enough peaks are located, is divided by means of rivers and hollows. What is her height? The Sayan Mountains and the Altai Mountains are not very different from each other, but they have different heights. What do you think, which mountain range is higher - Altai or Sayan? We'll talk about this a little later.

Relief and geological feature

The relief, which characterizes the Altai, is rarely found in mountain systems. It is easy to find screes and landslides, ridges and hills, huts and carlings, peaks and valleys with hollows.

Scientists claim that the Altai Mountains were formed in the Caledonian age. And also in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras experienced a second ascent. Several centuries ago, the bottom of the mountains was compressed for natural reasons, thus the formation of a mountainous country took place.

Which mountains are higher: Sayans or Altai?

The western Sayan stretched for 600 km. Its total height is 3976 m. The peak is Mongun-Taiga. The Eastern Sayan takes up much more space, its width reaches 1 thousand km, and the altitude is 3491 m. The main mountain is Munku-Sardyk.

The main ridge of the Western Sayan is the watershed Sayan ridge. Its highest point is considered to be the peak of Kyzyl-Taiga, whose height reaches 3121 m.

Connecting, all Sayan Mountains form a gigantic complex of "whiteness" and "proteins". In certain places, there are "nodes", their centers are Grand (height 2982 meters) and Munch-Sardyk.

Belukha Mountain is the summit of the Altai Mountains. Here is the beginning of the Katun River. The name was formed due to the fact that the mountain is constantly covered with snow: from the very beginning to the end. The border between the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan passes through the Belukha massif.

Belukha is located on the Katun Ridge. The height of the mountain is 4509 km. It is concentrated on more than half of the glaciers of this ridge. This means that almost the entire mountain is covered with ice. Winter is cold, summer is short and rainy. In January, the temperature can reach -48 ° C, in March it rises to -5 ° C.

Altai is slightly higher than Sayana mountain ridge . This is evidenced by the characteristics of both mountain systems and their central peaks.