Where is the Yenisei Ridge? The nature of this region

Studying the Central Siberian plateau, geologists were interested in the elevation in its southwestern part. What is unusual in the area called the Yenisei Ridge? So why so much attention to this place?

Short description

The ridge occupies the right bank of the Yenisei, being between the Podkamennaya Tunguska and Kan rivers. The length of the Yenisei Ridge does not exceed 750 km. The width of the mountain ridge is 200 km. The highest point of the ridge is the Enashimsky Poltak hill, its height is 1104 m.

The area where the Yenisei Ridge is located is conditionally divided into two mountain systems:

• South Yenisei lowland ridge.
• Zaangarye.

Separation of mountain systems passes along the Angara River.

Geological information

The geology of the ridge has not been thoroughly studied. Scientists have yet to establish the age of Precambrian deposits, of which the mountain base consists. This ridge is one of the parts of the Yenisei-Sayan fold-covering area, which formed the southwestern edge of the Siberian platform.

The Yenisei Range consists of ancient dense rocks. Here, limestones, sandstones, conglomerates, shales, traps are identified. The mountain system has stable new Quaternary uplifts on the older Proterozoic crystalline base. The geodynamic period of formation of the Yenisei Ridge is considered a Proterozoic. This is called the Baikal folding. At least six hundred million years ago, the tectonic structure of the south of Siberia underwent numerous fluctuations. She rose and fell. The mountains were destroyed, then renewed and raised again. Sedimentary thicknesses accumulated at a time when the territory of southern Siberia was warm sea. Therefore, they contain sand, clays and sediments of limestones (the products of vital activity of the inhabitants of the sea).

The granitoids of the Yenisei Ridge are considered as the main indicators of the geodynamic situation of the formation of the continental crust. This is a general name for rocks of igneous origin, which contain oxides of silicon and quartz. During the study and research of the ridge on the composition of granitoids, many scientific works were written and several doctoral dissertations were defended.

The complex structure of geological layers and metamorphism of rock deposits over time led to the formation of rare minerals, marbles, dolomites and other fossils. This makes the Yenisei Ridge a zone of increased attention of a person.

Relief

The Yenisei Range consists of various types of relief. Mesopotamia flattened or dome-shaped, river valleys are steep, with great depth. The highest point is on the ridge. The lowest is in the north, near the Yenisei River, its height is 30 m. At the intersection of the Yenisei Ridge (below the mouth of the Kamenny Tunguska), the riverbed forms the Osinovsky threshold. Another threshold called Kazachinsky is located in the Kamenny Cape area, it is just over 220 km from Krasnoyarsk.

Minerals

The main attention to this area attracts huge deposits of minerals. It is with them that the economic activity of man in the Yenisei Ridge is mainly connected. Here, deposits of iron ore, bauxite (aluminum ore), magnesites, talc, titanite have been discovered. In the nineteenth century, rich deposits of gold were found in the depths.

It is believed that the presence of gold in the ridge explored Egor Ivanovich Zhmaev. He was an employee of the merchant Zotov. Zhmaev collected information from Evenki (local aborigines) and in 1839 applied for 5 gold mines on behalf of his employer. And from 1840 on the Yenisei Ridge the real "gold rush" began. In the 19th century, about 69% of the production of this precious metal in Russia was accounted for by the gold of the Yenisei Ridge.

Currently, the development of gold deposits is successfully continued by the state. The largest field for today is the Olimpiada (North-Yenisei region). According to geological exploration data, the total gold reserve of the ridge is about 1570 tons.

A little bit about nature. Vegetation

The Yenisei Ridge is located in the zone of the Siberian taiga. There are two types: southern larch taiga and Siberian pine with dense undergrowth. Pine dark coniferous taiga are the western slopes of the hills. The highest elevations are treeless, they are covered with shrubs. As undergrowth of larch taiga, alder, dog rose, wild raspberry, currant, rhododendron are often found. Pine taiga has a vein and chamomile undergrowth.

Animals

In the mountains of the Yenisei Ridge there is a brown bear, a wolf, an elk, a lynx, a wolverine. There are different kinds of fox, badger, ferret, ermine, weasel, sable, deer, ram and other animals. In these places, a fur-bearing animal has been extracted for a long time.

Different birds live in the crowns of the trees. Their list is very large: here and the cramp, and nutcracker, and thrush, and woodpecker. With a large number of birds, there is an abundance of birds of prey: owls, hawks and other species. There is also a huge number of grouse and grouse. Abundance of birds is associated with a powerful fodder base, as there are a lot of insects in the taiga.