What explains the diversity of Russia's terrain? General characteristics of the relief of. The reasons for its diversity

The planet Earth impresses us with a "drawing" of its surface, a variety of relief forms. What are the reasons for this diversity? Why do deep canyons coexist on our planet with the highest mountain peaks? And what explains the diversity of Russia's terrain?

A bit about the "architects" and "sculptors" of the earth's surface

Before explaining the diversity of the relief of Russia, it is important to familiarize with the processes of relief formation in general. What is it and what are they called?

The formation of the earth's surface can be compared with the creation of a monumental sculpture. And in the first and second cases architects and sculptors work on them.

In the formation of the Earth's relief , two groups of forces (processes) take part: endogenous (or internal) and exogenous (external). The first include volcanism, earthquakes, tectonic movements of the earth's crust, to the second - the work of wind, water, glaciers, etc.

Endogenous processes form all macroforms of the relief: mountains and plains, plateaus and rocky ridges. They are the architects of the earth's surface. And exogenous processes act as "sculptors", and their work is no less important. They destroy, crush, transfer and accumulate geological material in new places, creating completely new in nature and appearance forms of relief.

It is the close interaction of the above described processes that creates the incredibly diverse drawing of the earth's surface.

What explains the diversity of Russia's terrain?

Russia is the largest country in the world in terms of area. It stretches for 4000 kilometers from north to south and about 10,000 kilometers from west to east. This explains the diversity of the Russian terrain in the first place.

The second reason for this diversity lies in the rather complicated geological structure of the country. The territory of Russia is located within two large platforms - the Siberian and East European. On the vast expanses of the country there are also areas of all existing folds. In Russia, one can also find traces of ancient Precambrian structures, and young, well-developed mountain systems of the Cenozoic period.

In addition, each major form of relief within our country has its own set of smaller forms. An example is the mountain system of the Caucasus. After all, here you can see and erosion, and glacial, and eolian relief forms. And each of them is absolutely unique and original!

Thus, the reasons for the diversity of Russia's relief are as follows:

• Huge area of the country;
• Complex geological and tectonic structure;
• Richness of small forms of relief created by the work of wind, flowing waters and glaciers.

General description of the country's relief

The main features of the relief of Russia: diversity, heterogeneity and contrast of its forms. Powerful mountain systems here coexist with flat swampy lowlands and deepest river canyons.

In the orographic plan, the territory of Russia can be conditionally divided into two parts: the western (mostly flat) and the eastern (more elevated). The border between them runs along the Yenisei River. Although in that, and in another part there are mountains.

We list the largest orographic structure of the country:

• The Russian plain.
• The West Siberian Plain.
• Mid-Siberian plateau.
• The Ural Mountains.
• Altai.
• The Greater Caucasus and others.

It is important to note that about 70% of the territory of Russia is occupied by plains.

The highest point of the country is the summit of Elbrus in the Caucasus (5642 m), and the lowest point is located on the Caspian coast (-28 m).

Variety of the relief of Russia: from the mountain spiers of the Caucasus to the deep ravines of the Kuban

The largest mountain system in Russia is the Greater Caucasus. It is here that Mount Elbrus and seven other "tops-five-thousanders" are located. In the Caucasus, you can see the classic glacial forms of relief - punches, circuses, trough valleys and moraines.

But in the extreme east of the country are the most real volcanoes! In particular, there are several hundred on Kamchatka. The highest among them is Klyuchevskaya Sopka (4750 meters).

There are other forms of relief in Russia. For example, karst. The regions of the country that are richest in these forms of relief are the Crimea, the Caucasus and the Urals. The longest cave in Russia is Batovskaya, and the most beautiful - Kungur cave. But Kapova Cave in Bashkiria is famous for its ancient rock paintings.

Almost all forms of relief known to geomorphologists are found on the territory of Russia. In the open spaces of the Kuban you can find deep ravines and gullies, on the Curonian Spit in the Kaliningrad region - the real sand dunes, and on the Taman peninsula - unusual mud volcanoes.

Finally…

Now you know what explains the diversity of Russia's terrain. The culprits of this tremendous variety are endogenous and exogenous processes, which tirelessly worked for millions of years in a row, creating a unique drawing of the earth's surface.