The incredibly picturesque Privolzhskaya Upland stretches from Volgograd to Nizhny Novgorod for more than 800 kilometers. In the east, its slopes abruptly break off to the Volga, making the banks of the river steep and impregnable. The article will focus on the features of the relief, geology and tectonic structure of the Volga Upland. We will also tell you about the most beautiful natural attractions of this region.
Geographic location of the Volga Upland
The relief of the European part of Russia is amazingly diverse. Along the right bank of the famous Volga River, the Volga Upland stretched out. Its total length is 810 kilometers, while the width varies widely - from 60 to 500 km. In the west, this orographic structure smoothly passes into the Oka-Don Plain, but in the east it breaks off in steep ledges to the Volga. In the south, the Ergeni massif acts as a kind of continuation of it.
The Volga Upland embracesterritories of five regions of Russia at once. These are Tatarstan, Chuvashia, Mordovia, Nizhny Novgorod and Penza regions. In the south, its borders pass near Volgograd, and in the north - in the area of the city of Cheboksary. The largest settlements within the upland are: Penza, Saratov, Ulyanovsk, Syzran, Saransk and Kamyshin. Map of the area with a conditional elevation boundary:
So, we found out where the Volga Upland is located. And now let's learn more about the tectonic and geological structure of this territory.
Privolzhskaya Upland: tectonic structure and geology
The upland is based on an asymmetric elevated plateau, the base of which is formed by deposits of the Upper Paleozoic. The ancient crystalline foundation is located here at a decent depth (more than 800 meters).
In general, the Volga Upland is located on several tectonic structures at once. Thus, its northern part corresponds to the elevated Volga-Ural arch, and the southern part is located on the gentle slope of the Voronezh anteclise. The mentioned tectonic structures are separated from each other by the narrow Saratov-Ryazan syneclise, stretching from Saratov to Ryazan.
The hill is composed of easily destructible rocks of the Paleogene and Cretaceous periods - chalk, clays, marls and sands. In some places, older deposits, such as limestone, sandstone and dolomite, come to the surface. The subsoil of this region is rich in minerals:oil, gas, phosphorites, as well as various building materials.
Geomorphology and hydrology of the territory (briefly)
Average heights within the Volga Upland are 150-200 meters. In the south they rise to 250-300 meters above sea level. The maximum point of the elevation is Mount Observer (381 m).
The main massif of the upland is a plateau dissected by numerous river valleys, ravines and gullies. At the same time, the closer to the Volga, the stronger the territory is dissected by a ravine-beam network. The most expressive in terms of landscape sections of the river slope are usually called mountains (for example, the Klimovskie or Zhiguli mountains).
Soil erosion is most pronounced in the southern part of the upland. To the south of the Syzranka River, on the slopes of gullies and valleys, landslides can also be observed. In places, karst landforms have spread.
The Volga-Don watershed line passes through the territory of the Volga Upland. A huge number of rivers and streams originate here. The largest of them are Sura, Moksha, Ilovlya, Khoper, Medveditsa and others.
Zhiguli Mountains
When talking about the Volga Upland, one cannot but mention the Zhiguli Mountains. This is an incredibly beautiful massif located in the bend of the Volga (the so-called Samarskaya Luka). It is here that the Observer is located - the highest point of the middle strip of the European part of the country. Other famous peaks of the massif are Molodetsky Kurgan, Popova Gora, Mogutova Gora.
Zhiguli is uniqueplace. After all, in fact, they are the only tectonic mountains on the entire Russian Plain. And by geological standards, they are quite young - they are only 7 million years old. At the same time, the Zhiguli Mountains continue to grow (by 1 millimeter per year).
Due to their picturesque landscapes, Zhiguli are very popular among tourists. Perhaps the most visited place here is the Stone Bowl tract with its springs.
Scherbakovskaya beam
Within the Shcherbakovskiy natural park there is another valuable natural monument - a beam with the same name. Its total area is about 140 hectares. For the beauty and uniqueness of landscapes, this place is also often called the Volga Switzerland. But the locals called Shcherbakovskaya Balka an open-air pharmacy, because a huge number of different medicinal plants grow here.
The uniqueness of Shcherbakovskaya Balka lies in the amazing variety of landscapes and natural complexes. Here, in a small area, birch groves coexist with almost mountainous waterfalls and rocky cliffs. The flora of the beam includes at least 300 species, of which fifty are rare or endangered.
