The relief of Russia is amazingly diverse. On its territory there are large mountain systems, vast lowlands, rocky plateaus and highlands. In the south-west of the European part of the country, the Central Russian Plain (upland) is located. It is about this form of relief that we will describe in detail in our article.
Central Russian Plain: description and geographical location
The relief of the European part of Russia is dominated by plains. If you look at the physical map, you can see that they occupy more than 95% of this territory. One of the largest morphostructures of the earth's surface in this part of the country is the Central Russian Plain. Its location on an ancient and uplifted Precambrian basement completely determines its appearance. The plain is represented by a wavy and highly dissected surface by water erosion.
Where is the Central Russian Plain? Most of it is located in Russia (see map below). It is a component of the larger East European Plain and covers the regions of the Voronezh, Belgorod, Kursk and Rostov regions. Its separate spurs are includedalso within the Ukrainian territory (Sumy, Kharkiv and Lugansk regions).
The Central Russian Plain stretches from north to south for almost a thousand kilometers, from the Oka River valley to the slopes of the Donetsk Ridge. In the west it is limited by the Polessky lowland, and in the east by the Oka-Don plain. In the southwest, it smoothly passes into the Dnieper lowland. The absolute heights of the area are gradually decreasing in the southern and south-western directions from 260 to 190 meters. The highest point is 303 meters above sea level.
About seven million people live within the Central Russian Plain (of which 35% live in villages and villages). The main cities of the region: Voronezh, Kursk, Belgorod, Tula, Bryansk, Yelets, Lipetsk, Stary Oskol, Kharkiv, Sumy, Glukhov.
So, where is the Central Russian Plain, we have already found out. Now let's study in more detail the features of the geological structure and topography of this morphostructure.
General geology and minerals
As already mentioned, the plain is based on crystalline rocks of the ancient Precambrian basement (or the so-called Voronezh massif). From above, they are covered with a thin layer of sedimentary rocks - limestone, chalk, sandstone and clay.
The northern parts, western and partially eastern slopes of the plain were previously covered by a glacier. In this regard, in these territories today one can see numerous deposits of glacial origin - moraines, the thickness of which isin some places reaches 15 meters. Classical moraine deposits are found on the right bank of the Oka, in the section between Serpukhov and Aleksin.
The Central Russian plain is rich primarily in iron and uranium ores. The largest in terms of its reserves is the Mikhailovskoye iron ore deposit. In addition, significant deposits of limestone, brown coal, granite and other building materials are concentrated in the bowels of the region.
Central Russian Plain: Key Relief Features
In this area, nature has created all the necessary conditions for the active formation and development of water-erosion processes and landforms:
- Elevated area.
- Significant changes in absolute altitudes.
- Relatively soft rocks.
- Heavy and heavy rainfall in summer.
- Low percentage of forests.
As a result, classical ravine-beam-valley landscapes have formed and continue to form in the region. At the same time, water erosion is rapidly reducing the area of land suitable for agriculture every year. The depth of dissection of the earth's surface on the plain in some places reaches 100-120 meters.
Within the Central Russian Upland, suffusion (steppe saucers and funnels), gravitational (cliffs, landslides), eolian (small sand dunes) landforms are also common. On the Ukrainian part of the plain (in particular, in the Sumy region) there is karst. In the general relief, the uplands are noticeably distinguished by their morepicturesque views of the right banks of the rivers, as well as areas and tracts of Belogorye, Krivoborye, Galichya Gora, which we will discuss later.
Hydrography, flora and soils of the region
The climate of the Central Russian Plain is temperate continental. Summers are moderately hot, and winters are frosty and quite snowy. The average annual precipitation ranges from 400 to 650 mm. The hydrographic network is well developed. The largest rivers of the region: Desna, Seim, Psel, Don, Vorskla, Oskol, Ugra, Zhizdra, Zusha, Seim. Within the plain is the source of the Oka, one of the main tributaries of the Volga.
The soil cover of the upland is represented mainly by chernozems and gray forest soils (in the north). Soddy-podzolic soils are common under large forest tracts, and ray-chernozem, marsh and sandy soils are common in river valleys. Most of the plain is now plowed up.
About 80% of the area of the Central Russian Upland is located in the natural forest-steppe zone. Significant areas are occupied by floodplain meadows and swamps. In the forests, the main tree species are oak, pine and birch. Less common are maple, linden and ash. Willow and alder groves grow along the banks of rivers and streams.
Belogorye Nature Reserve
The reserve with the beautiful name "Belogorye" covers an area of 2 thousand hectares in the Belgorod region. Under the special attention of scientists there is an old oak forest, whose age is at least 300 years. For several centuries in a row it was a private hunting ground.possession of the Sheremetevs, and therefore perfectly preserved. Another unique corner of the reserve is the so-called Yamskaya steppe. This is exactly what the reference meadow steppe of Central Russia looks like. The botanical diversity of this site is simply amazing: there are about 80 plant species per square meter!
In general, there are 370 species of plants, 150 species of birds and 50 species of various mammals within the boundaries of Belogorye.
Tract Krivoborye
Krivoborye is an amazing corner of the Russian forest-steppe. It is located in the Ramonsky district of the Voronezh region. The tract is a steep right slope of the Don, overgrown with sparse forest and shrubs. The height of the coastal cliff reaches 50 meters, and the steepness of the slope is 75 degrees. The river bed in this place also deserves attention: here it is very winding and complicated by numerous rifts.
The Krivoborye tract was included in the list of geological monuments of nature back in 1969. Its total area is 15 hectares.
Reserve "Galichya Gora"
Galichya Mountain is the tiniest reserve on the planet, its area is only 19 hectares. It is located in the Lipetsk region. At the same time, a huge number of unique natural landscapes and objects are concentrated in such a small area. Within the limits of the reserve, plant species grow that are completely uncharacteristic of the rest of the Central Russian Plain. And this is the main mystery of Galich Mountain, over which scientists have been struggling since 1925. It was then that the reserve was founded.
The main attraction of the Galichya Mountain is a picturesque rocky hill, located on the high right bank of the Don. It is composed of Devonian limestones. Outcrops of these rocks "sheltered" about 650 species of plants on their cliffs. An impressive figure, botanists at the local museum of nature will tell you. Here you can also learn about all the diversity and uniqueness of the natural landscapes of this reserve.
