Probably, many modern travelers at least once in their lives thought about how high the Sayan Mountains are. Why might this be of interest? As a rule, there are several explanations at once, the most important of which can be considered ordinary curiosity and an irresistible desire to visit all possible highest points, if not the planet as a whole, then our country at least.
This article is aimed at telling about such an amazing geographical object of our country as the Sayan Mountains. The reader will learn a lot of useful information about this corner of our, by right, vast homeland.
General information
The Sayan Mountains, photos of which can be found in almost any guide to the regions of the Russian Federation, consist of two interlocking mountain systems located in southern Siberia within the Irkutsk region, Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Republics of Tyva, Khakassia and Buryatia, as well as northern regions of Mongolia bordering the Republics of Tuva and Buryatia.
Mountains are geographically divided into Western and Eastern Sayan, each of which is differenta number of its own characteristic features.
For example, the western part has leveled and pointed ridges without glaciation, between which intermountain depressions are located. For the eastern part, mid-mountain peaks with glaciers are typical.
The Sayan Mountains have many rivers belonging to the Yenisei basin.
The slopes are covered with mountain taiga, turning into high mountain tundra. Between the mountain systems there are many basins of various shapes and depths. One of the most famous is the Minusinsk Basin, which has a large number of archaeological sites. In general, it can be noted that the average amplitude of the heights of the Eastern Sayan Mountains differs significantly from the identical indicator of the western ranges.
Where did the name come from
Scientists say that these places got their name in honor of the Turkic-speaking tribe of the same name, who lived in Siberia, in the upper reaches of the Yenisei and Oka.
Later, the Sayans united with other mountain tribes and became part of the peoples of the Republic of Tuva. The ethnic group itself belonged to the Samoyedic tribes, and its representatives called the mountains "Kogmen", while the Buryats gave them a more complicated name for the ear of a modern person - "Sardyk".
Russian Cossacks Tyumenets and Petrov, who visited in 1615 in the patrimony of Altyn-Khan, told about this tribe in their annals. Later, in the records of Russian travelers, the mountains were already listed under the name Sayan, the highest point of which, as it was established later, is 3491 m.
Features of education
It's impossible not tonote that from a geological point of view, these are relatively young mountains, which, according to scientists, appeared about 400 million years ago.
They are formed from ancient rocks, including those of volcanic origin. Before the formation of the mountain system, there was an ocean here, as evidenced by the remains of fossilized algae found.
The formation of the mountain relief was influenced by the climate. During the period of ancient glaciation, the mountains were covered with glaciers, which, moving, changed the earth's surface, forming peaks and gorges with steep slopes. After warming, the glaciers melted, filling numerous basins and lowering the relief - lakes of glacial origin appeared.
Geographic location
Many believe that the height of the Sayan Mountains is not so significant, and therefore does not deserve special attention. Let's check if this is really the case by getting to know their geographical features.
In general, this hill is a continuation of the Altai mountain system, which serves as the border between China and Russia.
Mountains consist of parallel mountain ranges connected by nodes. The Sayans are connected with the Altai mountain system by the Shabin-Davan ridge. To the north and northwest of it stretches the K altanovsky Range, which abuts against the Itemsky Ridge, which stretches from east to southwest from a tributary of the Yenisei. In the south, the K altanovsky Range connects with the foothills of the Omaitura. To the east, from the Shabin-Davan ridge, the Sayans are divided into two chains. NorthernThe Sayans are known as Kur-Taiga, and the southern Sayans are known as Tuna-Taiga.
From the northern Sayans in the upper reaches of the Sosnovka and Kyzyn-su rivers, a mountain spur departs, separating the Kantegir and Yenisei rivers. Further through the Yenisei, the Sayan Mountains go in several chains to the northeast.
The majestic river of Siberia, the Yenisei, passes through the mountain ranges of the massif called the Western Sayan, forming many rapids.
On the right bank of the Yenisei, the mountains smoothly pass into the steppes of the Minusinsk district. The parallel chains of the Saiyans have different names. The Kyzyrsuk Range closely adjoins the Yenisei, creating a narrow passage with a powerful waterfall called the Big Threshold. It then passes between the Kyzyr-Suka and Bolshoy Oi rivers to the banks of the Yenisei, where the Biryusinsk chain drops to a height of 1600 feet.
Besides two branches, the Sayan Mountains have a mountain range separating the Kazyra and Kizira rivers. Further, the Agul spur goes north and northwest and separates the Tagul and Agul rivers.
How the highest Sayan mountain was formed: myths and legends of the Sayan Mountains
The power of boulders, resting almost against the very sky, has always become an object of inspiration and some respect from the peoples inhabiting these regions. That is why in the folklore of local residents you can find such a huge number of legends dedicated to just this topic. Let's get acquainted with some of them.
In ancient times, the heavenly deity sent his son Geser to earth to fight evil. In those days, all the gods and heroes lived in the mountains, and Geser's throne was on the highest mountain. Heavenly hero cleansed the world of injusticeand monsters, accomplished many feats. His warriors were petrified, turning into mountains. Now they are called Sayans, and the highest of them, where his throne was, is Munku-Sardyk. The peaks of the Sayan Mountains have ancient names and are shrouded in myths. Many of them are built of stones and logs so-called "obos", or places of worship and sacrifice to the gods.
In general, Geser is a mythological hero who is worshiped by almost all the peoples of Central Asia. The legend about this deity contains numerous plot cycles and has about 22,000 lines. The study of the epic has been going on for a hundred years, but there is still no authentic data. Some believe that Geser is a fictional character, while others are of the opinion that the epic is dedicated to Genghis Khan. It is also possible that Geser means the Roman translation of the title "Caesar" (Caesar). The Buryat Gesariada considers the version that the epic appeared before his birth. But most are inclined to believe that the legends about Geser tell about the life of a military leader who lived in the 11th-12th centuries.
Mystery and mystery of the name
The ancestors of modern Tuvans are the Turkic-speaking Soyot tribe, who lived in the past in the mountains in the upper reaches of the Yenisei and Oka rivers. According to ethnographers, "Soyot" refers to the plural of the word "Soyon", and therefore this tribe was also called Soyons. Later the word was modified into Sayany. The tribe called the mountains "Kogmen", which means "heavenly barriers." The Buryats called these mountains "Sardyk", which means "char" in translation.
For the first time, Russian Cossacks Petrov and Tyumenets reported about the Sayan Mountains,who visited Altyn Khan in 1615. The first conqueror of the Sayans was Commissar Pesterov, who checked the border lines in the mountains and was in charge of border posts and signs in 1778-1780. Saiyan research began in the 19th century.
Geological features
The Western Sayan has a folded structure and is part of the Caledonian belt of the Paleozoic Altai-Sayan region. It stretches from the southwest to the northeast in the form of an ellipse, which is bounded by faults on all sides. The internal structure is due to a complex cover-charging type of structure.
If we reveal such a complex and multifaceted issue as the height of the Sayan Mountains, we cannot but mention that the mountain system of the western part is divided into several tectonic zones (North Sayan, Central Sayan, Borusskaya and Kurtushubinsky). The North Sayan belt includes Vendian-Cambrian volcanogenic-sedimentary deposits with a combination of ophiolite rocks in melange zones.
The Kurtushiba and Borussky belts are characterized by Lower Paleozoic quartzites and diabases, as well as argillaceous-siliceous schists and ultramafic rocks. Such rocks belong to complex tectonic-sedimentary mixtures. The Central Sayan belt consists of a complex of volcanic-flyschoid formations of the Early Paleozoic with numerous granite beds. This belt is characterized by tectonic accumulations and uneven changes in sedimentary rocks. Also, sometimes the Dzhebash zone is distinguished separately, which has a more ancient (Riphean) origin, located along the northern part of the Western Sayan. Altered volcanic-flyschoid deposits.
The Eastern Sayan is divided according to its age. The northeastern part, adjoining the Siberian Platform in the southwest, belongs to the most ancient (Precambrian) type, and the southwestern part, to the younger (Caledonian) type. The first consists of altered Precambrian rocks, which include ancient gneisses and amphibolites. The central Derbinsky anticlinorium has a structure of younger rocks - shale, marble and amphibolites. The southwestern part of the Sayan Mountains is composed of volcanic-sedimentary rocks. In the north and west of the Eastern Sayan, orogenic basins are formed, consisting of volcanogenic terrigenous rocks.
Minerals of mountains
Considering in more detail such a concept as height, the Sayan Mountains cannot be represented as an integral geological object. Why? The thing is that their eastern part is longer and higher than the western. For example, the peak of the first part rises above sea level by 3491 m (the highest point of the Sayan Mountains is Munku-Sardyk), while the second part rises only by 3121 m. And the length of the eastern part is almost 400 km more than the western one.
However, despite these differences, the value and importance of this array for the economy of our country is difficult to overestimate. The fact is that the amount of useful rocks occurring in their strata is truly impressive.
In the Western Sayans there are deposits of iron, copper, gold, chrysotile-asbestos, molybdenum and tungsten ores. The main we alth of the mountain bowels is iron and chrysotile-asbestos. Iron ore belongs to the hydrothermalmetasomatic type associated with gabbroids and granitoids of increased basicity. Chrysotile asbestos is associated with the Lower Cambrian ultramafic rocks.
East Sayan, which is dominated by the height, is known for deposits of gold, iron, aluminum, titanium ores and other rare metals, graphite, mica and magnesite. Iron deposits are represented by ferruginous quartzites, volcanogenic-sedimentary hematite-magnetite and magnetite ores. Aluminum ores are represented by bauxites, urtites, and sillimanite-bearing Proterozoic shales. Secondary phosphorites belong to agricultural ores. There are also small deposits of contact-metasomatic phlogopite and pegmatite muscovite. Reserves of quartz, graphite, jade, chrysotile asbestos, limestone and building materials have been found in the region.
Western Sayans
This territory stretches northeast to the Eastern Sayan, from the sources of the Maly Abakan River to the upper reaches of the Kazyr and Uda rivers. The highest point is the Kyzyl-Taiga Range (3120 m), which is part of the Dividing Sayan Range.
The mountain landscape is characterized by alpine relief with steep slopes and extensive stone deposits. Mountain peaks in the west reach a height of up to 3000 m, to the east they decrease to 2000 m.
The upper tiers at an altitude of 2000 m represent mountain taiga with glacial lakes, cirques and moraines. On the territory of the Western Sayan is the Sayano-Shushenskyreserve.
Eastern Sayans
The peaks of this territory are covered with non-melting snow. The highest point of the Eastern Sayan Mountains and the Sayan Mountains themselves, as mentioned above, is Mount Munku-Sardyk (3490 m), which adjoins the Okinsky plateau. The plain here is covered with alpine meadows, deciduous forests and mountain tundra, there are also desert rocky areas. In the central part, a knot of several ridges is formed, its highest peak (Grandiozny Peak) has a height of 2980 m.
Topographers Peak (3044 m) belongs to the second highest peak. The main glaciers are located in the region of the main peaks. In addition, in the Eastern Sayans there is a "valley of volcanoes" with traces of volcanic activity, which is a volcanic plateau. The last ejections of lava were about 8,000 years ago. The world-famous Stolby nature reserve is located in the Eastern Sayan Mountains.
What to see in the Sayans
Taking into account all the above facts, it is not surprising that the height of the Sayan Mountains annually attracts such a huge number of travelers from different parts of the globe. Everyone wants to feel like a part of something huge and immense.
However, not only the height attracts here, the Sayans have a unique taiga landscape with glacial lakes, waterfalls and rivers that create unique landscapes.
The Central Sayans (Tofalaria) are considered the most inaccessible and deserted region of the mountains. Among the taiga of the Western Sayan, the natural “Stone City” hid, wherethe rocks resemble the remains of ancient castles and fortresses. The Eastern Sayan Mountains are known for the Shumak mineral springs and the "Valley of Volcanoes".
The Munku-Sardyk region with the Oka plateau in July is especially beautiful, when the mountains are covered with a colorful carpet of poppies, rhododendrons, edelweiss, golden root and other plants. There are many gorges, rivers, lakes and streams, red deer and musk deer are found. The nature of Munku-Sardyk is almost untouched by man. The ridge itself is located on the border between Russia and Mongolia, and visiting this area is possible only with permission from the border guard, otherwise the height of the Sayan Mountains can only bewitch from the outside.
