Восточно-Европейская равнина - одна из крупнейших plains of the planet. It covers four million square kilometers, completely or partially affecting the territories of ten states. What relief and climate are characteristic of the East European Plain? All the details about it you will find in our article.
The geography of the East European Plain
The relief of Europe is very diverse - there is andmountains, and plains, and marshy lowlands. Its largest orographic structure by area is the East European Plain. From west to east it stretches for about a thousand kilometers, and from north to south for more than 2.5 thousand kilometers.
Due to the fact that most of the plain is located on the territory of Russia, it received the name of the Russian. With an eye on the historical past, it is also often called the Sarmatian Plain.
It starts from the Scandinavian mountains and the coast.Baltic Sea and stretches to the foot of the Ural Mountains. Its southern boundary of the plain passes near the Southern Carpathians and Stara Planina, the Crimean Mountains, the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea, and the northern edge runs along the shores of the White and Barents Seas. On the territory of the East European Plain there is a significant part of Russia, Ukraine, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Moldova, Belarus. Within its borders are also Kazakhstan, Romania, Bulgaria and Poland.
Relief and geology
Очертания равнины почти полностью совпадают с the ancient East European platform (only a small area in the south lies on the Scythian plate). Due to this, there are no significant elevations in its relief, and the average height is only 170 meters. The highest point reaches 479 meters - this is Bugulminsko-Belebeevskaya hill, which is located in the Pre-Urals.
A tectonic plate is also associated with the platform.stability of the plain. It never finds itself in the epicenter of volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. All oscillations of the earth's crust that occur here are low-coal and are only echoes of the disturbances of the mountainous regions nearby.
However, this area was not always calm.The relief of the East European Plain is formed by very old tectonic processes and glaciations. In the south, they occurred much earlier, so their traces of the consequences have long been smoothed over by active climatic processes and water erosion. In the north, traces of past glaciation are most clearly visible. They are manifested by sandy lowlands, winding bays of the Kola Peninsula, which cut deep into the land, as well as in the form of a large number of lakes. In general, the modern landscapes of the plain are represented by a number of hills and lacustrine-glacial lowlands, alternating with each other.
Minerals
Древняя платформа, залегающая в основе East European Plain, represented by crystalline rocks, which are covered by sedimentary layers of different ages, lying in a horizontal position. In the area of the Ukrainian and Baltic shields, rocks come out in the form of low cliffs and rapids.
The territory of the plain is rich in diverseminerals. In its sedimentary cover there are deposits of limestone, chalk, shale, phosphate rock, sand and clay. In the Baltic region, there are deposits of combustible shale, salt and gypsum are mined in the Urals, and oil and gas are found in Perm. Large deposits of coal, anthracite and peat are concentrated in the Donbass basin. Brown and coal are also mined in the Dnipropetrovsk basin of Ukraine, in the region of Perm and the Moscow region in Russia.
Plain Crystal Shields are stacked mostlymetamorphic and igneous rocks. They are rich in gneisses, shales, amphibolites, diabase, porphyrite, quartzite. It produces raw materials for the production of ceramics and stone building materials.
One of the most “fertile” plots isKola Peninsula - the source of a large number of metal ores and minerals Iron, lithium, titanium, nickel, platinum, beryllium, various micas, ceramic pegmatites, chrysolite, amethyst, jasper, garnet, iolite and other minerals are mined within it.
Climate
The geographical position of the East EuropeanPlain and its lowland terrain largely determine its climate. The Ural mountains near its outskirts do not allow air masses to pass from the east, therefore throughout the year it is influenced by winds from the west. They form over the Atlantic Ocean, bringing moisture and heat in winter, and precipitation and coolness in summer.
Due to the lack of mountains in the north to the depths of the plainthe winds from the south of the Arctic also easily penetrate. In winter, they bring cold continental air masses, low temperatures, frost and light snow. In the summer, they bring with them drought and cold snap.
In the cold season, temperatures are highly dependent.from the coming winds. In summer, on the contrary, solar heat has the most powerful influence on the climate of the East European Plain, so temperatures are distributed in accordance with the geographical latitude of the area.
In general, weather conditions in the territory of the plainvery unstable. Atlantic and arctic air masses above it often alternate, which is accompanied by a constant alternation of cyclones and anticyclones.
Natural areas
East European Plain is located inmainly within the temperate climate zone. Only a small part of it in the far north lies in the subarctic belt. Because of the flat terrain, the latitudinal zonality is very clearly seen on it, which is manifested in a smooth transition from tundra in the north to arid deserts on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
Тундра, покрытая карликовыми деревьями и bushes, is only in the extreme northern territories of Finland and Russia. Below it is replaced by taiga, the zone of which expands as it approaches the Urals. Coniferous trees such as larch, spruce, pine, fir, as well as herbs and berry bushes grow here.
After taiga begins the zone of mixed anddeciduous forests. It covers the entire Baltic States, Belarus, Romania, part of Bulgaria, a vast part of Russia, north and northeast of Ukraine. The center and south of Ukraine, Moldova, northeastern Kazakhstan and southern Russia cover a steppe and steppe zone. The lower reaches of the Volga and the shores of the Caspian Sea cover deserts and semi-deserts.
Hydrography
Rivers of the East European Plain flow as innorth and south. The main watershed between them passes through Polesie, Northern Uvalam and Valdai Upland. Some of them belong to the basin of the Arctic Ocean, and flow down to the Barents, White and Baltic seas. Others flow southward, flowing into the Caspian Sea and the seas of the Atlantic Ocean. The longest and deepest river of the plain is the Volga. Other significant watercourses are the Dnieper, Don, Dniester, Pechora, Northern and Western Dvina, Southern Bug, and Neva.
В Восточно-Европейской равнине также много болот and lakes, but they are not evenly spaced. They are very densely distributed in the north-western part, but in the south-east there are practically none. On the territory of the Baltic states, Finland, Polesia, Karelia and the Kola Peninsula, glacial and moraine-type reservoirs have formed. In the south, in the region of the Caspian and Azov lowlands, there are estuary lakes and salt marshes.
"Lamb foreheads"
Despite the relatively gentle topography,Within the East European Plain there are many interesting geological formations. Such, for example, are the rocks "Lamb foreheads", which are found in Karelia, on the Kola Peninsula and in the Northern Ladoga area.
They are protrusions to the surface.rocks that were smoothed during the descent of the ancient glacier. Rocks are also called "curly." Their slopes in the places where the glacier moved - polished and smooth. Opposite slopes, on the contrary, are steep and very uneven.
Zhiguli Mountains
Zhiguli is the only mountains on the plainwhich were formed as a result of tectonic processes. They are located in the south-eastern part, in the region of the Volga Upland. These are young mountains that continue to grow, increasing by about 1 centimeter every hundred years. Today, their maximum height reaches 381 meters.
Zhiguli mountains are composed of dolomites andlimestone. Within their limits are also deposits of oil. Their slopes are covered with forests and forest-steppe vegetation, among which there are endemic species. Most of them are included in the Zhiguli Reserve and closed to the public. The site, which is not under protection, is actively visited by tourists and lovers of alpine skiing.
Bialowieza Forest
Within the East European Plain ismany reserves, reserves and other protected areas. One of the oldest formations is the National Park Belovezhskaya Pushcha, located on the border of Poland and Belarus.
A large section of relic taiga has been preserved here.- indigenous forest that existed in this area in prehistoric times. It is assumed that this is exactly what the forests of Europe looked like millions of years ago.
On the territory of Belovezhskaya Forest there are twovegetation zones, and coniferous forests are closely adjacent to mixed broadleaf. The local fauna is represented by fallow deer, mouflon, reindeer, tarpanoid horses, bears, minks, beavers, and raccoon-like dogs. The pride of the park is the bison, which are saved here from complete extinction.
