To which tectonic structure is the Russian Plain timed? Tectonics and relief of the Russian Plain

The largest zone of forests from the Pechora and Kareliantaiga, stretching to the oak forests of the middle zone, which includes steppe grain granaries and pastures of tundras - this whole territory is nothing but the Russian Plain. The map of our country confirms that a large number of cities and towns are located on these lands, and therefore, they are the most densely populated.

Русская, или Восточно-Европейская равнина видела more than a thousand-year history of Russia. She served as a field for liberation battles, Tatar-Mongols, troops of Napoleon and Hitler passed through it. It was on this plain that the great revolutionary events unfolded. Here was the main construction of a socialist society. And to date, this territory is an important economic part of Russia.

Geography

East European Plain is located onvast territory. In its area, it is inferior only to the Amazon. Its lands begin from the Baltic coast and stretch to the Ural mountain ranges, from the White and Barents Sea to the Caspian and Azov.

The geographical position of the Russian Plain is such that it has access to two oceans.

In the northwestern part of this territorylimited to the Scandinavian mountains. In the south-west and west, it reaches the ranges of Central Europe and the Carpathians. What other mountains are on the border of the territory occupied by the Russian Plain? The map indicates the Caucasian ranges in the southeast, the Urals and Mogodzhary in the east. In addition, the territory of the Russian plain ends at the northern foot of the Crimean Mountains in the area of ​​the Crimean peninsula. This entire area is four million square meters. This is more than two and a half thousand kilometers from south to north and a thousand - from east to west.

The geographical position of the Russian Plain isthat its significant territories are within the Russian Federation. In addition, there are countries such as Latvia and Belarus, Estonia and Lithuania, Ukraine and Moldova, Poland and Finland, Bulgaria and Romania, as well as Kazakhstan.

Relief

On the territory of the East European Plainhills are located, the maximum height of which is from 200 to 300 meters above sea level. There are also lowlands here with large rivers flowing on them. The highest altitude of the plain is observed in the Pre-Ural region, as well as in the Bugulmin-Veremeyev upland. Here it reaches a mark of 479 m. The average level of height throughout the plain is 170 meters.

Description and classification of external signsrelief deals with orography. This is one of the sections that includes geography. The Russian plain, according to the features described by orography, is divided into three bands - central, north and south. In the first of them on the Russian Plain you can see such elevations: Volga, Central Russian, Bugulminsko-Belebeevskaya, as well as General Syrt. They are separated from each other by the Low Volga and Oka-Don lowlands.

Middle band

Relief of the Russian Plain in the northern strip inmostly low-lying. Only here and there, on this territory, small elevations are scattered one by one or in small garlands. Smolensk-Moscow, Valdai Uplands and the Northern Uvaly zone alternate here from west to east and north-east. Through their territories there are watersheds between the Arctic, Northern, Atlantic, and also drainless internal Aral-Caspian basins. It is noteworthy that from the Northern Uvalov to the Barents and the White seas, there is a slight decrease in the territory of the plain.

In the third, southern strip are numerous lowlands. Among them, the Black Sea, Caspian and others. They are separated by low elevations (Stavropol, Yergeni, etc.).

Classification of tectonic structures

In the crust are large areasthe boundaries of which are the deep faults. These are tectonic structures. They are studied by a separate geological science. Its name is tectonics. This discipline identifies the two largest structures that are located in the crust. These are platforms, and also mobile belts. The first of them are stable areas with a flat surface. Platforms lie on the ground already destroyed folded structures. At the same time they have a two-layer structure. So, in the lower part of the platform there is a crystalline foundation, which is composed of ancient hard rocks. Above this layer is a sedimentary cover. Later sediments took part in its formation. Tectonics highlights plates and shields on the platform. The first of them are those zones where the foundation is completely at a depth covered by a sedimentary cover. Shields are areas of the crystalline base raised above the surface of the earth. There is also a sedimentary cover. However, it is not solid and weak.

As for the mobile belt, it is an elongated section in the earth's crust, in the zone of which educational processes continue to the present day.

Based on this classification, to which tectonic structure is the Russian Plain timed? Of course, to the first group, that is, to the platforms.

History of occurrence

The basis of the Russian plain is ancientplatform. That is why the relief of this region consists mainly of lowlands. The formation of such a vast territory was influenced by many natural factors. It is wind, water and glacier.

Foundation of the East European Platformlocated at different depths. Only between Karelia and the Kola Peninsula, he goes to the surface of the earth. The so-called Baltic Shield is located in this zone. The origin of the Khibiny located on the Kola Peninsula is associated with it. Throughout the rest of the territory, the foundation is covered by a sedimentary cover having different thickness.
All the elevations that are on the East European Plain are formed either by deflections of the platform, or under the influence of a glacier, or when lifting the foundation.

The influence of tectonic plates on the landscape

Russian plain has a typical platformrelief. At the same time, all its lowlands and elevations are of tectonic origin. What are the features of this platform? To which tectonic structure is the Russian Plain timed?

На всей рассматриваемой территории преобладает flat terrain. And this is all due to the tectonic structure that the platform of the plain has. All the irregularities of the basement led to the formation of the largest lowlands and some uplands. For example, the Voronezh raising of the foundation became the cause of the emergence of the Central Russian Upland. The lowering of the platform led to the appearance of the Pechersk and Caspian lowlands.

Tectonic structure of the Russian Plain onMost of the territory is represented by a plate with a Precambrian crystalline base. The southern zones are located on the northern edge of the Scythian Plate, which lies on the Paleozoic folded basement. This structure gives a more accurate answer to the question of the tectonic structure associated with the Russian Plain. Moreover, the border between these two plates on the terrain does not affect.

The structure of the tectonic sequence

Although the general nature of theThe territory is flat, in its relief there are both lowlands and elevations. The explanation for this can be found in the tectonic features of the Russian Plain. The fact is that its structure has a non-uniform character and uneven manifestations of modern educational movements. On closer examination, it turns out that the platform underlying the Russian Plain consists of smaller elements. They are:
- shields;
- Anteclise, representing a zone of shallow foundations;
- the syneclises, which are those areas, the glitier Precambrian basement is at a great depth.

Anteclise

The largest of these itemslocated in the central part of the Russian plate. These are the Volga-Ural and Voronezh anteclises. In the first of them are large uplifts (arches) and depressions. The thickness of the sedimentary cover is about 800 meters.

The territory of the Voronezh anteclise smoothlylowers to the north. On the surface of its basement there are deposits of carbon, Devonian and Ordovician, thin in their thickness. Paleogen and chalk rocks lie on a steeper southern slope. Is here and carbon.

Syneclises

The most ancient and complex in its compositionelement is the Moscow zone. Here the crystalline basement lies in the crust at a great depth. At the heart of the Moscow Syneclise are aulacogens, the filling of which are powerful strata of Riphean. Above these layers is a sedimentary cover, represented by various rocks from the Cambrian to the Cretaceous.

In the Neogene-Quaternary period Moscow syneclisehas undergone uneven lifting. This was reflected in the relief of the area, where such elevations as Valdai and Smolensk-Moscow, as well as the lowlands — Severo-Dvinskaya and Upper Volga, appeared.

On the East European Plain is still locatedone large syneclise - Pechora. It occupies a wedge-shaped area in the north-eastern part of the Russian Plate. Its block uneven foundation is located at different depths, reaching in the eastern region from 5,000 to 6,000 meters. The filling of this syneclise is the thick strata of Paleozoic rocks, which are overlapped by the Meso-Cenozoic sediments.

Minerals

So, we decided on whatThe tectonic structure is associated with the Russian Plain, what is its geological history. Due to the long period of its formation, this most ancient platform is a powerful geostructure. It contains inexhaustible mineral reserves. So, in the basement of the platform found deposits of iron ore. They are located in the zone of the Kursk magnetic anomaly. Coal deposits have been found in sediment covers of the platform. They are developed in the eastern part of the Donbass and in the suburban basin. In the Mesozoic and Paleozoic sediments are reserves of gas and oil. This is the Ural-Volga basin. Not far from Syzran, combustible shales have been discovered. In the depths of the Russian Plain there are many different building materials - limestone and gravel, clay, etc. Brown sediment, bauxite, salt and phosphate were found in sedimentary covers.

A variety of natural areas

As we already know, the Russian Plain is locatedon a vast territory. That is why it is characterized by a pronounced climate diversity. The natural zones of the Russian Plain are represented in all their diversity. In the regions of the Far North, there is tundra with its thin and poor vegetation growing on humus-peaty soils. Summer in these parts is cold, with high humidity, increasing due to the proximity of the Arctic Ocean.

Just south of this area is the zoneforest-tundra Next is the middle strip of the Russian Plain. It is covered with forests. In the northern part of it, dark-coniferous taiga prevails, which grows on marshy podzolic soils. Towards the south, mixed tracts appear, alternating with deciduous forests of oak, maple and linden.

The natural zones of the Russian Plain in the southern part are represented by forest-steppes and steppes. These are territories with fertile, as a rule, chernozem soils having grassy vegetation.

Scanty lands

Extreme Southeast of the East European Plainlocated in the Caspian lowland. Under the influence of a dry climate, a semi-desert zone was formed here, located on chestnut soils. There are also deserts in places. These are zones of sierozem, solontsov and solonchak.

Conclusion

How can more fully and in detail bestudied Russian Plain? A table that includes various indicators (tectonic structure, natural areas, climate, etc.) should be carefully considered. This is a wonderful visual aid that can provide invaluable assistance in understanding and studying the necessary material.