Meshcherskaya lowland: geography, history of origin

This large and unique lowland is located in the heart of the East European Plain. It covers the northern part of Ryazan, the eastern part of Moscow and the southern part of Vladimir Oblast. And they divide it, accordingly, into the Ryazan, Moscow and Vladimir Meshchairs. And the latter has one more name - the Meshcherskaya side.

Where is the Meshcherskaya lowland? Characteristic

Lowland in its top view is a triangle bounded by rivers: Oka (in the south), Klyazma (in the north), Sudogda and Kolpu (in the west). Moreover, its western border reaches the city of Moscow (the remains of the Meshchera forests - the park "Sokolniki" and Losiny Island).

In the northern part of the terrain, its height is 120-130 meters above sea level, it drops to the southern part to 80-100 m. On the central part of the lowland from the town of Yegoryevsk to the town of Kasimov stretches a small hill - the Meshchersky Range (its average height is about 140 m, the maximum - 214 m). It serves as a kind of watershed between the basins of the rivers Klyazma and Oka. And around there are impassable swamps.

Meshcherskaya lowland: the meaning of the word. Definition of lowlands

Lowland, or lowland plain, is an extended land area located above sea level not higher than 200 m, with a flat and slightly hilly surface.

Initially, the mesh is the name of the tribe (Finno-Ugric), which lived, according to ancient annals, between Mordovia and Murom. Meshcheryak occurs in documents of the 15th century, designated as mochearin. This name for the sound itself corresponds to the above. Thus, it is assumed that the ancestors of all these groups (Magyars, Meshras, Mishars and Mozhars) once represented an ethnic community.

The habitat of this ancient tribe ("Great Hungary", according to LN Gumilev) was in the Middle Volga region (modern Bashkiria). Then the Hungarian ancestors left for Pannonia and founded there their state, which exists today (Hungary). And the Meshcheriaks found themselves on the territory of the Central Oka.

There are other versions. In any case, the meaning of the term "Meshcherskaya lowland" can be derived from any of these versions. All of them have almost the same right to exist.

Climate

Meshcherskaya lowland has a temperate continental climate, with a relatively cold winter and a warm or hot summer. The average air temperature is +4,3 ˚С. Winter is snowy, with moderate frosts. The most usual winters have a temperature from minus 25 to minus 30 ° C.

The snow cover falls to 80 centimeters. July is the hottest month in which the air temperature reaches plus 40 ˚С. The summer is usually warm, with heavy downpours and severe thunderstorms.

The winds are dominated by western and south-western winds.

Meshcherskaya lowland has a natural feature of these unique places. This abundant spring flood, which has a significant impact on the life of birds and a variety of animals.

Geology of Meshchery

How was the lowland formed? This is due to glaciers. Their activities have turned the surface of these places into a completely smooth plain. After the glacier melted, a mixture of gravel, sand and clay lay flat on a dense waterproof clay (Jurassic period). All depressions and depressions filled with thawed water from the glaciers, thus forming numerous swamps and lakes.

There are deposits of quartz sand, peat and clay.

Soil and water resources

The soil is mostly podzolic, composed of loams (integumentary and loesslike) and fairly fertile forest gray soils.

Meshcherskaya lowland is the land of numerous lakes and marshes.

There are few rivers on the lowland territory, and they are located mainly along its border. They enter the pool of the river. Oki. The largest rivers here are Tsna, Polya, Pra, Polya, Buzha and Gus.

Meshcherskaya lowland has one more feature: the rivers on it have a small number of tributaries and a relatively slow flow. Basically, they flow from numerous marshes and lakes, the source of supply of which are water from melting snow and rain.

The lakes on the hollow are huge - large and small. Slowly turning green, they turn into swamps. There are floodplain lakes - the remnants of river beds. They are also swamped. Almost all the lakes in Meshchera are small. Their average depth is only 2 m.

But there are also large lakes that have a depth of up to 50 meters or more. Such reservoirs are of thermokarst origin. The water in them is transparent. One of such lakes is the White River in the Ryazan Region (Spas-Klepiki).

Famous bogs

Meshcherskaya lowland is rich in marshes. They stretch out here almost uninterrupted broad stripe. The locals call them mshars or omsharas.

The swamps have already absorbed about 600 thousand hectares of lowland lands.

Most of all swamps are marshes covered with moss and forest thickets. They do not have clearly defined boundaries. And in the spring they pour water and become absolutely impassable. Therefore for Meshchera the following unpleasant phenomena for the person are characteristic: marsh evaporation, huge quantity of midges, flies and mosquitoes.

Animals and vegetation

Meshchera was once part of a single huge forest that stretched from the forests of Murom to the Polish forests. Later, as a result of the gradual destruction of forests, the increase in arable land and numerous fires, the area, the number of forests significantly decreased.

Here there are pine forests, oak forests, aspen and birch, on the watersheds - ate. There is mountain ash and alder. In the forests and meadows grow a variety of berries and mushrooms. A lot here and hazel. In the meadows there is an abundance of mixed herbs. In the forests there are animals: bears, lynxes, wolves, ermines, etc. Descendants of lakes and beavers live in floodplain lakes. A lot of different game. Local lakes and rivers are rich in fish (30 species).

Here is the famous Oksky Reserve (225 species of various birds, 10 species of amphibians, 39 species of fish, 6 reptiles and 49 mammals). In this amazing reserve bison and cranes are still bred.

What attracts this lowland? Maybe because there are a lot of marshes and there are a lot of small and large Meshchersky lakes? Or Meshcherskaya lowland has slowly flowing rivers? There are many amazing natural attractions here. And yet the Oka reserve is the rarest and most amazing sight of these places.