Polar Urals: location, relief, natural conditions, industry

The northernmost part of the low, but picturesque Ural Mountains in the north of Eurasia is called the Polar Urals. The natural territory belongs at once to two regions of Russia - the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District and the Komi Republic. The harsh climate and northern beauty of landscapes make this place unique. It is along this line that the conditional border between Asia and Europe passes .

General characteristics of the region

The border between the sides of the world, considered unofficial, passes exactly between the two regions of the country indicated above, right on the watershed of the ridge that separates the Pechora basin west of the Ob in the east. The tops of the mountains in the main mass are located at an altitude of 800-1200 m, some slightly higher, for example, Mount Payer - 1500 m.

In the northern part of the Polar Urals has a characteristic feature of the relief. Deep dismemberment of massifs and ridges by transverse, through valleys adjoins with a small height of passes (200-250 m) through the main watershed. In one of these places stretches the current branch of the Transpolar Highway.

Features of the relief

The region of the Polar Urals, like all the Ural Mountains, was formed during the Hercynian folding period more than 250 million years ago. Since that time the region has been quietly based on the stable foundation of the Eurasian plate and has never experienced significant uplifts.

The long-term effect of erosion, including glaciers, determined what the Ural Severny, Ural Polar and the entire mountain range of the same name now has. It is characterized by wide and deep valleys with typical structures: troughs, rims. There are quite a few basins, mostly of thermokarst origin, some of which are filled with water and turned into lakes.

For the Polar Urals is characterized by the division of the valley of the Sob River into two parts, differing in geological structure. In the northern part the mountainous area reaches 125 km in width, it is strongly dissected by transverse valleys and has a small height of passes - 200-250 m above sea level. But the western slope is steeper. To the south it narrows only to 25-30 km wide with passes up to 500 m, and in some cases up to 1500 m.

Climate of the region

As is known, the Polar and the Subpolar Urals are characterized by harsh climatic conditions. The climate in the quiet places is sharply continental. The region of the Polar Urals is located on the border of the interaction of European cyclonic activity and the Siberian anticyclone. Winters are very cold here (down to -55 ° C), with a strong wind and a lot of precipitation. Due to the fact that the wet cyclones come to the mountains from the west, in the eastern part precipitation falls 2-3 times less. Autumn, spring and summer are short, and the weather at this time is unstable. The heat with a mark of + 30 ° C can be sharply replaced by cold days with heavy rain, strong gusts of wind and hail.

The rivers of the Polar Urals

As already mentioned above, the watershed divides the territory of the Polar Urals. This term should be understood as a conventional topographic line on the surface of the Earth, which separates the basins of two or more oceans, seas, rivers and lakes. Precipitation is then sent to the drains from two opposite slopes. In this case, the watershed passes between the basins of the Ob and Pechora (Usa) rivers. The western slopes due to the amount of precipitation, 2-3 times greater than on the eastern slopes, are densely dotted with river valleys.

From the north to the south flow Kara, Yelets and Usa. The length of the first is 257 km, and the area of the basin is 13.4 thousand square kilometers. Food is provided mainly by snow and rain. The Polar Urals includes the largest inflow of Pechora - the Usa River, which is 565 km in length, and the navigable area of the basin is 93,600 sq. Km. Km. In some areas, the river is fleeting, with rapids, which attracts numerous tourists for alloys.

Three rivers pass through the eastern slope of the mountains. The son (length 217 m) is the left tributary of the Ob. The river is partially navigable, along the coast there are several small settlements. The second water artery - Shchuchya has a length of more than 500 km and is a spawning area in which the whitefish, chira, and vendace come. The third river - Longotjegan has a length of 200 km.

Lakes in the northern part of the district

The area is rich in clean and cold northern lakes. Most of them are of thermokarst origin and are concentrated in carob valleys. The first factor causes small sizes and their small depth. In the northern part there is a system of reservoirs Hadata-Yugan-Lor, which consists of the Small and Great Lakes, connected by a kilometer wide bridge with a width of 20-50 meters. The most beautiful places with which the Polar Urals are rich have been recently taken under protection, and the territory is included in the biological reserve, where the buffalo acclimatization and the muskox reaclimatization are carried out.

In the northern region there is also the Small and Large Shchuchye Lake. The latter is located in the tectonic depression and by the standards of the whole Urals has an outstanding depth of 136 m and the largest area of the water surface. From a bird's-eye view, it looks like a spacious river, just over a kilometer wide. Around the lake, along the banks, peaks rise to 1000 m. The rocky slopes of the ridges descend directly to the lake, sometimes turning into steep cliffs. Great depth begins only 50 m from the shore.

An incredible sight, picturesque places - this is what is worth to visit the harsh Polar Urals. The trek can be arranged independently, but it is best to use the services of accompanying people. For recreation, the northern and southern side of the lake is suitable with flat and even banks, overgrown with grass and shrubs. The water temperature does not rise above 10-14 ° C even on the hottest days. The lakes themselves and the adjacent territory belong to the state zakaznik.

Mountain peaks

• Constantine's stone is a mountain massif, mainly composed of sandstone and quartzite, 45 km from the Baydaratskaya Bay of the Kara Sea. The highest point is at 483 m from the sea.
• Harnaurdi-Keu - mountain (1,246 m), does not have permanent glaciation.
• Ngatenape is a mountain peak (1338 m).
• Hanmei - 1333 m above sea level.
• Payer is the highest peak of the Polar Urals (1,499 m), consisting of shales, quartzite and igneous rocks, has snowfields.

Fauna and flora

The nature of the Polar Urals is beautiful, but not as rich in species as the warmer climatic zones. Vegetation is quite scarce, and taiga forests can be found only in the southern part of the district. In the Urals, birch and fir occur, in the Trans-Urals - spruce and larch. In the valleys of rivers you can see dry, rare deciduous forests. On the banks of the reservoirs, shrubs, willows, dwarf birches, grasses and flowers grow. The northern berries are common: lingonberries, cloudberries, blueberries and mushrooms.

The fauna here is impoverished. Relatively often of all the large animals in these parts, one can only find the reindeer. Wild are almost exterminated. Most of the livestock - domesticated animals, which are the property of the local population. They beat pastures due to excessive grazing. Once upon a time in these territories, musk oxen, wild horses, bison, saigas felt at ease. At the moment, there is a small number of brown bears, there are hares and partridges.

In general, vegetation and fauna are characteristic of the tundra zone. The altitudinal zonality of the Polar Urals is clearly expressed, that is, the change of landscapes and natural conditions is associated with a decrease in air temperature and an increase in precipitation.

Industrial development of the region

The entire Urals is the oldest mining region of the country. There is an impressive number of various fossils in its interior, including iron, copper, platinum, gold, precious stones, potassium salts, asbestos and much more. The reason for this diversity is a special geological history.

The placement of minerals is also subject to the principle of altitude zonality. In 2005, the development of the project "Ural Industrial-Ural Polar" began, which is aimed at achieving economic accessibility and expediency of involving the region's richest resource resources in the industrial production of the region. Among the projects - extraction of polar quartz.

Tourism in the region

The harsh climate and nature contribute to the fact that the Polar Urals, especially its southern part, is widely popular among tourists, fans of skiing, hiking and water sports recreation. One of the important advantages of the district is its accessibility in terms of transport, as well as the maximum removal of routes from the railway stations "Severnaya", "Ural", "Horota", "Yeletskaya" and so on, no more than 60 kilometers. In the tourist environment, the rivers Voykar, Sob, Kara, Snya, Shchuchya, Tanyu are popular. Depending on their capabilities and training, you can choose routes of varying complexity - from the first to the fourth category.

In addition, the Polar Urals has several own ski resorts, in particular in the village of Polyarny, at the station "Sob" and on the mountain Chernaya. Walking and skiing routes along the northern part of the region with a visit to the impressive mountain lakes are especially popular . However, a specific climate, characterized by its severity, makes its own adjustments. So, due to a short day and severe winters, ski trips are carried out in April-May. Pedestrian routes to the mountains are possible from July and continue until mid-August, as at this time the most comfortable warm weather is established.