Eastern Sayan mountain system located within Southern Siberia, in the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, in the Irkutsk region, the western part of the Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and the northeastern part of the Tuva Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The E.S. begins on the left bank of the Yenisei, to the southwest. from Krasnoyarsk, and stretches for more than 1000 km in a south-easterly direction almost to the shores of Lake Baikal. Geological structure and minerals. Geologically, the V.S. represents an asymmetrical folded structure of a northwestern strike, adjacent to the southwestern edge of the Siberian Platform (See Siberian Platform). According to the age of the main folding, the V.S. is divided into two parts, separated by a deep fault zone: the Late Precambrian (Riphean or Baikal) to the north-east. and Early Caledonian (Cambrian) in the southwest. The structure of the northeastern part includes Precambrian rocks of different ages: ortho- and paragneisses, amphibolites, crystalline schists, green schists, marbles, quartzites, etc. Intrusions of Upper Riphean granitoids and ultrabasites also play a significant role. Precambrian rocks make up a number of blocks of different sizes, separated by a system of deep and regional faults. The marginal blocks adjacent to the Siberian platform are part of its highly elevated fragmented basement, involved in the Baikal folding zone (See Baikal folding). They are separated from the rest of the V.S. by the so-called Main Fault, which in tectonic and metallogenic terms represents one of the most important structural parts of the V.S. The structure of the Early Caledonian part of the Eastern Sea includes mainly Lower Cambrian, partially Middle Cambrian volcanic-sedimentary formations and Lower Paleozoic granitoid intrusions. All these rocks form a series of large blocks delimited by faults. On the Precambrian and Early Caledonian foundation of the V.S. in the Devonian, depressions began to form (Minusinsk, Rybinsk, etc.), filled with volcanogenic and gray-red sedimentary rocks of the Middle and Upper Paleozoic (from Devonian to Permian inclusive) and intrusions of alkaline granites and syenites of Devonian age . Beginning from this time, and also throughout almost the entire Mesozoic, the V.S. developed under the conditions of a continental regime, and in most of the territory the destruction of the rising folded structure and a general leveling of the relief took place. In some Mesozoic depressions, terrigenous-carbon-bearing sediments of considerable thickness accumulated mainly during the Middle Jurassic. Main minerals: mica (muscovite), associated with Upper Riphean pegmatites; gold confined to quartz, quartz-sulfide and quartz-carbonate veins; graphite (Botogolsky Golets); Riphean ferruginous quartzites (Sosnovy Bayts); Late Precambrian bauxites; deposits of rare metals and rare earths associated with Upper Riphean pegmatites, Middle Paleozoic alkaline albitized granites and carbonatites; asbestos associated with ultramafic rocks; phosphorites in siliceous-carbonate rocks of the Early Caledonian part. To the south-east V.S., mainly in the Tunka Basin, there are widely known mineral springs (Arshan, Nilova Pustyn, etc.). N. S. Zaitsev. Relief. The main directions of the largest ridges and chains of the V.S. coincide with the strike of the main tectonic structures and the most important faults. The general long-term leveling of the V.S. relief was interrupted in the Neogene by arch-like uplifts, accompanied by differentiated movements of individual blocks. The growth of these movements, which created the modern mountainous appearance of the V.S. at the end of the Neogene - Anthropocene, was accompanied in the eastern part of the system by an abundant outpouring of basaltic lavas, widespread intense erosional dissection and repeated glaciation of the highest elevated areas, which had a mountain-valley, and in some places semi-cover character. In the western part of the V.S., flat-topped ridges predominate, which, gradually rising in a southeastern direction, form the so-called white mountains (Manskoye, Kanskoye, etc.) and “belki”, which received their name from the patches of snow that remain on them for most of the time. of the year. In the upper reaches of the river. Kizir and Kazyr are located Agul Belki, which, together with the Kryzhina ridge joining them from the west and the Ergak-Targak-Taiga (Tazarama) ridge joining them from the south, which is part of the Western Sayan system (See Western Sayan), form the largest high-mountain node V.S. with altitudes up to almost 3000 m and beautifully expressed alpine landforms. The watershed Udinsky ridge departs from the same junction, representing a high-mountain chain with sharply dissected relief. Further to the south-east. The watershed ridges of the V.S. acquire the character of flat-topped massifs, but to the east of the river. Tissa is again dominated by alpine ridges (the Bolshoi Sayan ridge), reaching the highest altitude for the entire V.S. in the Munku-Sardyk mountain group (3491 m). To the north from Munku-Sardyk, the high Kitoiskie and Tunkinskie Goltsy stretch almost parallel in the latitudinal direction, separated from the main ridges of the V.S. along the right bank of the river. Irkut is a system of intermountain depressions (see Tunka Basin). Along with sharply dissected relief forms, V.S. is also characterized by vast areas of ancient leveled relief, usually located at an altitude of 1800-2000 m up to 2400-2500 m, in the eastern part, in the interfluve of the Khamsary and Greater Yenisei and in the basin of the upper reaches of the river. Oka, the relief also includes gently sloping plateaus composed of tuffs and lavas that flowed from large shield volcanoes. In contrast to these volcanoes, which are now significantly destroyed by denudation, in the V.S. (Oka River basin) there are also perfectly preserved very young volcanic formations (volcanoes Kropotkin, Peretolchin, etc.). For most of the slopes of mountain ranges located at an altitude below 2000 m, characterized by a typical mid-mountain topography with deeply incised valleys and relative heights of up to 1000-1500 m. From below, the complex of these forms is surrounded by hilly and low-mountain terrain of the foothills. In intermountain basins (Tunkinskaya and others) and the lower reaches of the river. Kazyr and Kizir have developed various types of accumulative relief formed by glacial, water-glacial and lacustrine deposits (hilly-moraine relief, terminal moraines, kame terraces, etc.).
Climate sharply continental, with long and harsh winters, cool summers with unstable weather, during which the bulk of precipitation falls. The continental climate increases from west to east. At altitudes 900-1300 m the average temperature in January ranges from -17 to -25°C, in July - from 12 to 14°C. The distribution of precipitation is closely dependent on the orientation of the mountain slopes: on the western and southwestern slopes, open towards wet ear streams, up to 800 falls mm and more per year, in the northern foothills - up to 400 mm, and in the eastern and southeastern regions located in the “rain shadow” - no more than 300 mm. Winter in the W. is snowy, in the E. there is little snow; In the eastern part, strata of permafrost rocks are widespread. In the highest massifs - the eastern part of the Kryzhina ridge, the area of Topographers Peak (the largest center), Munku-Sardyk - there are modern, mainly cirque glaciers. About 100 small glaciers are known with a total area of about 30 km 2 . Rivers and lakes. The V.S. river network belongs to the Yenisei basin. The largest rivers: Tuba (with Kazyr and Kizir), Syda, Sisim, Mana, Kan with Agul, Biryusa with Tagul and tributaries of the Angara: Uda (Chuna), Oka (with the Iya River), Belaya, Kitoy, Irkut; The Great Yenisei (Biy-Khem) and its right tributaries (the most significant Bash-Khem, Tora-Khem with Azas, Khamsara) begin from the southern slopes. Most rivers have a mountainous character almost throughout their entire length, and only rivers that begin within areas of leveled relief flow in the upper reaches in wide flat valleys. The rivers are fed mainly by snow and rain. They open at the end of April - beginning of May, and freeze at the end of October - November. All large rivers have large reserves of hydroelectric power, many are used for rafting. On the Yenisei, where the river crosses the spurs of the V.S. (near the Divnye Mountains), the Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Power Station was built. Most lakes are usually of glacial origin. The most significant are: Agulskoe, lying in a tectonic depression at an altitude of 992 m, as well as moraine-dammed lakes Tiberkul and Mozharskoe, located at an altitude of about 400-500 m. Types of landscapes. The main types of V.S. landscapes are mountain-taiga and high-mountain. Only in the foothills (up to an altitude of 800-1000 m) and the Tunka Basin are dominated by light larch and pine forests, alternating with forest-steppe and meadow-swampy areas (along the Irkut River valley). Typical mountain taiga landscapes, occupying more than 50% of the area of the Eastern Sea, are developed on the slopes of all the main ridges and in river valleys. The mountain taiga zone is characterized by a moderately cool and fairly humid (especially in the west) climate. Dark coniferous taiga spruce-cedar-fir forests predominate on mountain taiga slightly podzolic light, deeply leached soils, rising in the west and in the central part to an altitude of 1500-1800 m, and lighter larch-cedar forests on mountain-permafrost-taiga humus-podzolized, as well as acidic ferruginous soils, forming in the east and southeast. the upper border of the forest at an altitude of 2000-2250 m. Mountain taiga forests are the main habitat of the most important representatives of the animal world, many of which are commercial animals. Here live: squirrel, hare, fox, roe deer, deer, elk, brown bear and others; Birds include hazel grouse, wood grouse, woodpeckers, nutcrackers, etc. Sable and musk deer are found at the upper border of the forest and among the rocks. High mountain landscapes are characterized by a harsh climate, long and cold winters, short and cool summers, and intensive processes of solifluction and physical weathering. The leveled watersheds are dominated by shrub and moss-lichen rocky tundra on thin mountain-tundra soils; In the western, more humid part of the Eastern Sea, along with the mountain tundra, subalpine shrubs and meadows, sometimes tall grass, are often developed. The strongly dissected slopes and peaks of alpine-type mountains represent a rocky desert, almost devoid of vegetation. Stone screes and kurums are widely developed. Within the highlands, reindeer are found, pikas, tundra and white partridges are abundant. Lit.: Mikhailov N.I., Mountains of Southern Siberia, M., 1961; Central Siberia, M., 1964; Geology of the USSR, Krasnoyarsk Territory, vol. 15, M., 1961; Geology of the USSR, Buryat ASSR, v. 35, M., 1964; Smirnov A.D., Buldakov V.V., Intrusive complexes of the Eastern Sayan, M., 1962; Predtechensky A.A., Main features of the geological development of the western part of the Eastern Sayan in the Precambrian and Cambrian, Novosibirsk, 1967; Zaitsev N.S., features of the tectonic structure of the Sayan-Altai folded region, in the book: Folded Regions of Eurasia, M., 1964; Berzin N.A., Main Fault Zone of the Eastern Sayan, M., 1967; Grosvald M.G., Development of the relief of the Sayano-Tuva Highlands. (Glaciations, volcanism, neotectonics), M., 1965; Olyunin V.N., Neotectonics and glaciation of the Eastern Sayan, M., 1965; Forests of the Urals, Siberia and the Far East, M., 1969 (Forests of the USSR, vol. 4); Malyshev L.I., High-mountain flora of the Eastern Sayan, M. - L., 1965; Types of terrain and natural zoning of the Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, M., 1959; Rogalsky V.I., Tourist routes in the Sayans, M., 1965; Altai-Sayan mountain region, M., 1969. I. G. Nordega. Eastern Sayan, Western Sayan (orography diagram).
Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .
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Mountains, see Sayans Geographical names of the world: Toponymic dictionary. M: AST. Pospelov E.M. 2001. Eastern Sayan mountain system in ... Geographical encyclopedia
Mountain system in southern Siberia. Length approx. 1000 km (from the left bank of the Yenisei in the southeast almost to the shores of Lake Baikal). The predominant terrain is mid-mountain with altitudes up to 2000 m; the highest height is 3491 m (in the Munku Sardyk massif). Along the right bank of the river. Irkut... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
EASTERN SAYAN, a mountain system in southern Siberia. Length approx. 1000 km (from the left bank of the Yenisei in the southeast almost to the shores of Lake Baikal). The predominant terrain is mid-mountain with altitudes up to 2000 m; the highest height is 3491 m (in the Munku Sardyk massif). By... ...Russian history
Exist., number of synonyms: 1 mountain system (62) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Synonym dictionary
From the north and northeast Eastern Sayan limited by a steep ledge from the Central Siberian Plateau; in the southwest and west it borders on the Minusinsk intermountain depressions, joining the Western Sayan in the south.
Main in the system Eastern Sayan is the Bolshoy Sayan ridge with the Agul squirrels. This is the main watershed of the Greater Yenisei (Biy-Khem) and Kan, Biryusa (Ona). The maximum height of the ridge is 2600-3000 m. In the upper reaches of the Iya River, the Bolshoi Sayan changes direction to the south. Its maximum height here is 3044 m (Topographers Peak) at the sources of the Khamsary River. The maximum height of the Eastern Sayans - the city of Munku-Sardyk (3491 m) is located in Buryatia.
At the junction of the Ergak-Torgak-Taiga ridge with the Eastern Sayan, a mountain node stands out with two peaks - Triangulators (2875 m) and Zablachny (2735 m). To the northwest of this node the Kryzhina ridge branches off with a maximum height of 2922 m (Grandiozny Peak is the highest altitude in the Krasnoyarsk Territory).
Near it is the Fedoseev Pass, named after the writer and surveyor G.F. Fedoseev, who was buried in this place. The specified mountain node is the center of modern glaciation. In total, there are 33 glaciers with a total area of 12.3 km2. The continuation of the Great Sayan in the north-west is the Kanskoe (Pyramid - 2263 m) and then the Manskoe Belogorya, i.e. plateaus exceeding the forest boundary, as well as the Shindinsky ridge (maximum height Mount Moscow, 1828m) and the Koltuz ridge (maximum height 1187m).
Toward the Yenisei, the heights gradually decrease and near the river they do not exceed 1000 m. The northern spurs of these belogorias are the Tushinskoe, Idarskoe, Koiskoe, Kuturchinskoe, and Pezinskoe belogorias. The mid-mountain Eastern Sayan is characterized by an alpine topography - ridge-like peaks, steep slopes covered with kurums, and the Belogoris are characterized by flat watershed surfaces that record fragments of leveling surfaces; there are many remains - a consequence of the preparation of strong rocks ("solid rocks").
All the rivers of the western part of the Eastern Sayans belong to the Yenisei basin - Kan, Kizir, Kazyr, Syda, Sisim, Mana, etc. They are deeply incised, have steep valleys, rapids, and an abundance of waterfalls. Eastern Sayan there are expressive traces of glacial morphosculpture - cirques, cirques, troughs, carlings, terminal moraine ridges, glacial lakes, etc. To the north-west, already beyond the Yenisei, the Eastern Sayan has spurs in the form of the Kurbatovo-Syrsky Belogorie (700-800 m) and Solgon Ridge (700-870 m).
The Sayan Mountains consist of many ridges, the topography of which was formed as a result of tectonic movements and faults. The northeastern slopes of the Eastern Sayan Mountains are gentle; to the south lie the chains of the Kitoi and Tunkinsky char with heights of more than 3000 m (the highest point is 3304 m). The ridges have an alpine topography: high pyramidal peaks, sharp ridges and deep narrow gorges. Accordingly, the nature here is extraordinarily beautiful: - snowy peaks, rocky mountain slopes; streams and small rivers flow down in waterfalls. Waterfalls are also common on main rivers.
Climate Eastern Sayan sharply continental. The influence of the inland sea - Baikal - is already weak. Despite the high daytime temperatures in summer (maximum in most areas +35 C), frosts are possible at night. Due to the absence of high north-south ridges, almost the entire region receives a lot of rainfall in summer.
The mountains are covered up to a height of 2000 m with coniferous forests consisting of larch, cedar, spruce and fir. Below 1000 m along the river valleys there are pine and deciduous trees (birch, aspen, poplar). The fauna is quite diverse, which is due to the inaccessibility of the area: brown bear, red deer, musk deer, chipmunk, sable, marten are found; in the rivers - grayling, taimen, lenok.
Due to the isolation of this area, species of animals that have practically disappeared in the Lake Baikal region have been preserved here: the red wolf and snow leopard (irbis), argali or argali (mountain sheep), Tuvan beaver and reindeer. In total, 36 species of animals and 27 species of plants are known, listed in the Red Book. 
Landscape: taiga spruce-cedar-fir forests, rising to 1800 m and higher. At the forest border there are light larch-cedar forests. Higher up there are stone deposits, tundra (almost without vegetation), subalpine meadows.
The main rivers of the region under consideration are Kitoi, Onot, Urik, Oka with its tributaries, Bolshaya Belaya, Uda - powerful taiga rivers. Characteristic features of the rivers are a slight slope and a wide valley in the upper reaches, a sharp increase in slope in the middle reaches, narrowing of the valley, and canyons with high vertical walls.
After the rivers emerge from the mountains onto the plain, the flow becomes calm, the valley expands, and wetlands appear. The Sayan rivers are fed by mixed snow and rain (with a predominance of rain), and are available for rafting from June to the first half of September.
The river regime is characterized by high spring floods and summer low water, interrupted by rain floods during the summer. In steep and narrow river gorges, water during rain floods rises in a few hours and falls in 2-3 days, and the water flow during the flood can exceed the maximum flow of the spring flood several times.
The Kitoi River is a major tributary of the Angara. Kitoi starts from the slopes of the Nuku-Daban mountain cluster at an altitude of 2091 m. The area of the basin is 9360 sq. m. km., with more than 7500 sq. km. falls on the mountainous part.
In the upper section, the watersheds of the basin are the mountain peaks of the Kitoi and Tunka char with heights reaching 3200-3250 m. The length of the river is 322 km, the total fall is 1453 m. The feeding of the Kitoi River is mixed: 63% rain, 30% underground, 7% - snowy.
Water flow in the upper reaches is estimated at 20-50 cubic meters. m/sec. By the nature of the flow formation, Kitoy can be classified as a river with summer floods, since the spring flood is short-lived, although it is violent. During a flood, the water rises quickly in 1-3 days, then subsides in 2-4 days.
There are three distinct canyon-like areas on Kitoy - Small Cheeks (Upper Canyon), Upper Cheeks, Motkiny Cheeks.
Administratively, the route passes through the west of the Republic of Buryatia and the southwest of the Irkutsk region. The area is sparsely populated. The main points of transfer to the Eastern Sayan are the cities of Slyudyanka and Nizhneudinsk (Uda air transport). From Slyudyanka, roads lead through the villages of Kyren and the village of Mondy to the villages of Orlik (on the Oka River), Samarta (Kitoi River), and to the upper reaches of Urik.
Irkutsk tourists usually make their hikes in the eastern part of the Sayan Mountains, where the Tunkin Alps, Kitoi Alps and Munku-Sardyk ridges are located. Here is also the highest peak of the V. Sayan - Mt. Munku-Sardyk (3495 m.).
Access from Irkutsk by bus from the Tunkinskaya Valley to Arshan, Nilova Pustyn or Mondy. It is possible to drive to the village of Oktyabrsky or the village of Onot, but in this case the approaches through the valleys will be long (60-70 km).
Routes by Eastern Sayan are completely autonomous and have a mountain orientation (a significant part of the passes are category, up to 2B category).
In the summer until mid-July, the area is dangerous for ticks. The optimal time for hiking is July-August. The main obstacles are passes and crossings of mountain rivers. There are trails in almost all valleys. In summer, prolonged rains are possible.
In winter, the area has little snow, and ice is widespread. In river canyons there are icefalls and plum trees. It is better not to plan to go through backcountry passes due to the significant avalanche danger.
The optimal time for hiking is February - until mid-March. Bad weather in winter usually does not last long.
Hiking and skiing routes 1 category. there are practically none in the area, so the list contains lines of routes 2-6 categories.
Located at different latitudes and parallels, Buryatia is an amazing combination of the most unexpected natural landscapes and climate. In its southwest, framed by jagged mountains, is the fertile Tunka Valley with fertile fields and alpine meadows, and at the northern tip of Lake Baikal, in the permafrost zone, reindeer herds graze on reindeer moss.
Fast rivers flow through the valleys of Buryatia, creating a microclimate and decorating the landscape. The main one is the beautiful Selenga. A prominent place is occupied by Kholok, nicknamed gloomy, stormy Vitim, Uda, Barguzin, Turka, Irkut, etc. There are also many lakes here. These are, first of all, Goose Lake, Bolshaya and Malaya Eravna, Isinginskoye, Kotonel, Frolikha, Baunt... And among them is the unique Baikal, which stands apart as a nugget of gold surrounded by quartzites, satellites of the precious metal.
CLIMATE
The Eastern Sayan has less rainfall compared to the Western Sayan. The exception is the area of Topographers Peak, where the average annual precipitation reaches 1200 mm, and in the rest of the area it does not exceed 400-450 mm. Most precipitation falls in the form of rain. The low thickness of the snow cover causes widespread permafrost. Due to the fact that the climate is sharply continental, there are large temperature fluctuations, which sometimes reach 54 degrees.
The climate of the Eastern Sayan is sharply continental. Winter is cold and windless. Lots of sunny days. Frosts reach –38 – –40 degrees. The depth of snow cover ranges from 30 to 35 cm. Inclement weather with frequent light snowfalls is typical for spring. Already in April, the daytime air temperature is above zero, on average +0.3 degrees. Summer is not hot and rainy, especially in the second half of July and August. Autumn is long, with clear, warm days. But snowfalls and sharp temperature fluctuations in the mountains are possible in any month of the year. In the mountains there is a vertical climatic zone.
MOUNTAINS
The basis of the Eastern Sayan is made up of the Okinsky, Munku-Sardyk, Kryzhina (Figured) and Udinsky ridges, the Agulsky squirrels of the Kitoisky, Belsky and Tunkinsky goltsy, the Manskoye and Kanskoye Belogorya. Most of the ridge tops are located above the forest line. They consist of large stone scree covered with moss and lichen. Steep moving screes and snowfields are found mainly at the upper boundaries of the cirques, close to the nodal peaks. Pre-summit areas, which are outcrops of bedrock, are subject to destruction by wind, sun and frost weathering. This causes frequent rockfalls.
The main watershed ridges are connected by gentle passes, some of which are located in the forest zone. In the higher, alpine part, the passes from one source to another are sharp rocky bridges with an abundance of kurums and snowfields. In general, the Sayans are characterized by low saddle-shaped passes. Well-developed trails have been laid through the vast majority of them by man and beast.
The features of the Sayan Mountains include a rare variety of forms, accessibility for travel and climbing.
RIVERS
All Sayan rivers belong to the Angara-Yenisei basin, and most of them are mountainous. Almost every river is characterized by the following: the upper section is a wide trough-shaped valley with a calm river flow, then it gives way to a narrow canyon-like section, where the river cuts into the valley bed, forming waterfalls and rapids; the third section following down is characterized mainly by the transfer of material with the development of side valleys and the fourth section, located at the foothills of the Sayan Mountains, is characterized by the deposition of material, although the river retains its mountainous character.
The rivers are fed by snow and rain. The spring flood has two phases. The first is associated with abundant snow melting in the midlands, and the second is associated with snow melting in the highlands. Summer floods are caused by heavy rains.
On the rivers there are waterfalls, canyons, rock pressures characteristic of mountain rivers, as well as rifts, rifts, individual large stones, tree debris, and sandbanks. Crossing the Sayan rivers is difficult due to the low water temperature (+6 - +9 degrees), the width of the rivers, which reaches 10-15 meters 40-60 km from the source, the depth (more than 1 m) and the flow speed of 1.5-2 m/ sec.
LAKES
The largest of them is Baikal. In the area between the Khamsary and Biy-Khem rivers - the Todzha Basin (clearly visible in clear weather from Topographers Peak) - blue color also predominates.
In the Sayan Mountains there are all types of glacial lakes: tar lakes, dam lakes, moraine lakes. Tarn lakes lie in the bottoms of tarns. These are the saucer lakes in the upper reaches of the Burun-Kadir-Os River. Dam lakes remained in places where glaciers descended down the valleys for a long time. The dams for such lakes are the terminal moraines of glaciers. These are the lakes on the river. Tisse, Dozor-Nur and Shutkhulai-Nur. An example of moraine lakes are the lakes of the river. Arzhan-Khem.
GLACIERS
In the Sayan Mountains there are at least 107 cirque and short valley glaciers with a total area of 32 square meters. km. Most glaciers and firn fields are located above the snow line: 2800 m in the east and 2400 m in the west. Modern glaciers are fed by snow that falls in winter. The short summer does not have time to significantly reduce snow cover in the highlands, and the alpine terrain contributes to the preservation of ice fields. Almost all Sayan glaciers have a clear tendency to shrink.
In the mountain node of Topographers Peak there are 8 glaciers, of which 3 are valley types and 5 are glaciers. The lower limit of the glaciers lies at the level of 2300-2500 meters.
VOLCANOES
Numerous traces of active volcanic activity in the past - lava fields, shield volcanoes and cinder cones - are found in the interfluves of the Oka, Sentsa, Tissa, on the Irtygan mountain plateau, in the valleys of the Khikushki and Zhom-Bolok rivers, in the Tunka Valley.
Peretolchin Volcano. Located in the valley of the river. Hikushki. The base of the volcano lies at a level of 1970 m, and its height above the lava field is about 100 m. The diameter of the crater is 140 m, the depth is 30 m. At the bottom there is a small lake with a tour. You can go down to the lake along the inner slope of the crater with a steepness of up to 45 degrees.
Kropotkin Volcano. Its base lies at a level of 2020 m. The diameter of the crater is about 210 m, the depth is 60 m. The walls of the volcano consist of small pieces of slag and volcanic bombs. The diameter of the largest bombs is 35-40 cm.
MINERAL SPRINGS
Mineral springs of the Sentsa and Tissa valleys, as well as the river. Arzhan-Khema belongs to the East Sayan region of thermal and cold carbonic waters. This area is distinguished by a variety of mineral springs. Among the most significant and widely known are the carbon dioxide springs of Arshan Tunkinsky and the nitrogen thermal springs of the Nile Desert.
At the foot of the Choygan-Daban pass, in a small area, more than 30 sources of carbonated waters with extremely varied temperatures and mineralization gush out of the ground. The local carbon dioxide baths are radon and are characterized by a predominance of hydrocarbonate in the salt composition, reminiscent of Zheleznovodsk-type waters.
One rare phenomenon can be noted: on Choygan (Zhoygan) you can be treated with dry carbon dioxide, which comes out in streams at the bottom of the funnel, located just east of source No. 18, higher up the slope.
In the Eastern Sayan region, along with carbonated waters at elevated temperatures, there are thermal baths with a different gas composition, namely nitrogen and methane. These include the hot springs of the Nile Desert, Khalun-Ukhan, Khoito-Gol and the waters of Arshan Tunkinsky. Hot springs - Halun-Ukhan and Khoito-Gol - come out in the Oka aimag, in the Sentsa valley.
Halun-Ukhan(warm water) - this source is located at the mouth of the river. Barun-Kadir-Os, on the left bank. The water temperature reaches +29 degrees. The bed of the spring is covered with a thick layer of calcareous tuff, a porous stone formed from salts that settled when the water cooled. The source is hydrocarbonate, alkaline earth, with a high content of sulfates.
Shutkhulai Arshan located on the river Ara-Shutkhulai, the right tributary of the Sentsa. Up the gorge through which the Ara-Shutkhulai flows, you need to walk about 4 km to the mineral springs. Here, for 1.5 km, springs with carbonated water emerge from the foot of the bedrock slope to the surface. The springs have a water temperature of + 2 - +3 degrees. The water colored the river pebbles red with iron oxides. It resembles Borjomi in taste and chemical composition.
Khoyto-Gol these are springs gushing out from under boulders on the bank of a stream that flows into the river. Hoyto-Gol. There are about a dozen springs with a water temperature of +29 - +33 degrees, which color their path rusty. The water tastes unpleasant and the pungent smell of hydrogen sulfide hits your nose. The source is hydrocarbonate, sodium-calcium, with a predominance of sodium.
Choygan(Zhoigan, Zhaegon) – mineral springs, about 30 of them; come to the surface in the upper reaches of the Arzhan-Khem River, which originates at the foot of the Topographers Peak massif. The water temperature in the springs is from +18 to +40 degrees. The deposition of salts from the springs formed a flat surface with an area of about 150 square meters in the taiga. m. Sources are hydrocarbonate, carbon dioxide.
Tissinsky Arshan- a group of mineral springs located in the upper reaches of the river. Tissa, just above the river. Sarikta - the right tributary of the Tisza. The water temperature in the springs is +3 degrees. Water gushes out from cracks between the boulders, releasing bubbles of carbon dioxide and staining the stones brown with iron oxides. It has a pleasant taste and is noticeably mineralized. In autumn, when the groundwater level drops, the water in the springs is more mineralized.
VEGETATION
There are about 3,000 plant species in the Sayan Mountains. Siberian cedar and edelweiss, white-trunked birch and purple lily, barberry and mountain garlic grow here. Vegetation, like the climate, has a clearly defined vertical zonation.
In the Sayan Mountains, two main vegetation zones can be distinguished: mountain-forest and alpine-tundra-meadow. The lower limit of the first zone lies at the level of 1000-1100 m, and the upper one - 1700-1800 m. The latter determines the upper limit of the forest in general. Above 1800 m there is a high-mountain tundra-meadow belt. It consists of mountain meadows, bush thickets and moss-lichen tundra.
Shrubs occupy large areas on the border of two belts. A lot of energy has to be spent in order to get through the thickets of round-leaved birch, bush astragalus, willow or wild rosemary. Colorful alpine meadows amaze with an abundance of bright flowers: aquilegias, fryers, poppies, gentians, etc.
There are a lot of berries in the taiga. These are black and red currants, honeysuckle, rose hips, raspberries, lingonberries, bird cherry, blueberries, blueberries, etc. In autumn there are a lot of mushrooms, especially boletus, boletus, aspen and russula.
Shores of Baikal. Geological structure and minerals. Geologically, V.S. represents an asymmetrical folded structure of northwestern strike, adjacent to the southwestern edge of the Siberian Platform. According to the age of the main folding, the V.S. is divided into 2 parts, separated by a deep fault zone: Late Precambrian (Riphean or Baikal) to the north-east. and Early Caledonian (Cambrian) in the southwest. The structure of the northeastern part includes Precambrian rocks of different ages: ortho- and paragneisses, amphibolites, crystalline schists, green schists, marbles, quartzites, etc. Intrusions of Upper Riphean granitoids and ultrabasites also play a significant role. Precambrian rocks make up a number of blocks of different sizes, separated by a system of deep and regional faults. The marginal blocks adjacent to the Siberian platform are part of its highly uplifted fragmented basement, involved in the Baikal folding zone. They are separated from the rest of the V.S. by the so-called Main Fault, which in tectonic and metallogenic terms represents one of the most important structural parts of the V.S. In the structure of the Early Caledonian part of the V.S., mainly Lower Cambrian, partially Middle Cambrian volcanic-sedimentary formations and Lower Paleozoic granitoid intrusions. All these rocks form a series of large blocks delimited by faults. On the Precambrian and Early Caledonian foundation of the V.S. in the Devonian, depressions began to form (Minusinsk, Rybinsk, etc.), filled with volcanogenic and gray-red sedimentary rocks of the Middle and Upper Paleozoic (from Devonian to Permian inclusive) and intrusions of alkaline granites and syenites of Devonian age . Beginning from this time, and also throughout almost the entire Mesozoic, the VS developed under the conditions of a continental regime, and in most of the territory the destruction of the rising folded structure and a general leveling of the relief took place. In some Mesozoic depressions, terrigenous-carbon-bearing sediments of considerable thickness accumulated mainly during the Middle Jurassic. Main minerals: mica (muscovite), associated with Upper Riphean pegmatites; gold, confined to quartz, quartz-sulfide and quartz-carbonate veins; graphite (Botogolsky Golets); Riphean ferruginous quartzites (Sosnovy Bayts); Late Precambrian bauxite; deposits of rare metals and rare earths associated with Upper Riphean pegmatites, Middle Paleozoic alkaline albitized granites and carbonatites; asbestos associated with ultramafic rocks; phosphorites in siliceous-carbonate rocks of the Early Caledonian part. To the south-east V.S., mainly in the Tunka Basin, there are widely known mineral deposits (Arshan, Nilova Pustyn, etc.). . S. Zaitsev. Relief. The main directions of the largest ridges and chains of the V.S. coincide with the strike of the main tectonic structures and the most important faults. The general long-term leveling of the V.S. relief was interrupted in the Neogene by arch-like uplifts, accompanied by differentiated movements of individual blocks. The growth of these movements, which created the modern mountainous appearance of the V.S. at the end of the Neogene - Anthropocene, was accompanied in the eastern part of the system by an abundant outpouring of basaltic lavas, widespread intense erosional dissection and repeated glaciation of the highest elevated areas, which had a mountain-valley, and in some places semi-cover character. In the western part of the V.S., flat-topped ridges predominate, which, gradually rising in the southeast direction, form the so-called Belogorya (Manskoye, Kanskoye, etc.) and “belki”, which received their name from the patches of snow that remain on them for most of the time. of the year. In the upper reaches of the river. Kizir and Kazyr are located Agul Belki, which, together with the Kryzhina ridge joining them from the west and the Ergak-Targak-Taiga (Tazarama) ridge joining them from the south, which is part of the Western Sayan system, form the largest high-mountain node of the V.S. with heights almost up to 3000 m and beautifully expressed alpine relief forms. The watershed Udinsky ridge departs from the same junction, representing a high-mountain chain with sharply dissected relief. Further to the south-east. The watershed ridges of the V.S. acquire the character of flat-topped massifs, but to the east of the river. Tissa is again dominated by alpine ridges (the Bolshoi Sayan ridge), reaching the highest altitude for the entire V.S. in the Munku-Sardyk mountain group (3491 m). To the north from Munku-Sardyk stretch almost parallel in the latitudinal direction the high Kitoiskie and Tunkinskie Goltsy, separated from the main ridges of the V.S. along the right bank of the river. Irkut is a system of intermountain depressions (see Tunka Basin). Along with sharply dissected relief forms, the V.S. is also characterized by vast areas of ancient leveled relief, usually located at an altitude of 1800-2000 m to 2400-2500 m, in the eastern part, in the interfluve of the Khamsary and Greater Yenisei and in the basin of the upper reaches of the river. Oka, the relief also includes gently sloping plateaus composed of tuffs and lavas that flowed from large shield volcanoes. In contrast to these volcanoes, which are now significantly destroyed by denudation, in V. S. (the Oka River basin) there are also perfectly preserved very young volcanic formations (the Kropotkin, Peretolchin volcanoes, etc.). Most of the slopes of mountain ranges located at altitudes below 2000 m are characterized by a typical mid-mountain relief with deeply incised valleys and relative altitudes of up to 1000-1500 m. From below, the complex of these forms is surrounded by hilly and low-mountain relief of the foothills. In intermountain basins (Tunkinskaya and others) and the lower reaches of the river. Kazyr and Kizir have developed various types of accumulative relief formed by glacial, water-glacial and lacustrine deposits (hilly-moraine relief, terminal moraines, kame terraces, etc.). The climate is sharply continental, with long and harsh winters, cool summers with unstable weather, during which the bulk of precipitation falls. The continental climate increases from west to east. At altitudes of 900-1300 m, the average temperature in January ranges from -17 to -25°C, in July - from 12 to 14°C. The distribution of precipitation is closely dependent on the orientation of the mountain slopes: on the western and southwestern slopes, open towards moist ear streams, up to 800 mm or more falls per year, in the northern foothills - up to 400 mm, and in the eastern and south- in the eastern regions located in the “rain shadow” - no more than 300 mm. Winter in the W. is snowy, in the E. there is little snow; In the eastern part, permafrost rock strata are widespread. In the highest massifs - the eastern part of the Kryzhina ridge, the area of Topographers Peak (the largest center), Munku-Sardyk - there are modern, mainly cirque glaciers. There are about 100 small glaciers with a total area of about 30 km2. Rivers and lakes . The V.S. river network belongs to the Yenisei basin. The largest rivers: Tuba (with Kazyr and Kizir), Syda, Sisim, Mana, Kan with Agul, Biryusa with Tagul and tributaries of the Angara: Uda (Chuna), Oka (with the Iya River), Belaya, Kitoy, Irkut; The Great Yenisei (Biy-Khem) and its right tributaries (the most significant Bash-Khem, Tora-Khem with Azas, Khamsara) begin from the southern slopes. Most rivers have a mountainous character almost throughout their entire length, and only rivers that begin within areas of leveled relief flow in the upper reaches in wide flat valleys. The rivers are fed mainly by snow and rain. They open at the end of April - beginning of May, and freeze at the end of October - November. All large rivers have large reserves of hydroelectric power, many are used for rafting. On the Yenisei, where the river crosses the spurs of the V.S. (near the Divnye Mountains), the Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Power Station was built. Most lakes are usually of glacial origin. The most significant are: Agulskoye, lying in a tectonic depression at an altitude of 992 m, as well as moraine-dammed lakes Tiberkul and Mozharskoye, located at an altitude of about 400-500 m. Types of landscapes. The main types of V.S. landscapes are mountain-taiga and high-mountain. Only in the foothills (up to an altitude of 800-1000 m) and the Tunka depression are light larch and pine forests predominant, alternating with forest-steppe and meadow-swampy areas (along the Irkut River valley). Typical mountain taiga landscapes, occupying more than 50% of the area of the V.S., are developed on the slopes of all the main ridges and in river valleys. The mountain taiga zone is characterized by a moderately cool and fairly humid (especially in the west) climate. Predominant are dark coniferous taiga spruce-cedar-fir forests on mountain taiga weakly podzolic light deeply leached soils, rising in the west and in the central part to an altitude of 1500-1800 m, and lighter larch-cedar forests on mountain permafrost-taiga humus-podzolized, and also acidic ferruginous soils, forming in the east and southeast. the upper boundary of the forest at an altitude of 2000-2250 m. Mountain taiga forests are the main habitat of the most important representatives of the animal world, many of which are commercial animals. Here live: squirrel, hare, fox, roe deer, deer, elk, brown bear and others; Birds include hazel grouse, wood grouse, woodpeckers, nutcrackers, etc. Sable and musk deer are found at the upper border of the forest and among the rocks. High mountain landscapes are characterized by a harsh climate, long and cold winters, short and cool summers, and intensive processes of solifluction and physical weathering. The leveled watersheds are dominated by shrub and moss-lichen rocky tundra on thin mountain-tundra soils; in the western, more humid part of the Eastern Sea, along with the mountain tundra, subalpine
Within the Eastern Sayan on the right bank of the Yenisei there is the Stolby Nature Reserve.
The Eastern Sayan is a mountain system with a length of over 1 thousand km in the southern part of Siberia, in the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the west of Buryatia, the south of the Irkutsk region and the northeast of Tuva, from the right bank of the Yenisei to the coast of Lake Baikal. Adjacent to the southwestern edge of the Siberian Platform.
The Eastern Sayan is composed mainly of gneisses, mica-carbonate and crystalline schists, marbles, quartzites, and amphibolites. Intermountain depressions are filled with terrigenous-carbon-bearing strata. Among the most notable minerals are gold, graphite, bauxite, asbestos, and phosphorites.
Geologically, the Eastern Sayan represents an asymmetrical folded structure of a northwestern strike. According to the age of the main folding, the Eastern Sayan is divided into two parts, separated by a deep fault zone: Late Precambrian (Riphean or Baikal) in the northeast and Early Caledonian (Cambrian) in the southwest. The marginal blocks adjacent to the Siberian platform are part of its highly uplifted fragmented basement, involved in the Baikal folding zone. They are separated from the rest of the Eastern Sayan by the so-called Main Fault, which in tectonic and metallogenic terms represents one of the most important structural parts of the mountain system.
The ridges of the western part are formed by flat-topped Belogorye (Manskoye Belogorye, Kanskoye Belogorye, Kuturchinskoye Belogorye, etc.) and squirrels (Agulskiye Belki), on which patches of snow remain for most of the year. In the central and eastern parts of the Eastern Sayan there are high-mountain massifs of the Bolshoi Sayan, Tunkinskie Goltsy, Kitoi Goltsy, Munku-Sardyk, Dzalu-Khiliin-Nuru, etc., characterized by alpine landforms.
The Eastern Sayan is also characterized by vast areas of ancient leveled relief and volcanic plateaus, characterized by a gentle slope. Within the mountain system there are young volcanic formations (volcanoes Kropotkin, Peretolchin, etc.).
The slopes of mountain ranges below 2 km are characterized by a typical mid-mountain topography with deep valleys. In the intermountain basins, various forms of accumulative relief are observed, composed of glacial, fluvio-glacial and lacustrine deposits. In the eastern part there is permafrost and the resulting permafrost landforms.
A feature of the mountainous terrain are kurums, which are widespread above the forest vegetation belt; but sometimes kurums are found much lower, as for example, along the left bank of the Khalban-Khara-Gol River - the left tributary of the Oka Sayanskaya River.
