Altai

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Altai
Location of the Altai Mountains

Location of the Altai Mountains

Mountain ranges of Altai and Tian Shan with villages

Mountain ranges of Altai and Tian Shan with villages

Highest peak Belucha ( 4506  m )
location Russia , Kazakhstan , Mongolia , PR China
Coordinates 49 ° 48 '  N , 86 ° 35'  E Coordinates: 49 ° 48 '  N , 86 ° 35'  E
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The Altai ( Russian Алтай ; in Turkish Latin Altay ; Chinese阿爾泰 山脈Ā'ěrtài shānmài (literally: Altai Mountains )) is a Central Asian high mountain range up to 4506  m high in the border area of Kazakhstan , Russia ( Siberia ), Mongolia and China .

It extends over a length of around 2100 km from the headwaters of the Irtysh and Ob rivers in southern Siberia to the arid regions of Xinjiang and the eastern Mongolian plateau . Parts of the Altai are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Altai is divided into three parts, the Russian , Mongolian and Gobi-Altai , the highest peaks of which rise above or around 4000  m and carry large glaciers. The geographic center of Asia is located north of the Mongolian Altai, near the Tuvan capital, Kyzyl .

The mountains are a magnet for mountaineers and excursions due to the beauty of their landscape and flora ( nature reserve "Golden Mountains" ) and the Altaic culture. The mountain slopes are overgrown with cedars, pines, larches, spruces and birches up to heights of 1800  m . Up to the snow line (2400 to 3000  m ) there are high mountain pastures and steppes. The Altai is rich in mineral resources such as coal, lead and zinc, but also precious metals and iron ore.

The asteroid of the central main belt (2232) Altaj was named after the mountain range.

geography

structure

Kutscherla valley

The mountain system of the Altai, which is bounded by many other high mountains, consists of the three sub-mountains mentioned above:

  • The Russian Altai or Great Altai is located in the border area of ​​the four countries mentioned above, but mainly in Russia, where it extends over the two administrative units Republic of Altai and Altai Region (Altaiski krai). It goes in the north-northwest and north over the valley of the Ob gradually into the West Siberian lowlands . In the northeast, the Western Sayan and in the east the Tannu-ola Mountains and the Mongolian highlands join. In the south-east the Russian Altai merges into the Mongolian Altai . In the south and southwest, its terrain slopes down to the valley of the Irtysh with the Saissansee , which is flooded by the water when the Buchtarma reservoir is fully blocked ; beyond the river and the lakes, the Kazakh threshold spreads out. In the north-west it drops to the Kulunda steppe . The highest mountain in the Russian Altai is the Belukha ( 4506  m ).
  • The Mongolian Altai or Ektag Altai ( Mongol . "White-peaked Altai"), to which the Russian Altai joins in the northwest and north , is mainly located in Mongolia on the border with the People's Republic of China . It drops to the north and east into the aforementioned Mongolian highlands , from which the Changai Mountains rise. In the southeast it passes into the Gobi-Altai and the Gobi desert . In the south and southwest, its terrain slopes down, among other things, over the valley of the Irtysh to the basin of the Djungary and to the already mentioned Lake Saissan. The highest mountain in the Mongolian Altai is the Chüiten peak ( 4374  m ).
  • The Gobi-Altai , to which the Mongolian Altai adjoins in the northwest , is located exclusively in Mongolia. It drops off towards the north to the already mentioned Mongolian plateau. In the east, south-east, south and south-west it merges into the Gobi desert ; the mountainous region on the Hoangho (Yellow River) can be seen as a southern continuation . The highest mountain in the Gobi-Altai is Ich Bogd Uul ( 3957  m ).

The northwestern part of the Russian Altai in Ust-Kamenogorsk with the Belukha massif ( 4506  m ) is one of the South Siberian mountains and represents the watershed between the basins of the great Siberian rivers whether and Irtysh . The southeastern sequels (Mongolian Altai and Gobi-Altai ), together with the Djungarian Alatau and West Sayan mountains, separate the interlocking headwaters of the Ob and the Yenisei and the inner Mongolian inland rivers .

mountains

Belucha - highest mountain in the Altai Mountains

The highest mountain of the entire Altai Mountains is the Belucha (Russian: Gora Belucha) at 4506  m , which is located in the Russian Republic of Altai about 300 km east of the Kazakh city of Öskemen in the Russian Altai . Its summit rises only a few kilometers north of the border with Kazakhstan and about 100 km north-northwest of the three-country triangle Russia - China - Kazakhstan .

The second highest mountain in the Altai Mountains is the Chüiten peak ( 4374  m ; also Nairamdal , friendship peak ; Chinese Youyi Feng ), which rises as the highest point in Mongolia on the Mongolian-Chinese border. The triangle between Russia, China and Mongolia is formed about 2.5 km further north from the lower Tawan-Bogd Uul .

The highest and most famous mountains in the Altai are (selection):

glacier

Above about 3000 meters (in places also below) the ridges of the Altai are still intensely glaciated , especially the northern slopes , which is characteristic of the northern hemisphere. With 1330 glaciers on a total area of ​​890 km², the mountain range is one of the most important glacier reservoirs in Russia and Central Asia after the Caucasus . As in other parts of the world, the glaciers are melting in the Altai (→ glacier retreat since 1850 ). In the Russian part of the mountain range, the area covered by glaciers had decreased by around a quarter by the mid-2010s. The main reason for this is the rise in summer temperatures, which could not be compensated for by the increase in winter precipitation.

The glaciers in the Katun and Chuja ridges are noteworthy , where the Belucha forms the main center of the glaciation. On its flanks there are some 4 to 9  km² large, radially arranged glaciers whose tongues with glacier gates reach down to a height of 2320  m ( Mensu glacier ).

relief

Kutscherla Valley in the Altai Republic

The current relief of the Altai is highly subdivided. In addition to craggy, steep mountain ridges, more or less broad plateaus and large depressions are characteristic. In addition, typical low mountain ranges as well as individual mountain ranges and plateaus surround the entire Altai. Most of these relief forms run in a NW-SE trending direction.

The plains, which are filled with loose material, are surrounded by mountain chains - the ice age reservoirs were located here at altitudes of 1000 to 1800  m . The largest and most important of this type are the Chuja, Kurai and Uimon Basins, which are located in the central and eastern part of the mountains. In contrast, there are the 2000 to 3000  m high plateaus, such as the Ukok, Baschkaus, Tschulyschman and Terekta plateaus. Old plateau areas could also be reconstructed in the most fragmented, highest and narrowest mountain ranges of the Altai, such as the Katun, South Tschuja and North Tschuja ridges (3000 to 4500  m ).

Origin and geology

Chuja Valley in the Altai Mountains

The basis of the Altai is a paleozoic fold mountains, which were formed in two different geological ages. While the orogeny of the mountainous Altai already took place in the Old Paleozoic, i.e. Caledonian , the peripheral areas such as the Ore-Altai were subject to repeated Variscan folding, which only came to an end on the border with the Mesozoic . Today hardly anything can be seen of the old fold mountains - only in the area of ​​Central Altai can the experts recognize some of the original fold layers.

Renewed tectonic movements in the Tertiary led to a general uplift of the hull area en bloc. This was fragmented by fractures , with the uplift and sinking of the individual clods extending into the Ice Age Quaternary . The resulting faults form the starting lines from which the mountain formation of the present Altai began.

The different development phases are already A. v. Humboldt caught the eye in 1829 when - coming from the Urals - he found "no newer [...], but slate mountains " that "alternated with transitional limestone and interspersed with granite and porphyries ".

Extreme climatic fluctuations during the Pleistocene resulted in multiple periods of glaciation around the world . One speaks of five glacial cycles that took place in the Altai region. Numerous drillings, cuts and C14 dates have shown that most of the mountain's glacial shapes are based on the last Ice Age, the Würme Ice Age . It reached its maximum around 20,000 to 16,000 years before the Common Era, with glaciers sealing off wide valleys and intramontane basins . During the degradation phase, these were filled with meltwater , so that huge paleo lakes like those in the Chuja, Kurai and Uimon steppes were created. Breaks in the natural ice dams led to catastrophic outflows from these lakes. Today the evidence of these natural disasters is visible in the form of gigantic ripples and wave- impact terraces in the large intramontane basins.

Kutscherla Lake

Since the mountain was covered with ice in large parts during the Quaternary glacial period - the snow line was opposite the present level by an average of 1 000 m deep - the typical glacial features determined today's landscape: Kare , Kartreppen and Taltröge in the high chains; Terminal moraines and glacial fluvial gravel fields in the valleys.

In addition to a few larger lakes ( Lake Saissan and Markakol in Kazakhstan; Chowd River , Atschit Nuur and Char Us Nuur in Mongolia) there are also many small mountain lakes in the Altai that were formed in the wake of the Ice Age. Also spacious mountain region is surrounded by large lakes such as Lake Alakol , Bortala - and Lake Balkhash in the southwest and the Khövsgöl Nuur and Lake Baikal in the east.

The most common rocks of the Russian Altai are mostly strongly folded slates, which mainly form the main chains of the mountains and give them greenish or purple colors in places.

climate

The Altai's climate is strongly continental, which is most evident in the long, cold winters. The warm or even hot summers, on the other hand, are short. Due to its geographical location between dry steppe climates and relatively humid coniferous forests and the different altitudes, the precipitation conditions within the Altai vary considerably. The western and northern parts of the Russian Altai receive the highest rainfall, which falls there throughout the year. The southern parts, especially the Gobi-Altai, are much drier.

In general, it can be said that the amount of precipitation increases with altitude. In the southern steppes that surround the Altai, the annual rainfall is 300 mm and less. At an altitude of 500 m in the Russian Altai it is already 900 mm, and in the summit positions up to 1500 mm is reached. In the high mountain basins in the interior of the mountains, which are in the shadow of large mountain ranges, the amount of precipitation decreases again and in some cases drops to 300 mm despite the high altitude. Here the winter snow cover is very low or absent, while in the western parts snow depths of 2 to 3 m are often reached. Extensive permafrost soils can be found in many parts of the Altai .

flora

Forest borders

The great differences in precipitation and the different altitudes of the Altai lead to a particularly diverse vegetation. In the south, where the Altai rises from the steppes, there is a lower, precipitation-related and an upper, temperature- related tree line . The lower tree line in the western Altai is only around 350 m, while in the south-east Altai it can climb up to 1800 m. The upper tree line is around 2400 m.

In the north the trees go directly into the taiga areas . There is only one tree line here, this is around 1500 m.

Species and landscape types

Kutscherla River

The forests of the Altai Mountains are essentially composed of five different species of conifers and a few small-leaved deciduous trees such as silver birch ( Betula pendula ) and aspens ( Populus tremula ).

The most common conifer species is the Siberian larch ( Larix sibirica ). In the mountain steppes, it often populates the northern slopes in sparse stands, which overall leads to a park-like forest steppe landscape. In the undergrowth of these sparse larch forests you can find rhododendron dahuricum , sparrow bushes ( Spiraea aquilegifolia ), roses ( Rosa acicularis ) and medlars ( Cotoneaster melanocarpus ). In the southern parts of the Altai, the larch, alone or together with the Siberian stone pine ( Pinus sibirica ), usually forms the upper tree line. The Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris ) only forms larger stands on sandy and dry soils in the peripheral zones .

The typical forest form of the cold, rainy northeast Altai is the so-called dark coniferous forest taiga. It consists mainly of Siberian stone pines, Siberian spruces ( Picea obovata ) and Siberian firs ( Abies sibirica ) and forms the tree line in northern Altai. Below the dark taiga is the black or finest taiga, which consists mainly of fir trees, to which there are some hardwoods such as mountain ash ( Sorbus sibirica ), bird cherry ( Padus racemosa ) and aspens ( Populus tremula ). Between the forests of the Altai there are always flowery mountain steppes or herbaceous meadows.

Above the forests are forest tundra with dwarf birch ( Betula nana ), honeysuckle ( Lonicera hispida ), medlar ( Cotoneaster uniflorus ) and currants ( Ribes ) in northern Altai, and alpine mats interspersed with moors in southern Altai. In the greater part of the alpine level, especially on the high plateaus, we find mountain tundras with a number of mosses and lichens. A stone tundra joins even higher up, which reaches up to the snow line. Southern parts of the Altai, especially the Gobi-Altai, are so dry that one encounters vast desert areas.

fauna

Mammals

Capricorn skull found near the Belucha

The fauna of the Altai is as diverse as its vegetation and is made up of species from the taiga, the steppes and the Central Asian mountains. The Siberian or Asiatic Ibex ( Capra sibirica ) mainly inhabit the steep slopes and summit regions. The rare giant wild sheep ( Ovis ammon ) is also a typical mountain animal. With Maralhirsch ( Cervus elaphus sibiricus ), moose ( Alces alces ), Siberian forest reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus valentinae ), Siberian musk deer ( musk moschiferus ) and Siberian roe ( Capreolus pygarus ) the deer in the Altai are represented equally in five ways. Above all, moose and reindeer are restricted to the northern parts of the mountains. The wild boar ( Sus scrofa ) hardly penetrates the mountains of the Altai, but lives in the surrounding lowlands. Until recently, the Mongolian gazelle ( Procapra gutturosa ) also found its way into the Russian Altai Mountains and the Wildyak ( Bos grunniens ) is mentioned as a wild animal species in the Altai as far back as the 18th century . Today he can only be found here as a pet. In the desert regions of the Gobi-Altai there are still some wild camels ( Camelus ferus ferus ) and gobi half donkeys ( Equus hemionus luteus ). Przewalski's horses ( Equus przewalski ) once lived in the southern steppes of the region, where they are now being tried to be resettled.

The large predators are well represented by the rare snow leopard ( Uncia uncia ), the wolf ( Canis lupus ), the red dog ( Cuon alpinus ), the lynx ( Lynx lynx ) and the Siberian brown bear ( Ursus arctos ). Wolverines ( Gulo gulo ) can also be found in the northern areas and originally even the Caspian tiger was found at the foot of the Altai Mountains. Even in modern times there were populations of the big cat on Lake Saissan and the Black Irtysh . Individual specimens have also been confirmed much further north, for example in the area of Barnaul or in Mongolia. The big cat is now extinct there. Smaller predators include manul ( Felis manul ), red fox ( Vulpes vulpes ), steppe fox ( Vulpes corsac ), Eurasian badger ( Meles meles ), otter ( Lutra lutra ), sable ( Martes zibellina ), stone marten ( Martes foina ), fire weasel , Altai weasel , ermine , mouse weasel and the mink from North America .

European bison in a breeding station of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the Russian Altai Mountains ( Shebalinsky District , Altai Republic )

Due to the remoteness of the Altai (and also in the nearby Sajan Mountains ) a species composition has been preserved among the mammals that corresponds to that of the Pleistocene in the last glacial . The eastern Altai thus acts as a refuge for mammal communities from the last Ice Age. The bison also occurred in the Altai in the Middle Ages . It is possible that the cattle were to be found until the 18th century. A herd of around 40 flatland wizards (as of 2008), which is increasingly suffering from inbreeding, is kept in a breeding center in the Altai Mountains with the aim of being released later.

Typical small mammals of the high mountain regions are the alpine ptarmigan ( Lepus timidus ), the gray marmot ( Marmota baibacina ) and several whistling hares ( Ochotona ). In the woods you will encounter squirrels ( Sciurus vulgaris ), Burunduk ( Tamias sibiricus ), flying squirrels ( Pteromys volans ), and forest Lemmings , also on Vole , bank vole , wood mouse , birch mouse and harvest mouse . In the steppes of the Altai you can also find some small mammals, such as the brown hare , the steppe marmot ( Marmota bobac ), various ground squirrels ( Spermophilus ), field hamsters , steppe lemmings and long-eared hedgehogs .

Other small mammals in this region include the brown rat , field mouse , earth vole , house mouse , pond bat , water bat , little bearded bat , great noctule bat , Nordic bat and shelduck bat .

Other animal species

Among the bird species of the Altai there are some impressive birds of prey. The most impressive are the griffon vulture ( Gyps fulvus ), black vulture ( Aegypius monachus ), golden eagle ( Aquila chrysaetos ), steppe eagle ( Aquila rapax ), osprey ( Pandion halliaetus ) and peregrine falcon ( Falco peregrinus ). In waters Close live black storks ( Ciconia nigra ), gray heron ( Ardea cinerea ) and several other waterfowl. In the high mountain areas we meet some chicken birds, such as the Altai king chicken ( Tetraogallus altaicus ) and various ptarmigan ( Lagopus ). Characteristic species of mountain needle forests are the rock Auerhuhn ( tetrao parvirostris ), grouse ( Tetrastes bonasia ), Ural ( Strix uralensis ), Unglückshäher ( Perisoreus infaustus ) Dreizehenspecht ( Picoides tridactylus ), hook Gimpel ( Pinicola enucleator ) and blue tail ( Tarsiger cyanurus ).

Due to the relatively cool climate, we find in the Altai relatively few reptiles and amphibians , such as the mountain lizard ( Lacerta vivipara ), the adder ( Vipera berus ), the green toad ( Bufo virridis ) and the common toad ( Bufo bufo ).

A particularly beautiful species of insect in the Altai mountains is the Apollo butterfly ( Parnassio apollo ).

Nature reserves

The Katun River in the Altai Mountains

In the Russian Altai Mountains, three sapovedniki (Russian name for nature reserves ) have been designated for a long time to protect the landscape and wildlife . In 1998 they were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as the "Golden Mountains of Altai" and cover a total of 12,000 km²:

  • The Altai Nature Reserve (Алтайский заповедник, Altaiski Sapowednik) in the northern Altai, with 8812 km² the largest and oldest of its protected areas. It mainly includes the "Pearl of Western Siberia", the 80 km long Telezker Lake (Russian Озеро Телецкое, Altyn-Köl or "Golden Lake") and its surroundings, which are covered by natural taiga forest, with the mountain plateau east of the Chulyschman river . It was placed under protection as early as 1931.
  • The Katun nature reserve (Катунский заповедник, Katunski Sapowednik) in the west of the Russian Altai with 1,501 km². It was created in 1991 to protect the landscape and wildlife on the upper reaches of the Katun (largest source river of the Ob) and the Katun ridge . The buffer zone also includes the Belucha (4506 m), the highest Altai peak.

The buffer zones of the two nature reserves (3560 km²) are also less strictly protected

  • the Ukok protected area with 2529 km² (UNEP 2003)
  • and the Chakassky Zapovednik (approx. 1500 km²) on the border with the autonomous republic of Khakassia .

Together with other protected areas in the Alatau and Sajan Mountains, they are under the administration of the Russian Bioregion 9 Altai-Sajanski .

However, since nature conservation is not very effective here and high mountain tourism is increasing rapidly, the NGO Fund for 21st Century Altai was founded in 1992 to set up a larger Katun National Park in the Ust-Koksa region. This is currently being thwarted by plans by the Russian government to build several dams on the Katun.

Human influences

population

Denisova people lived in the Altai around 40,000 years ago .

The Scythians lived about 2500 years ago in the expanses from Mongolia to the Black Sea .

The native inhabitants of the Altai region are various Turkic , Mongol and Sinotibetan peoples , as well as some other Paleosiberian peoples who are now extinct and who mainly breed cattle. Their herds mostly consist of sheep , goats , horses and yaks . Camels are also used in the arid, southern regions . The original people in the central parts of the Altai are the Altaians , who number around 50,000 people. In the northeastern regions of the Altai, which border the Sajan Mountains , live the Tuvins , who, like the Altai, belong to the Turkic peoples. Most of the Russians live in the Russian part of the Altai, which consists of the two administrative regions of the Republic of Altai and the Altai Region (Altaiski Krai) .

Since the Altai Mountains are only sparsely populated and poorly developed to this day, human influences were kept within limits. The population density is usually less than one inhabitant per square kilometer.

Economy and Development

Wheat, oats, barley, millet and flax have been grown in the Altai Mountains since ancient times, mostly in artificially irrigated steppe valleys. Lately potatoes, apples, plums and pears have also been grown in the mountainous Altai. Hunting and fishing still play a major role, while extensive timber use has so far only taken place in the outskirts of the Altai. Some Maralfarmen be Maralhirsche bred for their valuable horns. Cooking oil is obtained from the seeds of the Siberian stone pine (" cedar nuts ").

The Altai is particularly rich in natural resources in the northwest. Copper, gold, silver and iron have been extracted here since ancient times. Today asbestos and phosphorite are also extracted. Yet there is almost no industry in the area. Tourism also still plays a very minor role.

The Russian Altai is only accessible by a single larger, weatherproof road that leads from Barnaul to Khovd in Mongolia. There are no railway lines and the rivers are not navigable.

history

In the myth of the origin of the Turks , the Asena legend , a she-wolf raises a boy; their cave is located in the Altai Mountains.

See also

literature

  • Gerhard Klotz among others: High mountains of the earth and their plants and animals. Urania Verlag, Leipzig 1989, ISBN 3-332-00209-0 .
  • Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 (English).
  • Hans-Ulrich Plener: Siberian Altai. Stoff- & Wechsel-Verlag, Tuttlingen 2011, ISBN 978-3-00-035264-5 .
  • Cambra Skadé: At the shaman's fire. Travel routes in the Siberian Altai. Hans-Nietsch-Verlag, Freiburg im Breisgau 2007, ISBN 978-3-939570-11-0 .
  • Konrad Frenzel: Andrees Handatlas . Introduction and Map No. 79 Mongolia. Velhagen & Klasing publishing house, Bielefeld / Leipzig 1937.

Web links

Commons : Altai  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Lutz D. Schmadel : Dictionary of Minor Planet Names . Fifth Revised and Enlarged Edition. Ed .: Lutz D. Schmadel. 5th edition. Springer Verlag , Berlin , Heidelberg 2003, ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7 , pp. 181 (English, 992 pp., Link.springer.com [ONLINE; accessed October 29, 2017] Original title: Dictionary of Minor Planet Names . First edition: Springer Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg 1992): “Named by the discoverer for the place of residence of her mother ”
  2. ↑ Tatiana Khromova u. a .: Changes in the mountain glaciers of continental Russia during the twentieth to twenty-first centuries . In: Regional Environmental Change . January 2019, doi : 10.1007 / s10113-018-1446-z .
  3. ↑ Gustav Rose: Journey to the southern Urals and the Caspian Sea, overview of the minerals and mountain gardens of the Urals . In: Mineralogical-geognostic journey to the Urals, the Altai UN, the Caspian Sea . tape 2 . Verlag der Sanderschen Buchhandlung, 1842 ( read online in the Google book search [accessed September 25, 2010]).
  4. ^ Vratislav Mazak: The tiger. Reprint of the 3rd edition from 1983. Westarp Wissenschaften, Hohenwarsleben 2004, ISBN 3-89432-759-6 .
  5. ↑ Řičánková, VP, Robovský, J., Riegert, J. (2014): Ecological Structure of Recent and Last Glacial Mammalian Faunas in Northern Eurasia: The Case of Altai-Sayan Refugium. PLOS ONE 9 (1). doi : 10.1371 / journal.pone.0085056
  6. ↑ Taras P. Sipko: European bison in Russia - past, present and future. In: European Bison Conservation Newsletter. Volume 2, 2009, pp. 148-159. Online PDF ( Memento of the original from February 1, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.smz.waw.pl
  7. ↑ UNESCO World Heritage Center: Golden Mountains of Altai. Retrieved September 29, 2017 .
  8. ↑ Altai (Bioregion 9)