Mountains of the Khibiny. Location on the map, height and photo

Hibiny - a mountain system that attracts researchers and lovers of nature since ancient times. They are not as difficult to access as other areas. You can reach the mountains by road. Or another option is to get to Murmansk by plane or train.

Location and terrain

The mountains of the Khibiny are on the Kola Peninsula between Lake Imandra and Umbozer. They are an array of plateau-like vertices. The highest point is 1201 m. It is the Yudichvumchorr mountain, which is part of the Khibiny massif. The height of the mountains averages 1,000 meters.

There are many traces of ancient glacial activity. This is indicated by such forms of relief as circuses and punches. And also the troughs - valleys, plowed by a glacier, like troughs.

There are the results of permafrost activities - Kurum, the so-called stone rivers. And on the plateau are entire stone seas.

Geological structure

The mountains of the Khibiny are a crystalline structure - an intrusion. This is an integral geological body composed of rocks of magmatic origin. In the world there are only 8 such intrusions. This is an array of horseshoe shaped, mostly composed of rocks - nepheline syenites. In ancient times there were huge volcanoes that cooled down, and the magma was crystallized. Therefore, about 800 different minerals are found here. Some of them are specific only for the given territory.

The names of modern settlements correspond to the minerals found here: Nepheline Sands, Apatity, Titan. After the descent from these mountains of a heavy glacial shell, this area experienced a tectonic uplift. It was uneven, as evidenced by the nature of geological structures. They look like funnels, the edges of which are composed of older breeds than the center. Approximately 20 million years, the Khibiny rose 500 meters above the surrounding plains. Then there was a long break of 15 million years. Then again the mountains began to grow, this time their height increased two-fold.

Climate

Climatic conditions, depending on the geographical location, have the mountains of Khibiny. On the map of the North-West in the European part of Russia you can see that most of the peninsula is located beyond the Arctic Circle. Despite this fact, the climate here is much warmer than in other regions of the Far North. The severity of local weather is mitigated by the proximity of the Barents Sea, as the Nord-Cape warm current enters this part of the ocean. Therefore, the climate here is quite mild, and severe frosts are relatively rare.

Because of the location of the Khibiny in the Arctic, twilight prevails here for six months. In winter, the light day is very small and lasts 2-3 hours. The polar night lasts about four months - a period when the sun does not rise from behind the horizon. And because of the proximity to the magnetic pole of the planet, one can observe a very impressive phenomenon - the northern lights.

Summer lasts two and a half months. The biggest positive temperatures are in July +20. The average indicator of the month is +13 degrees. The coldest period lasts during January. The average temperature of the month is -11 degrees. And the most negative mark in the winter -35 ⁰ C is the mountains of the Khibiny. Photos of these places show that there are often fogs, high clouds. This indicates the impact of cyclones on the territory. Precipitation falls mostly in the form of snow.

Flora

The vegetation cover consists of several belts. The zone of coniferous and mixed forests is located mainly at the foot of the mountains and in river valleys at low altitudes. This belt ends at an altitude of 470 meters and takes a third of the array. It is dominated by spruce and birch. In the forest you can find ashberry, aspen and bird cherry.

Above it begins the zone of subalpine birch forests. It stretches a narrow strip between the belts of the forest and the tundra. Here grows a dwarf birch, a bathing-place, geranium, a buckwheat.

Next is the mountain-tundra zone. It occupies about half of the whole area of the Khibiny Mountains. Below is common shrubby vegetation. In early August the berry season continues. Blueberries, blueberries and cloudberries are rushing. In early autumn, it is time for cranberries. Above is the moss-lichen tundra. Mosses are dominated by green and sphagnum. Lichens cover large boulders of stone rivers. There are many plants included in the Red Book.

Toponymy of titles

The indigenous people in the Khibin area are the Saami. On the map of these mountains entirely names in the language of this people. Nevertheless, their meanings are different. Since there are several dialects in the language of the Saami of the Kola Peninsula.

One of the versions of the origin of the name of the mountains from the word "hibene" is a flat elevation. The Saami conditionally divided the mountains of the Khibiny into two parts: Umbozerskie and Lovozersky. The first in their language sounded like Umptek, the second - Lujavrut.

The Saami first thought up the name of the river, and then the valley was named from it. And then the ridges were designated. The first part of the word is a sign of the subject (high, rocky). The second designated a geographical object (mountain, river, lake). For example, Lake Voodyavr. Wood - a hill, covered with a bush. The root of the Javra is the lake. Thus, the Saami gave simple descriptions of objects. Among them, Woodyavr is a lake on a hill with a bush.

The mountains of the Khibiny are a wonderful place where one wants to visit. This is a unique place where mountains, tundra, many lakes with clear water and aurora borealis are combined . Hibins are rightly called the treasury of minerals.