Natural areas of the Urals: a table and a description

The Ural ridge stretched from the Kazakhstan steppes to the coast of the Arctic Ocean. The width of the mountain range ranges from 100 to 400 km, and the length exceeds 2,5 thousand km. The natural zones of the Urals include all the variety: from the polar tundra to the southern steppes.

The mountain range is divided into regions depending on geological, climatic and other conditions. Having looked at their detailed characteristics, it is possible to understand which natural zones of the Urals are richer and which are poorer in terms of the available flora and fauna.

The Polar Urals

The natural zones of the Polar Urals are represented by tundra and forest-tundra. The relief of this part of the mountain chain was formed due to frost weathering, in which placers of stones (kurums and structural soils) were formed. Permafrost and contrasts of soil cover temperatures during the summer period lead to solifluction.

The dominant variety of relief is a plateau, on which traces of the ice cover are preserved. Its outskirts have valleys in the form of troughs. Only the highest peaks are acute extremities. Alpine relief appears to the southern part of the Polar Urals in the vicinity of Narodnaya and Sabli.

In the Polar Urals wet and cold climatic conditions. In the summer, a lot of clouds, frequent rains. The average monthly temperature in July is from 8 to 14 ºC. Winter is long and very cold. Mid-January temperatures do not exceed -20 ºC. Plots of permafrost are widespread. In the lowlands, due to snowstorms, large snowdrifts are formed. During the year, there falls from 500 (in the north) to 800 (in the south) mm of precipitation.

Soil and vegetation of the Polar Urals

The natural zones of the Urals affect soils and vegetation, which here are not very diverse. In the north, the tundra of plains passes into the mountainous area. In the center there are placer stones almost without plants. At the foot of the tundra flora is represented by mosses, lichens and shrubs. In the southern part of the forest areas fall, but their significance in the landscape is small.

The first dwarf larch rare forests appear in the valleys located on the eastern slope near 68º N. W. This part of the mountain massif is characterized by a low thickness of the snow cover and a more pronounced continental climate. Therefore, conditions for plant life are more favorable here. In the polar circle, larch forests are diluted with spruce and cedar trees, and to the south by firs and pines.

An interesting pattern has been established concerning the growth of larch and spruce forests. The conditions for them at the top of the ridge are better than in the plains. The reason is good drainage and temperature conditions.

North Ural

The region is located exactly along the 59th meridian, begins south of the Sabli, and ends with the Konzhakovskiy Stone. The average height of the central part is about 700 m above sea level. It includes the eastern and western ranges. The first of them is a watershed. Most of the mountain peaks are not sharp, but round.

3-4 ancient alignment surfaces are clearly visible. Another typical feature of the terrain is a set of upland terraces located above the level of forests or on their upper boundary. These formations vary greatly not only on different mountains, but also on opposite slopes. Climatic conditions are similar to the previous area, but not so severe. Over a year, more than 800 mm of precipitation falls, especially in the case of slopes facing west. Evaporation of water from the surface of the earth is much less than this value, which is the reason for the prevalence of marshy places.

Flora and fauna of the Northern Urals

The taiga forests cover the slopes of the mountains with a continuous layer. Tundra survived only on the elevations and rocks, located at an altitude of 700-800 m. The dark-taiga taiga consists mainly of spruce. Fir grows in places where the soil is fertile. Cedar prefers marshy and stony slopes. Spruce forests with green moss dominate, as well as blueberry trees, which are typical of the middle taiga. In the most northern extremity they pass into rare forests with a large number of marshes.

Pine forest here - a phenomenon infrequent. A noticeable role in the landscape appears south of 62 ° N. On the eastern slope. Only here there are favorable conditions for the growth of pines: stony soils and continental dry climate. The share of Sukachev larch in forests is much lower than in the Polar Urals. They grow together with shrub alder and birch woodland.

The natural areas of the Northern Urals are mostly taiga and small areas of the tundra. Local fauna consists of typical representatives of dark coniferous forests. Sable lives where cedars grow. There are wolverines, red-gray voles and northern deer. The following representatives of the avifauna live: a hawk owl, a waxworm, a nutcracker, and others.

On the western slope, in the upper reaches of the river of the same name, is the Pechoro-Ilychsky Reserve, which shows some of the natural areas of the Urals. He is one of the largest in Russia. It preserves the pristine appearance of the mountain taiga, passing into the middle taiga.

Middle Urals

The average Urals almost did not change shape due to the newest tectonic shifts. For this reason, the mountain peaks are smoothed out and not high. The largest of them are located at around 800 m. The Perm-Yekaterinburg railroad crosses the range at an altitude of 410 m. The mountains are quite destroyed, which led to the loss of the watershed function. This is confirmed by the Chusovaya and Ufa rivers , originating on the eastern slopes and extending to the west. The river valleys are wide and developed, this is illustrated by the picturesque stones hanging over the riverbeds.

The Middle Urals, whose natural zones are represented by the southern taiga and forest-steppe, are much more comfortable for human habitation than the Northern one. The summer period is much warmer and more prolonged, the annual amount of precipitation is from 500 to 600 mm. The average July temperature is from 16 to 18 ºC. The climate affected the soils and vegetation. The southern taiga is located in the northern areas, and the forest-steppe is closer to the south.

Flora and fauna of the Middle Urals

The eastern and western slopes are markedly different in vegetation. In the Trans-Ural region, the steppes moved much farther north than in the Urals, where they are found only by individual islands. The mountains are covered with a solid forest, only rare peaks rise above the border of the taiga zone. The predominant taiga consists of spruce and fir with pine forest areas. Mixed forests (spruce, fir, birch, lime) are typical for the south-western regions.

A large number of birch forests is located throughout the Middle Urals. They arose in the places of felling of coniferous forest. The natural zones of the Urals have a characteristic composition of the animal world. A variety of forests and a warm climate contributed to the fact that the number of fauna from the south increased. Typical inhabitants of the Middle Urals are hedgehog, hore, hamster, badger. Among the avifauna, typical are the nightingale, the Oriole, the green-eyed. Reptiles are represented by a snake, a chestnut, lizards.

Landscapes of the Middle Urals

• The average Urals. This plateau, elevated to a height of 500 to 600 m. It is cut by a dense network of river valleys. Actively flowing karst processes led to the formation of many lakes, caves and funnels. Good drainage prevents swamp formation, despite the large amount of precipitation. Coniferous and mixed forests prevail with forest-steppe areas.
• The center of the Middle Urals is represented by the highest part of the ridge. Its height is small, so it is almost entirely covered with taiga.
• The Middle Trans-Urals. It is an elevated plain with a smooth eastern slope. It has remnants, granite ridges and lake basins. Pure pine forests and their mixture with other trees predominate. In the northern part there are many swampy areas. The forest steppe has moved much further north than the Urals. The Siberian landscape is given by birch twigs.

Southern Urals

This region of the Ural range differs from the Middle by high peaks (Iremel, 1582 m, Yamantau, 1640 m). The watershed is along the Uraltau ridge, which is to the east and does not have a great height. It is composed of crystalline shale. The region is dominated by the relief of the middle mountains. Individual pebble tops extend beyond the forest zone. Their surface is flat, however it has steep stone slopes with many terraces. Ancient glaciation left traces of its movement on the ridges of Zigalga and Iremel.

The South Ural peninsula is a plain elevated and having a folded base. It is cut by river valleys, resembling canyons. The Trans-Ural Peneplain is located on the eastern slope, characterized by a lower location and a smooth surface. In its northern part has many lakes with amazing rocks along the coast.

The climatic conditions of the Southern Urals are even more continental than the previous regions. The summer period is warm, droughts and dry winds occur in the area of the Urals. The average temperature of the warmest month is from 20 to 22 ºC. The winter period is cold, the snow cover is significant. In frosty winters, the rivers completely freeze to ice, a large number of birds and moles are killed. Annual precipitation varies from 400 in the south to 600 in the north of the region.

Flora and fauna of the Southern Urals

The natural zones of the Southern Urals are represented by steppe and forest-steppe areas. Flora and soil cover have high zoning. Chernozem steppes are typical for the lowest parts of the foothills. In places where granites come out you can see a pine forest with an admixture of hardwoods.

The forest steppe occupies the South Ural peninsula, the eastern slopes and the northern parts of the region. Fauna consists of a mixture of steppe and taiga inhabitants.

Table: natural zones of the Urals

The natural zoning of the Ural range is presented in the table below.

The natural zones of the Urals, summarized in the table, allow us to trace their gradual shift in the direction from north to south.