- •Geomorphology of the Region
- •The Diversity of Mineral Resources Complexes of Altai Region
- •Lecture 3 The Climate of the Altai Region
- •Mode of Solar Radiation
- •General Circulation of Atmosphere
- •In autumn, cyclonic activity increases over south-east regions of West Siberia.
- •A Spreading Surface
- •Thermal Mode of Air and Ground
- •Lecture 4 Surface and Underground Waters
- •In places where surface runoff is blocked, such as the low bottomlands, fliere are marshes. One can differentiate three types of marshes: bottom marshes, surface marshes and transitional marshes.
- •Characteristics of the Largest Rivers and Lakes
- •Underground Waters
- •Lecture 6 Vegetation of the Altai Region
- •Pine Forests
- •Meadows
- •Distribution of Plant Species of the Altai Region According to the 3 Altitude Categories
- •Lecture 7 Altai Region During Reforms
The Diversity of Mineral Resources Complexes of Altai Region
Altai north-west (the so-called Rudny Altai) is one of the earliest mining areas of Russia, where post-chudskaya exploitation took place during the last three hundred years.
The main mineral resources of Altai are: underground waters, iron and polymetal (Cu-Pb-Zn) ores, gold placers, mineral salt and ornamental stones.
Underground waters are extremely important for life, especially for the arid north-west region of the Kulundinskaya steppe. The region is also rich in mineral waters and balneological radon springs of Belokurikha.
The Kholzunskaya magnetic anomaly (the largest in Western Siberia) is situated here, which responds to volcanogenic-sedimentary iron-ore complex. The total resources of iron ores of industrial categories found in Altai exceeds 0.7 milliard t.
Polymetal deposits of the firestone type in Rudny Altai are the north-eastern flank of the large Altae-Kazak ore fields. In spite of the long mining period, there are on balance more deep (up to 1.2 km deep) strata, which are of economic importance; an example may be seen in the deposit of Korbalikinskoe, the exploitation of which has just begun. It is important that the ores contain the most losing polymetal component-zink.
The Altai gold placers in the north-east and in the Republic of Altai have been mined since ancicnt times, and together with other West Siberian parts they formed the basis of its gold-mining industry. The second largest Russian nugget, weighing 23kg, was found along Vorontsovsky spring (in the basin of the Lebed river).
The pre-Altai plain takes the first place in soda production in Russia and it is the source of lake common chloride. In the eighteenth century it produced salt for the whole of the territory from the Urals to its eastern borders.
Ornamental stones of Altai, especially jasper, are Wonderful. According to the famous expert A. Y. Fersman, this is the second most significant feature in this region of Russia. Every mineralogical world museum has the well-known remnevskie and korgonskie jaspers. It is the jasper from which the wide known "Tsarina of Vases" was created, along with many other stone masterpieces. In addition, the beautiful belorchit was used by Faberzhe and Konovalenko in their delicate craftworks.
Lecture 3 The Climate of the Altai Region
The Altai region is situated between the latitude of 48° and of 54° North, in the southern range of the moderate latitudes. Therefore, the basic features characteristic of a moderate climate are present in the region: prevalence of west-east winds and distinct seasonal rhythms during each annual cycle.
The location between the longitude of 78° and 87° East in the inner continental sector of Eurasia determines significant continental peculiarities of the climate: the large amplitude of temperatures of the coldest (January) and the warmest (July) months of the year, as well as reduction of annual rainfalls, of which 60- 70% falls in a warm season.
The exposure of the territory to the Arctic ocean and areas of Kazakhstan and Central Asia creates an opportunity for penetration of the Arctic and tropical air masses, formation of high-altitude frontal zones, intensive development of atmospheric processes and variability of weather. -
The specified differences are seen graphically in comparison, of climate diagrams of London (the latitude of 51°26' North, the longitude of 0° O' West), Berlin (the latitude of 52° 30' North, the longitude of 13° 18' East), Moscow (the latitude of 55°46' North, the longitude of 37°40' East), and Barnaul (the latitude of •53°20' North, the longitude of 83°48’ East).