The absolute height of the Khibiny mountains. Mountains in Khibiny
There are many beautiful mountains in Russia. One of them is the Khibiny. Once here, you will see stunning snowy peaks, clear lakes, noisy waterfalls, mountain t...
By Masterweb
11.06.2018 02:00There are many beautiful mountains in Russia. One of them is the Khibiny. Once here, you will see stunning snowy peaks, clear lakes, noisy waterfalls, mountain tundra and even the northern lights. Let's find out where the Khibiny mountains are located and why they are interesting.
Geographical position
To get into it unique place, you need to go to Murmansk region. The Khibiny Mountains are located on Kola Peninsula, in its very center. On both sides they are limited by lakes - Imandra and Umbozero. There is always snow on the steep slopes, because the massif is located beyond the Arctic Circle (67th parallel). Adjacent forest-tundra.
Initially, the mountains were called Umptek. Translated from the language of the locals, the Sami, it means "a place where deer come to die." However, later another name took root - Khibiny ("plateau"). The array is shaped like two horseshoes, one nested inside the other. From space, it is very similar to a huge stone flower.
Formation
The Khibiny are the oldest mountains in Russia. It is believed that they are about 390 million years old. The array was formed in several stages. Initially, where the Khibiny Mountains are located now, powerful flows of hot magma flowed. Giant volcanoes gradually cooled, laying the main forms of the plateau.
The second stage was glaciation. It began 1 million years ago. Glaciers were advancing from Scandinavia, and this happened repeatedly. They smoothed crystalline ledges, cut wide valleys and narrow winding cracks that later became rivers.
The last glaciation (Valdai) occurred about 100 thousand years ago. The mountains turned out to be completely filled with ice, as evidenced by huge boulders on rocky peaks. The apogee was observed 20 thousand years ago, and then gradual melting began.
The third stage of the formation of the Khibiny has not yet been completed. It is characterized by tectonic uplift. It is known that 20 million years ago the mountains towered 500 m above the earth's surface. After 15 million years, this height doubled. Over the past 10 thousand years, the massif has grown by 20 m. Every year, the mountains rise by 0.3-1.2 mm. Sometimes this process is accompanied by earthquakes, mostly weak ones.
Relief
The Khibiny mountains rise above the surrounding hilly plain by an average of 800-1100 m. The massif has an annular structure. The plateau is dissected by deep faults in the earth's crust, which diverge radially from the Poachvumchorr ridge. Valleys divide the mountains into separate, fairly large blocks. They, in turn, are divided into smaller sections by less significant gorges. Steep ledges decrease towards Lake Imandra.
There are no pointed peaks in the Khibiny. All of them are paid. The slopes are steep, without ledges, many of them are covered with glaciers and snowfields. Through valleys have a U-shape, smoothed out during glaciations (the so-called troughs). Huge boulders remained on the surface of the plateau. It is also worth noting a large number of ancient glacial kars and circuses (steep bowl-shaped depressions on the slopes). The youngest gorges are almost sheer, going several tens of meters deep. The sun's rays never reach their bottom.
Peaks
The height of the Khibiny mountains does not exceed 1206 m. The highest point is the top of Yudychvumchorr ("humming mountain"). According to other sources, it is slightly lower - 1200.6 m. Yudychvumchorr got its name because strong winds, constantly blowing over its flat top, as if cut with a knife. Climbing here, you can see almost all the plateaus and mountain ranges.
For a long time, the highest point of the Khibiny was considered another peak - Chasnachorr ("woodpecker mountain"). She soars up to 1189 m. Today she holds an honorable second place. The third highest mountain is Putelichorr ("an array of newcomers"). It rises into the sky at 1111 m.
But for local residents - Samaams, the relatively low mountain Aikuaivenchorr (1075 m.) is sacred. Its name translates as "the head of the Mother of God". If you look at her from a great distance, you can see a woman's face turned to heaven.
Geology
The Khibiny Mountains are composed mainly of nepheline syenites, a crystalline alkaline rock of igneous origin. Associated minerals are apatites containing phosphorus. The Khibiny apatite deposit is considered the largest in the world.
The array has a ring structure. The rock complexes form arcs nested into each other and open on the eastern side. This is explained by the introduction of magma between alternating faults.
The mountains are called the natural museum of minerals. There are about 500 of them in total. It is interesting that 110 minerals are not found anywhere else. Some of them are not characteristic of massifs composed of alkaline rocks. Examples include topaz and spinel. Besides apatite and nepheline, micas, ores of copper, iron, nickel, and some other metals are of practical value. On Mount Eveslogchorr, outcrops of rare minerals, in particular, blue sapphire, used in the jewelry industry, were discovered.
Climatic conditions
The Khibiny Mountains are located beyond the Arctic Circle, so the average annual temperature here is minus 0.1 °C. The polar night begins on December 10th and ends on January 3rd. The polar day lasts from May 31 to July 13. Summer and spring are cool and rather late. The snow begins to melt at the end of April when the temperature rises above 0°C. The frost-free period in the mountains lasts no longer than 60-80 days.
The average summer temperature is +12 °C. On the hottest days, it can rise to +30 ° C and above. Usually this weather is accompanied by thunderstorms. However, after the sun, a sharp cooling down to minus 1-4 degrees and sleet can come.
September to April locals admire northern lights. The snow cover finally falls in early November. Winters in the Khibiny are warm, which is explained by the proximity to the Barents Sea. Its waters are warmed by the Gulf Stream. average temperature is -11 °C, but it is usually 10-15 degrees colder at the tops. Mountain avalanches come down quite often, presenting a serious danger to tourists.
The average annual rainfall in the valleys is 600-700 mm. On mountain peaks this number increases to 1600 mm. The winds are very strong and gusty. Their average speed exceeds 5 m/sec. Instantaneous gusts can reach 60-80 m/s. They are able to blow away a person standing on the edge of a plateau.
Flora and fauna
The Khibiny Mountains in the photo look very picturesque. Their slopes are covered with evergreen forests, moss and reindeer moss. Vegetation changes with increasing altitude. The foothills of 300-400 meters are dressed in coniferous forests with a predominance of spruce and pine. Then the birch crooked forest rises up about 100 m. After it begins the tundra zone. It is represented by lichens and small shrubs: crowberry, lingonberry, bearberry, blueberry. After the first frost, the leaves of the plants acquire a bright color, creating an amazing multi-colored carpet.
With increasing height, the plants thin out, they are replaced by stony mounds. In some places you can see patterns of green, gray or yellow lichens. The flora of the mountains is valuable, many plants are listed in the Red Book. Animal world represented by 27 mammals. There are only 3 species of reptiles, 1 species of amphibians. Most of all, birds are found in the mountains - 123 species.
Mountain exploration
For a long time, the Khibiny remained unexplored. For the first time, academician Lepekhin writes about them, who in 1772 visited the Kola Peninsula and studied its central part. He notes that the steep gorges can hide minerals. In the summer of 1834, the mining engineer Shirokin began to explore the Western slope of the Khibiny.
In 1891-1892, an expedition led by geologist V. Ramsay arrived on the peninsula. She studied the area in detail in two seasons, collected a lot of geological information and compiled a map of the mountains. Further exploration of the region was prevented at first World War and then the revolution.
Only in 1920 did the next scientific and fishing expedition headed by A. Fersman arrive on the Kola Peninsula. They discovered previously unknown minerals. Already in 1921, the development of apatite ores near Mount Kukisvumchorr began. A year later, it became clear that the Khibiny deposits are much richer than originally thought.
Industrial development
1926 is considered the official date of the discovery of large deposits on the Rasvumchorra plateau. Since that time, miners began to come to the Kola Peninsula. In 1929 the "Apatity" trust was created. A year later, the construction of an enrichment plant began. In 1931, the city of Khibinogorsk was founded, later renamed Kirovsk.
In the Khibiny mountains, ore mining was put on stream. In 1966, near Kirovsk appeared New town, which is now called Apatity. Settlements were actively created. In 2012, the North-West Phosphorous Company built on the banks of the lake. Umbozero GOK" Deer Creek". The construction of another mine was planned, which caused outrage among the local population. An environmental movement was launched. People demanded that further mining be banned and that the Khibiny be recognized as a national park. This was done in 2018.
Rest in Khibiny
Many climbers flock to the Kola Peninsula in summer. There are routes of varying difficulty, up to category 5B. But most of the passes have 1-2 categories. In the rocks there are almost always shelves for spending the night, the rock danger is small. The slopes are simple and picturesque. Many easy routes have been developed for hikers, allowing you to fully enjoy the beauties of northern nature.
open in winter ski slopes on the Aikuaivenchorr and Kukissvumchorr mountains. Sports enthusiasts can go skiing, snowboarding or brightly colored buns. Thrill-seekers choose off-piste descents along virgin fields, the steepness of which can reach up to 55 °, or along avalanche flows. Of course, such entertainment is associated with great risk. As well as winter hiking in the Khibiny mountains. Instead, tourists are offered exciting excursions on snowmobiles.
We hope that now you will not be at a loss looking at the atlas. The Khibiny mountains seem small on the map, but in fact this is a harsh region, fraught with a lot of dangers. Despite this, it attracts people with its beauty and an unusual combination of rocks, marshy massifs and clear northern lakes.
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The Khibiny mountain range is the largest on the Kola Peninsula. The most high point massif mountain Yudychvumchorr, 1200 meters high. In the center of formation there are two plateaus Chasnachorr and Kukisvumchorr.
Tourists from all over Russia fell in love with this pearl of the Kola North. The peaks of the Khibiny are located almost in the center of the peninsula and from here you can see very beautiful views. Visited by local ski resorts throughout the year, and recently the popularity of this place is only growing. A variety of trails have already been built here, suitable for any level of training of skiers and snowboarders.
The shape of this mountain range resembles two horseshoes, which are located one inside the other. The local valleys here are rich in lakes, and they have become a favorite place for picnics. For lovers hiking and active recreation, several dozens of tourist routes have been developed. The beauty of the Khibiny attracts travelers throughout the year and the flow of tourists is stable here. Every year tourism in the Khibiny develops more and more, and we advise everyone to visit these amazing places.
Weather
Winter in the Khibiny region is relatively warm, the average temperature is about -11 °C. But in the mountains themselves, and especially on the peaks, it can be 10-15 degrees colder. Frosts below -35 °C are rare.
In summer, this area is not particularly hot, the average temperature is around +12 °C. On the shores of the White and Barents Seas, it is several degrees cooler. There are thunderstorms and heat here, when the thermometer can exceed + 30-35 ° C.
How to get to Khibiny
It is always more convenient to get to the Kola Peninsula by train, along the Oktyabrskaya railway. By train you will get to Apatit or Khibiny station. During the trip, you will already be able to enjoy the beauty of Karelia and its diversity. It should be noted that the northern southern nature region is quite different.
For those who like to travel by car, you can get to Khibiny quite quickly on modern roads. Do not forget that this is a northern region, so you need to be prepared for any vagaries of the weather, not only in winter, but also in summer. In winter, you should “shod” the car in studded tires, because ice is a frequent occurrence here. There are severe frosts at night, so it is not recommended to travel by car at this time of the day. In summer, too, the climate can be very changeable. A warm summer day can quickly turn into a cold late autumn. Don't forget to bring warm clothes with you, even in summer.
Journey through Khibiny mountains is an exciting adventure for all lovers wildlife and a new sensation, for those who rarely leave their apartments and offices.
From taiga and birch forests in sheltered and deep valleys (up to 400 meters above sea level) to forest-tundra (no higher than 500 meters):
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And to the tundra (no higher than 800 meters above sea level).
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And to the almost arctic desert on the domed peaks.
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On the slopes, the taiga-birch forests are quickly replaced by forests (and then the forest-tundra) of low-growing birches.
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For a half-hour walk you can get acquainted with half of the Russian Plain.
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And communications coming from the south and from above to the Rasvumchorr mine.
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Closer to the top of the mountain - almost entirely stone ruins:
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Khibiny living creatures - tundra partridge, apparently:
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Ski resort Big Woodyavr, descending from the southwestern spur of Aikuaivenchorr, was reconstructed in last years.
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The modern cable car is adjacent to the Soviet one:
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But they don’t clean up what has completely served its time - in the best Arctic traditions:
76. On the east coast - cargo mine station Yuksporryok:
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Behind it is the Yuksporryok-1 microdistrict with an industrial zone, a sump, the Khibinogorsk monastery and the base of the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University; I did not visit there, despite my many years of belonging to this faculty.
Behind Yuksporryok, along the valley of the river Yuksporryok, there is the Rasvumchorr plateau and the "Central" mine, where I also did not visit, which is probably even more offensive than in the previous case.
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And from the northeast Big Woodyavr, across the lake from the city center - the Kirov mine and the Kukisvumchorr microdistrict (it is also a village 25 kilometers) with a museum named after. Kirov; and I also did not visit this peripheral part of Kirovsk, which, probably, turned out to be my biggest omission in this city. But I saw from the side:
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A north of the lake- the famous Polar Botanical Garden, belonging to the Kola Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, located mainly in Apatity.
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And I didn’t manage to get there - it seems like only with a tour and warning in advance.
I can only say from other people's words that in this botanical garden among other things, experiments are being carried out on the cultivation and acclimatization in the Khibiny of all kinds of plants unusual for these high latitudes.
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These are already real Khibiny, a marching country.
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Still, this compact mountain range is surprisingly suitable for light (and not very light) mountain tourism: the climbs are not too steep, not too long, and mountains in any direction can be crossed in a few days.
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In the following parts, the Khibiny are left behind, moving further south.
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(European Russia)
In the very north of the Russian Platform, beyond the Arctic Circle, among the taiga plains of the Kola Peninsula, mighty stone bastions rise, separated by picturesque lakes and gorges of fast rapids rivers.
This relatively small mountainous country is called the Khibiny. Their height is not high (from eight hundred to one thousand two hundred meters above sea level), but still they are real mountains, with glaciers and snow avalanches, talus of stone blocks and difficult steep passes, rapids and waterfalls on swift rivers and streams and spectacular glacial cirques at watersheds. .
Khibiny - a kind of mountains. They are a cluster of rocky massifs separated from each other by tectonic faults.
The flat peaks of the Khibiny are covered with sparse tundra vegetation, while the lower parts of the slopes and valleys are occupied by taiga. Actually, the word "tundra" itself means in the language of the Sami people living here - "a rocky hill rising above the forest." This word also passed into the Russian language, while changing its original meaning. And on the Kola Peninsula, “tundra” is still called treeless mountain ranges, giving each of them its own special name. The Khibiny tundras are very different, and each of them is beautiful in its own way.
The largest in area and the most high elevation- Khibiny tundra located in the center of the peninsula. From the vast plateau that once existed here, little has remained to our time: the basins of the Bolshoi and Maly Vudyavr lakes and the valley of the Kuniyok River, cut into it by six hundred or seven hundred meters, cut the ancient massif from north to south, and the gorges of the Malaya Belaya and Tulyoka rivers lay deep scarred from west to east. Together with the less extensive valleys of Vuonemijoka, Goltsovka, Kaskasnyunjok and Umbolka, they divided the Khibiny tundra into a dozen and a half ridges, ridges, plateaus and individual peaks, creating a kind of miniature mountain country, a kind of "mini-Altai" beyond the Arctic Circle.
The Khibiny tundra is a true paradise for winter tourism, and in summer for beginner rock climbers and climbers. There is expanse for skiers and space for fishing enthusiasts. More than twenty passes of the most varying degrees of difficulty await mountain tourists here, and beautiful wooded islands on the surrounding massif large lakes: Imandra and Umbozera - always at the service of supporters of secluded relaxation.
The Lovozero tundra located behind Umbozero has a completely different look. This high, flat plateau looks like a giant horseshoe, with its ends facing the long and stormy Lovozero, and inside the plateau, in a steep-walled stone bowl, there is the most picturesque Seidozero, which has no equal even in this "land of a thousand lakes".
The Saami reindeer herders, or, as they used to be called, the Lapps, who inhabit these places, considered this lake sacred in the old days. Every year they came here to make sacrifices to powerful mountain deities - seids and beg for good luck in hunting.
Surrounded by high walls of steep banks, a secluded lake seemed to the Lapps to be the home of formidable spirits. The gloomy impression of the lake of seids was aggravated by the ominous appearance of dark gray and green rocks, crossed by blood-red veins of the eudialyte mineral, which hunters ignorant of mineralogy called simply - "Lopar blood".
Despite a somewhat gloomy look, the Lovozero tundras are beautiful in their own way, and the "zest" of Seydozero makes them especially tempting for the traveler. Attract tourists and the rocks towering on the plateau, the remnants of the most bizarre outlines. Once upon a time, they probably also excited the imagination of the Lapps, who drove deer through the Lovozero passes with such unusual and melodic names for our ears: Chivruai, Koftuai, Tavayok, Elmorayok ...
The western massifs of the Khibiny, located behind Lake Imandra, look absolutely different: Chuna-tundra, Monche-tundra, Volchiy and Greasy tundras. They are lower than their eastern neighbors, not so large and elongated, they can rather be called small ridges, towering among the endless sea of \u200b\u200bthe taiga, like oblong stone islands.
And if the main decoration of the Khibiny and Lovozero tundras are the amazingly beautiful large and small lakes, then in the west rivers are the first to strike. Dozens of turbulent watercourses running north to the abounding Tuloma, or breaking down the steep slopes to the Imandra, abound in such a number of rapids and waterfalls that the traveler who sets sail on them loses count already on the second day.
The cheerful, melodious waterfalls of Vaikis, the menacingly roaring Padun on the Ulita River, the boiling cascades of Nyavka and the Furnace - all of them are beautiful in their own way, and the fact that mass tourism has not yet reached the Wolf and Greasy tundras gives them a special charm. Desert, silence, fearless animals and untouched nature - these are the signs of this fertile land, and many rivers of the western part of the Khibiny are still waiting for their discoverers.
And in the south, almost by the White Sea, the huge dome of the Kolvitsky tundra rises apart. It is not difficult to climb, and mountain tourists do not favor it with their attention. But how picturesque is the view from the top of Mount Baranya Iolga, an almost eight-hundred-meter gentle cone of which rises in the very center of a huge array. In the south, the endless gray-blue expanse of the White Sea stretches, lined with white lambs of the waves. In the east - the blue expanse of Kolvitsky Lake, indented by capes and islands. And in the north, barely visible in a blue haze, the distant Imandra is getting dark, surrounded by green taiga...
Traveling through the Khibiny, one never ceases to be surprised at the imagination of natural forces that created such a variety of mountain landscapes on such a small “patch”. After all, the size of the Khibiny is only one and a half hundred by fifty kilometers, and you can wander through their diverse arrays for a month or two. And you can go to water travel, swim in a kayak, for example, from Lovozero along the rapids of Pan, and then, after the portage, find yourself in the upper reaches of the swift mighty Varzuga, rushing through rocky gorges and rapids of rapids to the distant White Sea. Even Novgorodians mastered this region six centuries ago, which is evidenced by a wooden temple in the ancient Pomeranian village of Varzuga. The basins of Varzuga and neighboring Chapoma are famous for their powerful high waterfalls, the most beautiful on the peninsula.
The riches of the bowels of these northern mountains surprise and delight. Entire ridges are built here by the "fertility stone" - green apatite, and iron, nickel, and copper ore are mined here. And the Khibiny is a unique pantry of gems, richer than which in Russia only the Urals and Transbaikalia.
What you can’t find in the local tundras, especially in the Khibiny and Lovozero Blue sapphires, which are not inferior to the unique stones of the Ilmen mountains of the Urals, golden astrophyllite, cherry eudialyte, spinel and lamprophyllite, garnets and topazes - in a word, “the box is full and full” ...
The Khibiny are not so rich in rare animals: after all, the Arctic is not the Caucasus, not Altai, and not the Ussuri Territory. But still, the only herd of wild reindeer in Europe lives not just anywhere, but in Monchetundra and its environs, and bird colonies of the Seven Islands or Kandalaksha Bay can be reached from Khibiny in just a few hours. In the world's only Polar Botanical Garden in the Khibiny tundra, you can see all the richness of the northern flora - both taiga and tundra.
And the fishermen will never agree that the fauna of the Khibiny is not rich. Such fishing, as on the Kola rivers and lakes, does not happen even in Kamchatka. And the local salmon is in no way inferior to the Far Eastern pink salmon or chinook salmon.
But, of course, the momentary joys of the taiga region are sooner or later forgotten. And not the taste and aroma of triple fish soup or fish kebabs will remain in the memory of a traveler who has visited this region. The harsh gorges of the Yumyegorr pass or the Ramsay gorges, the Vaikis waterfalls and the expanses of Imandra, the incessant din of bird colonies and the silvery salmon jumping over the threshold will remain ... The snowy trails of Kukisvumchorra and Yuksporyoka, illuminated by lights, will not be forgotten aurora borealis, and the crackling of logs in the hot fireplace of the hunting lodge on Seydozero, the whistling rustle of an avalanche and the kind frosty muzzles of deer - in a word, all that amazing and varied symphony of landscapes, sounds, colors and impressions that are given to the traveler a little harsh at first glance, but kind, many-sided and fabulous beautiful mountains- Khibiny.
This text is an introductory piece.