Hypotheses of the origin of the Crimean mountains briefly. Crimean mountains. Photo, description, structure, minerals, origin of the Crimean Mountains. Geological epochs of folding in Russia

(Outcrops of conglomerate rock; serpentine road; Veseloye village; Vineyards; beach of Veseloye village)

The history of the Crimean mountains

The Crimean mountains are original and inimitable. Despite their insignificant height and relatively small area, the mountains are distinguished by their unique geological structure, unique flora and fauna, and interesting archaeological and historical monuments. If you visit the Crimean Mountains at least once, you will certainly fall in love with them and will return here again and again. The Crimean Mountains are three parallel ridges stretching from Cape Aya in the Balaklava region in the west to Cape St. Elijah near Feodosia in the east. The mountains stretch from west to east for 160 km and are about 50 km wide. Most often, these are cuesta ridges with asymmetrical slopes, gentle and steep. The outer, lowest ridge reaches a height of 350 m and stretches to the city of Stary Krym. The internal ridge with heights of up to 750 m begins from Sapun Mountain and continues to Stary Krym. The main ridge, rising to one and a half kilometer heights, borders the southern coast from Balaklava to Mount Agarmysh. The highest point of Crimea - Mount Roman-Kosh (1545 m above sea level) is located on Babugan-yayla.

During the early stage of geosynclinal development in the south of Crimea, a geosynclinal trough formed and thick sedimentary and effusive complexes accumulated with the simultaneous formation of folded structures of various orders. In the Late Jurassic - Early Cretaceous period, separate troughs and uplifts were formed, into which the previously unified geosynclinal trough was divided. By the end of this time, the internal structure of the Crimean megaanticlinorium was formed. At the end of the Early Cretaceous, in the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene, the Crimean megaanticlinorium was formed as a large single uplift, complicated by individual troughs and faults.

The rise of the Crimean Mountains, first in the form of an island, occurred at the end of the Cretaceous and Eocene. In the middle of the Neogene, the leveled surface of Yayla formed. Before the Neogene, the mountains spread 20-30 km south of the modern Black Sea coastline. In the Neogene they acquired the features of a modern asymmetrical structure. During the orogenic (molasse) stage (end of the Paleogene - Neogene), the increased uplift of the megaanticlinorium of the mountainous Crimea continued and, probably, the subsidence of its southern wing began. In the Neogene and Anthropocene, the formation of the modern relief of the mountainous Crimea took place. In the Pliocene, the Inner and Outer foothill ridges received the orographic expression, and at the end of the Neogene - Anthropocene, differentiated neotectonic movements appeared. Erosion activity intensified in the Anthropocene, and the destructive and creative work of the sea contributed to the formation of the coastline. As a result of a complex of these processes, the Crimean Mountains acquired their modern shape.

Conglomerates:

In the rocky outcrops it is clear that South Demerdzhi is composed of conglomerates - durable rocks consisting of pebbles and boulders, connected by a sandy-clayey mass. They formed in the coastal sea in Late Jurassic time. Conglomerates mark the ancient coastline. On one side there was the sea, on the other there was mountainous land. Thus, the source of pebbles and boulders of conglomerates was located south of the current southern coast of Crimea.

Three systems of fractures are clearly visible in the conglomerates. First of all, the cracks in the meridional direction are striking, very steeply (up to 80 - 85°) inclined to the west. Huge slabs break off from the mountain range along them. Perpendicular to them are gaping cracks of latitudinal orientation that go tens of meters deep into the mountain. In some places, the walls of the cracks are expanded, and then openings appear in the conglomerates, reminiscent of the lancet windows of Gothic castles. And finally, formation cracks coinciding with the layering of conglomerates are less noticeable.

The Demerdzhin conglomerates are surprising in at least two respects. Firstly, in addition to sandstones, compacted clays, limestones, milky-white quartz and brown siderite nodules common to the Crimea, they contain pink granites and quartzites, the main outcrops of which are not found in the Main Ridge. The source of these “exotic” rocks is located south of the Crimean coast and is now flooded by the waters of the Black Sea. Granites of ancient age are also distinguished - 650 - 950 million years old, while the clays and sandstones of the base of the Crimean Mountains arose “only” 160 - 200 million years ago.

The second feature of the Demerdzhin conglomerates is their enormous thickness, estimated at 1750 m. But how did an almost 2-kilometer thickness of pebbles and boulders accumulate near the seashore in shallow water, tens of times greater than the depth of the coastal zone? In reality, there is no contradiction between the enormous thickness of the coarse clastic rocks and the shallow depth of the coastal zone. The fact is that the seabed at the site of modern South Demerdzhi quickly sank in Late Jurassic times. And to the south of it there is a large mountainous island, the destruction of which created a powerful layer of pebbles and boulders. The bottom subsidence was compensated: as far as the trough went down, it was filled with coarse debris. Thus, in the coastal zone, without a significant change in depth, a thick layer of pebbles and boulders accumulated.

Formation of coral reefs in Crimea:

The geological structure of the Sudak mountains is very unique. It is composed of strong limestones of organic origin. Even without a magnifying glass, the remains of fossil organisms, firmly attached to the rocky seabed, are visible to the naked eye. These are primarily corals, sponges, bryozoans and lime-secreting algae that lived in colonies. They lived in a warm, sunlight-pierced sea with clear water at a depth of no more than 40 - 50 m. Corals extracted calcium from sea water and surrounded themselves with a calcareous exoskeleton. Over time, they died off, a new generation developed on them, and then died, giving life to the next, etc. So, in the shallow waters around the islands and not far from the coast of the mainland, rocky shoals arose.

Exactly such reefs existed in the Late Jurassic era on the site of present-day Sudak and the New World 130 - 150 million years ago. Then they were covered with clays, and soon after the waters of the Tethys Ocean finally left the beginning of the Crimean Mountains, the covering clays collapsed and the coral-algal limestone massifs appeared on the surface in the form of isolated mountains. Fossil reefs are found in the Main Ridge from Balaklava and Cape Aya in the west, Ai-Petrinskaya and Babugan-yayla, Chatyrdag and Karabi-yayla in the east. All these are parts of a large barrier reef on the northern edge of the Tethys Ocean. However, the reefs of Sudak and the New World remain unsurpassed in their exceptional expressiveness and “concentration” in a limited area, and this section of the South Coast should be considered a “fossil reef reserve.” The reef nature of the mountains of Sudak and the New World explains the special properties of local limestones. In the porous reef, constantly washed with water, calcium carbonate of the skeletons of the reef builders was dissolved, and after that it was deposited in the voids, strengthening the coral-algae structure. This is why fossil reefs do not consist of loose remains of corals and algae, but are transformed into strong marbled limestones. They are easily polished to a mirror shine, and the intricately shaped fossils and intergrowths of calcite crystals in the former voids of the reef are used as beautiful decorative stone. No matter which reef massif you examine, you will not see strata in any of them. This is explained by the fact that generations of corals and algae changed continuously, and the limestone massif itself was formed as a single whole. For the same reason, the outer slopes of the reefs are steep and even vertical. Another very important feature of reef masses is that they formed in slowly sinking areas of the seabed. It is for this reason that the thickness of the reef massifs reaches many hundreds of meters and many times exceeds the 40 - 50 m layer of water in which the reef builders lived. Powerful reefs were formed when the rate of subsidence of the seabed for a long time was approximately the same as the rate of growth of reef builders. If the subsidence of the seabed was not compensated by the growth of corals and algae, “dead reefs” appeared at great depths.

Coral reefs are diverse: coastal, barrier, atoll and biostrome are known among them. Coastal reefs are located in shallow water close to the shore and when the sea ebbs, they appear on land. Barrier reefs are located far from the coast and are separated from the land by a wide strip of sea. But this is not a continuous strip of land at all, but a series of coral islands and shoals separated by straits. Atolls are absolutely unusual. These are ring-shaped coral reefs, within which lie calm, shallow lagoons. The outer edge of the atoll is steep and drops sharply into the depths.

Biostrome (translated from ancient Greek as organic litter) originally looked like a “sea meadow” on a sandbank inhabited by reef builders. The thickness of the biostrome is the same or slightly greater than that of the layers of adjacent layered limestones, clays and sandstones.

And now we have to conquer one of the most beautiful coral reefs of Crimea - Mount Koraul-Oba. But before that, I would like to remind you again about safety precautions: I repeat again, don’t lag behind the group, if you feel bad, let me know immediately; Be careful when going up and down, there will be difficult sections. Take with you everything you need to make you comfortable.

Crimean mountains- mountain system in the south of the Crimean Peninsula. Extends 180 km from southwest to northeast: from Cape Fiolent (near Sevastopol) to Cape Ilya (near Feodosia). The width of the mountain arc is up to 60 km. The relief clearly distinguishes three almost parallel ridges with steep southern and gentle northern slopes, like three waves coming one after another: the Main Crimean ridge (the highest point of the city of Roman-Kosh, 1545 m) - the extreme side of the sea coast and stretches along it, now approaching, now retreating, the Inner Crimean Ridge (city of Kubalach, 738 m) - lower and External (Kazantash, 344 m), which is even lower and consists of gentle hills.

The Crimean Mountains are a fold-block system that belongs to the Mediterranean fold belt. The ridges are composed predominantly of sedimentary strata of limestone, conglomerates, mudstones and siltstones. In some places, volcanic effusive and intrusive forms appear in the relief (Fiolent, Kara-Dag, Ayu-Dag, Kastel, etc.)

About 120 environmental sites are concentrated in the mountains of Crimea, including the Crimean Natural Reserve, the Yalta Mountain Forest Nature Reserve and the Karadag Nature Reserve.

Origin of names

The territory of the peninsula combines various traditions of naming geographical objects associated with nomadic and sedentary cultures. As a result of the long stay of nomadic Turkic-speaking tribes here, place names derived from their tribal names are often found. These are the so-called genotoponyms (from the Greek genos - genus).

All nomadic pastoralists had a complexly branched tribal structure, each link of which, from the tribe to the smallest unit, the nomadic village, had its own name, which amounted to tens of thousands of names. Nomadism is not a chaotic process: each tribal community was assigned certain pastures, camps, and watering places. A kind of “document” that approved the right of preferential use of these lands was the family name assigned to the tract: for example, in the area of ​​Khangeldy, the pastures of the Khangeldy clan were at the Manzhil spring - a watering hole for the branch of the Manzhuli clan, - and they grazed cattle nearby, in the clearings of the city. Manjil.

Many mountains and rocks are named for their resemblance to human figures and animals: Muezzin-Kaya (muezzin-rock), Ayu-Dag (Bear-mountain), Baka-Tash (frog-stone).

Among the toponyms of the coast and adjacent slopes of the Main Ridge there are toponyms derived from the names of saints, belonging mainly to the Rumean language. In toponyms such as Ai-Petri, Ai-Nikola, the component Ai- comes from the modern Greek ayos — saint.

Geography

Researchers of Crimea note that the Crimean Mountains form three parallel ridges, directed from northeast to southwest, separated by two longitudinal valleys. All three ridges have the same type of slopes: they are gentle from the north and steep from the south.

As you approach the south, mountains begin to emerge. Already in the area of ​​Bakhchisarai, Simferopol and Belogorsk, the plain turns into low ridges of foothills. They form arcs convex to the northwest and north. The northernmost ridge (called the Outer Ridge) reaches only 343 m above sea level. It stretches from Cape Fiolent to Simferopol and ends northeast of Belogorsk.

The next ridge (Inner) is much higher. There are heights up to 639 m above sea level. The internal ridge follows the line Inkerman - Bakhchisaray - Simferopol and is separated from the previous one by a not particularly wide (2-3 km) depression - a longitudinal valley along which the highway and section of the Sevastopol - Simferopol railway runs.

Further to the south behind a wide, slightly hilly depression (the second longitudinal valley) is the region of the Crimean Mountains (yayla). The Crimean mountains are low (1000–1500 m above sea level), but they determine a peculiar repetition of more northern soil and plant zones: forest-steppe in the foothills and forests in the mountains.

At the eastern end of the Black Sea coastline, near Cape Meganom, where the Crimean Mountains descend, there is a semi-desert region. A little further to the east, on the western slopes of the Kara-Dag, the semi-desert is replaced by arid open forest, followed by the steppes of the outskirts of Feodosia and the Kerch Peninsula.

The main ridge of the Crimean Mountains

The westernmost section of the Main Ridge is a chain of highlands, also called yayla (yayla in the southern dialect of the Crimean Tatar language means a summer mountain pasture, mainly located on these highlands). Among the flat-topped, sometimes hilly areas, sometimes rocky, sometimes overgrown with forbs, with darkening islands of groves, individual peaks and ridges stand out. Their relative height above the surface of the yayla is small, but above sea level they rise more than a thousand meters (the highest point of Roman-Kosh is 1545 m). To the south, the yaylas end with majestic rock walls, which sometimes reach a height of several hundred meters. Their protrusions form separate peaks: At-Bash, Kilse-Burun, Spirady, etc. Through depressions and breaks in rocky cliffs, in ancient times, pass paths were laid from the coast of Yayla and further to the north.

Along the southern slopes of the Main Ridge, in places there are scattered outliers - separate massifs or rocks that broke away from it in ancient times under the influence of tectonic processes and gradually slid down. Among them are Paragilmen, Mogabi, Biyuk-Isar and, already sliding down to the sea itself, Cape Ai-Todor and Genoese Rock.

In some places, from the edge of the yayla, small ridges fall down to the south in steep rocky ledges; they are visible, for example, over Yalta: Stavreya-Bogaz, Iograph, Kyzyl-Kaya. The spurs stretching to the west and north are longer and more massive. The slopes of the Main Ridge are cut by ravines and gorges and covered with forest, especially dense on the northern side.

Mountain Crimea rightfully ranks first in the number of open karst cavities among the speleological regions of the former USSR. Here on an area of ​​about 1000 sq. km, about 800 different wells, caves and mines are known - about a quarter of the total number of karst cavities discovered and studied; In second place in the number of known caves is Western Georgia (480), and in third place is the Perm region (230). In Crimea there is the longest cave of the former USSR in limestone (Krasnaya, 21.1 km) and four of the 20 deepest karst mines (Hod Konem, 213 m; Molodezhnaya, 261 m; Cascade, 310 m; Soldatskaya, 500 m).

). The total length of the Crimean Mountains is 160 km, width – about 50 km. The height of the inner ridge reaches 750 m. The inner ridge is a series of cuestas that gradually rise to 350 m. The highest point Crimean mountains is located on the Main Ridge stretching along the entire southern coast of Crimea. This Mount Roman-Kosh(1545 m), located on Babugan-yayla.

Crimean Mountains: origin

If we consider Crimean mountains Through the eyes of a geologist, you can see that the Main Ridge is an elevated block with a number of faults in the north. Such a structure was formed already in the Early Cretaceous, after other synclinal troughs of the southern part of the peninsula closed and the surface of Crimea rose, giving the landscape its modern contours. The mountains are composed mainly of sedimentary rocks, which are between 180 and 200 million years old. These rocks are distributed unevenly: below are clay shales and quartzite sandstones, crushed into small folds; the next layer is igneous rocks, conglomerates and clay-sand layers; Upper Jurassic limestones, conglomerates and sandstones, and clay are located above.

Geologically Crimean mountains are part of the Alpine folded region of Europe.

Climate of the Crimean Mountains

The mountain climate in Crimea is humid and moderately cold, similar to the Mediterranean. In the mountains, winter begins in mid-October and lasts until the end of March. Closer to the peaks, the snow cover can reach a meter thick. The weather during this period is unstable, with sudden temperature changes. Mountain slopes Chatyr-Dag, Ai-Petri , Demerdzhi and Babugan-yayly In winter they are dangerous for avalanches. Summer in the Crimean Mountains is dry and hot, but even in July night temperatures can drop to 0°C. Each mountain slope of the peninsula has its own climatic conditions. This is due to the fact that each of them is exposed to different winds.

Mountain Tears: Streams and Rivers

The Crimean Mountains contain the main watershed of the entire peninsula. Most of the rivers begin on the Main Ridge, at altitudes from 600 to 1100 meters. The total flows from the mountains are about 774 million cubic meters with an average density of the river network of 0.2 km/km 2 . Based on the topography, watercourses can be divided into three groups: rivers, gullies and streams of the Southern Coast of Crimea, gullies and rivers of the northwestern slopes of the Main Ridge, gullies and rivers of the northeastern slopes of the Main Ridge.

The shortest watercourses are located on Southern coast of Crimea– there are practically no rivers longer than 10 kilometers. Starting on the southern side of the Main Ridge, they flow into the Black Sea. These rivers are characterized by slopes from 172 to 234 m/km with an average catchment height of up to 900 meters. This group of rivers contains 36 watercourses with a total length of 293.6 km. The most important of them: Derekoyka, Ulu-Uzen, Uchan-Su, Avunda.

On the northwestern side of the Main Ridge, the longest and deepest rivers of Crimea begin. There are only eight main rivers, but their total length is 328 km. They also flow into the Black Sea. The main rivers of this group: Black, Belbek, Kacha, Kokkozka, Alma, Salgir, Biyuk-Karasu, Indol.

Flora and fauna of the Crimean Mountains

The complex terrain and varied climatic conditions provided the Crimean Mountains with a variety of vegetation concentrated in a small space. From a botanical point of view, mountains can be divided into the following zones:

• northern slopes;
• flat top (plateau);
• southern slopes.

The southern slopes are covered with the most typical vegetation for Crimea, including samples characteristic only of Crimea. Mountain flora changes as you rise to the peaks, forming belts:

• lower - up to 226 meters (south-coast vegetation: Abraham tree, lure, hazelnut, cotoneaster, cup tree, rose hip, blackberry, hold-tree, capers, crazy cucumber, acacia, magnolia, boxwood, cork oak, bananas, wisteria, almonds , pistachio tree, walnut, etc.);
• medium - above 226 meters (deciduous forests predominate, consisting of small-leaved hornbeam, oak and Crimean pine);
• the upper one consists mainly of beech forests, in which Scots and Crimean pines, maple, aspen, dogwood, and rowan are found.

On the northern slope, the first belt consists mainly of meadows. The kingdom of herbs is also located on the yayls. The rich vegetation provides good shelter for the animals of Crimea. In the mountains you can see gophers, hamsters, jerboas, Crimean weasels, hedgehogs, ferrets, badgers, martens, foxes, deer, roe deer, mouflon and wild boars. sky above Crimean mountains They have taken a liking to different species of larks, bald larks, millet grasses, wheatears, bee-eaters, shrikes, starlings, nightjars, nightingales, warblers, jays, barn owls, vultures and dozens of species of other birds.

Caves of Crimea

A large number of caves of different sizes have been discovered in the Crimean Mountains. The most famous of them:

• Celtic;
• Red (Kyzyl-Koba);
• Honey;
• Yeni-Sala;
• Hanging;
• Geophysical;
• Basman;
• Thousand-headed (Binbash-Koba);
• Marble;
• Suuk-Koba.

Nature reserves and sanctuaries of the mountainous Crimea

The unique nature of the Crimean Mountains has been preserved thanks to human efforts: several nature reserves and reserves of national importance are located on the territory of the mountain range. The largest of them:

• Crimean Nature Reserve (the largest nature reserve of the peninsula, located in the central part of the mountainous Crimea, area - about 33 thousand hectares);
• Orlinovsky reserve;
• Beech Grove (Ai-Petri);
• Reserve "Chatyr-Dag".

Grand Canyon of Crimea

On the east side Kokkoz Valley, cut into the northern slope of the Ai-Petrinskaya Yayla, there is a gorge called the Grand Canyon of Crimea. Since 1974, it has been a natural reserve and is protected by the state. The depth of the canyon reaches 320 m, length - 3.5 km, width in the narrowest places - about 3 m. The Auzun-Uzen River flows along the bottom of the canyon.

The most famous “mountain” places in Crimea

There are many places in the Crimean Mountains that are popular not only among rock climbing enthusiasts, but also among ordinary tourists. These places delight the eye with the beauty of local landscapes unique to them and the magnificent panoramic views that open from them. The most famous “mountainous” places in Crimea are.

Sheer cliffs and slopes attract many climbers, because these mountains are considered quite difficult for rock climbing.

It should also be noted that most of the Crimean mountains are either nature reserves or nature reserves. These fantastically beautiful places, what mountains exist, and where the highest point of Crimea is located, their height and much more will be discussed in this article.

Briefly about the geology of Crimea

The very foundation of the Crimean Mountains is composed of rocks of the Triassic and Jurassic periods. These are quartz sandstones and, a little higher, conglomerates (Upper Jurassic sedimentary rocks), clayized sandstones and volcanic rocks. Even higher are the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous deposits, represented mainly by limestones.

The boundary layer between these conglomerates and limestones is a water-repellent layer through which water seeped through karst formations flows into the valleys.

The Crimean convexity (anticlinorium), under the influence of underground forces lasting millions of years, was divided into 3 ridges, which represent steps. It’s easier to imagine this in the form of 3 waves running from north to south, with their height increasing from the first to the last (from the Outer to the Main ridge).

The Crimea itself, and the entire island, are the results of centuries-long hibernation of the surface of a piece of land under a layer of sea water. A long time ago, the peninsula rested on the seabed, where it accumulated a huge amount of sedimentary rocks, composed mainly of marls, limestones, shales and sandstones (these rocks are observed underfoot). Using scientific terminology, we can say that the surface of the Main Ridge of the peninsula is Mediterranean karst.

Height of the Crimean mountains

The highest mountains of Crimea are not that high.

The lists of the highest peaks of Crimea include, first of all, the mountains of the Babugan-Yayly massif.

Their heights are up to 1.5 thousand kilometers above sea level. These are Roman-Kosh, Boynus-Tepe, Uchurum-Kaya, Zeytin-Kosh and many others. And the Gurzuf plateau is also quite high. The city of Demir Kapu rises above it. The Yalta yayla at the junction with the Gurzuf yayla is higher than in the west. This is confirmed by the height of the Kemal Egerek peak, which is 1,529 meters. The massif stretches for 180 kilometers from the northeast to the southwest of the peninsula.

The Crimean mountains contain a huge number of small ridges. Many of them do not exceed 3-4 kilometers in length.

More often these ridges extend in the meridional direction, some of which are spurs of plateaus. But among them there are also majestic mountain ranges, for example Sinap-Dag. Its three peaks have a height of more than 1300 meters. And the most beautiful are the Kizil-Kaya and Balanyn Kayasy mountains, adjacent to the Yalta Plateau.

Above sea level, Mount Roman-Kosh rises to a height of 1545 meters. Of course, these are not the majestic Alps or the mighty Everest, but many also strive to visit this highest mountain of Crimea.

Roman-Kosh is located on the above-mentioned Babugan-yayla. Here is located one of the Roman-Kosh - its integral part. It is known that the name of the mountain is translated as “highest peace” and is of Indo-Aryan origin.

The highest point of Crimea has numerous caves. According to legend, pirates and robbers hid in them with looted treasures. Therefore, in those days this mountain was called “Robber”. It is known that later khans and governors hid in caves from enemies and stored jewelry and gold in them.

Despite all these amazing legends of wealth, not a single gold coin was discovered in the Roman-Kosh caves.

A little about the Crimean Nature Reserve

The highest point of Crimea belongs to the territory of the famous and is located near the Gazebo of the Winds (a stone colonnade on top of Falcon Rock).

Due to the fact that the soil consists of water-soluble limestone, rock salt and gypsum, underground karst caves often form here.

The grass cover here in summer and autumn is quite sparse. When descending lower from the top, you can find limestone among the fragments, which creates excellent conditions for the rapid growth of yarrow, oregano, elecampane, etc. Among the animals here you can see deer or roe deer on the mountain slopes.

Below are the highest points of the peninsula in order of increasing altitude.

1. Quail Mountain (1320 m).

2. Kush-Kaya (1338 m).

3. Northern Demerdzhi (1360 m).

4. Cherkez-Kosh (1395 m).

5. Hangar-Burun (1453 m).

6. Eklizi-Burun (1527 m).

7. Kemal Egerek (1529 m).

8. Zeytin-Kosh (1537 m).

9. Demir-Kapu (1540 m).

10. Roman-Kosh (1545 m).

A little lower are the mountains: Chernaya, Tai-Koba, South Demerdzhi, Ai-Petri, etc.

Conclusion

The mountainous territories of Crimea have a surprisingly favorable and healing climate. And the highest point of Crimea is no exception. Summer here, as on the entire peninsula, is pleasant, not hot, calm, autumn is warm and long, winter is quite snowy and mild. And the onset of spring directly depends on the warming of the sea.

In any case, these amazingly beautiful places attract the attention of many travelers: both lovers of a relaxing beach holiday and romantics who want to see the indescribable beauty of the mountainous terrain.