The Russian plain and its rivers. Part 3

The formation of the surface of the Russian Plain took a long and difficult time, which led to a mosaic alternation of hills and lowlands. At the same time, its highest sections are located not in the center, but on the outskirts — on the Kola Peninsula, Volga, Stavropol and other uplands of the southern plain. In addition to the internal forces of the Earth, the development of the relief of the plain was influenced by climate, surface waters, and vegetation. The climate was unstable, and periods of severe cold snap were accompanied by glaciations. The main center of origin of the ice sheets was the north of the Scandinavian Peninsula. From here, the ice descended to the south, covered the northwestern part of the Russian Plain, and reached the lower reaches of the Dnieper and Don, and the Middle Volga, along wide river valleys. The heavy masses of ice, moving, smoothed out the surface irregularities. The ice carried with it fragments of rocks destroyed in its path, and during melting it was unloaded, creating mounds and ridges — lakes, kama, drumlins. The melting glacial waters carried the sands far away from the edge of the ice, creating huge sandy plains — sanders. The zanders now covered with forests are called Polesie — Pripyat, Meshchersk, etc. The relief created by glaciers and their meltwater is a relict relief. Surface water, gathering in streams and rivulets, partially destroyed glacial forms. However, in the forest area, where the influence of erosion processes is reduced, glacial landforms have been well preserved. On the Russian Plain, the destruction of rocks is strongly influenced by the change of seasons. In winter, the ground freezes to a depth of more than 1 m. The thinnest ice floes destroy the soil. Thawed spring waters carry away soil particles from the fields. A dense network of ravines and gullies dissects the uplands of the southern, mostly treeless, part of the Russian Plain. In spring and during the summer rains, streams of turbid waters flow into rivers and, flooding low banks, slow down their course. Turbidity containing fertile humus settles in the floodplains of rivers. The rivers of the Russian Plain are distinguished by their considerable length and calm flow. Their sources are close together, and their upper reaches flow into the basins of other rivers. Many streams, streams and rivers gather in the basins of large rivers — Volga, Don, Dnieper, Dniester, Neman, Western Dvina, Onega, Northern Dvina, Mezen, Pechora. The catchment area of large rivers varies. The basins of the Volga, Dnieper, Pechora, and Northern Dvina are large.


The Don and Mezen waters are collected from a relatively small area. The main watershed of the Russian Plain, separating the rivers of the basins of the Baltic, White and Barents Seas and the rivers flowing into the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas, is sharply approximated to the west and north. The outflow from the central parts of the Russian Plain, the Middle and Southern Urals is directed to the southeast, mainly into the Caspian Sea. The largest area (about 1,360,000 km2) is occupied by the Volga basin. diva spin Ελλαδα