As part of the school curriculum, students study continents. The most interesting is Eurasia. Why is that? First of all, it represents the largest continent on Earth. Given its size, it is not surprising that in this area there are sites with different terrain and climate. It is also worth paying attention to the geological structure of the area.
This article will discuss the features of the relief of Eurasia. So let's get started.
Mainland Eurasia: A Brief Description
Eurasia, as already mentioned, is the largest continent on the planet. Its area is measured on a huge scale, which make up almost 40% of all land. To put it in figures, the size of this territory amounted to almost 55 million square meters. km There are about 100 states on this continent. Its position on the map can be found by the following coordinates: between 1 ° 16 's. W and 77 ° 43 's. W .; 9 ° 31 's d. and 169 ° 42 's. d.
It is worth noting that the mainland is unique not only for its size. Eurasia is the only continent on the planet that is washed by all four oceans of the globe. Also interesting is the fact that on its territory two parts of the world unite - Europe and Asia. And since they lie in different geographical zones, the relief and climate of Eurasia throughout the entire length varies greatly.
Highlights of the formation
I would like to highlight the fact that Eurasia is significantly different in geological structure from other continents. It is based on several plates and platforms. The time period of formation falls on the Cenozoic and Mesozoic era. Geologically, the mainland is considered the youngest.
Eurasia structure:
- North: Siberian, East European platforms and West Siberian plate.
- East: South China, Sino-Korean platforms and Alpine folding plates.
- West: plates of Paleozoic platforms and Hercynian folding.
- South: Arabian, Indian platforms and Iranian plate.
Also on the territory of the mainland there are large cracks and faults, which predominate to a greater extent in the Siberian region (for example, Tibet, Lake Baikal). Volcanoes and earthquakes can occur in folded belts , as evidenced by the features of the Eurasian relief. In these territories, due to the unusual structure of the earth's crust, there are rich mineral deposits such as tin, tungsten, natural gas, oil, various ores and others.
Variety of mountainous terrain
The features of the mountainous terrain are that, unlike other continents, where the hills are mainly located on the outskirts, here they are at the very bottom, separated by two folded belts: the Pacific and the Albian-Himalayan. The first of them stretches across almost the entire eastern part. Here, the intensified movement of the earth's crust is still observed.
When compiling a description of the relief of Eurasia, it is worth noting that the average elevation values vary within 830 m. It is here that the highest point on the planet is Mount Everest (8 848 m). Other mountain formations are no less significant:
- Himalayas - a mountain system located on the border of South and Central Asia. It is considered the highest array. It covers an area of about 1.1 million square meters. km It has a length of more than 2.3 thousand km, and reaches almost 1.4 thousand km in width.
- Hindu Kush - the mountain system of Central Asia. It occupies an area of about 155 thousand square meters. km The width and length of the massif almost reach 600 km.
- Tien Shan is a mountain system located on the territory of five Central Asian states. Consists of numerous ridges. The highest mountain is Victory Peak (7,439 m).
- Altai mountains are one of the most complex systems that represent the relief of Eurasia. Located in four countries, the total area is about 740 thousand square meters. km The mountain range is more than 1.8 thousand km long, and a little more than 1.2 thousand km wide.
- Alps - a mountain range that does not go beyond the borders of Europe, with a total area of 190 thousand square meters. km The highest peak is Mont Blanc (4,810 m).
- The Caucasus Mountains consist of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus. Geographically located between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea.
- The Ural Mountains - an array that runs between two plains: the West Siberian and East European. Its length was 2 thousand km, and the width varies from 40 to 150 km.
- The Deccan Plateau is located in South Asia (Hindustan Peninsula). It occupies a fairly large area - about 1 million square meters. km
- The Central Siberian Plateau is located in Eastern Siberia. The maximum height is 1701 m (Kamen peak). Almost throughout the territory dominates sharply continental climate.
Plain relief of Eurasia
In addition to the mountain peaks, there are also plains on the mainland. Let's look at them.
- The East European Plain is located in the eastern part of Europe. On its territory there are 10 states. Most of it belongs to Russia. The borders are the coasts of the Baltic, White, Caspian, Black, Azov and Barents Seas, as well as the Ural Mountains. By area, the plain covers an area of more than 4 million square meters. km The average height is 170 m.
- The West Siberian Plain is located in the north of Asia. It extends from the Central Siberian Plateau to the Ural Mountains. It is on this territory that the large rivers of Russia flow: the Ob, Irtysh, Yenisei. The area of this area is 2.6 million square meters. km The climatic conditions here are quite severe.
- Turan plain occupies the territory of Central Asia. In the north it borders with the Turgai plateau, in the south - with the foothills of Paropamiz. The climate in this region is sharply continental, and in the south - subtropical.
- The Great Plain of China is located in East Asia. This region is considered one of the largest. Its area is more than 320 thousand square meters. km The climate in this area is temperate monsoon, in the south - subtropical.
Climate features
The relief of Eurasia directly affects the formation of the climate. Considering that the mainland is quite large, the climate diversity is pronounced here. Almost all climatic zones pass through the territory of Eurasia.
In the north, polar and subpolar are distinguished. Towards the south, they are replaced by a temperate zone, which, in turn, becomes subtropical. The tropical belt extends from the Mediterranean and Red Seas all the way to India. Subequatorial dominates the territory of India and Indochina, capturing the southern part of China. And the last climate zone is equatorial. It covers the territory of the islands of Southeast Asia.
In the center of the continent, there is a sharp change in climate at different times of the year. It is cold in winter and warm in summer. The difference between the upper and lower temperature limits is 50-70 ° C.
When studying the climate, it is important to take into account the relief of Eurasia. Mountain formations are clear boundaries of weather conditions. For example, in the direction from north to south, the territory is entirely occupied by the huge Alpine-Himalayan mountain belt. In winter, the ridges do not allow cold winds, and in summer - warm. In the north of the Himalayas, the minimum rainfall is up to 100 mm per year, but at the foot of the east this figure reaches a record of 1,000 mm. Near the city of Cherapundji is the wettest point on the planet. The amount of precipitation here reaches about 12,000 mm per year.
Winter in areas that are limited by mountains is warm. The temperature here rarely drops below -5 ° C. But the flat terrain from November to March-April is under the influence of cold cyclones. This season is characterized by precipitation in the form of snow, accompanied by low temperatures, sometimes reaching minus 45-50 ° C.