The Sikhote-Alin Mountains are about 150 million years old. They were formed thanks to numerous volcanoes, the Pacific fold belt. Rocky peaks and forested slopes do not leave anyone indifferent. They gained the greatest popularity because of the meteor shower that fell in 1947. But first things first.
Where are the Sikhote-Alin mountains?
The mountains are located in the Russian Far East. They cover the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, stretching for 1200 kilometers along the Sea of Japan. They start approximately from the city of Nakhodka and end near the city of Nikolaevsk-on-Amur. In width, they span about 240 kilometers.
They formed in the Mesozoic era - an active period of mountain formation on the periphery of the oceans and the design of modern mainland contours. The mountain system includes many ridges, such as Livadia, Khomi, Tumin, Big Young and others.
The Sikhote-Alin Mountains are a watershed between the Tatar Strait, the Sea of Japan in the east and the Amur Basin in the west. They are not symmetrical. The watershed circuit is shifted towards the sea, and all water flows from the eastern slopes are much shorter than those that flow from the western side. Because of this, they got their name, which translates from Manchu as “the pass of the great western rivers.”
Tops
Sikhote-Alin are considered mid-altitude mountains. Most peaks reach only a thousand meters. Individual peaks rise up to 2000 m. Tordoki-Yani is the highest mountain of the Sikhote-Alin. Its height is 2090 meters, relative height - 1989 meters.
Tordoki-Yani is the remnant - the surviving part of the long-destroyed formation. The mountain is located in the northern part of the massif. The kar glaciers left numerous niches on the mountain, which are now filled with shallow lakes. At the very top, it is dotted with stone screes, rocky forms and acute-angled boulders (kurums).
Other famous peaks of the Sikhote-Alin: Mount Arsenyev (1757 m), Yako (1955 m). Cloudy (1856 m), Pidan (1334 m), Olkhovaya (1668 m), Anik (1955 m), Lysaya (1554 m), etc. The second highest peak is a mountain with the short name "Ko". It rises to 2004 meters. From here begins the river of the same name. Ko is considered the southernmost two thousandth of the country.
Mountain relief
Sikhote-Alin are significantly different in the south and north. In the Primorye region, in the southern part, they are smooth, not very high, rounded. In the direction of the Khabarovsk Territory, they acquire sharp, clear outlines. Here the relief is very dissected, and is represented by a mixture of rocks, depressions and destruction.
The foothills of the Sikhote-Alin are composed of basalt plateaus. The largest of them is Sovetskaya Gavan, consisting of rounded, forested hills. The mountains themselves are composed of sandy shales interspersed with other rocks.
The Sikhote-Alin mountains do not have one central peak. These are ancient formations. Having survived several geological eras, they were repeatedly exposed to destructive forces. This is evidenced by solitary cliffs and the highest peaks, with all their appearance and structure, they report that they were once part of much higher and enormous mountains.
On the western side, the foothills of the ranges are represented by horizontal terraces that end with ledges. The rivers in these places are rapids, often form waterfalls. In the south and east of the river are fast and stormy. They flow down to the sea along crevices between steep cliffs. The active work of the surf made the sea coast steep, which undoubtedly liked the loons, gulls, cormorants and other birds nesting here.
Climate
The climate of most of the Sikhote-Alin mountains is unfavorable for humans and is equated to the Far North. It’s monsoon in character. In winter, dry and cold from winds coming from the continent, and in summer, wet from the air masses from the ocean.
However, this definition is more suitable for the western and northern slopes. In winter, the weather is snowless and very cold. In the north in the mountains, the temperature reaches -45 degrees. The coast of Japan is affected by the Sea of Japan, which makes the climate much milder. However, the calm weather is no different.
In the south and east of the mountains, winter is a period of snowfalls and blizzards. From January to March there is a high risk of avalanche formation. In the spring, especially in the south, the mountains completely dump snow. In May, there may still be frosts, but the summer is always warm. It comes along with torrential rains, hurricane winds and fogs.
Nature
Due to its relatively low altitude, the Sikhote-Alin Mountains are densely covered with vegetation. There are several large protected areas: Anyui National Park, Sikhote-Alin Reserve, Botchinsky and Lazovsky Reserves.
In the Sikhote-Alin mountains, mixed (coniferous-deciduous) forests and coniferous forests grow. White fir, spiky yew, endemic olga larch and microbiota are found in them. The forest zone reaches a mark of about 1,400 meters. Further, a narrow strip of shrubs and dwarf species grow, for example, cedar dwarf pine (on Tordoki-Yani), which pass into the mountain tundra.
The rare and endangered inhabitants of the region are: Amur tiger, white-breasted bear, black and Japanese crane, fish owl, Amur goral, black stork. Here you can also find the northernmost subspecies of the leopard - the Far East. This is an endemic that numbers only 57 individuals.
Human footprint
People in the mountains of Sikhote-Alin settled before our era. They did not rise too high, and placed their homes on the terraced slopes. They made weapons, blades and tips from a material typical of the area. No, not iron or granite, but obsidian - dark-colored volcanic glass.
In the Middle Ages, the possessions of the Kingdom of Bohai most likely spread to the territory of Sikhote-Alin. His culture and political structure was similar to China. The kingdom was located on the Korean Peninsula, in Manchuria and the Primorsky Territory. In the mountains, archaeologists discovered the remains of ancient fortifications, the foundation of the palace and other buildings of the Bohai period.
There are many minerals in the mountains and surrounding areas, such as gold, quartzite, lead, graphite, and iron ore. However, the industrial development of the area began only 80 years ago. Currently, there are very few villages in Sikhote Alin. The largest of them are located in the lower reaches of the southern part of Primorye. In the north and in the center of the mountainous country they are tied to a single railway.
Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve
The nature reserve in the Sikhote-Alin mountains was created back in 1935. Then its area was a million hectares. This did not last long, and after twenty years, it was reduced tenfold.
Now the reserve covers only 402,000 square kilometers, but this is enough to be on the UNESCO list and play a crucial role in the conservation of rare species. The purpose of the park was originally to restore the number of endangered sables, now attention has focused more on Amur tigers.
The reserve is inhabited by 63 species of mammals, approximately 340 species of birds, 13 species of amphibians and reptiles. The local nature is unique. In one territory, both thermophilic and cold-resistant species live here. In the Sikhote-Alin park there are Himalayan bears, roe deer, and mink. In it you can meet the Ussuri marten of yellow color, covered with thick fur of a forest cat and musk deer - a deer with two long fangs.
The plant world is no less diverse and is represented by cedars, yews, alder, as well as many flowers and herbs, for example, peonies, lemongrass, rhododendron, rhodiola.
Under protection are not only individual species, but also unique complexes: solonetzic lakes, steppe meadows, lagoon lakes, rocky ecosystems and birch-oak groves - typical habitats of ungulates.
Meteor falling
In February 1947, one of the largest meteorites of our planet was approaching the Earth. Of course, he did not reach the whole. From a collision with the atmosphere, the cosmic rock scattered meteor shower over the Sikhote-Alin mountains.
It consisted mainly of iron, as well as nickel, cobalt, sulfur, carbon and phosphorus. The fragments left behind more than a hundred craters and craters. All found fragments weigh 27 tons. There were individual fragments weighing 300, 500 and even 1000 kg, the largest of which reaches 1745 kg.