49°N 89°E / 49°N 89°E / 49; 89
56-654: Khuiten River is a small, relatively swift-flowing but meandering river that drains part of the Altai Mountains into western Mongolia 's Khoton Lake south of the Biluut Hills. It runs through a sheltered valley of rugged grassland used by nomads for pasturing. This article related to a river in Mongolia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Altai Mountains The Altai Mountains ( / ɑː l ˈ t aɪ / ), also spelled Altay Mountains , are
112-579: A mountain range in Central and East Asia , where Russia , China , Mongolia , and Kazakhstan converge, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob have their headwaters. The massif merges with the Sayan Mountains in the northeast, and gradually becomes lower in the southeast, where it merges into the high plateau of the Gobi Desert . It spans from about 45° to 52° N and from about 84° to 99° E. The region
168-724: A big bend, the river (600 km (370 mi) long) pierces the Katun Belki , and enters a wider valley, lying at an elevation of 600–1,100 m (2,000–3,600 ft), which it follows until it emerges from the Altai highlands to join the Biya River . Here, the two rivers merge together to form the Ob River . The next valley is that of the Charysh , which has the Korgon and Tigeretsk Range on one side and
224-522: A grotto in this glacier bursts tumultuously the Katun river. The middle and lower parts of the Bukhtarma valley have been colonized since the 18th century by runaway Russian peasants, serfs, and religious schismatics ( Raskolniks ), who created a free republic there on Chinese territory ; and after this part of the valley was annexed to Russia in 1869, it was rapidly colonized. The high valleys farther north, on
280-542: A river was already there, though not necessarily on exactly the same course. Then, subterranean geological forces caused the land in that part of North America to gradually rise by about a centimeter per year for millions of years. An unusual balance occurred: the river that would become the Colorado River was able to erode into the crust of the Earth at a nearly equal rate to the uplift of the plateau. Now, millions of years later,
336-513: A small flat top while others have wider ones. Plateaus can be formed by a number of processes, including upwelling of volcanic magma, extrusion of lava, plate tectonics movements, and erosion by water and glaciers. Volcanic plateaus are produced by volcanic activity . The Columbia Plateau in the north-western United States is an example. They may be formed by upwelling of volcanic magma or extrusion of lava. The underlining mechanism in forming plateaus from upwelling starts when magma rises from
392-493: A system of remote mountains in central Asia that cover an area of 845,000 km (326,000 sq mi). The mountains stretch for 2,525 km (1,569 mi) from northwest to southeast. In the north of the region is the Sailughem Mountains , also known as Kolyvan Altai , which stretch northeast from 49° N and 86° E towards the western extremity of the Sayan Mountains in 51° 60' N and 89° E. Their mean elevation
448-483: Is 1,500–1,750 m (4,920–5,740 ft). The snow-line runs at 2,000 m (6,600 ft) on the northern side and at 2,400 m (7,900 ft) on the southern, and above it the rugged peaks tower some 1,000 m (3,300 ft) higher. Mountain passes across the range are few and difficult, the chief being the Ulan-daban at 2,827 m (9,275 ft) (or 2,879 m (9,446 ft) according to Kozlov), and
504-539: Is a small herd in a nursery in the Altai Republic . Moor frogs are near bodies of water as high up as 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in the Altai mountains. The Altai mountains have retained a remarkably stable climate, changing little since the last ice age. In addition the mix of mammals has remained largely the same, with a few exceptions such as extinct mammoths, making it one of the few places on earth to retain an ice age fauna. The Altai mountains were home to
560-523: Is also a protected site. Violations of the protection status of Argali sheep and other species have been alleged, together with accusations of corruption, in the Altaigate Scandal . The incident arose from the death of several Russian VIPs in a helicopter crash early in 2009, purportedly on a poaching excursion. The Siberian Altai represents the northernmost region affected by the tectonic collision of India into Asia. Extensive fault systems run through
616-655: Is also called Uch-Sumer. The second highest peak of the range is in Mongolian part named Khüiten Peak . This massive peak reaches 4,374 m (14,350 ft). Numerous spurs, striking in all directions from the Sailughem mountains, fill up the space between that range and the lowlands of Tomsk . Such are the Chuya Belki , having an average elevation of 2,700 m (8,900 ft), with summits from 3,500–4,177 m (11,483–13,704 ft) and several glaciers on their northern slope;
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#1732854704365672-606: Is derived from underlying form * altañ "gold, golden" (compare Old Turkic 𐰞𐱃𐰆𐰣 altun "gold, golden") with coda -ñ underlying the -n & -y correspondence among cognates in different Turkic languages & dialects (e.g. qōñ ~ qoy "sheep", Qitan ~ Qitay "Khitans", etc.), as well as in Mongolian. The mountains are called Altain nuruu ( Алтайн нуруу ) in Khalkha Mongolian , altai-yin niruɣu in Chakhar Mongolian , and Altay tuular ( Алтай туулар ) in
728-609: Is divided into three main flat regions: the Bogotá savanna , the valleys of Ubaté and Chiquinquirá , and the valleys of Duitama and Sogamoso . The parallel Sierra of Andes delimit one of the world highest plateaux: the Altiplano , (Spanish for "high plain"), Andean Plateau or Bolivian Plateau. It lies in west-central South America, where the Andes are at their widest, is the most extensive area of high plateau on Earth outside of Tibet. The bulk of
784-445: Is inhabited by a sparse but ethnically diverse population, including Russians , Kazakhs , Altais , Tuvans , Mongols , and Volga Germans , though predominantly represented by indigenous ethnic minorities of semi-nomadic people. The local economy is based on bovine , sheep , horse husbandry , hunting , agriculture , forestry , and mining . The proposed Altaic language family takes its name from this mountain range. Altai
840-416: Is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides have deep hills or escarpments . Plateaus can be formed by a number of processes, including upwelling of volcanic magma , extrusion of lava , and erosion by water and glaciers . Plateaus are classified according to their surrounding environment as intermontane, piedmont, or continental. A few plateaus may have
896-683: Is sometimes called the Roof of Africa due to its height and large area. Another example is the Highveld which is the portion of the South African inland plateau which has an altitude above approximately 1,500 metres, but below 2,100 metres, thus excluding the Lesotho mountain regions. It is home to some of the largest South African urban agglomerations . In Egypt are the Giza Plateau and Galala Mountain , which
952-658: Is studded with large lakes, e.g. Uvs 720 m (2,360 ft) above sea level, Khyargas , Dorgon and Khar 1,170 m (3,840 ft), and traversed by various mountain ranges , of which the principal are the Tannu-Ola Mountains , running roughly parallel with the Sayan Mountains as far east as the Kosso-gol , and the Khan Khökhii mountains, also stretching west and east. The north western and northern slopes of
1008-528: Is the Scottish Highlands . Plateaus are classified according to their surrounding environment. The highest African plateau is the Ethiopian Highlands which cover the central part of Ethiopia. It forms the largest continuous area of its altitude in the continent, with little of its surface falling below 1,500 metres (4,921 ft), while the summits reach heights of up to 4,550 metres (14,928 ft). It
1064-558: Is the home of more than 70 million people. The Western Plateau , part of the Australian Shield , is an ancient craton covering much of the continent's southwest, an area of some 700,000 square kilometres. It has an average elevation between 305 and 460 metres. The North Island Volcanic Plateau is an area of high land occupying much of the centre of the North Island of New Zealand, with volcanoes, lava plateaus, and crater lakes,
1120-612: Is very difficult. The oldest known text that describes skiing is from a Chinese text that dates to the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC to 24 AD) and refers to skiers in the Altai Mountains. A vast area of 16,178 km (6,246 sq mi) , which incorporates the Altai and Katun Natural Reserves, Lake Teletskoye , Mount Belukha , and the Ukok Plateau , this area is designated as a World Heritage Site (UNESCO), entitled
1176-753: The Altay language . They are also called Алтай таулары or التاي تاۋلارى in Kazakh ; Altajskije gory ( Алтайские горы ) in Russian ; Altay Taghliri ( ىالتاي تاغلىرى or Алтай Тағлири ) in Uyghur ; ā'ěrtài shānmài in Chinese ( 阿尔泰山脉 simplified , 阿爾泰山脈 traditional , or اَعَرتَىْ شًامَىْ in Xiao'erjing ); and Arteː shanmeː ( Артэ Шанмэ ) in Dungan . The Altai Mountains are
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#17328547043651232-579: The Chapchan-daban , at 3,217 m (10,554 ft), in the south and north respectively. On the east and southeast this range is flanked by the great plateau of Mongolia, the transition being affected gradually by means of several minor plateaus, such as Ukok (2,380 m (7,810 ft)) with Pazyryk Valley, Chuya (1,830 m (6,000 ft)), Kendykty (2,500 m (8,200 ft)), Kak (2,520 m (8,270 ft)), (2,590 m (8,500 ft)), and (2,410 m (7,910 ft)). This region
1288-847: The Deccan Plateau (≈1,900,000 km (730,000 sq mi), elevation 300–600 metres (980–1,970 ft)). A large plateau in North America is the Colorado Plateau , which covers about 337,000 km (130,000 sq mi) in Colorado , Arizona , New Mexico , and Utah . In northern Arizona and southern Utah the Colorado Plateau is bisected by the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon . This came to be over 10 million years ago,
1344-567: The Deccan Plateau in India and the Meseta Central on the Iberian Peninsula . Plateaus can also be formed by the erosional processes of glaciers on mountain ranges, leaving them sitting between the mountain ranges. Water can also erode mountains and other landforms down into plateaus. Dissected plateaus are highly eroded plateaus cut by rivers and broken by deep narrow valleys. An example
1400-681: The Denisovan branch of hominids who were contemporaries of Neanderthals and of Homo sapiens (modern humans), descended from Hominids who reached Asia earlier than modern humans. The Denisova hominin , dated to 40,000 years ago, was discovered in the Denisova Cave of the Altai mountains in southern Siberia in 2008. Knowledge of the Denisovan humans derives primarily from DNA evidence and artifacts, as no complete skeletons have yet been recovered. DNA evidence has been unusually well preserved because of
1456-612: The Golden Mountains of Altai . As stated in the UNESCO description of the site, "the region represents the most complete sequence of altitudinal vegetation zones in central Siberia, from steppe, forest-steppe, mixed forest, subalpine vegetation to alpine vegetation". While making its decision, UNESCO also cited Russian Altai's importance for preservation of the globally endangered mammals, such as Snow leopard , Altai argali , and Siberian ibex that live in these mountains. The Uvs Nuur basin
1512-638: The Katun Belki , which have a mean elevation of about 3,000 m (9,800 ft) and are mostly snow-clad; the Kholzun range; the Korgon , highest point Mayak Shangina , the Talitsk and Selitsk ranges; as well as the Tigeretsk Range . Several secondary plateaus of lower elevations are also distinguished by geographers. The Valley of the Katun river begins as a wild gorge on the south-west slope of Belukha; then, after
1568-700: The Khovd basin on the north from the Irtysh basin on the south, is a true border-range, in that it rises in a steep and lofty escarpment from the Dzungarian depression (470–900 m (1,540–2,950 ft)), but descends on the north by a relatively short slope to the plateau (1,150–1,680 m (3,770–5,510 ft)) of north-western Mongolia . East of 94° E the range is continued by a double series of mountain chains, all of which exhibit less sharply marked orographical features and are at considerably lower elevations. The slopes of
1624-462: The Siberian ibex ( Capra sibirica ), whereas the rare argali ( Ovis ammon ) is found on more gentle slopes. Deer are represented by five species: Altai wapiti ( Cervus elaphus sibiricus ), moose ( Alces alces ), forest reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus valentinae ), Siberian musk deer ( Moschus moschiferus ), and Siberian roe deer ( Capreolus pygargus ). Moose and reindeer however, are restricted to
1680-613: The Talitsk and Baschelaksk Range (Бащелакский хребет) on the other. This, too, is very fertile. The Altai, seen from this valley, presents the most romantic scenes, including the small but deep Kolyvan Lake at an altitude of 360 m (1,180 ft), which is surrounded by fantastic granite domes and towers. Farther west the valleys of the Uba , the Ulba and the Bukhtarma open south-westwards towards
1736-408: The mantle , causing the ground to swell upward. In this way, large, flat areas of rock are uplifted to form a plateau. For plateaus formed by extrusion, the rock is built up from lava spreading outward from cracks and weak areas in the crust. Tectonic plateaus are formed by tectonic plate movements which cause uplift, and are normally of a considerable size, and a fairly uniform altitude. Examples are
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1792-552: The " Roof of the World ", which is still being formed by the collisions of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates . The Tibetan Plateau covers approximately 2,500,000 km (970,000 sq mi), at about 5,000 m (16,000 ft) above sea level. The plateau is sufficiently high to reverse the Hadley cell convection cycles and to drive the monsoons of India towards
1848-473: The Altai Mountains of Siberia" from "an even larger glacial lake" than Lake Missoula, which was once thought to have been "the largest ice-dammed lake in the world". Although earthquakes are generally rare occurrences, on 27 September 2003 a very large earthquake measuring M W 7.3 occurred in the Chuya Basin area to the south of the Altai region. This earthquake and its aftershocks devastated much of
1904-662: The Altiplano lies within Bolivian and Peruvian territory while its southern parts lie in Chile. The Altiplano plateau hosts several cities like Puno, Oruro, El Alto and La Paz the administrative seat of Bolivia. Northeastern Altiplano is more humid than the Southwestern, the latter of which hosts several salares , or salt flats, due to its aridity. At the Bolivia-Peru border lies Lake Titicaca ,
1960-523: The Bukhtarma fortress (345 m (1,132 ft)), it offers the most striking contrasts of landscape and vegetation. Its upper parts abound in glaciers, the best known of which is the Berel , which descends from the Belukha . On the northern side of the range which separates the upper Bukhtarma from the upper Katun is the Katun glacier, which after two ice-falls widen out to 700–900 m (2,300–3,000 ft). From
2016-859: The Irtysh. The lower part of the first, like the lower valley of the Charysh, is thickly populated; in the valley of the Ulba is the Riddersk mine, at the foot of the Ivanovsk Peak (2,060 m (6,760 ft)), clothed with alpine meadows. The valley of the Bukhtarma, which has a length of 320 km (200 mi), also has its origin at the foot of the Belukha and the Kuitun peaks, and as it falls some 1,500 m (4,900 ft) in about 3,000 km (1,900 mi), from an alpine plateau at an elevation of 1,900 m (6,200 ft) to
2072-698: The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is at an elevation of about 2,450 m (8,040 ft) above sea level , and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is about 2,150 m (7,050 ft) above sea level. At its deepest, the Colorado River is about 1,830 m (6,000 ft) below the level of the North Rim. Another high-altitude plateau in North America is the Mexican Plateau . With an area of 601,882 km (232,388 sq mi) and average height of 1,825 metres, it
2128-416: The Sailughem Mountains are extremely steep and difficult to access. On this side lies the highest summit of the range, the double-headed Belukha , whose summits reach 4,506 m (14,783 ft) and 4,400 m (14,400 ft) respectively, and give origin to several glaciers and glaciokarst formations (30 km (12 sq mi) in aggregate area, as of 1911 ). Altaians call it Kadyn Bazhy, but
2184-413: The area, including the Kurai fault zone and the recently identified Tashanta fault zone . These fault systems are typically thrusts or right lateral strike-slip faults , some of which are tectonically active. Rock types in the mountains are typically granites and metamorphic schists , and some are highly sheared near to fault zones. Geologist Victor R. Baker "has discovered past cataclysmic floods in
2240-521: The claims includes several cave petroglyphs within the Altai Mountains in modern China that depict human figures on skis that are chasing after an ibex . According to a study published by the Australian Rock Art Research Association (AURA) in 2016, this rock art was estimated to be from between 4,000 and 5,250 years ago, which consequently meant it may be just as old or possibly older than ancient skiing rock art and artefacts located in Scandinavia. However, dating petroglyphs accurately with current technology
2296-410: The constituent chains of the system are inhabited principally by nomadic Kyrgyz . The five highest mountains of the Altai are: The Altai-Sayan ecoregion is located at the intersection of the Central Asian and Siberian faunal provinces. The Altai mountains are home to a diverse fauna, because of its different habitats, like steppes, northern taigas and alpine vegetation. Steep slopes are home to
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2352-506: The gods" in the native tongue of the Pemon , the Indigenous people who inhabit the Gran Sabana . Tepuis can be considered minute plateaus and tend to be found as isolated entities rather than in connected ranges, which makes them the host of a unique array of endemic plant and animal species. Some of the most outstanding tepuis are Neblina , Autana , Auyan and Mount Roraima . They are typically composed of sheer blocks of Precambrian quartz arenite sandstone that rise abruptly from
2408-416: The jungle, giving rise to spectacular natural scenery. Auyán-tepui is the source of Angel Falls , the world's tallest waterfall . The Colombian capital city of Bogota sits on an Andean plateau known as the Altiplano Cundiboyacense roughly the size of Switzerland. Averaging a height of 2,600 m (8,500 ft) above sea level, this northern Andean plateau is situated in the country's eastern range and
2464-400: The lake rise almost sheer to over 1,800 m (5,900 ft). From this lake issues the Biya, which joins the Katun at Biysk , and then meanders through the prairies of the north-west of the Altai. Farther north the Altai highlands are continued in the Kuznetsk district, which has a slightly different geological aspect, but belongs to the Altai system. But the Abakan River , which rises on
2520-473: The low average temperature in the Denisova caves. Neanderthal bones and tools made by Homo sapiens have also been found in the Denisova Cave, making it the only place in the world where all three hominids are known to have lived. A dog-like canid from 33,000 years ago was found in the Razboinichya Cave . DNA analysis published in 2013 affirmed that it was more closely related to modern dogs than to wolves. The Altai Mountains have been identified as being
2576-479: The most notable of which is the country's largest lake, Lake Taupō . The plateau stretches approximately 100 km east to west and 130 km north to south. The majority of the plateau is more than 600 metres above sea level. A tepui ( / ˈ t ɛ p w i / ), or tepuy ( Spanish: [teˈpuj] ), is a table-top mountain or mesa found in the Guiana Highlands of South America, especially in Venezuela and western Guyana . The word tepui means "house of
2632-402: The northern parts also by the wolverine ( Gulo gulo ). The Tien Shan dhole ( Cuon alpinus hesperius ) (a northwestern subspecies of the Asiatic wild dog ) also lives there. Most species of the region are of Mongolian origin. The western Siberian eagle-owl can be found in the western part of the mountains. Until the 20th century, the Caspian tiger ( Panthera tigris tigris ) was found in
2688-500: The northern parts of the mountain range. The wild boar ( Sus scrofa ) is found in the lower foothills and surrounding lowlands. Until recently, the Mongolian gazelle ( Procapra gutturosa ) was found in the Russian Altai mountains, more specifically in the Chuya River steppe close to the Mongolian border. Large predators are represented by snow leopards ( Panthera uncia , syn. Uncia uncia ), wolves ( Canis lupus ), Eurasian lynx ( Lynx lynx ), and brown bears ( Ursus arctos ), in
2744-426: The point of origin of a cultural enigma termed the Seima-Turbino Phenomenon which arose during the Bronze Age around the start of the 2nd millennium BC and led to a rapid and massive migration of peoples from the region into distant parts of Europe and Asia. Some historians believe that the Altai mountain region may have been the location where skiing was born, however this remains disputed. Evidence to support
2800-436: The region, causing $ 10.6 million in damage ( USGS ) and wiping out the village of Beltir . Authorities cited: Plateau In geology and physical geography , a plateau ( / p l ə ˈ t oʊ , p l æ ˈ t oʊ , ˈ p l æ t oʊ / ; French: [plato] ; pl. : plateaus or plateaux ), also called a high plain or a tableland , is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that
2856-507: The same western face of the Sailughem range, are but little known, their only visitors being Kyrgyz shepherds. Those of Bashkaus , Chulyshman , and Chulcha , all three leading to the alpine lake of Teletskoye (length, 80 km (50 mi); maximum width, 5 km (3.1 mi); elevation, 520 m (1,710 ft); area, 230.8 km (89.1 sq mi); maximum depth, 310 m (1,020 ft); mean depth, 200 m (660 ft)), are inhabited by Telengit people. The shores of
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#17328547043652912-692: The south. The Deosai Plains in Pakistan are situated at an average elevation of 4,114 meters (13,497 ft) above sea level. They are considered to be the second highest plateaus in the world. Other major plateaus in Asia are: Najd on the Arabian Peninsula , elevation 762 to 1,525 m (2,500 to 5,003 ft), Armenian Highlands (≈400,000 km (150,000 sq mi), elevation 900–2,100 metres (3,000–6,900 ft)), Iranian Plateau (≈3,700,000 km (1,400,000 sq mi), elevation 300–1,500 metres (980–4,920 ft)), Anatolian Plateau , Mongolian Plateau (≈2,600,000 km (1,000,000 sq mi), elevation 1,000–1,500 metres (3,300–4,900 ft)), and
2968-433: The southern parts of the Altai mountains, where it reached Lake Zaisan and the Black Irtysh . Single individuals were also shot further north, for example close to Barnaul . Closely related to the Caspian tiger is the extant Amur tiger , which has the taxonomic name Panthera tigris altaica . The wisent was present in the Altai mountains until the Middle Ages , perhaps even until the 18th century. Today, there
3024-416: The surrounding coastline through enormous glaciers . The polar ice cap is so massive that the echolocation measurements of ice thickness have shown that large areas are below sea level . But, as the ice melts, the land beneath will rebound through isostasy and ultimately rise above sea level. The largest and highest plateau in the world is the Tibetan Plateau , sometimes metaphorically described as
3080-408: The western shoulder of the Sayan mountains, belongs to the system of the Yenisei . The Kuznetsk Ala-tau range, on the left bank of the Abakan, runs north-east into the government of Yeniseisk , while a complexus of mountains (Chukchut, Salair, Abakan) fills up the country northwards towards the Trans-Siberian Railway and westwards towards the Ob . The Ek-tagh or Mongolian Altai, which separates
3136-467: Was once called Gallayat Plateaus, rising 3,300 ft above sea level. Another very large plateau is the icy Antarctic Plateau , which is sometimes referred to as the Polar Plateau or King Haakon VII Plateau, home to the geographic South Pole and the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station , which covers most of East Antarctica where there are no known mountains but rather 3,000 m (9,800 ft) high of superficial ice and which spreads very slowly toward
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