Selenga Highlands

Coordinates: 51°N 107°E / 51°N 107°E / 51; 107
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Selenga Highlands
Селенгинское среднегорье
View of the Khambin Range from the eastern shore of Lake Gusinoye
Highest point
PeakBurgutuy Range HP
Elevation2,000 m (6,600 ft)
Dimensions
Length350 km (220 mi) NE/SW
Width140 km (87 mi) NW/SE
Area60,000 km2 (23,000 sq mi)
Geography
Selenga Highlands is located in Republic of Buryatia
Selenga Highlands
Selenga Highlands
Location in Buryatia, Russia
CountryRussia
South Siberian System
Borders onMongolia
Geology
Age of rockPaleozoic and Permian

The Selenga Highlands (Russian: Селенгинское среднегорье) are a mountainous area in Buryatia and the southwestern end of Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia.

The Highlands are named after the

Selenga River. Protected areas in the Highlands include the Baikal Nature Reserve and the Altacheysky Reserve.[1]

Geography

The Selenga Highlands are located in central and southern Buryatia. They rise in the area of the basin of the Selenga River, including its large tributaries –

Uda
. From the north, the highlands are edged by the valleys of the
Shilka, bordering on the Vitim Plateau. In the southeast they adjoin the Khentei-Daur Highlands and to the south lies the Mongolia–Russia border. In the southwest and west, the Highlands are bounded by the northern slopes of the Dzhidinsky Range and the southwestern slopes of the Lesser Khamar-Daban. Lake Gusinoye is located in a basin between two ranges of the highlands.[2]

Subranges

The Selenga Highlands include low to middle height mountain ranges with elevations ranging from 800 metres (2,600 ft) to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) above sea level, generally oriented in a northeast and ENE direction.

A stupa in the slopes of the Monostoy Range
View of the Ivolga archaeological site

Intermontane basins

In the Selenga Highlands some areas between ranges are occupied by significant depressions. These include:

  • Bichur Depression, with a length of 150 kilometres (93 mi) and a width of 20 kilometres (12 mi)
  • Gusinoozyor Basin, with a length of 50 kilometres (31 mi) and a width of 12 kilometres (7.5 mi)
  • Tugnuy-Sukhara Depression, with a length of 140 kilometres (87 mi) and a width of 30 kilometres (19 mi)
  • Other important
    intermontane basins
    are Borgoy, Ubukun-Orongoy, Udin-Ivolgin and Khudan-Kizhingin, among others.

Flora and climate

The Selenga Highlands include

Siberian apricot, listed in the Red Book of Buryatia, deserves mention.[4]

The climate of the Highlands area is harshly continental. The average annual temperature is −0.5 °C (31.1 °F). Annual precipitation in the middle reaches of the Selenga River is between 210 millimetres (8.3 in) and 250 millimetres (9.8 in). Further up the watershed of the river's tributaries it reaches 350 millimetres (14 in).[5]

Bibliography

See also

References

External links