Researchers are of great interest to many mountains of Russia. Beluga whale is one of them. The unusually beautiful mountain attracts not only climbers, but also all lovers of natural beauty. In shape, the peaks of Belukha Mountain resemble two irregular pyramids, between which there is a decrease, the height of the latter is quite large - four thousand meters. In height, Belukha Mountain is second only to Klyuchevskaya Sopka. The latter is located in Kamchatka.
Where is Belukha Mountain located?
The mountain is located in the Republic of Altai, more precisely, in the Ust-Koksinsky district. This is the highest peak in Siberia, crowning the Katunsky ridge. The height of Belukha Mountain is 4509 m. Its massif rises in the center of the Katunsky ridge, almost at the very border of Russia and Kazakhstan, on the border of the main ridge and its three spurs. Coordinates of Belukha Mountain - 49 ° 4825 s. w. and 86 ° 3523 in. d.
The two peaks of Belukha, combined with the peaks of the Korona Altai and Delone located on the right and left, form the Akkem wall, which falls almost vertically towards the Akkem glacier. Knowing where Belukha Mountain is located, lovers and professional climbers come here every year.
Description
The border of Kazakhstan and Russia stretches through the Belukha massif. From its slopes the full-flowing river Katun originates. Description of Belukha Mountain can be found in the advertising leaflets of many travel companies. It got its name thanks to the abundant snows covering Belukha from the base to the peak.
The mountain has two peaks, which in shape are irregular pyramids. The height of the Western Belukha is 4435 meters, and the peaked Eastern Belukha is even higher - 4509 meters. They fall almost vertically to the Akkemsky glacier and gradually decrease towards the Katunsky glacier (Gebler). Between the two peaks is a depression called the Beluga Saddle. Its height is four thousand meters. It breaks off to the Akkemsky glacier, and in the south, to the Katun river, it descends more hollow.
The massif consists of rocks of the Upper and Middle Cambrian. Its spurs are outcrops of schists and sandstones. Conglomerates are much less represented. Part of the array consists of typical flush formations. It should be said about the tectonic instability of this territory, which is indicated by cracks, faults and overthrusts of rocks. Almost steep, steep slip zones are typical of the northern slope of the mountain, mainly from the Akkem valley.
The Belukha area is located on the border of zones of seven-eight-point seismic activity. Small earthquakes occur here very often. As a result, there is a breaking of the ice shell, landslides and avalanches. Since the Paleogene era, the territory has been experiencing an active tectonic uplift, which continues to this day. This was reflected in the relief - throughout the territory it is alpine, alpine, with deep gorges. They are surrounded by vertical alpine ridges of Belukha Mountain. Their height is 2500 meters.
The areas of the massif are mainly occupied by screes, moraines and rocks. Slopes are exposed to destructive effects of avalanches and mudflows.
Climate
In the Belukha region, the climate is harsh - cold and long winters and rainy short summers. Conditions vary by zones: from the climate of high glaciers and snows at the top to the climate of valleys, where the average air temperature in July does not exceed +8.3 ° C. At the peaks (plateau-shaped) + 6.3 ° C. Even in summer, at the top of Belukha (altitude 2509 meters), the air temperature can drop to -20 ° C.
In January, the air temperature is -48 ° C and even in March it remains quite low at -5 ° C.
Glaciers
One of the main glacial centers of Altai is Mount Belukha. In the river basins associated with it, there are one hundred and sixty-nine glaciers, occupying a vast territory, an area of one hundred and fifty square kilometers. On Belukha there are half of the glaciers of the Katunsky ridge.
MV Tronov - a famous Soviet climatologist - singled out the glacial region of the mountain as a separate “type of Belukha glaciers”. Six large glaciers are concentrated on this territory. Among them: Small and Big Berelsky glaciers with a length of 8 and 10 km and an area of 8.9 and 12.5 km 2, respectively, Sapozhnikova glacier 10.5 km long and an area of 13.2 km 2.
All glaciers located here are quite large: their area ranges from two to ten square kilometers. Ice moves at a speed of thirty to fifty meters per year. The largest recorded on the Tronov Brothers glacier. At its foot, it reaches one hundred and twenty meters a year. When snow accumulates on steep slopes, avalanches occur.
Rivers
Basically, they belong to the Katun River Basin, which originates on the southern slopes of the Gebler Glacier. Here are the sources of the rivers Akkem, Kucherla, and Idehem. The southeastern slope is drained by the Belaya Berel river, belonging to the Bukhtarma basin.
Water flows originating from the Belukha glaciers form the so-called Altai type of rivers. They are replenished by the meltwater of glaciers. These rivers are characterized by a strong flow in the summer and rather low in the rest of the time. Most of them are fleeting, often form waterfalls. For example, the picturesque Rassipnaya waterfall is located on the river of the same name, which is the right tributary of the Katun River.
Lakes
In the Belukha area, they are located in trough valleys and deep caravans. They appeared on this territory during the activity of ancient glaciers. The largest of them are Akkem and Kucherlinsk.
Vegetation
For the Belukhinsky massif, as, however, for any mountainous area, a rather diverse flora is characteristic. According to numerous studies, most of the ridge belongs to the alpine Katunsky region, where the presence of alpine and forest formations is noted. The forest belt extended to heights of two thousand meters in the western part and up to two thousand two hundred meters in the eastern. It is most developed on the northern macro slope.
In the upper reaches of the Koksu and Katun rivers, the belt is fragmented. Dark coniferous formations prevail on its lower border with a predominance of Siberian spruce, Siberian fir, and cedar. Deciduous species are widespread: mountain ash, Siberian larch, birch. Shrubs are represented by honeysuckle, meadowsweet, caragana. Cedar prevails in the higher belt, and lingonberry and honeysuckle prevail among the bushes. In the uppermost part of the forest zone, round-birch and alpine and subalpine forbs grow. In addition, raspberries and currants are common here.
At the lower boundary, the subalpine zone is represented by cedar-larch and cedar woodlands, with fragments of shrubs and subalpine meadows. The Alpine belt is represented by small grasses, large grasses, as well as cobresia meadows. The Belukhinsky massif occupies most of the highlands; therefore, rather rare species that grow in the alpine zone are of interest here: the Ukok bastard and aconite not found, rhodiola (four-membered, frosty, pink), Krylov’s cinquefoil, more than thirty types of onions (dwarf, Altai and others). Many of them are included in the Red Book of Altai.
Animal world
Red, large-eared, and red-gray voles are found on stony placers and yerniks. Along the right bank of the Katun River, at its headwaters, the tsokor and the Altai mouse live. Occasionally, a snow leopard, a lynx and a Siberian mountain goat come into these places.
The birds are much more diverse. Hunting and fishing species include: tundra and white partridge. From the family of passerines live here: Himalayan accentor, alpine jackdaw, naughty. Much less often in these places you can meet the Siberian mountain finch and a very rare species - juniper oak. Rare species listed in the Red Book of Altai include Altai Ular, Great Lentil, Golden Eagle.
Natural Park
Back in 1978, the leadership of the autonomous region decided to create a natural monument in these places. Its official status was confirmed in 1996 by the Resolution of the Government of the Altai Republic. In June 1997, Belukha, the first natural park in the republic, was founded, covering an area of 131337 hectares. Since January 2000, Belukha Mountain and the adjacent territories: Kucherlinskoe and Akkemskoye Lakes - have received the name Belukha National Park.
Interesting Facts
Several interesting facts are known about this mountain:
- Mount Belukha was repeatedly depicted on the canvases of N. Roerich and G. Choros-Gurkin;
- for Altai shamanists and Buddhists the mountain is sacred. They believe that here is one of the entrances to the mysterious country of Shambhala and Belovodye;
- esotericists consider Belukha an information pyramid and a place of power;
- the local population has many prohibitions that are associated with the sacred mountain: on the slopes you can not make noise, bring metal objects, hunt;
- as in most other sacred places in Altai, women are not allowed to enter the mountain;
- Belukha’s image can be seen on the coat of arms of the Altai Republic.
