There are many places on the planet that cause mystery among the mystics, and among scientists there is a desire to understand, study and make a previously obscure object mundane, giving it another scientific name. So, people are still looking for Shambhala to expose its secrets to the public, or argue about the existence of Hyperborea.
Northern Uvaly is one of such objects. On the one hand, they are studied, measured and recorded on a map, and on the other, it is not clear why they became the watershed of the great rivers.
Geographical Description
Located in the northern regions of the East European Plain, a hilly hill with a length of 600 km. This is the Northern Uvaly, the maximum height of which reaches 294 m. The main purpose of this area is in the watershed of the Volga and Northern Dvina river basins.
Scientists have found that they appeared as a result of glacial and fluvioglacial deposits, which are clearly visible in higher areas in the form of bedrock.
The name “oval” was given for a reason, since it used to mean hilly ridges with gentle slopes, and in the plural because there are several such ridges. The Uvaly Upland extends from the southwest to the northeast, originating at the Unzhi River and up to the Ural Mountains.
Hilly terrain alternates with valleys that cut rivers and wetlands. The climate in the Northern Uvaly can be called severe, since it has very cold winters and cool summers.
In dry and elevated areas, coniferous forests alternate with small-leaved ones.
Homeland of great rivers
Northern Uvaly captured the northwestern part of the Perm region, and their relief here is expressed by weak hillyness with a height not exceeding 270 m above sea level. But most of them are in the Vologda and Kirov Territories, where the terrain is constantly changing.
Being the watershed of the Volga and Northern Dvina rivers, the Uvaly also became the beginning of many great rivers of Russia, such as the Kama, Kostroma, Vyatka, Sheksna, Unzha, Sukhona, Vetluga, South, Moloma, Sysola, Sharzhenka and most of their tributaries.
For example, the source of Vetluga starts from the Northern Uvalov and travels 884 km, crossing the Kirov, Kostroma, Nizhny Novgorod regions, and flows into the Volga on the territory of Mari El.
The path of the Unzhi River also starts from the Northern Uvalov and lasts 430 km until it flows into the Volga in the form of its full-flowing and large left tributary. Ponds, originating here, played a significant role in the relief of the ridges, but the main reason for this unusual structure and direction is their origin.
Relief of the Northern Uvalov
The composition of this hill largely determines its appearance. The Northern Uvaly, the relief of which for the most part has smooth hilly forms, consists of loose Mesozoic rocks, which, in turn, rely on more ancient Permian deposits.
They were formed as a result of tectonic movement of the earth's crust in the region of the Moscow syneclise (gently deflecting within the same platform).
The Northern Uvaly have a powerful foundation, extending 2000-3000 m deep, while the surface is mainly expressed by clay-marl layers of the Permian and Triassic period. Sandy-clay deposits of the Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous periods are found in the watershed areas.
Uvaly in the Vologda region
Due to the elevation of the Northern Uvaly, the Vologda Oblast is rich in such water bodies:
- Sukhona is the largest river of the region into which Vologda and Dvinitsa flow.
- South with the influx of Loose.
- Mologa, Sheksna and Unzha.
Northern Uvaly is expressed by a hilly relief with flat differences. In elevated areas, forests dominate in which lynxes, moose, martens, badgers, wolverines and foxes live. Mushrooms and berries grow in abundance here, and the rivers are full of fish.
On the flat territory of the Northern Uvalov there are many swamps in which birds live, and which are real plantations of cranberries. Especially good are the Uvaly towering above the river, covered with snow with spots of green firs and pines.
Among the local population, fishing and hunting are favorite types of recreation, since the generous nature of this region allows it at any time of the year. In the summer season cranberry lovers come to the local swamps, and mushroom pickers come to the forests.
Uvaly in the Kirov region
To understand where the Northern Uvaly is located, you need to know how they are located. Their uniqueness lies in the fact that the entire Russian plain has a meridional orientation, while they have an inverse morphostructure with a sub-latitudinal direction. This suggests that the hill and the plain formed in completely different periods of movement of the tectonic waves. Today, this is manifested in the opposite of their directions.
Thus, the Northern Uvaly cut the plain through the areas located on it, and do not go parallel to it. For example, the Kirov region "got" their southern spurs, represented by hills and ridges with a gentle slope and flat, rounded peaks.
The entire elevated part of the ridges is permeated by rivers, and from the south it is adjoined by a slightly hilly plain covered with swamps. Large boulders are often found in the hills, and most of the hills and river valleys are covered with thick forests. The main river of the Kirov region of Vyatka originates in the northern Uvaly.
The Nature of the Northern Uvalov
Everyone who has ever visited the Northern Uvaly will never forget their strict beauty, the June white nights, and the first yellowness of foliage in August.
They are also good in winter, although harsh - the temperature here often drops to -40 degrees, and the snow cover can reach 170 cm. The main attraction of this region is its many reservoirs, each of which is beautiful in its own way.
For example, the South River, whose length is 491 km, not only has picturesque banks with good beaches and parking places, but also spoils fishermen with an abundance of fish. Here you can catch pike and burbot, ide and chub, grayling and asp, perch and minnow.
But the main attraction of these parts is forests, which occupy 70% of the area. Pine, spruce, fir and larch grow mainly in them, aspen, linden and birch, maple, elm and bird cherry are found. For mushroom pickers, this is a real paradise. They are waiting for brown boletus and porcini mushrooms, boletus and mushrooms, pine mushrooms and groundworms, chanterelles and russula, honey mushrooms and morels. There is an abundance of cranberries in the marshes, especially in the Lower Kemi region.
Although many believe that the Northern Uvaly is a watershed and only, in fact, this is not so. This is the richest region, spreading over 600 km along the Russian plain.
