According to the composition of landscape types within the province of the mountainous Crimea, three "regions are distinguished (Fig. 8): Foothill forest-steppe, Main mountain-meadow-forest ridge, Crimean southern coastal sub-Mediterranean.
foothill forest-steppe
The foothill area includes the Inner and Outer cuesta ridges and the Outer interridge depression separating them. The foothills are located on the raised edge of the Scythian platform. In its middle part is the Simferopol uplift, in the west it is limited by the Alma, and in the north - by the Indol depression. On the border with depressions, the number and thickness of rock strata increase, including those that armor the surface of the ku-est and located on their continuation of sloping plains. In this regard, the cuest ridges are best expressed in the Bakhchisarai and Belogorsk districts, and in the middle
parts of the foothills, they are almost interrupted in places. The inner ridge is formed by Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene interbedded limestones, marls and clays, and the outer ridge is formed by Eocene and Pliocene marls, clays and limestones. The outer inter-ridge depression consists of monotonous Upper Eocene marls, susceptible to erosion by surface waters. Weathering products of bedrock are soil-forming rocks. On large areas of the cuesta ridges, loamy-grass-rubbly-stony or clayey-loamy deposits are common, differing from bedrock in color, density, etc. Predominantly soddy-calcareous and underdeveloped soil types are formed on them. On the Outer Cuesta, sloping plains, and also partly in the Outer inter-ridge depression, red-brown clays with interlayers of pebbles and sandy loams are common. In the valleys of rivers and dry rivers, soils are formed on deposits of loams, clays, pebbles, crushed stone, and sand.
The climate of the foothills is semi-arid, warm with mild winters. The sum of effective air temperatures for plants above 10° is 3545-3110°, and more than 15°-2830-2320° (Table 9).
The soil cover is very variegated. Piedmont chernozems and sod-calcareous soils are the most common, and brown soils in the southwest. They were formed under the meadow-steppe communities in combination with oak, dry shilyak and mesophytic (average level of moisture) shrub thickets.
The most common areas in the region are: cuesto-steppe with foothill chernozems formed on red-brown clays or weathered limestones of the Outer Cuesta. In the past, in the western part of the region, there were forb-fescue-borrowy communities here, and in the eastern part - feather grass-fescue-forb communities with the participation of asphodelina. Now the lands of the area are occupied by grain, tilled and industrial crops, as well as vineyards. Kuesto-forest-steppe with chernozems and partly brown forest steppe soils. Forest cuesta with undersized oak lions of the highest sections of the Inner Cuesta with soddy-calcareous soils. Cuestovo-Shibliakovy with brown soils, typical of the Heracleian Peninsula, the Mekenzian Upland and the Outer Cuesta on the interfluve of Belbek and Kacha. Inter-ridge gently undulating shrub-steppe with foothill chernozems,
washed in places. These are the most developed areas in the foothills. Most of the settlements are located here, including the cities of Simferopol, Bakhchisarai, the railway and the highway. low mountain forest, typical for a number of elevations of the Inner Interridge Depression near the Inner Cuesta, with brown mountain forest soils, and brown soils in the southwestern part of the foothills. Forest and shrub communities of all localities are now protected for soil and water protection and recreational purposes. Widespread in the foothills valley-ter-red terrain, especially in inter-ridge depressions. The largest area in them is occupied by the stows of the first above-floodplain (garden) terrace, where, due to the shallow occurrence of groundwater, meadow-chernozem soils were formed. The narrow floodplains of the rivers are occupied by high forbs, and in some places - by alder-hazel ribbon thickets. The slopes of the river valleys are often cut by ravines and gullies with sparse herbaceous and shrub cover, which makes them mudflow hazardous. The lands of the river valleys are the most developed in the Crimea from ancient times to the present - this is the cradle of man on the peninsula.
There are four physical-geographical regions in the region: Chernorechensky, Northern foothill kuest, Southern foothill valley-kuest and Indolsk ku-est-remnant.
In the foothills, 27 natural monuments have been declared protected. Among them are 12 groves of steppe oak forests "oaks"; the forested city of Kubalach with specimens of the endemic cyclamen Kuznetsov; mountains-outliers Mangup-Kale, Tepe-Kermen, Sheludivaya; natural sphinxes of the Karalesskaya and Chu-ruk-Su valleys; Belbeksky and Kachinsky canyons; caves - habitats of the Paleolithic man - Chokurcha, Wolf Grotto, Kiik-Koba; Salgirka park, Pozharsky forest reserve, etc.
MAIN MOUNTAIN MEADOW FOREST RIDGE
The main range of mountains begins with the Balaklava heights (316 m) in the west and ends with hilly elevations (310 m) of Cape Ilya near Feodosia. Its landscape features are associated primarily with the structure of large landforms and the composition of their constituent rocks. The ridge has a relatively long and relatively gentle northern and short, steep southern macroslopes, and
also uniting them is a two-level top surface with wavy steps. At the base of the ridge lie heavily folded shales and sandstones of the Taurian series, overlain by Middle Jurassic conglomerates, sandstones and clays. On them, and in some places directly on the shales, lie the Upper Jurassic limestones crowning the Main Ridge. The ridge, in addition, is fragmented by tectonic faults and deep river valleys into separate smaller ridges, massifs, blocks, and basins. There are up to six levels of sloping surfaces of the remnant mountains, stepwise descending towards the outskirts of the Main Mountain Range 12 . Moreover, the surfaces of the remnants, like the yayl, like islands in the sea, are scattered among the slopes and bottoms of the river valleys, gullies, and ravines, which are to varying degrees forested. On the slopes, due to differences in their steepness, exposure and composition of rocks, forest communities of different composition, height and completeness are located. They reflect the great variety of ecological properties of their locations. The products of the destruction of sediments are soil-forming rocks.
The properties of climates in different parts of the Main Ridge are very diverse (Table 9). In general, climates vary from moderately hot, semi-humid in the low mountains to cool, excessively humid in the western Yailas. On the northern macroslope, they change with height. In the low mountains of the Baidarskaya basin, the climate is sub-Mediterranean, semi-humid, warm with very mild winters. To the east, it changes to semi-humid, moderately warm with moderately mild winters. In the middle mountains, the climate is humid, moderately cool with moderately mild winters. In the western yayls it is excessively wet, with a cool growing season and moderately cool winters, while in the eastern yayls it is simply wet. In the middle mountains of the southern macroslope, the climate varies from semi-arid in the lower part to humid in the upper part, from moderately hot to moderately cool, with very mild to moderately mild winters. The sums of active temperatures fluctuate within a very large range - from 3050 to 1800° above 10° and from 2230 in the Baidar basin to 600° above 15° on Ai-Petri 23 .
On the slopes of the Main Ridge, the most common soils are brown mountain forest soils of different thickness and graveliness, formed under undersized in the low mountains and tall in the middle mountains oak, beech, mixed broad-leaved and pine forests. On the
mountain meadow and petrophytic steppes on chernozem-like soils prevail in yayla.
On the northern macroslope of the Main Mountain Range two landscape tiers appear - low-mountain and medium-mountain with the composition of the areas that form them.
Landscape areas are most common in low mountains. Blocky low mountains with juniper-oak, oak and pine forests, shiblyaks on mountain forest and brown brown soils. This area is most common in the southwestern part of mountain Crimea. Stepped lowlands with fluffy oak and rocky oak forests on brown mountain forest soils, it occupies the largest areas in the tier in the basins of the Belbek, Kacha, Alma rivers to the Salgir basin. sloping plateaus with rock-oak, rock-oak-hornbeam forests and shrub thickets on brown forest soils. These areas are most common in the north of the Dolgorukovsky and Karabi-yayly massifs. remnant lowgrief in combination with small intermountain basins with fluffy oak and rocky oak forests, as well as shrub thickets on brown mountain forest thin and steppe soils in combination with foothill chernozems. These areas are typical for the eastern part of the belt, its mountains Chombai, Kara-Tepe, Kara-Agach, Agar-mysh, as well as the Molbai, Kurtluk and other basins. sloping lowlands in combination with intermountain basins with rock-oak and fluffy oak forests, shrub thickets and typical forb-fescue-feather grass steppes in basins with brown mountain forest, soddy-calcareous and foothill chernozem soils. These areas are most widespread in the easternmost part of the belt. Intermountain-hollow with shilyaks in combination with low-stemmed forests and steppe communities on brown, brown mountain forest steppe and foothill chernozem soils. The largest of the basins: Baydarskaya, Varnutskaya, Golubinskaya, Salgirskaya, etc. Valley terraced with small-leaved forests and meadows on meadow soils.
In the mid-mountain tier, landscape areas are common. The slopes of the middle mountains with beams under beech, rock-oak, beech-hornbeam and pine forests on mountain brown forest soils. These areas are typical for upper parts western and northern slopes of the Yaylin massifs. mountain valleys with beech and
mixed broad-leaved forests on brown mountain forest soils
Some areas of the Yayli are developed on the plateau-like top surfaces of the lower and upper levels, consisting of fractured karst limestones. it mountain meadow forest-steppe on strongly dissected karst plateaus of the lower level with mountain-meadow black-zem-like soils (this area is best expressed on the lower Chatyrdag plateau); mountain meadow stepi both on the lower and upper levels of the Yaylin karst plateaus; mountain meadow and petrophyte stepi flat-convex high plateaus yail.
A lot of scientific works are devoted to explaining the reasons for treelessness. Most scientists attribute the absence of forests to long-term immoderate grazing. A number of scientists believe that the mountain forest-steppe has always been on the Yayla, but due to grazing and burning of the forest, widespread mountain steppes. Undoubtedly, in the past, beech, beech-hornbeam and other groves were incomparably more common in karst funnels, ancient hollows of runoff on the lower plateaus of the yayles. A continuous forest, especially on high yayla, could not be because very strong storms occur here with heavy snowfalls, and now they lead to mass death of already accustomed species in forest plantations made there. Soil and soil conditions prevent continuous afforestation. In general, the low thickness of the soils, combined with the very high infiltration properties of the underlying heavily prokarst limestones, determines that here, despite the relatively large amount of precipitation, extremely low soil moisture periodically occurs on a large area of the yayla in summer. For this reason, stable conditions for the growth of even established trees and shrubs are not provided everywhere here. Man, through his activities, contributes to soil erosion, which enhances the effect of the edaphic (soil) factor.
On the southern macroslope of the Main Mountain Range, two landscape tiers are also common - low-mountain in its eastern part and medium-mountain in the rest of the territory. Local landscapes already have well-defined sub-Mediterranean features.
The low-mountain tier is formed by the following areas: co-bud-ridge low mountains with intermountain basins under fluffy and rock-oak, as well as mixed wide
deciduous forests and thickets of shrubs, meadow and petrophytic park steppes on brown mountain forest medium-thick, soddy-calcareous and foothill chernozem soils; ridged with valleys and gullies under beech-hornbeam forests on brown mountain forest soils.
Areas of the mid-mountain tier. it stufoamy-slope priyayla middle mountains with undersized fluffy oak and partly rocky oak forests with areas of petrophytic steppes on brown mountain forest medium-thick and steppe soils. These areas are most common on the slopes of the Babugan massifs ( East End), Chatyrdag, Demerdzhi and Karabi (southwestern part). Step-slope and rocky priyaylinskoe middle mountains with fluffy oak and pine forests on brown mountain forest soils. They occupy the largest areas on the slopes of the Babugan massif. Slope midlands with beech and mixed broad-leaved forests on brown mountain medium-thick soils. These areas are most common in the western part of the belt. Slope and rocky near-Yailinsk middle mountains with Crimean-pine and hornbeam-beech forests on brown mountain forest soils. They are distributed on the slopes of the Ai-Petrinsky, Yalta and Nikitsky yayla massifs.
Within the region, Western, Central and Eastern physical-geographical regions are distinguished.
The landscapes of the Main Ridge of the Crimean Mountains play an important soil and water conservation, health-improving and sanitary-hygienic role.
The main ridge is saturated a large number landscape attractions. Many of them are distinguished by scientific value, beauty and originality of landscapes. A number of such geographical objects have been declared protected areas.
The landscape standard of the Main Range of Mountains is the nature of the Crimean reserve and hunting economy, the Yalta State Mountain and Forest Reserve, the reserves of the Grand Canyon of Crimea and the Black River Canyon. Of great scientific value are the protected beech groves on Ai-Petri, yew trees on the Tyrke massif, Agarmysh forest, wolfberry thickets in the upper reaches of the Burulchi valley, 21 karst caves and 14 karst mines, etc.
Crimean state reserve and hunting hostthe property was founded as the Crimean Reserve in 1923 on the
spare 33,397 ha. Landscapes of forests and meadows are protected on an area of 27,957 and 2,451 ha, respectively, where game animals are produced. Flora is 1165 species of higher plants, of which 45 species are endemic. In total, there are 115 species of rare and protected plants in the forest, in which sessile, pedunculate and downy oaks predominate, occupy 14,731 ha, and 6,971 ha of oriental and common beech. Crimean and Scotch pine forests account for ZON ha, and hornbeam, elm, alder, aspen and other species - 2463 ha. In relatively original form, only tall beech and pine forests have been preserved here.
The fauna of the protected forests is made up of 39 species of mammals, 120 species of birds, 4 species of reptiles, 4 species of amphibians and 5 native species of freshwater fish. The pride of the forests is represented by red deer, graceful European roe deer, as well as successfully acclimatized mouflon from Corsica, squirrel from Altai and wild boar from the Far East.
The Yalta Reserve was founded in 1973 on an area of 14,589 hectares. A picturesque green necklace is protected - the factory of clean air and water of the South Shore resorts, which is located mainly above 350 m above sea level. m. On 20% of the area of the reserve there are forests mainly (35%) of the Crimean pine, forming a kind of picturesque landscapes. On 17% of the area there are forests of downy oak. Curtains of beech, hornbeam, sessile oak, high juniper and other species are interspersed in these solid forests. The flora of the reserve includes 1363 species of vascular plants, which is about 55% of the flora of the mountainous Crimea. Most of its flora are Mediterranean species. In the reserve there are representatives of 37 species of mammals, 150 birds, 10 reptiles and 4 species of amphibians. The fauna is approximately the same composition as in the protected area.
CRIMEAN SOUTH COAST SUB-MEDITERRANEAN
The area is combined with the coastal landscape belt of the southern slope of the Main Ridge, with the boundaries of the original natural greenhouse for the most heat-loving plants of the European territory of the USSR. The upper edge of the belt is located at an altitude of 350-400 m, and the belt extends from Cape Aya to the city of Feodosia. To these heights in the west
In some part of the South Coast, evergreen plants of the Crimean flora spread, which brings the nature of the South Coast closer to the nature of the Mediterranean countries.
The territory of the region consists mainly of clayey shales of the Tauride formation, in some places of Upper Jurassic limestones, intrusive igneous rocks, and also of limestone-blocky-rubbly-argillaceous deposits of the Massandra Formation. Soils are formed on the weathering products of these rocks, as well as on pebble-rubble-hundred-loam deposits of river valleys, numerous gullies and ravines.
The width, topography and other components of the nature of the belt largely depend on both the tectonic structure and the Main Ridge that bounds the South Coast from the west and north. In the middle part of the South Coast there is a vast Tuak anticlinorium, which in the west is replaced by the Nikitskaya synclinal, expressed in the relief of the Nikitskaya yayla, and in the east by a complex system of Sudak-Karadag folds. In the western part of the region there are the Limensko-Yalta, Forosskaya, Laspinskaya anticlines, complicated by smaller folds and faults, and the Kastropolskaya and Tesseliya synclines separating them. The surface of these geological structures, formed by impervious shales of the Taurian Formation and Middle Jurassic rocks, gradually lowers to the west. So, if in the area of the Gurzuf saddle within the Main Ridge this surface is located at an altitude of 1200 m above sea level. m., then at Cape Aya it is already below sea level. Together with it, the Upper Jurassic limestones overlaying it, which crown the Main Ridge, sink. In this regard, the southern coast in the extreme west is narrow, steeply sloping and occupied by limestone rubble accumulations and large block outliers from the Main Ridge. To the east, it expands and becomes flatter. Along with this, the western part of the South Coast also has a more indented coastline; deep bays and capes separating them are denser here.
Under the conditions, as a rule, of the steeply sloping surface of the region, relief-forming processes actively proceed here. This is facilitated by the fact that the Main Ridge is experiencing uplift, and the coastal zone of the belt is subsidence, as a result of which huge masses of loose rocks accumulate here. Saturated with water, they move down the slope, causing numerous landslides. Depending on
bridge from the factor that enhances the slippage of rocks, in the event of their washing away by the waters of the sea, rivers or as a result of
artificial pruning of slopes, respectively times." aYu1
abrasion, erosion, anthropogenic and mixed landslides. In the western part of the South Bank, I count! over 430 landslides. In terms of number, landslides are erosional (47%) and artificial (36%), and in terms of area - abrasion (34%). Unfortunately, they strike relatively gentle (12-14°) slopes composed of fine earth, which are the best in the area for human development. Immoderate watering of lands, loss of tap or sewer water activate landslides.
The region is a sloping lowland, heavily indented by deep river valleys, gullies and ravines. Its notable feature is the presence of inclined tectonic, landslide, river terraces. In the valleys they are inclined to the riverbed and to the sea, and in the watershed spaces - to the sea. The terracing of the surface somewhat softens the steepness of the low mountains and makes it more favorable for economic development.
The climate of the region is sub-Mediterranean hot, in the west - arid, with moderately warm winters, and in the east - very arid, with very mild winters 7 . The sums of active air temperatures above 10°C are the largest in Crimea, they are 3940° in the west of the region and 3680° in the east, and above 15° - 3245° and 3030°, respectively (Table 9). Humidity of parts of the region depends both on differences in the amounts of precipitation, and on the number and debits local sources. In turn, they are largely affected by tectonic fragmentation, fissuring of the limestones of the yail and slopes of the impermeable surface underlying the limestones. Due to the combination of these reasons, there are large local differences in the formation of spring waters. So, for example, in Batiliman-Laspinsky district, on an area of 15 km 2, there are 12 sources, and in Simeiz-Miskhorsky, on an area of 37 km 2 - 225. The number and activity of local landslides depend on the degree of watering.
The most common soils in the region are brown soils with local differences in the degrees of carbonate content, rubble, thickness and humus content, as well as, in part, brown mountain forest soils. The vegetation cover is formed mainly by shibley and juniper-oak light forests. Thickets of drought-resistant
herbs and semi-shrubs, communities typical of the eastern Mediterranean - frigans. They occupy dry open rocky slopes and consist mainly of species of milkweed, dubrovnik, thyme, medicinal sage, hooked astragalus, asphodelina, mad cucumber, capers, etc.
Low-stemmed juniper-oak forests with evergreen undergrowth are characteristic of the western part of the South Shore. To the east of Alushta, thickets of shibliaks and freegans are more widespread, mostly of anthropogenic origin. Oak shilyaks are typical for the entire belt, juniper-oak - for places consisting mostly of Massandra deposits, and oak-pistachio - for coastal habitats. Shibljaks of the western part of the belt have a relatively well-closed layer of trees and shrubs and include evergreen plants of the Crimean flora, which makes them remotely close to the maquis communities of the Mediterranean countries. To the east of Alushta there is a gradual transition (especially in the area between the villages of Privetnoye and Morskoye) from tree and shrub vegetation to grassy. The significantly changed vegetation cover of the region has been preserved only in places that are relatively difficult to develop, and the rest of the territory has plantations of grapes, tobacco, gardens, parks, settlements, and resort complexes.
The specific differences in the modern landscapes of the region are due to the composition and ratio of the areas of the areas that form them. Within the belt, the most common areas are:
rocky lowlands with relict juniper-pine woodlands, oak-pistachio shibleykas and maquisoid communities on brown gravelly soils. This is typical for the rocks of Cape Aya and the Laspi region, Stepped landslide lowlands, complicated by large blocks of limestones with juniper-oak forests, oak-hornbeam shiblyaks with an undergrowth of evergreens on brown soils. Such properties of nature are characteristic of watershed ridges from the rocks of the Massandra Formation and limestone massifs-outliers: Koshka, Ai-Todor, Ai-Nikola, Krestovaya, G also stone chaos forming capes Martyan, Kuchuk-Lambat, Nikolay, Kornilov and others. Gently sloping-terraced landslide coastal lowlands with oak, oak-pistachio shibljaks and friganoid thickets
leami on brown soils. It is typical for the coastal belt of amphitheatres, bays composed of clayey SLNS and products of their destruction.
Laccolith mountains with broad-leaved forests and oak shiblyaks with an undergrowth of evergreens. These are Ayudag, Kuchuk-Ayu, Kastel and others. Inclined low mountains strongly dissected by valleys, gullies and ravines with juniper sparse forests, oak-pistachio shiblyaks, friganoid and steppe communities on brown soils. Such areas are most common in the belt from the village. Semidvore to the city of Perchem. Massively-reef-limestone lowlands with relic pine-juniper woodlands, phryganoid and petrophytic steppe communities on brown soils. These are the areas of the Sudak region and the New World. Inclined terred plains and low mountains ridges with sagebrush-cereal and feather-grass-fescue steppes, as well as with oak-hornbeam shiblyaks on brown, sometimes saline soils. Such areas are most characteristic of the section of the belt to the east of the city of Sudak. Ancient Lkanian Seaside Lowlands with oak-hornbeam light forests, oak shibleaks and steppes on brown and brown mountain forest soils. Such properties of nature are typical for Karadag.
Valley-terraced areas with oak and mixed forests, as well as shrubs on brown and meadow soils.
Within the region, two physical-geographical regions are distinguished: Western and Eastern.
On the southern slope of the Main Ridge and the sea coast there are many remarkable unique natural objects, 82 of which are declared protected places and natural monuments, which is more than half of the number of natural monuments of Crimea.
The most remarkable and valuable manifestations of the standards of nature of the lower belt of the ridge, which is part of the South Coast region, are protected in two reserves - "Cape Martyan" and "Karadag". There are also 27 protected landscape and 15 coastal aquatic tracts, which, like nature reserves, are centers of conservation and sources of settlement of valuable relict and endemic species of plants and animals and are unique)! biological communities in general. The largest I1 of them are the rocks of Cape Aya with a grove of Pitsundskop pine and high juniper, Laspi rocks, Baidaro-Kastro-
Polish, Iphigenia, mountains Ai-Nikola, Krestovaya, Plush comb, Strawberry comb, Koshka, Ayudag, Kastel, Karaul-Oba, as well as the Novosvetsky coast with thickets of Pitsunda pine. Many unique man-made items are protected in 17 landscape and park monuments.
The reserve "Cape Martyan" occupies 240 hectares, of which 120 hectares are in the Martyan and Ai-Danil tracts, and the rest - in the sea zone. A site of a relic forest landscape of the Mediterranean type is protected (there are almost no such forests in the Mediterranean countries). Over 500 species of higher flowering plants grow here in a small area, 14 of them are endemic. The site of the former juniper forest is especially protected. Three of its relic species - high juniper, small-fruited strawberry and goat's thong are listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A number of species are included in the Red Books of the USSR and the Ukrainian SSR. Its typical southern coastal fauna is also subject to protection. The reserve is a valuable reserve of a unique Mediterranean landscape in the very center of a vast resort area.
The Karadag nature reserve occupies 2855 hectares, of which 809 hectares are in the Black Sea. The nature of the mountain group is protected, which is a unique well-preserved fragment of a giant volcanic massif of the Jurassic period, most of which is now below sea level. Within the limits of the reserve, located in the border zone of a number of landscape regions of the Crimea, forest, forest-steppe and steppe landscape complexes are uniquely combined. This original museum stores over 100 types of minerals and rocks, and 1023 species of vascular plants grow on its territory, of which 58 are endemic. The fauna is also diverse, consisting of 27 species of mammals, 76 birds, 3 amphibians and 7 species of reptiles. The world of insects is especially rich, numbering several thousand species - more than 1,000 species of butterflies alone live here 19 .
South coast parks occupying more than 1067 hectares of the area are wonderful monuments of co-creation of man and nature. 17 of them are declared monuments of landscape art. About 200 species and forms of woody and shrubby plants grow in Forossky and Alupkinsky; in Miskhorsky - 100, Livadiy-
skom - 400, Massandrovsky - 250, Gurzufsky - 110, Kiparisny - 180, Utes-Karasansky - over 220. The arboretum of the Nikitsky Garden, a scientific center for breeding new and introducing useful plants, stands out in particular. It has 1866 species, varieties and forms of trees and shrubs.
Crimea is a health resort of all-Union and international importance, a land of highly developed industries, agriculture, health resorts, which continues to develop and intensively develop more and more new landscape complexes of the peninsula. For this reason, further scientific research and energetic actions aimed at constantly regulating the combination of production, recreation and conservation functions of its each landscape.
Entrance to the Kiik-Koba cave (photo by panoramio.com)
Sights of the foothills
Among the sights of the foothills, first of all, attention is drawn to the original forms of weathering in the valley of the Churuksu River, the table mountain-remnant Chufut-Kale, the Kiik-Koba cave, the remains of oak forests of the foothill forest-steppe ("oaks"), etc.
"Sphinxes" of the river valley. Churuks. The small river Churuksu, the right tributary of the Kacha, sawed across the Inner Cuest Ridge and formed a deep rocky gorge. Its left sides are dissected by a series of transverse ravines and beams, the right ones are steep, decorated with many stony rocks of bizarre shapes and different sizes. Some of them reach a height of 20 m. They were formed as a result of the weathering of Eocene nummulite limestones of varying stability.
The table mountain-outlier and the cave city of Chufut-Kale. If you go up the river from Bakhchisaray. Churuksu for 3.5 km, then you can find yourself in the medieval cave city of Chufut-Kale. This is a typical remnant mountain, separated by the waters of the Churuksu and its tributaries from the southern rocky edge of the Inner Ridge. In places where the ridge is intersected by transverse canyon-like valleys, other remnant mountains of the Crimean foothills also formed. Breaking off by rocky rapids, they rise in the form of steep ledges and walls. These hard-to-reach fortresses, created by nature, were used by the local population as fortified points.
The cave city of Chufut-Kale was inhabited until late XVIII Art. AT early middle ages here was the city of Fully, and in the last years of its existence Crimean Khanate- a fortress and a state prison.
Kiik-Koba cave. 8 km from the village of Zuya, located on the highway Simferopol - Feodosia, upstream of the river. Zuya near the village. Forest, surrounded by wooded mountains, is the famous Kiik-Koba cave. This is rather not a cave, but a large grotto formed in the upper limestone stratum of the right slope of the Zui valley.
The cave has gained fame as a monument of national and world significance. Here in 1924-1925. unearthed an ancient site primitive man(Neanderthal) with large quantity primitive tools that were used about 100 thousand years ago, as well as the bones of extinct animals (mammoth, rhinoceros, giant deer, saiga, wild horse, wild donkey, cave bear, etc.).
The remains of oak forests of the foothill forest-steppe - "oaks". These are small islands of forest vegetation, a kind of relic of oak forests that were more common in the past in the foothill forest-steppe, destroyed by cutting and grazing. Single small low-growing forests, mainly of coppice origin, are scattered among open steppe spaces.
Oak is represented by three types: fluffy, rocky and petiolate. Downy oak prevails over others and often forms pure thickets. Less than four dozen of these "oaks" have survived within the Outer and Inner foothill ridges. They occupy small areas - from a few hectares to several square kilometers. Among them are Osminsky, Near, Far, Simferopol "oaks" and others. Representatives of the dense forests of the foothill forest-steppe in the past are single oaks in Simferopol. They are several hundred years old.
Among the interesting geographical objects of the Crimean foothills, one cannot fail to name the remnant mountains and cave cities of Tepe-Kermen and Mangup-Kale, the "sphinxes" of the Karalezskaya valley near the village of Krasny Mayak in the Kuibyshev region, the Chokurchinskaya cave with a Paleolithic site, deep canyon-like areas dissecting the Inner Ridge ("Gate" of Belbek, Kacha, Alma), and many other monuments created by the tireless sculptor - nature.
The flora of Crimea is rich and diverse. There are many endemic species on the peninsula, i.e. species that grow only here, almost all of them are associated with the mountainous Crimea. The largest number of endemics is characteristic of yaila - over 60% of local plants are endemic, of which 40% are found on Crimean yaila, many of which are historically young, which indicates that the Crimean Mountains are one of the centers of speciation. The flora of the peninsula includes more than 2,500 wild and about 1,500 acclimatized plant species. On a relatively small area of the peninsula, there are desert, steppe, forest communities; the vegetation of the southern coast of Crimea is close to Mediterranean.
Meanwhile, the natural vegetation cover has been severely disturbed by human activities: most of the land in the plains and a significant proportion of the areas in the foothills and mountainous areas are plowed up or used for pastures and hayfields.
47 species of Crimean plants are included in the Red Book. Among them are small-fruited strawberry, sublingual needle, comperia, high juniper, Stankevich's pine, Kuznetsov's cyclamen. In itself, the abundance of endangered species is evidence of the threatening situation in which they found themselves as a result of the excessive recreational load on the Crimean nature.
Steppe Crimea
The abundance of sun and water flowing to the peninsula through the North Crimean Canal created favorable conditions for the development of agriculture, and, of course, this aspect could not but affect the flora of the Crimean plain. The main wealth of the flat Crimea - its chernozem and dark chestnut soils - allows you to compare this region with a self-assembled tablecloth. About 70% of the Crimean steppe spaces are plowed up and occupied by wheat, rice, corn, sunflower, vegetable crops, vineyards and orchards. But still, in some places in the Crimea, the original steppe vegetation has been preserved.
The coastal areas of the Sivash region, the most low and saline, are occupied by salt-tolerant plants. Saltwort, various types of sveda, saltwort, which are almost unparalleled in salt tolerance, are especially widespread here; shrub sarsazan, kermek and frankenia are not uncommon. Extensive thickets of wild-growing chamomile, a valuable medicinal plant, have been taken under conservation protection in the Prisivashsky reserve.
Salt-tolerant plants are also common in the Kerch hills (saline wormwood, kermeks, petrosimonia, askitica, closer to the water - soleros, sveda, etc.). Rosehip, blackthorn, elderberry, shrub forms of buckthorn, birch bark, hawthorn, blackberry, wild apple and pear trees are preserved only in hard-to-reach places: on the slopes of ridges, in beams and hollows. The main territories where feather grass steppes once stretched have been plowed up.
At 113 kilometers of the Arabat Spit, the virgin steppe is still preserved. Of greatest interest are the tracts with an abundance of tulips. Golden, red, pink and white flowers are very beautiful against the background of the green spring steppe.
Wetland vegetation, unusual for the plains of Crimea, can be found in the upper reaches of Lake Donuzlav. Extensive thickets of reeds and cattails are located right in the water and on the adjacent sections of the coast.
The desert Tarkhankut plateau is enriched by small thickets of shrubs (rose hips, blackthorn, hawthorn, buckthorn, dereza) scattered along the beams and slopes of the ridges. Of the herbs, tirchak, pink dubrovnik, thyme, feathery feather grass, woodruff, shandra and pink immortelle predominate here.
There are many parks in the central part of the flat Crimea. Here you can find honey locust, white locust, ash, American maple, field maple, elm, birch bark, poplar. Linden, dogwood, euonymus, etc. are occasionally encountered. One of the best is the Oktyabrskoe forest park plantation, founded in 1880. Individual oaks here reach a height of 25–27 m. The tallest of them is 220 years old, it grew on this place even before the foundation of the park.
Piedmont Crimea
In the Crimean foothills, the forest alternates with the steppe. Gardening, tobacco growing, and essential oil crops flourish in numerous valleys. There are many vineyards and grain crops. Mild warm summer creates optimal conditions for the development of southern fruit and berry crops.
The gently sloping northern and northwestern slopes of the Outer and partly Inner Ridges are characterized by a mosaic combination of steppe areas and small woods-groves dominated by undersized oak. These groves in the Crimea are called "oaks". Within the boundaries of the foothills, there are 37 separate "oaks" with an area from several hectares to several square kilometers.
Along with coppice downy oak, pedunculate and sessile oaks are occasionally found in such groves. Of the other tree and shrub species, hornbeam, skumpia, hawthorn, derzhiderevo, dog rose, common and shaggy pear, pigtail, barberry, buckthorn, blackthorn, etc. are common here. The spaces between the main oak forests are occupied by steppe vegetation (thyme, dubrovnik, yarrow, euphorbia, peony , feather grass, etc.).
Back in the 18th century on the territory where the Simferopol Children's Park is now located, there was a forest on the entire right bank of the Salgir. Its remains - giant oaks - now grow in the park. The age of one of them - the "Bogatyr of Taurida" - is 650 years old, its height is 25 m, the circumference of the trunk is 5.25 m.
To the rare natural phenomena can be attributed to the relic grove of the kev tree in Ushakova gully, where old specimens up to 300 years old or more have been preserved. In the foothills, this is a rare occurrence. On the left slope of the Belbek river valley there is a natural monument - the Belbek yew grove, in which there are over 2000 yew berry trees - a tertiary relic. In some places, it forms independent thickets or creates a separate layer in a beech forest on an area of more than 20 hectares.
A beautiful green oasis - a reserved tract - is located in the east of the Crimean foothills near the village of Topolevka. Part of the inner ridge - Mount Burunduk-Kaya - here reaches a height of 738 m above sea level. An increased amount of precipitation is associated with the nature of the relief, which creates conditions for the development of a broad-leaved forest. Ash, fluffy and rocky oak, hornbeam, hazel, less often - mountain ash, privet, European euonymus grow there. Hornbeam, hawthorn, dogwood, buckthorn, barberry, and skumpia are also abundantly represented. Forest thickets are entwined with clematis. Asphodelina, sage, astragalus, onosma grow here along with wheatgrass, bonfires, dubrovnik, milkweed, and fescue.
On the highest part of this forest area - Kubalach - grows the most valuable endemic - Kuznetsov's cyclamen. it the only place all over the world, where natural state this species is growing. Many other ornamental and medicinal plants are preserved here as well.
Mountain Crimea
Mountain Crimea is a collection of rare plant communities. The local flora includes about 1800 species of higher plants out of 2500 wild in the entire Crimea. Almost every tenth species of the Crimean flora is endemic. And almost all of them are connected with the mountainous Crimea. The largest number of endemics is characteristic of Yayla: 40% of the plants growing here are endemic, and many of them are historically young, which indicates that the Crimean Mountains are one of the centers of speciation.
Where a thin layer of chernozem-like mountain-meadow soils has formed on the karst surface of the yayl, forest-meadow-steppe vegetation develops under conditions of a moderately cold and humid climate.
The slopes of the Crimean Mountains are predominantly occupied by oak forests (they make up 69% of the total forest area). Three types of oak grow here: fluffy, pedunculate and rocky. The fluffy oak is characteristic of the lower belt of the forest. The sessile oak is distributed mainly in the upper forest belt, the pedunculate oak is found in river valleys, not rising above 500 m above sea level. Beech forests occupy 14% of the area, hornbeam - 5.5%, pine - 5%.
There are three native species of pine in Crimea. The endemic pine of Stankevich grows only on the southern coast. On the upper bound the forests of the northern and in some places the southern slopes of the Main Ridge and on the yayla, hook pine is common. The peninsula is dominated by the Crimean pine, which is an Eastern Mediterranean species. Plantations of this pine form tall forests on the southern slope of the Main Ridge: they are also found directly near the seashore. About a quarter of the Crimean forests are represented by sparse shrubs.
The Grand Canyon of Crimea is called a miracle of nature. This wild majestic gorge, located in the depths northern slope Ai-Petri Yayla. It amazes with the harsh beauty and originality of the landscape. On the slopes of the canyon, built of light gray and pinkish limestone, the greenery of small groups of Crimean grey-stemmed pines stands out clearly. Only in the lower part of the gorge do trees form almost continuous thickets. Hornbeam, beech, ash, maple, mountain ash, linden grow here. The undergrowth is formed by shrubs: hazel, dogwood, barberry, buckthorn, skumpia, hornbeam. Of particular note is the presence in the Grand Canyon of more than one and a half thousand specimens of yew berry. The diameters of the trunks of old trees of this relic species here reach 1.5 m, and their height is 10–12 m. other plants. In the gloomy gorge of the Grand Canyon, where only for a short time penetrate Sun rays, the vegetation develops, in comparison with the surrounding forests of the mountain slopes, with a delay of 3 to 4 weeks.
Southshore
Many kind, enthusiastic words have been said about the nature of the southern coast of Crimea, and all of them are true. The main range of mountains, like a shield, covers the coast from the north, so here, in temperate latitudes, about equal distance between north pole and the equator, soil and climatic conditions were formed, close to subtropical, almost similar to the Mediterranean.
This natural greenhouse is full of amazing native and overseas plants. This is the land of valuable varieties of fruits and grapes, essential oil crops and tobacco.
Of the 2172 species of plants growing in the mountainous Crimea, more than 1500 species are found on the southern coast. One third of all endemic species of mountain plants in the mountainous part of the peninsula (about 60) are characteristic only of the southern coastal landscapes. Large areas here are occupied by pine, beech and oak forests. Relic thickets of berry yew, Stankevich pine, high juniper, and kev tree have been preserved in hard-to-reach places.
Among the relics, the evergreen deciduous natives of the peninsula are of particular interest - living witnesses to the evolution of the local flora since the preglacial era.
Crimean ivy is the most widespread here. This liana grows in shady forests not only on the southern, but also on the northern slopes of the Main Ridge, and in some places in the south of the foothills. Ivy spreads along the ground with the help of aerial sucker roots, climbs rocks, braids trees and shrubs. Thickets of ivy on the slopes of the mountains play an important anti-erosion role. Much smaller areas are occupied by thickets of jasmine, elm, pyracanthus, needles and cistus.
Of extremely great interest is the small-fruited strawberry, it is also called the strawberry tree or shameless. This is the only native evergreen deciduous tree in the European part of the CIS. Its singly growing specimens or small sparse thickets have been preserved only in the most inaccessible, rocky tracts of the South Coast. The small-fruited strawberry is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful trees on the planet. Its low-stem trunk is picturesque with several cranked-curved branches supporting a hemispherical crown with brilliant emerald foliage. Smooth, like parchment, the bark is painted in an elegant dark purple color. In the middle of summer, the upper layer of the bark begins to peel off and fall off in the form of twisted scrolls and thin patches, exposing a young pale green tissue. Then new bark undergoes a series of colorful transformations and gradually, by the next summer, the usual dark red color lives again. The wrinkled, reddish fruits are reminiscent of strawberries, hence the name of the tree.
The forests and bush thickets of the South Coast play a very important soil-protective, anti-landslide and water-protective role. Of the 182 protected areas of Crimea, 82 are located on the southern coast.
47 species of plants growing on the peninsula are included in the Red Book. In itself, the abundance of endangered species is evidence of the threatening situation in which they found themselves as a result of the excessive recreational load on the Crimean nature.
Crimean foothills
The Crimean foothills are a natural link connecting the mountains and plains of Crimea. Therefore, it combines many original features and features characteristic of the south and north of the peninsula. The mountains are not high, the forest alternates with the steppe, valleys, gardens ... One involuntarily recalls the words of A. S. Pushkin:
The valleys are a cozy beauty,
And jets, and poplars coolness ...
All the feeling of a traveler beckons...
A wide strip (12-40 km.) The foothills stretched from the southwest from Cape Chersonesos to the northeast to the Kerch Peninsula. Its total length in this direction reaches 180 km. The area of the Crimean foothills is 3895 km2. In the process of long arched uplifts of the Crimean Mountains on the northern, initially uniform gentle slope, water erosion formed longitudinal valleys and foothill ridges. These ridges are composed mainly of limestones and marls (of Cretaceous and Tertiary age) dipping to the northwest at a slight angle. This is how the Inner (up to 739 m above sea level) and Outer (up to 350 m above sea level) ridges arose. They are characterized by steep southern and gently dipping northern slopes. This type of relief in geography is called cuest, and the ridges are called cues. The heterogeneous density and structure of the deposits of the Inner Ridge and, of course, unequal stability under the influence of external forces in combination with climatic features and sparse forests of the territory - all this contributes to the intensive weathering of the outcrops of the cuesta. Dense "armoring" limestones crowning the cuesta create ledges-cornices clearly expressed in the relief: at the top - a limestone-nummulite ledge, below it - a limestone-bryozoan ledge. However, nummulite limestone is destroyed faster than bryozoan, and therefore the upper cornice recedes from the cliff of the cuesta faster than the lower one, as a result of which peculiar terraces appear between the two cornices. In the eastern part of the Inner Ridge, where only one nummulite cornice is observed, no such terraces are formed. The process of weathering of the limestone cornices of the Inner Ridge leads to the formation of amazingly beautiful sculptural relief forms on its slopes. Here are wide rounded peaks, reminiscent of giant lurking monsters, and lamellar ribbed parts, squeezed like furs of harmony, and deep niches-caves, which often served as a dwelling for primitive man. In addition to cave weathering, honeycomb, lacy and point weathering is often found in these places; saucers, gullies and even small caves of karst origin can be found. Limestones, heterogeneous in density, from their denser varieties form columns of bizarre shape, prepared by weathering. Many of them are declared natural monuments.
The outer ridge is geologically younger than the inner one. It is composed of marls, clays, sands, sandstones, conglomerates and limestones of the Tertiary period, forming the armoring surface of the cuesta. And here we see a motley alternation of deposits of different density, unequally amenable to weathering. However, the age, density and thickness of the strata, the height of the cuesta ridges are all inferior to those of the Inner ridge. Smaller, less original are the forms of weathering of the outer cuest landscapes. Sarmatian limestone outcrops are dominated by small niches, troughs, pockets, and weathering honeycombs; screes are developed along the slopes.
In some places in the foothills, outcrops of volcanic rocks are exposed (near the villages of Lozovoe, Trudolyubovka, etc.). They form low hills in the relief; some have quarries for the extraction of durable and valuable building stone - diabase. But cement marls, nummulite and especially bryozoan limestones are of the greatest economic interest. The quarries of the Inner Ridge, where these limestones are mined, look like huge circuses, on the slopes of which large stone blocks are cut in a mechanized way. It is from them that many buildings in Simferopol, Sevastopol and other settlements of Crimea were built. Recently, limestone has been exported to Belgium and Germany, where it is used in construction as a facing stone.
For further rational use natural resources of the foothills, along with the extraction of stone, it is planned to widely expand work on the restoration of the landscape of worked out quarries. It would be expedient to widely introduce underground developments, which would allow preserving the forest-steppe landscapes of the cuesta peaks - wonderful places for recreation and tourism. At the same time, the underground galleries and halls formed in this way could serve economic purposes.
Along the southern slopes of the Inner Ridge stretched a chain of so-called "cave towns" of the Crimea. The caves are mostly carved by man. Some of them are protected monuments visited by thousands of nature and history lovers.
The Crimean foothills is the most important area for horticulture and essential oil crops on the peninsula. In the longitudinal depressions between the ridges and the river valleys transverse to them, there are beautiful apple and pear orchards, plantations of roses, lavender, sage, and tobacco. Foothill landscapes account for a significant part of all Crimean vineyards and grain crops. Mild winters and warm summers create optimal conditions for the development of southern fruit and berry crops. Only atmospheric precipitation is not enough: it falls here from 303 to 596 mm a year.
At the same time, for the waters accumulated on the Main Ridge, the foothills serve as the main route for surface and underground runoff. For the most water-bearing river systems Biyuk-Karasu, Salgira, Alma, Kacha, Belbek, Chernaya and other rivers are the area of transit and dispersion of surface runoff. In addition, the main part of the river runoff (up to 48%) falls on the spring period, when irrigation of agricultural crops is limited. That is why river flow regulation is necessary.
The transformation of nature on a broad front unfolded in the foothills of the Crimea only after the victory of the Great October Socialist Revolution. Particularly large water-reclamation works have been carried out here in recent years. By 1971, 15 large reservoirs with a total volume of about 200 million m3 had been built in the river valleys. This is half of the surface runoff of the entire Crimea in an average dry year!
The forest-steppe vegetation in the landscapes of the foothills occupies about 1900 km2. On the gentle northern and northwestern slopes of the Outer and partially Inner Ridges, there is a mosaic combination of steppe areas and small forests - groves dominated by undersized oak. These groves in the Crimea are called "oaks". Within the boundaries of the foothills, 37 isolated island "oaks" were found, ranging in area from several hectares to several square kilometers (Near and Far Simferopol "oaks" Osminsky and others). Along with coppice downy oak, pedunculate and sessile oaks are occasionally found in groves. Of the other tree and shrub species, hornbeam, skumpia, hawthorn, derzhiderevo, wild rose, common pear and sallow-leaved pear, svidina, barberry, buckthorn, blackthorn, etc. are common. , spurge, peony, feather grass, etc.). Many researchers, extending the term "forest-steppe" to the entire territory of the Crimean foothills, believe that this type of vegetation here has a primary, original character. However, recently this view of the Crimean forest-steppe has been revised. This question is not only scientific: knowledge of the root causes of the formation of the forest-steppe will make it possible to better and more correctly determine the ways of forest plantations and erosion control. First of all, the "oaks" of the Outer Ridge and the "oaks" occupying the gentle slopes of the Inner Ridge and in some places the southern longitudinal depression cannot be considered as identical formations. An assessment of the vegetation cover of foothill landscapes is unthinkable without taking into account the entire complex of natural and geographical conditions. It should be borne in mind that the Inner Ridge is 200-300 m higher than the Outer Ridge, receives more precipitation, and its vegetation cover is a direct continuation of the forests of the lower belt of the Main Ridge and merges with it in the southern longitudinal depression, while the "oaks" of the Outer the ridges are in direct contact with the steppes of the flat Crimea.
In this regard, there are also differences in the vegetation cover of the ridges. The "oaks" of the Outer Ridge have the character of low-growing trees and shrubs and occupy total no more than 15-20% of its area. Such representatives of forests as field maple, heart-shaped linden and ivy, common in the "oaks" of the Inner Ridge, are not found on the Outer Ridge. Significant spaces between the "oaks" here are occupied by typical steppe vegetation developed on medium-thick carbonate chernozems characteristic of the steppes. Thus, the original nature of the forest-steppe of the Outer Ridge is beyond doubt.
The situation is different with the origin of the forest-steppe vegetation of the gentle slopes of the Inner Ridge and partly of the southern longitudinal depression. Oak groves are also widespread here (Chumakar "oaks", Karakush "oaks", etc.). But they occupy more than half of the area in these landscapes, and their resemblance to the "oak trees" of the Outer Ridge is purely external. In the plant communities of the Inner Ridge, there is a significant increase in the proportion of herbaceous plants characteristic of mountain forests. Of the trees in the "oaks" of the Inner Ridge, such satellites of the Crimean oak forests as field maple, hornbeam, and heart-shaped linden are common. As for the nesting growth of oak, which is widespread here, in which supporters of the originality of forest-steppes throughout the foothills see unfavorable growing conditions, this phenomenon is the result of past felling and grazing. Nowadays, not only the foothills, but in general all the oak forests of the Crimea, 80% belong to low-stemmed and coppice forests. In this sense, the forest-steppe of the Crimean foothills is an analogue of the upland forest-steppe of the Crimean yayla.
In the past, forests dominated the gentle slopes of the Inner Ridge and partly of the northern longitudinal valley. This is evidenced, in particular, by the first plan of Simferopol, drawn up in 1786: on the territory where the children's park is now located, and on the entire right bank of the Salgir, "forest" is written. Its relics are the giant oaks still growing in the children's park. One of them (Bogatyr of Taurida) is 650 years old, its height is 25 m, trunk circumference is 5.25 m. These facts convincingly testify to the secondary forest-steppe nature of the vegetation of the landscapes of the Inner Ridge and adjacent forest-steppe areas of the southern and northern longitudinal inter-ridge depressions of the Crimean foothills.
Peculiar forest-steppe areas of the Crimean foothills need constant protection. In 1947, "oaks" were included in the register of natural monuments regional significance. They reliably protect slopes from erosion, accumulate moisture. "Oaks" of the Crimean foothills - interesting objects geographical excursions.
If we take all the sites of "oaks" as one natural monument, then together with it in the Crimean foothills 18 unique objects with a total area of more than 520 hectares are declared protected.
We invite you to travel. By tradition, we will go from the southwest to the northeast.
Along the southern slopes of the Inner Ridge, in some places small remnant mountains rise as isolated bastions. Water erosion in the distant past cut them off from the main crest of the cuesta. Apparently, the isolation and relative inaccessibility of these mountains, flattened from above, attracted the attention of the ancient inhabitants of the foothills, who created their fortresses and cave cities here for defense. One of these fortified cities - Mangup (commanded in 1960) rises on the highest remnant of the southwestern foothills near the village. Zalesny. The height of this rocky table massif is 581 m. a simple matter. In the 40-meter cliffs of Mangup, formed by Upper Cretaceous bryozoan limestones, artificial caves- crypts that had various economic or religious purposes. In the 13th-15th centuries, there was a large city for those times, the capital of the independent Principality of Theodoro.
The plateau-like peak of Mangup is pushed to the sides by original toes. From each of the capes you can admire the surrounding landscapes in plenty. From the foot of the mountain, a forest climbs up the slopes of the hoary citadel. Fluffy oak, hornbeam, hazel dominate here, ivy is abundant, and Crimean pine is found.
Almost next to Mangup, on the eastern slope of the narrow Karalez valley, there are natural sphinxes of the Karalez valley (commissioned in 1960). Here, 3 km. south of the Red Poppy, on the right bank of the valley, formed by one of the left tributaries of the Belbek River, rises a group of huge stone idols. There are 14 sphinxes in this family. The height of one of the stone giants reaches 8 m. These unique formations arose as a result of weathering of Cretaceous and Tertiary limestones of heterogeneous density.
Passing from the Karalezsky sphinxes to the northeast and passing through a low ridge into the Belbek valley, we get to the Syurensky grotto-canopy (commanded in 1964). An extensive form of weathering of limestones on the right slope of the valley of the river. Belbek attracted the attention of primitive people 15-20 thousand years ago by the convenience of housing: the southwestern exposure of the canopy (abundance of sun), reliable protection from bad weather and the proximity of water. During the excavations of the site, archaeologists discovered numerous flint tools, as well as bone remains of extinct animals of the Crimean foothills: a cave bear, a giant deer, a reindeer, a wild horse, a bull and others.
Not far from here is the Belbek yew grove, declared a natural monument in 1968. It is the largest yew habitat in the Crimea. Here, on the steep shady left slope of the river valley. Belbek, near the village. Large Sadovoe, there are over 2000 trees of this tertiary relic. Yew in some places forms independent thickets or is represented by undergrowth in a beech forest over an area of more than 20 hectares. A large number of young undergrowth is pleasing to the eye - evidence of favorable living conditions for yew. Finally, the Belbek Canyon itself is the place where the river breaks through. Belbek through the Inner Ridge is also a natural monument (commanded in 1968). This is an original erosion gorge that cuts the cuest ridge, as geologists say, across its strike. The "Belbek gates" were formed in the process of gradual water erosion along the path, originally laid by a deep split-crack in the rocks of the cuesta. The depth of the canyon cut reaches 160 m, its width in the upper part is about 300 m. Bare sheer cliffs of limestone, like fortress bastions, guard the upper edges of the gorge. Down to the river, marl slopes descend at an angle of about 45°. This part of the slopes is dominated by forest thickets of sessile oak, hornbeam, dogwood, wild rose, derzhidereva and other broad-leaved trees and shrubs.
Approximately the same is the Kachinsky Canyon (commanded in 1968), located on the river neighboring to the east. Kache. True, this canyon, at approximately the same depth (140 m), is narrower (150 m) and difficult to access. This, like the Belbek Canyon, is a monument of the Quaternary development of the relief of the foothill Crimea. Traveling through these places, once again you are clearly convinced of the enormous destructive and creative work of flowing waters.
Passing from the Kacha valley along its right tributary Churuk-Su to Bakhchisarai, you can see two more interesting natural sights here. One of the monuments - natural sphinxes - is located on the right bank of the Churuk-Su. The river here cut a deep canyon-like gorge that cuts the Inner Range in the transverse direction. The upper horizons of the sides of the valley form bizarre stone sculptures up to 20 m high. These rocks are formed by the weathering of nummulite limestones of unequal strength.
The further way is along the valley to the southern cliffs of the cuesta. Here, opposite each other, several cave cities rise at once - Chufut-Kale, Kyz-Kule and Tepe-Kermen. The latter was declared a protected natural monument in 1947. Tepe-Kermen is located on a cone-shaped mountain at the southern edge of the Inner Ridge. In the past, Tepe-Kermen was an integral part of this ridge, but as a result of erosion, the mountain became isolated and turned into a classical remnant. The flat top with steep edges is made up of an armoring layer of limestones. More gentle slopes, subject to active erosional erosion, are composed of marls. The absolute altitude of Tepe-Kermen is 543 m.
In the past, as the name itself shows (Tepe-Kermen means hill-fortress), there was a medieval "cave city" (XII-XIV centuries). Since then, numerous (235) crypts have been preserved, carved by man in limestone in 6-7 tiers, both on the slopes and on the top of the mountain. Tepe-Kermen was one of the most populous "cave towns" of the Crimea.
The natural standard of the dynamics of the relief is the mountain-remnant Sheludivaya in the valley of the river. Bodrak, near the village. Scientific (commanded in 1964). A special role in the river basin. Bodraka belongs to the rocks of the Cretaceous period. The sequence of dense gray sandstones and ferruginous brown limestones, apparently, already during the period of accumulation of sediments in a shallow separated basin, acquired different thicknesses.
In the course of the erosional formation of the southern longitudinal depression of the foothills, thin sections of this sequence turned out to be eroded. Thickened lenses of sediments formed armoring surfaces, which contributed to the isolation of low flat-topped remnant mountains. Such is the origin of Sheludiva.
The absolute height of the Bodrak remnants reaches 400-500 m. The relative height does not exceed 100-200 m. The flat top of Mount Sheludivaya, for example, has an oval perimeter of about 300 m. contribute to the development of woody vegetation: grass-forb phytocenoses dominate here. From the summit, along steep (up to 45°) slopes, 36 similar ravine tracts diverge radially, isolated in the clayey-sandy strata. The ravines are almost bare, with sparse trees and shrubs. Mount Sheludivaya is an example of the "bad lands" of the foothills. It calls for a vigorous fight against water erosion through afforestation.
The Bakla tract is an amazingly beautiful, interesting natural and historical monument. The path to it leads from Rocky along the crest of the Inner Ridge. Beautiful places here. The steep, steep ridges of the kuesta ridge rise above a vast valley between the ridges, beyond which the peaks of the Main Ridge are visible in the south. In the opposite, northern, direction, the Inner Ridge descends very gently. On the way to the natural boundary of Bakla (and up to it from the village of Skalisty about 2.5 km.), through the layers of underlying rocks, one can trace the history of the development of this area for many millions of years. At the bottom of the steep slope of the ridge different density deposits of the Cretaceous period: marls and limestones. Limestone consists of numerous petrified inhabitants of the former (more than 70 million years ago) Cretaceous sea - bryozoans. It is very durable, beautiful and relatively easy to machine. It is no coincidence that one of the largest mechanized bryozoan limestone quarries has grown here. It looks quite impressive: giant steps surround the quarry arena like an amphitheatre. In 1971, this quarry gave the builders of the region more than 280 thousand m3 of wall blocks of stone.
Higher up the steep slope of the Inner Ridge, above the bryozoan limestones, there are younger limestones formed in the Paleogene period. Even a person who is not experienced in geology can easily find numerous accumulations of petrified round shells of sea rhizomes in the break of these limestones, shaped like coins. That is why these limestones are called nummulite (from the Latin word nummulus - coin). In addition to fossil rhizopods, in limestone placers you can collect a collection of large fossilized oysters, sea urchins and other inhabitants of the sea that existed in these places more than 50 million years ago. In the Bakla tract, two huge independent cornices are well expressed in the relief, and between them, a terrace, as it were carved into the rocks, gave good example gradual change in relief under the influence of external forces. What only sculptures are not created by her! Here on the ridge rises a huge 40-meter stone sphinx. Down the slope there are hundreds, thousands of natural pits-cells - samples of honeycomb weathering of rocks. Everywhere there are large and small niches, pockets, grottoes... The picture of the landscape monument is complemented by original trees and shrubs.
As if impregnable castles rise above the steep cornices of the ridge, its individual capes. It successfully used medieval population Crimean foothills. At an altitude of 310 m, people founded the "cave city" Bakla. This fortified settlement was created to fight against the nomads. It existed, as studies of historians have shown, in the 4th-13th centuries and died during the Tatar-Mongol invasion of the Crimea.
In the area with Livadki we will visit a protected plantation - a grove of Crimean pine (declared a natural monument in 1968). In the forest area of Livadki - a favorite vacation spot of Simferopol residents - in addition to pine, fluffy oak, hornbeam, dogwood, hazel grow. And nearby, on the southern cliff of the ridge, is the Snake Cave (commanded in 1968). There are 11 karst caves in the Crimean foothills, but Zmeinaya is the largest of them: its length reaches 310 m. From the top of the cuesta above the entrance to the cave, a wonderful view opens up: fields, forests, villages. Everything is in full view. But we are waiting for the cave darkness. Near the block forest pillar 21-20 we begin the descent to the foot of the cliff. And here we have a 30-meter vertical crack.
Climb up the ledges to the entrance. Everywhere in the walls we see small coin-shaped fossilized remains of the ancient inhabitants of the seas - nummulites. In these limestones of a relatively young, tertiary age, the cavity of the cave has been developed by karst waters. It is divided by blocky blockages into three floors, connected by numerous vertical wells.
We turn on the electric lights. Not far from the entrance is a well that connects to the lower floor. We go down into the well and continue moving deeper into the cave. From time to time we stop to inspect the side passages. Under the floor, the emptiness of the lower floor hums. Behind the beautiful, domed halls are narrow and uncomfortable manholes through which you have to crawl. In one place, the hole descends lower and lower and suddenly ends in a huge hall...
Unlike the caves of the Main Ridge, the Serpentine Ridge has neither stalactites nor stalagmites. In the limestone vault, inclusions of red clay are visible, and next to it is a crack, which, perhaps, is the beginning of a new move.
Narrow gaps follow one after another. In places, tree roots penetrating from the surface of the plateau hang from the ceiling. With difficulty squeezing, we reach big stone. Next to the stone is the entrance to the lowest floor. We go down and get into a small, but the most beautiful hall. Its walls are covered with original sinter formations. It seems that in the rays of the lantern they shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow.
But here is the dead end. Little halt. And we're on our way back. It seems to be shorter. Soon, daylight shines ahead like a beacon. A few more tens of meters, and we go out to the platform at the entrance to the cave. After being underground, the sun seems unusually bright. It hits the eyes, blinds... After the trip, the name of the cave became clear: it, like a giant snake, wriggles underground.
And now - to the Salgir valley near Simferopol. An island of Permian limestones on the Simferopol reservoir is a block of Permian limestones rare on the Crimean Peninsula. The deposits of the Permian Sea, which existed more than 230 million years ago, are interspersed only in small massifs in the thickness of the Taurian shales and are also known in the valleys of the Bodrak and Marta rivers. According to geologists, Permian blocks fell into the sea from mountain ranges that existed in the distant past on the site of the flat Crimea, and thus turned out to be foreign bodies among younger shale deposits. As this territory was further uplifted, the block, together with the enclosing Upper Triassic rocks, appeared on the land surface.
Simferopol rocky block - one of the most significant in the foothills. It was first described by scientists as early as 1901. This grayish limestone contains fossil Paleozoic rhizopod fauna: foraminifera, pseudofusulin and pseudoschwagerin. After filling the Simferopol reservoir with water in 1955, the Permian block formed an island 40x80 m in size. Traces of limestone weathering are observed on its surface. Vegetation cover is typical for the adjacent territory: forb steppe with preserved remains of xerophilic forest in the form of a smooth carcass (stone tree). This monument of nature (commissioned in 1960) is a witness to the complex multi-million geological history of the peninsula. The Perm block forms an island only when the Simferopol reservoir is completely filled, the bowl of which in this case holds about 36 million m3 of water, and the depth reaches 34 m. Small Salgir. Here 2 km. from Simferopol near the village. Lugovoy is the Chokurcha cave-grotto (commanded in 1947). It is located on the left rocky bank of the river. Small Salgir. Chokurcha faces its entrance to the north, which is actually an exceptional phenomenon for the cave sites of primitive man. The depth of the grotto is up to 15 m and the width is up to 7 m. In essence, the modern grotto is only a remnant of an ancient, more extensive karst cave, which in the past, apparently, reached a great length. The front part of it collapsed, revealing the interior.
Chokurchinskaya cave has found wide popularity as a site of Paleolithic man. The first excavations here were carried out in 1927 and then continued for many years. According to an eyewitness of the excavations in 1940-1941. zoologist S. L. Delyamure, flint tools and numerous tusks (10 pairs) of young mammoths were found under a two-meter layer. On the ceiling of the vault of the Chokurchinskaya cave, the most unique drawings, hollowed out by Paleolithic people in Tertiary limestones, were washed from soot. Among them are the Sun with rays (the diameter of the disc is about 0.5 m), images of a mammoth and fish (their size is 0.5 m each). In the cave, along with rough tools made of bone and flint (more than 500 of them were found) and mammoth bones, numerous bones and other animals were found. Judging by the bones, a cave bear, a giant deer, a saiga antelope, and a rhinoceros lived then in the Crimean foothills. In this way. Chokurchinskaya Cave is a monument that has preserved to this day numerous remains of extinct fauna that lived in the Crimean foothills 50 thousand years ago.
Another, almost similar monument of nature - the Kiik-Koba cave-grotto is located in the Zui valley, 8 km. south of the village Zuya. Actually, this is not a cave, but a canopy-grotto with an area of about 50 m2. Kiik-Koba is turned to the south: a deciduous forest approaches it from all sides. Excavations 1924-1925 found in a cave ancient parking primitive man in the Crimea (late Acheul-Mousterian). About 500 flint tools (pointed, hacksaw, blades) were found here, which were used about 100 thousand years ago, and many bone remains of the extinct fauna of the Crimea. Among the animals that lived at that time in the vicinity of Kiik-Koba and served as a subject of hunting were a mammoth, a rhinoceros, a cave hyena, a primitive bull, a wild horse, a wild donkey (jigetai), a giant deer, a cave bear, a wild boar and others. Kiik-Koba is a monument of national and world significance, it was reserved in 1947.
Now let's take a tour of the area. Belogorsk, to where Biyuk-Karasu breaks through the Inner Cuesta of the foothill Crimea. Here, in the valley of the breakthrough, on its high right bank, the rocky mountain Ak-Kaya (White Rock, commanded in 1969) rises. As a formidable angular cliff, this peak rises above the valley by more than 100 m. Its absolute height is 325 m. Mount Ak-Kaya is an original object of erosion development and weathering of Lower Tertiary and Upper Cretaceous limestones and marls in the eastern part of the foothills. Half the slope of the mountain is steep. In this upper part of the rock, the limestone, weathered, forms interesting columnar formations. Between them, shaded eye sockets of inaccessible natural grottoes and oval niches are visible from afar against a white background. On the lower part of the slope, for about 800 m, erosion troughs, screes and piles of collapsed large blocks of limestone can be traced. Real stone chaos! Scattered along this part of the slope are rare shrubs (hornbeam, wild rose), which are trying to restrain slope erosion. But these bushes are not enough yet - erosion is winning. Ak-Kaya is also interesting as an archaeological site. In 1969-1971. under canopies at its foot, near the village. White Rock, scientists have unearthed about 20 sites of primitive man of the Mousterian era (100-40 thousand years ago). Numerous (more than 10,000) flint points, knives, side-scrapers and other tools were found. Accumulations of bones of a mammoth, a wild horse, a wild bull and other, now extinct animals, were found near the ancient hearths. For the first time in the Crimea, a fragment of the skull of an adult Neanderthal man was found here. The Ak-Kaya area was convenient for living ancient man: an abundance of grottoes and sheds, river water, deposits of silicon in local marls and, finally, the rock itself and its cliffs served as shelters from the weather and pens during the hunting of wild animals.
The inner ridge in these places forms the Burunduk-Kaya mountain range, reaching its highest height here (more than 700 m). Such relief conditions cause an increased amount of precipitation, which contributes to the development of tall broad-leaved forests. In the protected forest grow fluffy and sessile oak, hornbeam, hazel, less often - mountain ash, privet, European euonymus. Hornbeam, hawthorn, dogwood, buckthorn, barberry, and skumpia are also abundantly represented here. Forest and shrub thickets are entwined with clematis. On deforested glades, one can observe a peculiar combination of xerophytic dwarf shrubs and herbs of the freegana type in combination with steppe vegetation. Asphodelina, sage, astragalus, onosma grow here in combination with wheatgrass, bonfires, dubrovnik, euphorbia and fescue ....
Preserving this amazing floristic combination, the forest near Topolevka serves as a source of settlement of valuable plant species. At the same time, this forest outpost of the foothills serves as a convincing example of the soil-protective and water-protective role of the forest. Source near the highway in the village. Topolevka quenches the thirst of many thousands of travelers.
V.G. Yena Simferopol Publishing house "Tavria"
Photos of beautiful mountainous places of Crimea
Grade 8 Crimean studies Date ______________
Lesson number 30 Topic " Crimean foothills (Inner and outer ridges)"
Goals: to form the ability to evaluate the natural resources of the Crimean mountains; continue acquaintance with natural features Crimean mountains, to form the ability to work with maps, with statistical materials, to make notes
Objectives: educational
To form knowledge about natural conditions and resources
Develop the ability to highlight features Inner and outer ridges of the Crimean mountains
Developing:
1. Contribute to increasing interest in Crimean studies.
2. Stimulate the desire to expand your horizons.
3. Promote the development of communication skills: the ability to express and defend one's point of view.
Educational:
1. To cultivate a sense of collectivism, delicacy, the ability to listen to the opinions of others.
2. Feeling of love for the nature of the native land, one's country
3. Form an active citizenship
4. To form the ability to see the existing problem and offer ways to solve it.
5. Form the ability to lead a discussion
Equipment: a demonstration map of the Crimea, an atlas, a notebook with a printed basis, edited by V.A. Suprychev
Lesson type: combined.
During the classes.
I . Organizing time.
II . Updating of basic knowledge
In the last lesson, we met withThe main ridge of the Crimean mountains. Remember the features of the natural conditions of the Main Ridge. (Student answers)
III . Motivation of educational activity.
Today we turn to the study of the Inner and Outer ridges of the Crimean mountains.
What do you think we will talk about?
What is the purpose of our lesson?
What tasks will we set for ourselves?
IV . Learning new material.foothills area
This area occupies the Outer and Inner Cuest Ridges. Average Height The inner ridge is about 500 m long. In a number of places it is torn apart by canyon-like river valleys, as well as ancient erosion gorges. In some of them, for example, on the right bank of the deep valley of the river. Churuksu in the Bakhchisarai region, as a result of weathering of nummulite limestones of various strengths, bizarre rocks up to 15-20 m high were formed.
The most important relief-forming factors within the foothills are erosional processes, which cause the extreme dissection of the relief. Landslides have a significant influence on the formation of the foothill relief, especially in the Kacha and Alma valleys.
The foothills are characterized by a moderately warm climate with sufficient moisture in the western and central parts. In the eastern part of the foothills, with northeastern winds prevailing here, the climate is continental with maximum precipitation in summer, large annual temperature amplitudes, and prolonged sunshine.
So, in the Sevastopol region, the number of sunny hours is 2240, and in Simferopol, located at a distance of approximately 60 km, their number increases to 2320. The average annual air temperature amplitudes increase from 20 ° in the west to 23-24 ° in the central part. To the east, the duration of the frost period also increases and the growing season decreases (from 9 to 8 months). In the western part of 28-30 weeks, the weather is with average daily temperatures above 10 °, and the sum of temperatures during this time is 3500 "and even more. This is due to the fact that the western part of the foothills is more often invaded by marine tropical air masses and Mediterranean cyclones.
The foothills are drained by a fairly dense river network. The rivers Chernaya, Belbek, Kacha, Alma, Western Bulganak, Salgir, Zuya, Bolshaya Karasevka, Indol, etc. flow here. Their food is mainly rain (44-52%). Underground - due to karst sources - is 23-36%. Within the Inner Ridge The groundwater lie quite deep (up to 150 m) and are associated with Paleogene limestones. In the area of the Outer Cuesto Ridge, they occur at a depth of 20 to 100 m in Sarmatian limestones and Mediterranean sediments.
Of the large number of soil types in the foothills, gravelly carbonate chernozems, leached chernozems, meadow-chernozem soils, gray forest soils and their varieties predominate.
The vegetation cover of the ridge foothills is quite diverse. A significant part of them, according to the nature of the vegetation, is a kind of forest-steppe with alternating sections of feather grass and feather grass-forb steppe with small groves. Considerable areas on thin gravelly and carbonate soils are occupied by asphodelic steppes, in the herbage of which feather grass, fescue, and saffron predominate.
There are many fruit orchards, vineyards, grain and industrial crops, vegetable gardens in the valleys.
Animal world foothills
The fauna of the foothills has a forest-steppe character. Mammals are represented mainly by steppe rodents (voles, hamsters, ground squirrels, etc.).
The complexity of the geological structure and relief, climatic, soil and plant contrasts, different hydrological and hydrogeological conditions of the territory led to the formation of various natural complexes (locals) here: hollow freegan-shibliakov, hilly-beam, etc.
Valley-terrace areas with meadow-chernozem soils are most common in the valleys of the Chernaya, Belbek, Kacha, Alma, Western Bulganak, Salgir, Zuya, Bolshaya Karasevka, Indol, etc. rivers. well-formed valleys with a series of terraces. Meadow-chernozem soils predominate on the first floodplain terraces. They are fertile and are used mainly for orchards, vineyards and orchards. The content of humus in them is 3-4%, phosphorus is slightly more than 2%, nitrogen is 0.3%. Large massifs of meadow-chernozem soils in river valleys create ample opportunities for further development of fruit growing and viticulture in the Crimea.
Arrays of floodplain meadows, flooded almost every spring, are used as hayfields.
Terraces and slopes, where the soils are mainly soddy-calcareous, are best used for growing grain and tilled crops, and the slopes of the southern exposure are used for vineyards, essential oil crops, and tobacco plantations.
Steppe ridged areas with meadow-black-earth soils and forb-feather grass vegetation are developed in the second intermountain longitudinal valley, especially between the valleys of the Salgira and Alma, Bolshaya Karasevka and Zuya rivers.
Low-humus chernozems predominate (up to 3% humus), carbonate in some places (the interfluves of the Salgir and Alma) and leached ( southern part interfluves of Zuya and Bolshaya Karasevka). The natural vegetation cover is dominated by forb-feather grass steppe.
There are sparse thickets of xerophytic subshrubs and herbs of the freegana type. In some places, islands of low-stemmed forests have been preserved with a predominance of downy oak, occasionally with an admixture of small-leaved hornbeam and various shrubs.
The main areas are occupied by grain and industrial crops (tobacco, rose, sage, lavender), as well as vineyards.
Kuestovo-forest-steppe areas with soddy-calcareous soils are most clearly expressed between Alma and Salgir, Belogorsk and Stary Krym.
The northern slopes of the cuestas are gentle, dissected by wide beams, and therefore their surface has a wavy character. The southern slopes are steep, with deeply incised ravines and gullies.
On steep slopes, the soils are eroded (the thickness of the soil profile is not more than 20 cm). They contain a large number of stones and rubble. The most elevated parts of the ridges are covered with broad-leaved forests, mainly oak.
Kuestovo-steppe areas with chernozem soils are typical of the Outer Ridge. They are clearly expressed in the interfluve of Kacha and Bolshaya Karasevka. The slightly inclined surface of the northern slope of the Outer Ridge is less dissected than the Inner Ridge, and only in some places is complicated by shallow ravines. Low-humus chernozems are the most common in the soil cover. In ravine depressions, carbonate reclaimed chernozems with a humus content of up to 4% were formed. They have a powerful soil profile (up to 100 cm) and contain a lot of nutrients. Thanks to this, they can be used for deep plowing and not only grow field crops, but also use them for orchards and vineyards.
The steep southern slopes of the Outer Ridge have an underdeveloped soil cover, and are often completely devoid of it. They are covered with sparse fescue-grass vegetation and if they are used incorrectly (plowing along the slope, plowing hollows, etc.), they are intensively eroded.
foothill landscapes
Kuestovo-remnant forest-steppe xerophyte-shrub areas with brown soils are common in the southwestern part of the foothill zone, where they are confined to the Outer and Inner ridges.
The northern and northwestern slopes of the ridges are dissected by a dense network of ravines and flat-bottomed gullies. In some places, the crest of the Inner Ridge is divided into a number of separate hills. Erosion, possibly along tectonic cracks, separated from the southern steep cliff of the Inner Ridge several table mountains-outliers, resembling impregnable medieval fortresses in their appearance. Their peaks are composed of Eocene (nummulite) and Upper Cretaceous (bryozoan) limestones.
Leveled and slightly inclined areas of the northern and northwestern slopes with brown soils are suitable for growing heat-loving subtropical crops on them.
Significant areas of the northern and northwestern slopes of the Inner Ridge are occupied by broad-leaved, predominantly oak forests with sessile, common and downy oak. Among these forests there are small massifs of Crimean pine. The most elevated sections of the Outer Ridge are covered with low-stemmed forests, mainly of downy oak, in places with an admixture of oriental hornbeam and various shrubs (dogwood, wild rose, etc.). Quite often among them there are significant thickets of tree-like juniper, almost not found in other parts of the foothill zone.
Plain-hollow frigan-shibliak areas with brown soils are of limited distribution, occupying mainly the extreme south-west of the foothills (Makenziev plateau). Its surface has a slight slope and is dissected by shallow (10-30 m) hollows.
The watershed sections of the plateau are composed of ancient alluvial-proluvial deposits (run-in fragments of limestone, less often sandstone and quartz). Blocks and pebbles of limestones are weakly bonded with sandy-calcareous-argillaceous cement, most often saturated with iron oxides, which determines their pink, brown, sometimes red color. General background soil cover create brown soils with a high content of phosphorus and nitrogen compounds.
Agro-productive properties of soils make it possible to grow grapes and subtropical crops on them. Due to insufficient moisture, xerophytic vegetation is developed here. In addition to low-stemmed coppice forests of downy oak, oriental hornbeam, pear tree, etc., large areas, especially in dry areas, are occupied by thickets of drought-resistant herbs and shrubs, which are the Crimean analogue of the Mediterranean freegana. Here you can see such typical representatives of the Mediterranean as capers, wild cucumber, ailanthus, etc.
Low-mountain-forest areas with mountain-forest soddy-calcareous soils are common in the first longitudinal erosion-denudation depression between the Main and Inner ridges, bounded by the Chernaya and Kacha rivers. It is indented by a dense valley-beam network. The relief is low-mountainous with numerous hills (up to 300-400 m), steep and high slopes. Low additional cuestas are also developed, the formation of which is associated with inclusions in loose chalk deposits of hard interlayers that have undergone less erosion and denudation.
The uplands are composed mainly of thin mountain-forest soddy-calcareous soils. The natural vegetation is represented by low-growing oak-hornbeam forests. It is advisable to use treeless areas for growing grain and tilled crops. The valleys have excellent conditions for gardening and horticulture.
Hilly-beam forest-steppe areas with soddy-calcareous soils are developed in the first longitudinal eroeion-denudation valley east of the river. Kacha. Their characteristic feature is the alternation of individual rounded hills and smoothed hills with shallow ravines.
The soil cover is dominated by low-humus carbonate chernozems. The amount of humus in the upper horizons ranges from 3.2-4.5%. They are sufficiently provided with nitrogen, but poor in phosphorus. In this regard, the application of phosphate fertilizers is one of the most effective ways increasing crop yields.
The natural vegetation is a mosaic alternation of steppe areas with islands of undersized oak-hornbeam forest (“oaks”) in the western part and sparse thickets of predominantly xerophytic shrubs in the eastern part.
Carbonate chernozems with sufficient moisture are the best soils for growing fruit and grape crops. Significant areas are also used for ethereal plants (sage, lavender, rose).
Hilly-gully erosional shrub-steppe areas with soddy-calcareous and chernozem soils are common in the extreme eastern part of the foothill zone, where the foothills are strongly lowered and turn into a system of low hills separated by wide beams.
Low-humus chernozems and sod-calcareous soils are widespread here. Leveled areas of these soils are best used for growing industrial crops and grapes, and solonetsous chernozems, characterized by insufficient aeration, are best used for field crop rotations.
The vegetation cover is represented by thickets of barberry, wild rose, blackthorn, etc., alternating with areas occupied by fescue-cereal steppe.
V . Consolidation of what has been learned.
So, today we found out the features Inner and outer ridges of the Crimean mountains. Let's list them.
VI. Lesson results.
What goals and objectives did we set at the beginning of the lesson? Have we reached them?
V II . Homework: notebook. Prepare a presentation or message on the South Coast (optional).
