Give an assessment of the natural resources of the Russian Plain. Topic: Land resources

East European (Russian) Plain- one of the largest plains in the world by area. Among all the plains of our Motherland, only it opens to two oceans. Russia is located in the central and eastern parts of the plain. It extends from the coast of the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains, from the Barents and White Seas to the Azov and Caspian Seas.

Features of the relief of the Russian Plain

The East European Elevated Plain consists of hills with heights of 200-300 m above sea level and lowlands along which large rivers flow. The average height of the plain is 170 m, and the highest - 479 m - on Bugulma-Belebeevskaya Upland in the Urals part. Maximum mark Timan Ridge somewhat less (471 m).

According to the characteristics of the orographic pattern within the East European Plain, three stripes are clearly distinguished: central, northern and southern. A strip of alternating large hills and lowlands runs through the central part of the plain: Central Russian, Volga, Bugulminsko-Belebeevskaya uplands And General Syrt separated Oka-Don lowland and the Low Trans-Volga region, along which the Don and Volga rivers flow, carrying their waters to the south.

To the north of this strip, low plains predominate. Large rivers flow through this territory - Onega, Northern Dvina, Pechora with numerous high-water tributaries.

The southern part of the East European Plain is occupied by lowlands, of which only the Caspian is located on Russian territory.

Climate of the Russian Plain

The climate of the East European Plain is influenced by its position in temperate and high latitudes, as well as neighboring territories (Western Europe and Northern Asia) and the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. The climate is moderate in temperature and average humidity with increasing continentality to the south and east. The average monthly temperature in January varies from - 8° in the west to - 11°C in the east, July temperature ranges from 18° to 20°C from northwest to southeast.

Dominates the East European Plain all year round westerly transport of air masses. Atlantic air brings coolness and precipitation in summer, and warmth and precipitation in winter.

Differences in the climate of the East European Plain affect the nature of vegetation and the presence of fairly clearly defined soil and plant zonation. Soddy-podzolic soils are replaced to the south by more fertile ones - a type of chernozem. Natural and climatic conditions are favorable for active economic activity and population residence.

Tasks:assess natural resources; show the magnitude of anthropogenic load on the landscapes of the East European Plain; reveal the essence of environmental problems, help students in the creative search for proposals for solving them.

I. Testing knowledge and skills on the topic “Natural complexes of the Russian Plain.”

Possible verification options:

1.Individual oral survey.

-What zonal natural complexes are distinguished on the Russian Plain?

-Which of them occupy the largest area, the smallest?

-Describe the tundra and forest-tundra of the Russian Plain.

-Compare the natural conditions of the taiga and steppes.

-Explain how a change in at least one of the components of nature, for example, the moisture coefficient, changes the appearance of the entire natural complex.

-Which natural complexes are most modified by humans?

2.Checking practical work.

3.Test practical work on a contour map (pp. 48-50 in a printed workbook) according to options or one option at the teacher’s choice.

II. Introductory conversation and preparation for the perception of new knowledge.

An introductory conversation is necessary to update the concept of “natural resources” and remember what groups they are divided into, what underlies the classification, as well as methods of rational use. During the conversation, students prepare a table “Natural resources of the East European Plain.”

III. Gaining new knowledge.

1. Since the topic “Natural Resources” was studied by students relatively recently, repetition should not cause difficulties. Therefore, it is better to fill out the table as independent practical work. Students work with the text of the textbook (pp. 164 - 166) and with atlas maps. This is allotted15-20 minutes. The finished table should look like this:

2. Problems of rational use of natural resources were also considered by students earlier, so the teacher should focus on the environmental problems of the East European Plain, for example, you can talk about the problems of the Non-Black Earth Region.

Teacher.Currently, the territory of the East European Plain is densely populated, its natural resources are intensively used. There is a shortage of water, the atmosphere is heavily polluted, especially in areas with a developed chemical industry. Fertile soils are subject to erosion, forests are mercilessly cut down.

The territory of the Non-Black Earth Region has been sufficiently developed by man for a long time. Arable lands alternated with forests and meadows. Many villages and hamlets are located along rivers and near lakes. Sustainable crops of rye and flax were grown here, the products from which were famous throughout the world. A large number of livestock provided the population with food. However, later the established system of rational management was destroyed. The reasons for this were first collectivization, then the thoughtless strengthening of villages, and the declaration of many villages as unpromising. Most of the population went to the cities. Thousands of villages that used to feed both themselves and city residents have disappeared.

In recent years, large funds have been allocated for land reclamation in the Non-Black Earth Region. What is the result? The result is sad, because instead of a comprehensive one, only water reclamation is carried out, i.e., either drainage or watering. This leads not to improvement, but to deterioration of the land. “In the Non-Chernozem Zone, this is their massive drying out or waterlogging. ... many lands have completely lost their fertility. Rivers, streams, springs, and bogs have been destroyed. ... river beds were straightened, high marshes were drained, and they are the guardians of our waters. It all turned out that the billions of rubles spent did not increase agricultural productivity” (Lemeshev M.I.Before it's too late. - M.: Young Guard, 1991). Non-Black Earth region is our reserve. With proper organization of the economy, it can be revived to a full-blooded life.

Nature reserves have been created on the territory of the Russian Plain, where areas of unique natural landscapes and rare species of animals and birds are preserved. For example, the Kandalaksha, Laplandinsky, Prioksko-Terrasny, Losiny Ostrov, Galichya Gora nature reserves and many others.

You can discuss the problems of Polesie with students, give them the opportunity to speak out about the positive and negative aspects of the process of draining swamps. You can listen to and discuss student reports about protected areas of the East European Plain (homework for lesson No. 37).

To consolidate the acquired knowledge and systematize it, the teacher suggests answering the following questions:

What is the comprehensive approach to the problem of protecting and transforming the nature of the Non-Black Earth Region and Polesie, as well as other areas of the East European Plain? Give examples.

Using these territories as an example, show what is the relationship between measures to transform nature and measures to protect it.

Is it possible at the present stage to abandon measures to transform nature and limit ourselves only to measures to protect it?

Summarizing their knowledge, students formulate a conclusion about the need for a scientifically based approach to solving the problems of transforming nature, taking into account all the relationships within the natural complex.

IV. Summing up the lesson.

Homework: § 29, complete task 4 on p. 48 workbook on a printed basis (apply mineral deposits), or task 3 on p. 49, or task 2 on p. 50 (optional or teacher's choice).

To better understand the environmental problems of the Russian Plain, it is necessary to consider in detail what natural resources this geographic area has and what makes it remarkable.

Features of the Russian Plain

First of all, we will answer the question of where the Russian Plain is located. The East European Plain is located on the Eurasian continent and ranks second in area in the world after the Amazon Plain. The second name of the East European Plain is Russian. This is due to the fact that a significant part of it is occupied by the Russian state. It is in this territory that most of the country's population is concentrated and the largest cities are located.

The length of the plain from north to south is almost 2.5 thousand km, and from east to west - about 3 thousand km. Almost the entire territory of the Russian Plain has a flat topography with a slight slope - no more than 5 degrees. This is mainly due to the fact that the plain almost completely coincides with the East European Platform. Destructive natural phenomena (earthquakes) are not felt here and, as a result, there are no destructive natural phenomena.

The average height of the plain is about 200 m above sea level. It reaches its maximum height on the Bugulma-Belebeevskaya Upland - 479 m. The Russian Plain can be conditionally divided into three stripes: northern, central and southern. On its territory there are a number of hills: the Central Russian Plain, the Smolensk-Moscow Upland - and lowlands: the Polesie, Oka-Don Plain, etc.

The Russian Plain is rich in resources. There are all types of minerals here: ore, non-metallic, combustible. A special place is occupied by the extraction of iron ore, oil and gas.

1. Ore

Kursk iron ore Deposits: Lebedinskoye, Mikhailovskoye, Stoilenskoye, Yakovlevskoye. The ore of these developed deposits has a high iron content - 41.5%.

2. Nonmetallic

• Bauxite. Deposits: Vislovskoe. The alumina content in the rock reaches 70%.
• Chalk, marl, fine-grained sand. Deposits: Volskoye, Tashlinskoye, Dyatkovskoye, etc.
• Brown coal. Swimming pools: Donetsk, Podmoskovny, Pechora.
• Diamonds. Deposits of the Arkhangelsk region.

3. Flammable

• Oil and gas. Oil and gas bearing areas: Timan-Pechora and Volga-Ural.
• Oil shale. Deposits: Kashpirovskoye, Obseshyrtskoye.

Minerals of the Russian Plain are mined in various ways, which has a negative impact on the environment. Contamination of soil, water and atmosphere occurs.

The influence of human activity on the nature of the East European Plain

The environmental problems of the Russian Plain are largely related to human activity: the development of mineral deposits, the construction of cities, roads, emissions from large enterprises, their use of huge volumes of water, the reserves of which do not have time to be replenished, and are also polluted.

Below we will consider all of the Russian Plain. The table will show what problems exist and where they are located. Possible methods of struggle are presented.

Climate of the Russian Plain

The climate of the East European Plain is temperate continental. Continentality increases as you move inland. The average temperature of the plain in the coldest month (January) is -8 degrees in the west and -12 degrees in the east. In the warmest month (July), the average temperature in the northwest is +18 degrees, in the southeast +21 degrees.

The greatest amount of precipitation falls in the warm season - approximately 60-70% of the annual amount. There is more precipitation over the highlands than over the lowlands. The annual precipitation in the western part is 800 mm per year, in the eastern part - 600 mm.

On the Russian Plain there are several natural zones: steppes and semi-deserts, forest-steppes, taiga, tundra (when moving from south to north).

The forest resources of the plain are represented mainly by coniferous species - pine and spruce. Previously, forests were actively cut down and used in the wood processing industry. Currently, forests have recreational, water-regulating and water-protection significance.

Flora and fauna of the East European Plain

Due to small climatic differences, pronounced soil and plant zonation can be observed on the territory of the Russian Plain. Northern soddy-podzolic soils to the south are replaced by more fertile chernozems, which affects the nature of vegetation.

Flora and fauna have suffered significantly due to human activities. Many plant species have disappeared. Of the fauna, the greatest damage was caused to fur-bearing animals, which have always been a desirable object of hunting. The mink, muskrat, raccoon dog, and beaver are endangered. Such large ungulates as the tarpan have been exterminated forever, and the saiga and bison have almost disappeared.

To preserve certain species of animals and plants, nature reserves were created: Oksky, Galichya Gora, Central Chernozemny named after. V.V. Alekhina, Forest on Vorskla, etc.

Rivers and seas of the East European Plain

Where the Russian Plain is located, there are many rivers and lakes. The main rivers that play a major role in human economic activity are the Volga, Oka and Don.

The Volga is the largest river in Europe. The Volga-Kama hydro-industrial complex is located on it, which includes a dam, a hydroelectric power station and a reservoir. The length of the Volga is 3631 km. Many of its tributaries are used by the economy for irrigation.

Don also plays a significant role in industrial activities. Its length is 1870 km. The Volga-Don shipping canal and the Tsimlyansk reservoir are especially important.

In addition to these large rivers, the following rivers flow on the plain: Khoper, Voronezh, Bityug, Northern Onega, Kem and others.

In addition to rivers, the Russian Plain includes the Barents, White, Black, and Caspian.

The Nord Stream gas pipeline runs along the bottom of the Baltic Sea. This affects the ecological situation of the hydrological object. During the construction of the gas pipeline, water became clogged and many species of fish decreased in number.

In the Baltic, Barents, and Caspian Seas, some minerals are extracted, which, in turn, has an adverse effect on the waters. Some industrial waste leaks into the seas.

In the Barents and Black Seas, several types of fish are caught on an industrial scale: cod, herring, flounder, haddock, halibut, catfish, anchovy, pike perch, mackerel, etc.

Fishing, mainly sturgeon, is carried out in the Caspian Sea. Due to favorable natural conditions, there are many sanatoriums and tourist centers on the seashore. There are shipping routes along the Black Sea. Petroleum products are exported from Russian ports.

Groundwater of the Russian Plain

In addition to surface water, people use underground water, which due to irrational use has an adverse effect on soils - subsidence is formed, etc. There are three large artesian basins on the plain: the Caspian, Central Russian and East Russian. They serve as a source of water supply for a vast area.

Physical geography of Russia and the USSR
European part: Arctic, Russian Plain, Caucasus, Ural

REGIONAL NATURE REVIEWS IN RUSSIA

Chapters of the section "REGIONAL REVIEWS OF NATURE IN RUSSIA"

• Natural areas of Russia
• East European (Russian) Plain
  • Natural resources

EASTERN EUROPEAN (RUSSIAN) PLAIN

See photographs of the nature of the East European Plain: the Curonian Spit, the Moscow Region, the Kerzhensky Nature Reserve and the Middle Volga in the Nature of the World section of our website.

Natural resources

The value of the natural resources of the Russian Plain is determined not only by their diversity and richness, but also by the fact that they are located in the most populated and developed part of Russia.

Mineral resources are presented iron ores Kursk magnetic anomaly associated with basement deposits within the Voronezh anteclise. The main ore here is magnetite, which occurs in Proterozoic quartzites, but now mainly ore deposits in the weathering crusts of the Precambrian basement enriched in iron oxides are exploited.

Among the minerals associated with the sedimentary cover, the main place is occupied by fossil fuels and chemical raw materials. Reserves of stone and brown coals concentrated in the Pechora, Donetsk and Moscow basins. Oil And gas are produced in a number of fields within the Volga-Ural (Samara region, Tatarstan, Udmurtia, Bashkortostan) and Timan-Pechora oil and gas regions. Gas condensate fields of the Astrakhan region are confined to carbon deposits of the Caspian syneclise. Deposits oil shale known in the Pskov and Leningrad regions, in the Middle Volga region (near Samara) and in the northern part of the Caspian syneclise (Obshesyrtskoe deposit).

Large deposits potassium, magnesium salts, halite, borate are confined to the thick Permian salt-bearing strata of the Caspian lowland. The largest self-sedating lakes Elton and Baskunchak are also associated with rock salt domes. Industrial clusters phosphorites in Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous deposits are found in the central and eastern regions of the Russian Plain: in the Moscow region (Egoryevskoye), the Middle Volga region (Kineshma, Volskoye, etc.), on General Syrt and in other places.

Some ore deposits are also associated with the sedimentary cover: sedimentary iron ores(brown iron ores, siderites, oolitic nodules), aluminum ores represented by deposits bauxite(Tikhvin, Timan), titanium placers(Timan). The discovery of deposits was unexpected diamonds in the northern regions of the Russian Plain (Arkhangelsk region).

High-water rivers have significant hydropower resources and are transport routes used for shipping and timber rafting.

Agroclimatic resources make it possible to grow many valuable agricultural crops - grains, industrial crops, vegetables and fodder. Agroclimatic resources are successfully combined with fertile soils and: chernozems, dark chestnut, gray forest and soddy-podzolic soils. The main areas of the most fertile soils in Russia - chernozems - are located on the Russian Plain.

The fodder resources of the plain are great. Flood meadows of river valleys, dry meadows of forest zones are valuable hayfields and pastures for cattle, steppes, semi-deserts and deserts are pastures for sheep, tundra and forest-tundra are excellent pastures for deer. Spruce and pine taiga forests have large reserves of industrial wood.

Natural resources of the Russian Plain Presentation by Natalya Aleksandrovna Balalaikina, geography teacher of the Knevitsk primary school. The Russian Plain is rich in a variety of natural resources. The flat terrain, favorable climatic conditions, fertile steppes and vast forests have contributed to its settlement and development since ancient times. Now about 60% of Russia's population lives here, most of the cities and workers' settlements are located here, and there is a dense network of highways. The capital of our Motherland, Moscow, is located here. Map Mineral resources In the depths of the plain there are deposits of Iron (KMA), stone (Pechersk basin) and brown (Moscow basin) coals, apatites of the Kola Peninsula, table salts of Lake Baskunchak. Between the Volga and the Ural Mountains, as well as in the northeast of the plain, oil is produced. Most of the deposits are located in well-developed areas. This increases their value. Exercise. Locate the listed mineral deposits on the map. Consequences of mining. When mining minerals, land is disturbed, its fertile layer is destroyed, and new relief forms are created. With the mine method of mining, large areas are occupied by waste rock dumps. In areas of open mining, quarries are formed on the surface of the earth. Sometimes these are extensive pits 100-200 m or more deep. There is a lot of disturbed land in the Moscow basin, in areas where construction raw materials and peat are developed. Much attention is now being paid to restoring the value of these disturbed lands (their reclamation). In their place, reservoirs are created. They are returned to agricultural and forestry use. For densely populated areas of the Russian Plain this is especially important. Water resources The rivers of the Russian Plain are rich in electricity. Cascades of hydroelectric power stations have been created on them. The waters of the Volga and Don are used to irrigate fields in the steppe zone. Many rivers are connected by canals to facilitate navigation. Thus, Moscow, located on a relatively small river, became a port of five seas. Task: find the canals named after. Moscow, Volga-Don, Volga-Baltic and White Sea-Baltic. Forest resources Wood is harvested in the forests of the Russian Plain. Due to the fact that forests have been cut down for centuries, in many central and western regions the composition of the forest stand has been greatly changed. Many secondary small-leaved forests have appeared. The forest area in the southern taiga, in the zone of mixed and broad-leaved forests, has decreased significantly. Soil resources The main areas of the most fertile soils in our country - chernozems - are concentrated on the Russian Plain. They are almost completely open. In the steppe and forest-steppe zones, wheat and corn, sugar beets and sunflowers, millet and other crops are grown on these soils. There are large areas of arable land and forested areas. Rye and barley, potatoes and wheat, flax and oats are grown here. To further boost agriculture in these zones, where agroclimatic resources are favorable for agricultural production and the soils are not fertile enough, a complex of reclamation efforts is necessary. Problems of using natural resources. The problem of the Non-Black Earth Region is associated with the use of the natural resources of this region, primarily with the development of agriculture in it. The soils here are not as fertile as chernozems, but soil and agroclimatic resources allow the cultivation of rye and barley, flax and potatoes, vegetables and oats, and forage grasses. Forest and floodplain meadows are good hayfields and pastures for livestock. However, not enough agricultural products are produced here now. Ways to solve problems. For the further development of agriculture in the Non-Black Earth Region, it is necessary to rationally use and improve (meliorate) lands, build roads and improve living conditions for people. The main type of reclamation is the drainage of excessively wet lands. Along with drainage, it is necessary to apply fertilizers and liming of soils, in places to irrigate and combat soil erosion, remove stones and uproot trees and shrubs, snow retention and regulation of snowmelt, enlargement of fields and improvement of their shape. Problems of using natural resources. In a significant part of the territory, the nature of the Russian Plain has been greatly changed by human activity. Particularly large changes have occurred in the forest-steppe and steppe zones, in mixed and deciduous forests and in the southern part of the taiga. Man not only cleared indigenous forests and plowed up virgin steppes, but also planted forest belts in the steppes, created ponds and reservoirs in the upper reaches of ravines, reservoirs on large rivers, built cities and transport highways, restored the number of pine martens and resettled the beaver. In order to preserve areas of unmodified or slightly modified nature, typical and rare natural objects (plants, animals, geological objects, industrial complexes), reserves are created.