Where are the cordillera on the physical map of the hemispheres. Meaning of the word cordillera

Despite the fact that few people live in large areas, the vulnerable nature of the region has been damaged, which is difficult to restore.

13 created in Alaska national parks, where typical natural complexes, as well as local animal species - mountain sheep, caribou deer, black bear (baribal) and grizzly.

Cordillera of Canada and Northwestern United States

This part of the Cordillera system is characterized by a relatively low mountain height and relative narrowness. It includes the Canadian Coast Range, the inland Fraser Plateau, the Columbian Plateau, and the Rocky Mountains up to about 48°N. sh. The westernmost orotectonic zone passes into the islands here. It is only in the south that the region expands, as this zone "returns" to the mainland. Its southern border runs along the northern outskirts of the Great Basin and the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Young folded ridges of the coastal zone are fragmented and lowered. The intermountain valleys are flooded with the sea and are straits and narrow long bays, deeply protruding into the land. The coast ridge continues the Nevadian zone, but its height is less than that of Alaska (2000-3000 meters, in the south - up to 4000 meters). It is dissected and processed by glaciers. The coast here is fjord-like.

Some general lowering of the mountains of the region in comparison with other parts of the Cordillera is presumably explained by the large area of ​​glaciation, both ancient and modern. It is possible that the earth's crust here, as it were, sags under the weight of ice. The inner plateaus are composed of lava covers reaching a thickness of up to 1200 meters. They are high (800-1500 meters), but narrow, expanding only to the south (Columbia Plateau - up to several hundred kilometers). Rivers, cutting through the plateau, form canyons. The Rocky Mountains consist of a series of longitudinal ridges up to 4000 meters high, separated by valleys and abruptly dropping to the east. A graben filled with glacial deposits stretches along the western slopes - the "Moat of the Rocky Mountains". It is believed that this is a continuation of the mid-ocean rift.

The amount of precipitation decreases from west to east (a common pattern for the Cordillera). The ocean coast receives 2000-3000 mm per year. Maximum - winter, snow cover in the mountains it reaches an average thickness of up to 6-9 m. Summers are cool and overcast. The climate is the same as on the coast of Alaska, only a little warmer.

Here, as on the coast of Alaska, "rain" grows. coniferous forests from Sitka spruce, Douglas, western hemlock, etc. with dense undergrowth, epiphytic mosses, ferns.

On the inner plateaus, features of continentality appear: there is little precipitation (300-400 mm), temperature amplitudes increase. In the north there are areas of taiga on podzolic soils, which are replaced by forest-steppe and steppe to the south. Wormwoods appear in the extreme south. The slopes of the Rocky Mountains are covered with pine forests and shrubs, while the valleys are treeless.

The Cordillera of Canada has a large number of mountain glaciers of various types.

The region is rich in minerals, both ore (copper, iron, lead, zinc, silver, gold) and non-metallic, such as coal. Are used forest resources, hydro potential of rivers. Tourism is developed, especially in the mountains of British Columbia. A number of national parks have been created for nature protection - Jasper, Banff, Glacier, etc.

Cordillera of the Southwestern United States

The physiographic country is located approximately between 48 ° and 32 ° N. sh. in the widest and most diverse natural conditions parts of the Cordillera mountain system. The region experienced a general uplift in the Paleogene-Neogene, which was accompanied by faults, denudation, and large erosional dissection.

Here, the manifestations of faults are most clearly visible at the junction of the continental (North American) and oceanic (Pacific) crust. Quite clearly visible are the zones of deep subsidence of the oceanic crust under the continental crust in the California area, where there is a huge gap in the coastal areas. The San Andreas Fault extends in a northwesterly direction for almost 900 km. It has existed since the pre-Mello time, and is still very active today.

Three structural and morphological zones are clearly traced: axial, the most ancient - Nevadian, in the east - Laramian, in the west - young Cenozoic Coast Ranges, the development of which continues to the present.

Modern climatic conditions are characterized by high contrast, which is associated with the position in two climatic zones (temperate and subtropical), significant altitude amplitudes, and the presence of mountain barriers in the path of sea air masses.

Areas with annual precipitation up to 100 mm and maximum temperatures up to +57 ° C (Death Valley) are adjacent to mountains where annual precipitation is up to 2000 mm and negative temperatures prevail even in summer (upper parts of the Sierra Nevada). In the west it has a Mediterranean type climate. In other parts of the region, climatic conditions features of continentality appear.

Different parts of the region differ significantly in all components of nature.

The eastern (Laramian) structures of the Rocky Mountains are often referred to as the continental divide, with elevations of 1,800 m and above.

The ridges are anticlinal folds that have Precambrian cores. Some of them are extended into general direction the entire mountain system from northwest to southeast (the Front Range, Sangre de Cristo, etc.), but there are ranges of a different orientation, sometimes even sublatitudinal. Between them, vast plateau-like areas were formed connecting the Great Plains with the Great Basin - the so-called "parks". They are composed of sedimentary strata of Paleozoic-Mesozoic age. The summit areas were covered by the Wisconsin glaciation, preserved troughs and kars. On the slopes of the mountains, spruce-fir and pine forests, the bottoms of the "parks" are usually treeless. In the south and along the slopes of the mountains, steppes and semi-deserts rise.

In the northeast is the Yellowstone Plateau (“yellowstone” in English means “yellow stone”) with a Paleogene cover and young lava covers, having a thickness of more than 1000 meters.

It is known as one of largest districts Lands with geysers and thermal springs. Under powerful lava covers (300-600 meters) forests of ancient sequoias are buried. Their petrified trunks are often found (there is a section with 12 layers of petrified forest covered with volcanic ash). In 1872, the Yellowstone National Park was founded here (an area of ​​about 900 thousand hectares, located at an altitude of 2100 m to 3400 m). There are 200 water thermal and mud springs, about 300 geysers on the territory of the park. The greatest geyser Exilor with a griffon diameter of 8-10 meters "works" here, which throws water up to 100 meters up. The mineral sediment forms geyserite of various shades - blue, purple, pink, etc. The wildlife of the park is rich - bison (their number has increased 20 times since the beginning of the century and amounts to several hundred heads), a variety of brown bear - grizzly, coyote, fox, skunk, badger, puma and 150 species of permanent birds. Access to the park is regulated. The park is divided into zones, each of which solves certain problems: there is a strict protection zone where no human influence is allowed, a “managed” protection zone (to preserve natural landscapes), an organized tourism zone and a tourist-administrative zone (camping sites, parking lots, cafes , administrative buildings).

In the inner part of the physiographic country, west of the Rocky Mountains, there is the largest inland highlands - the Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau.

The Great Basin has undergone a complex history of formation: Paleozoic and Mesozoic folding, Mesozoic sedimentation, and intense deformation of structures.

The modern relief was formed in the Cenozoic under the influence of submeridional faults along the rift between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Clastic material filled intermountain depressions. Active volcanism appeared in the northwest. At present, the rejuvenated relief with numerous internal drainless depressions has a wide variation in absolute heights - from 1500-2000 meters to -85 meters (Death Valley). This is the result of powerful vertical movements.

Due to the barrier role of the Cascade Mountains and the Sierra Nevada, which prevent the transfer of Pacific air masses, a climate with well-defined features of continentality has developed.

The annual amount of precipitation here does not exceed 90-100 mm. The result of the dry climate is the weak development of the river network, which has no flow into the ocean. There is no removal of destruction products outside the basin, so the clastic material buries and levels the mountainous terrain.

Within the highlands, a hundred relict lakes - Big Salt (the rest of Lake Bonneville, most of which the river was lowered. Snake).

The soil and vegetation cover and fauna are typical for deserts and semi-deserts of the temperate and subtropical zones. The Americas have a different appearance than the deserts of Eurasia.

Along with saline and rocky deserts, there are areas with a pronounced seasonality, when ephemera bloom brightly in spring. In the southern part of the basin, a “woodland” of cacti (up to 10 meters high) and yucca has formed. Pine and juniper with steppe grasses grow on the slopes of the ridges. Picturesque Sonoran Desert in Arizona. The hilly plain is composed of sedimentary rocks and has insular volcanic mountains. The desert is inhabited by many species of cactus, including the giant tree squaw. Volcanic mountains overgrown with this plant seem to be covered from afar sparse forest devoid of small branches and leaves. The age of cacti is tens and hundreds of years, height 10-12 meters, trunk thickness up to 70 cm, coyotes live under them and many poisonous snakes. In addition to cacti, other xerophytic plants grow in Sonora, which can tolerate not only drought, but also extremely high air and soil temperatures. The fauna of the desert is diverse and interesting.

The Colorado Plateau is an area of ​​horizontal occurrence of Phanerozoic rocks of different lithological composition. A highly elevated structural plain (more than 3,500 meters in places) is framed by cuestas.

The deeply incised river network has created steep-sided canyons that expose all of the rocks that make up the plateau. different color. On the outskirts of the plateau, volcanic rocks are widely represented in the form of intrusions and laccoliths. The main watercourse - r. Colorado, which cut through the plateau, creating the Grand Canyon. The main canyon has a winding shape, its depth is 1800 m, the maximum width is up to 25 km, and the length is more than 300 km.

To the west of the internal plateaus are Nevadian structures - the Sierra Nevada mountains. This is a large block structure (horst boulder with comb-like peaks), the blocks are inclined to the west, there are batholiths at the base. Cascade Mountains - a prime example volcanic ridge with a number of active volcanoes. The folded structures within them are covered by Cenozoic lavas, and high (some higher than 4000 m) volcanic cones are planted on them. Among them there are also very active: in the 80s. 20th century Mount St. Helens erupted two years in a row, there were many deaths. There are also extinct, but showing post-volcanic activity.

The vegetation of the mountains is typically American.

Here in the valley Merset (Yosemite Valley) preserved forest (park) of the giant sequoiadendron. For their large size (the height of many trees reaches 80-100 meters) and for bending, like mammoth tusks, their branches were called mammoth trees. In the lower tier of the mountains - chaparral (American variety of maquis).

Coastal ridges - low (up to 2400 meters) Pacific structures are separated from the Nevadian structures by the Willamette and California valleys. This is the result of subduction from latest education shifts and faults, such as, for example, San Andreas.

This fault is especially active. Blocks earth's crust With high speed move horizontally relative to each other. The process is accompanied by strong earthquakes. So, for example, in 1992, an earthquake occurred 150 km from Los Angeles in the Mojave Desert, during which more than 5,000 aftershocks were recorded in 10 days. different strength. Large cities suffer from tremors - San Francisco was badly destroyed in 1906, in Los Angeles there were tremors of 7-8 points in 1971.

The climate here is subtropical with humid warm winters (up to 10°C) and dry summers. On the coast, summers are cool (average July temperatures are about 15°C), due to the influence of air masses with a northern component and cold currents. When moving inland, summer becomes much warmer (20-22°C). The annual amount of precipitation is 500-600 mm with a winter maximum. The lower tier of mountains is occupied by an analogue of the Mediterranean maquis - chaparral (thickets of shrubby oak, deciduous and evergreen, 1.5-2 meters high, less often - 3 meters, on brown, above 600 meters - stony soils). In the south - thickets of acacia, cacti, yucca. The upper tiers are dominated by coniferous forests of Sitka spruce, Douglasia, pines, sequoias.

On the northern parts of the western slopes there are national parks, where evergreen sequoia forests (mahogany) are taken under protection. Redwood National Park is located north of San Francisco, in the valley of the river. Redwood Creek. Sequoias are the tallest and oldest trees, along with mammoth trees from the same family. Sequoia grows up to 2000 years. The phytomass of the thousand-year-old sequoia is more than 4,000 thousand c/ha (1% is needles, the rest is the trunk and branches), the yield of commercial wood is 10 thousand m 3 /ha. Trees are not afraid of fires.

Of all the regions of North America, the Cordillera of the southwestern United States stands out for its variety of natural attractions that attract tourists from all over the world.

In addition to recreational, this region has good agro-climatic and land resources. In the Great California Valley, the natural vegetation of dry wormwood steppes and semi-deserts has been completely replaced by cultivated vegetation. On lands irrigated by the waters of rivers flowing down from the mountains, a variety of subtropical crops are grown. On the coast Pacific Ocean giant urban agglomerations were formed, connected by high-speed highways. From Richmond, Oakland, San Francisco to Los Angeles, including the famous Hollywood, continuous urban development stretches.

The most acute problem is pollution: all harmful emissions remain near the surface of the earth, since a significant part of the year is dominated by the anticyclonic regime and descending air currents. Frequent fogs.

Any resident of North and South America knows where the Cordilleras are. These mountains stretch along the western side of the aforementioned continents: from Alaska (the northwestern part of North America) to the island of Tierra del Fuego, which is located not far from Antarctica. This is the longest mountain range in the world. Its length is 18,000 kilometers, and the width of the North American part reaches 1,600 kilometers (the maximum width of the South American part is 900 km). The mountain chain is usually divided into two halves: the Cordillera of North America and the Andes.

Cordillera - one of the highest mountains in the world

The Cordilleras are one of the highest mountains in the world. Only the Himalayas, as well as several other mountain systems of the central part of Asia, surpass them in height. The highest point is Mount Aconcagua, whose height is 6962 meters. Aconcagua is located in the South American part of the Cordillera, and the highest peak in the North American part is Mount Denali (Mount McKinley), reaching 6190 m.

The mountain chain passes through all the climatic zones of America (with the exception of the Antarctic, subantarctic), due to which the climate, as well as the flora and fauna of these mountains, changes greatly if you move from north to south (to a lesser extent from west to east). For example, the snow limit in the Cordillera of Alaska is 600 m, and in Bolivia it is 6500 m.

Minerals

Like any territory where mountains are located, the Cordilleras are the richest source of minerals, primarily a variety of ores:

• copper;
• zinc;
• gold;
• iron;
• platinum;
• tin.

The bowels of the mountains also contain many other metals, and oil, gas, coal, and even gems(the richest emerald deposits in Colombia and Brazil).

Significance

The influence of these mountains on the formation of culture, traditions, and lifestyle of the inhabitants of America is difficult to overestimate. On the territory where the Cordilleras are located, entire civilizations of the Indians were born, unique in their development and cultural heritage. And on a planetary scale, the Cordillera mountain range is a watershed between the Pacific basin and the Atlantic Ocean.

In the North American part of the mountains there is a range called the Rocky Mountains. This area is one of the most popular areas in the United States for tourism, recreation, mountaineering, skiing and so on. The most famous national parks are located here: Yellowstone (USA), Rocky Mountain (USA), Waterton Lakes (Canada) and others.

One of the largest mountain systems on our planet is the Cordillera Mountains.

They amaze with their huge scale (they are perfectly visible from space, if you look at the mainland), length and extraordinary beauty with their inherent uniqueness of the local climate, flora and fauna.

Where are the Cordillera

The Cordilleras (Cordilleras, the English origin of the name) are located on the west coast of America and stretch from north to south. These are huge mountains several thousand kilometers long, up to 18,000 km long and 1,600 km wide.

Looking at the physical map of the world, you can see that the mountains pass through 10 countries and capture the entire western hemisphere of the earth. The coordinates are impressive: south latitude 32/39/12; west longitude 70/00/42.

Note: the age of this system is simply enormous - the Cordilleras were formed in the Jurassic period, and scientists say that their formation has not yet ended, as evidenced by frequent volcanoes (more than 80 active).

The highest point of the Cordillera

The average height of the Cordillera is 3-4 thousand meters above sea level. The highest point of the Cordillera is Mount Aconcagua, located in South America in the Andes near the border with Chile.

Mount Aconcagua

And the place where the Andes formed is called the Patagonian platform. The absolute height of this mountain is about seven thousand kilometers (6961 m) above sea level.

AT North America the most high point The Cordillera is a Denali mountain located in southern Alaska. Mountain just below Aconcagua, height 6190 m.

Characteristics of the Cordillera of North America

The mountains originate in Alaska and pass through the entire continent, through three countries (Canada, USA, Mexico) to a point in the south in the valley of the Mexican river Balasas on the border with Central America.

The tectonic structure is complex, there are: areas of ancient, middle and new folding, many active volcanoes.

Throughout the length of the Cordillera there are three main belts:

• internal - consists of plateaus and plateaus in the middle of the western and eastern, there are many tectonic depressions with rivers;
• eastern - the belt of the Rocky Mountains, big ridges divide the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico with the Arctic Ocean;
• western - volcanic mountains parallel to the Pacific coast.

Three main arcs of the Cordillera

In Central America, the mountains diverge into arcs:

1. One arc forms mountains in Cuba and northern Puerto Rico and Haiti. The arc was formed from the eastern and western belt, from the north.
2. The other starts from the borders of Mexico from the south, further through Central America, to the western part of Panama. This arc smoothly transitions into .
3. The last arc from the south of the western belt takes the direction to the mountains of the southern side of Puerto Rico and Haiti, and the mountains of Jamaica.

Geological structure and minerals

The lowlands between the mountain ranges accumulated sedimentary rocks for a long time.

And now large deposits of minerals have formed in the mountains of North America, while the mountains themselves are valuable in metal ore:

• there are oil fields in Alaska;
• the Rocky Mountains are rich in copper, gold, and tungsten;
• the coastal part of the ridges is of interest for the extraction of mercury and coal.

natural areas

Since the Cordilleras run through all of America, then natural areas mountains capture everything: forest-tundra, mixed forests, forest-steppes, forests, semi-deserts and deserts, tropical shrouds and forests. Only the arctic and subarctic zones are missing.

Rivers and lakes of the Cordillera

In the north of Alaska there are glaciers (large - Bering). Many rivers begin their journey in the Cordillera mountains, for example: Missouri, Yukon. Very full-flowing rivers of the Pacific basin.

Southern rivers are filled with rainwater, northern rivers They feed on glaciers and snow.

Spring high water is typical for the northern regions of the mountains. The strong northern rivers are used for irrigation and power generation. Notable Reservoirs: Columbia, Colorado. There are also fresh and salt lakes.

Climate and climatic zones

The climate in the Cordillera is diverse due to the vast territory on which they are located:

1. Humidity in the southern part of the mountains is not more than 60%, and in the northern part up to 80%.
2. The average air t in summer in July is plus, in the south up to 30 degrees, and in the north up to 15. Winter average t in January in the north is -30, in the southern regions -17.
3. The amount of precipitation per year is the largest in southern Alaska up to 4000 mm, and the most meager in the Mojave Desert - 50 mm.

Mountains, passing through all climatic zones:

• the south is the tropics and subtropics;
• the north of the belt changes climate from arctic to subarctic, then temperate;
• in the central, inland regions - continental belt, and on the Pacific slopes of the mountains - soft oceanic.

Flora and fauna

The natural landscape of the mountains is very diverse (due to altitudinal zonation).

Allocate natural areas:

1. Northwestern consists mainly of glaciated mountain peaks and plateaus. The climate is harsh, permafrost, to the south coast - a little warmer. The landscape is tundra, woodland. Deer, lemings, and many birds live in the tundra. Bears, wolves, lynxes, cougars can be seen in the forests.
2. Canadian Cordillera in southeastern Alaska. Temperate climate, in the landscape of cedar, fir forests. Tui grow on the slopes of the Pacific coast. The inhabitants of the forests are deer, mountain sheep, moose, bears, wolverines, cougars, foxes.
3. US Cordillera is the country where most of them are located. Nature is also very rich, on the slopes of the mountains - pine forests. There are dry plateaus. The low coastal mountains are covered with evergreen bushes and relict trees. Animal world significantly exterminated. Lizards, snakes, rodents live in semi-deserts.
4. mexican cordillera- the climate is dry, there are many seismic zones. Shrubs, forests, cacti grow in the savannahs. Hares, wolves, cougars, rodents are inhabitants of the local desert. Wolves, lynxes, bears live in the forests, and monkeys, tapirs, and predators live in the tropics.

National parks in the Cordillera

In order to see the many sights, you must definitely visit the reserves located on the territory of the Cordillera.

Grand Canyon

To get acquainted with the peculiarities of flora and fauna, appreciate the beauty of the landscape, see volcanoes, you can go to one of the national parks:

1. In the USA - Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Sequoia, Yosemite, Glacier.
2. In Canada - Yoho, Banff, Jasper, Garibaldi, Nahanni.

Conclusion

The area and grandeur of the Cordillera is amazing, geographical position and a large number of mountain ranges with amazing secrets attracts and makes you want to go on a trip.

The Cordillera Mountains are the longest mountain range in the world. If you look at the map, you can see that these mountains stretch for almost 18,000 km.

McKinley (Nic McPhee) McKinley (Cecil Sanders) Airplane view of the Cordillera (Vivis Carvalho) Denali National Park and Preserve Cordillera (Ross Fowler) Ross Fowler Helicopter in the background of the Cordillera (The U.S. Army) Pablo Trincado Denali National Park (Harvey Barrison) View of the Cordillera (Maykol Saavedra) View of the Cordillera (Miguel Vera León) Beautiful view on McKinley (Christoph Strässler) Mount McKinley, Denali National Park (Christoph Strässler) The highest point of the Cordillera (Denali National Park and Preserve) Denali National Park and Preserve Denali National Park and Preserve Carlos Felipe Pardo Cordillera, Andes (Ross Fowler) Cordillera Blanca, Peru (Daniel Peppes Gauer) Cordillera Blanca, Peru (Mel Patterson) Cordillera Blanca, Peru (Mel Patterson) )

What continent are they located on? The Cordilleras are unusual in that they are located on two continents at once. If you look at the map, you can see that these mountains stretch almost 18,000 kilometers from north to south, along the Pacific coast of North and South America - from Alaska to the island of Tierra del Fuego.

The Cordilleras are subdivided into two major systems, the Cordillera of North America and the Cordillera of South America, also commonly known as the Andes. Within the framework of this article, only the Cordillera of North America, stretching from Alaska to southern Mexico, will be described.

The height of the Cordillera is the highest point

The highest peak of the Cordilleras of North America is Mount Denali, until recently known as McKinley, whose height is 6190 m. Its coordinates are: 63 ° 04′10 ″ northern latitude 151°00′26″ West.

Mount McKinley, Denali National Park (Christoph Strässler)

Geographical characteristic

The length of the mountain system is almost 9000 km with a width of 800 to 1600 km. At the same time, the Canadian Cordilleras have the smallest width, and the mountains reach the maximum width in the USA. Almost along their entire length, these mountains form 3 belts - eastern, western and internal.

View of the Cordillera (Miguel Vera León)

The Eastern Belt, also known as the Rocky Mountain Belt, forms a series of high mountain ranges that form a watershed that separates the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans to the east. In addition to the Rocky Mountains themselves, it includes the Brooks Range in Alaska, the Richardson Range and the Mackenzie Mountains in Canada, and the Eastern Sierra Madre mountain range in Mexico. The highest point of the belt is Mount Elbert, which is located within the state of Colorado. Its peak has an absolute mark of 4399 meters.

The western belt is represented by folded and volcanic ridges that run parallel to the Pacific coast. It includes the Aleutian, Alaska and Coast Ranges, the Cascade Mountains, the Sierra Nevada mountain system, the Western and Southern Sierra Madre, and the Transverse Volcanic Sierra. Within the Alaska Range there is the highest mountain not only of this belt, but of the whole of North America - Mount Denali (McKinley), whose height is 6190 m.

The inner belt includes a number of plateaus and plateaus located between two other belts. It includes the Fraser Plateau, the Columbia Mountains, the Great Basin Highlands, the Colorado Plateau, and the Mexican Highlands.

The three main mountain arcs of the Cordillera

In Central America and the islands of the Caribbean, the Cordilleras fall into three main mountain arcs, which are separated by depressions.

Cordillera (Ross Fowler)

Thus, the arc, which is a structural continuation of the Rocky Mountains and the Eastern Sierra Madre, forms the mountains of the islands of Cuba, northern Haiti and Puerto Rico.

The southern Sierra Madre is geologically continued by the mountains of Jamaica, the south of Haiti, and in Puerto Rico they merge with the mountains of the first arc.

The third arc runs from the southern borders of Mexico through all the countries of Central America to the west of Panama. Its continuation is the Andes.

Cordillera cross all geographic zones continent, from arctic in the north to subequatorial in the south. During their course, the climate of the area, flora and fauna change very much.

Natural conditions change no less strongly when moving from west to east of the mountain system; often the climate and vegetation change in this direction much faster than when moving from north to south. Besides, as in all high mountains, great importance here has an altitudinal zonality.

Geology

The Cordilleras of North America are composed of various geological structures of different ages. The mountains began to form in the Jurassic, a little earlier than the Andes, whose formation began only at the end of the Cretaceous.

Mountain building has not ended to this day, as evidenced by the fairly frequent earthquakes and the presence of active volcanoes. Approximately north of the parallel of 45 degrees north latitude, Quaternary glaciation had a significant impact on the formation of the relief.

In the Cordillera, gold, mercury, tungsten, copper, molybdenum and other ores are mined. Of the non-metallic minerals, there are deposits of oil, coal, etc.

Hydrography

In the Cordillera are the origins of such major rivers like Yukon, Mackenzie, Missouri, Columbia, Colorado, Rio Grande and many more.

Denali National Park and Preserve

To the north of the 50th latitude, the snow supply of watercourses predominates, and to the south, rain. Many mountain rivers have great energy potential. Especially many hydroelectric power plants have been built in the Columbia River basin.

In the interior regions of the mountain system there are large drainless areas. The discharge of a few streams, which are mostly temporary, is carried out here into salty drainless lakes, the largest of which is the Great Salt Lake.

Freshwater lakes are also quite numerous: Atlin, Okanagan, Kootenay (Canadian Cordilleras); Utah, Tahoe, Upper Klamath (USA).

Climate

Due to the very long extent in the meridional direction, the climate in the Cordillera varies greatly. In Alaska, Canada and the northwestern United States, on the Pacific slopes, the climate is characterized as rather mild and humid.

Denali National Park (Harvey Barrison)

The total precipitation on the islands off the coast of Canada and Alaska, as well as on the western slope of the Coast Ranges, exceeds 2000 mm, and in some areas can reach 6000 mm.

The maximum precipitation here occurs in winter, and therefore, most of it falls in the form of snow. Winters are relatively warm and humid, while summers are cool and dry.

Average temperatures in July usually vary from 13 to 15 degrees, and average temperatures in January - from 0 to 4 degrees.

Away from the coast, the climate is very different; it is characterized as continental. On some plateaus, the amount of precipitation does not exceed 400-500 mm. Winters here become more frosty, and summers, on the contrary, are warmer.

View of the Cordillera (Maykol Saavedra)

In the southwestern United States, the climate is characterized as subtropical. Precipitation here also falls mainly in winter. Their number can reach up to 2000 mm on the western slopes of the Coast Ranges, and up to 1000 mm in the west of the Sierra Nevada.

In the Rocky Mountains, by contrast, eastern elephants receive more rainfall (700-800 mm) than western elephants (300-400 mm). This is due to the fact that air masses from the Atlantic Ocean reach the eastern slopes. Some deep interior basins receive less than 200 mm of precipitation per year.

The most arid deserts are the Mojave and Sonoran deserts, as well as the western part of the Great Basin. In some areas of these deserts, only about 50 mm of precipitation falls.

The climate of the intermountain basins is characterized as sharply continental with very large daily and annual temperature fluctuations. In the intermountain depression "Death Valley" was recorded the most heat in the world, which amounted to 56.7 degrees, while in winter the temperatures here often fall below zero.

The total area of ​​glaciers is more than 60,000 square kilometers. The height of the snow line varies from 300-450 meters on the coastal slopes of the mountains of the south and southeast of Alaska to 4500 meters or more in Mexico.

In the Rocky and Cascade Mountains in the United States, the snow line is at an altitude of 2500-3000 meters, and in the Sierra Nevada mountains - up to 4000 meters.

Flora and fauna

The flora of the Cordillera varies greatly not only depending on the height above sea level, as in all other mountains; it also strongly depends on the latitude of a particular area and on its distance from the ocean.

Denali National Park and Preserve

In the north of the mountain system, the slopes of the ridges are covered mainly with coniferous forests.

The interior plateaus, plateaus and depressions of the United States and northern Mexico are occupied mainly by arid steppes and deserts, which is explained by the effect of a rain shadow, due to which moist air masses linger high mountains and almost do not reach these areas.

Part of the coast of California and northwestern Mexico is characterized by hard-leaved shrub vegetation known as chaparral.

On the western slopes in southern Mexico and Central America, both evergreen and deciduous tropical forests are common. On the eastern slopes and in the intermountain basins, the vegetation is much more sparse and is represented by various shrubs, cacti and savannahs. The variety of cacti and agaves is especially great, of which hundreds of species are found here.

Fauna mountain forests quite similar to the fauna of the flat North American taiga. Grizzly bears, foxes, wolves, beavers, wolverines, lynxes, cougars, etc. are found here. Of the species characteristic only of the mountains, mountain sheep are found. Pumas, coyotes, steppe wolves, hares, and various rodents live in the steppes and deserts. Animal world rainforest represented by various monkeys; of predators here you can meet the jaguar.

Beautiful view of McKinley (Christoph Strässler)

National parks in the Cordillera

On the territory of the Cordillera there are numerous national parks that attract millions of tourists from all over the world. Photos of the local extraordinary landscapes amaze even people who have traveled a lot around the world.

On the western part of the Sierra Nevada mountains is one of the most famous national parks in the United States - Yosemite, which is famous for its high granite cliffs, waterfalls and simply untouched nature.

A little south of it is Sequoia Park, famous, as the name implies, thanks to its giant sequoias. Mount Rainier National Park is located in the Cascade Mountains, on the territory of which the volcano of the same name is located. On the Colorado Plateau is the oldest park in the United States - the Grand Canyon, which is a canyon of the Colorado River.

Cordillera is the largest mountain system in the world.

on which continent are the mountains of the Alps, Andes, Cordillera, Ural, Scandinavian, Himalayas, Appachi

It is located on the west coast of North and South America. That is, it is divided into two approximately equal parts. For this reason, sometimes its southern part, the Andes, is called the longest mountain system (9000 km). This is partly true, since the Andes, as a separate object, indeed have a large extent.

Description of the mountains of the Cordillera

The length of the Cordillera is about 18 thousand km. Approximately 9 thousand km for each of its parts - they are almost equal.

But if we talk about the size in general, then the northern part is larger - it is wider (up to 1600 km). But the southern one is higher - 6962 meters at the highest point (Mount Aconcagua). In the northern part of the Cordillera, the height reaches 6190 meters (Mount Denali), which is also quite a lot.

In general, in terms of height, this mountain system is among the leaders, although it is far from in the first place.

Since the Cordilleras stretch for vast distances, they lie in almost all geographical zones.

And this means that the conditions here are very diverse. However, something similar is observed throughout the length of the mountains - glaciation. Even in the hottest climatic zones, there are snow caps on the mountains (due to the relatively high altitude mountains). total area glaciation is 90 thousand km2.

Peaks of the Cordillera

Although the highest points of the mountain system are located at six thousand meters, the average height of the mountains is 3-4 km. Although, the relief of this geological object is very diverse, so the designation of the height is rather conventional.

The highest peaks of the mountain system are:

• — Mount Aconcagua ( dormant volcano) - 6962 meters.
• - Mount Denali (McKinley) - 6190 meters.
• - Ojos del Salado (the largest volcano in the world) - 6891 meters.
• - Monte Pissis - 6792 meters.
• - Lullaillaco (active volcano) - 6739 meters
• - Tupungato (active volcano) - 6565 meters.
• - Volcano Orizaba - 5700 meters.

• - The system consists of a large number of mountain arcs, which already gives a certain uniqueness to the Cordillera.

  You can also note the presence of mountain ranges and basins that form elevations and depressions of the relief - this is very interesting.

• - In the Cordillera there is a fairly high volcanic activity.

  True, we are not talking about erupting volcanoes.

• - In the mountains there are large reserves of non-ferrous and ferrous metals, as well as oil and brown coal.
• - Due to the large number of climatic zones, vegetable world The Cordillera is very diverse.

Andes or Andean Cordillera(Cordillera de los Andes) - the longest and one of the highest mountain systems of the Earth, limiting all of South America from the north and west.

The Andes mountain range rises in the west of South America and stretches for 6400 km from north to south.

The Cordillera Mountains are the longest mountain range in the world.

In Ecuador alone, 18 mountains rise above 4,500 meters above sea level. To the west of the Andes is a narrow strip of the Pacific coast. The tributaries of the Amazon, the main river of South America, originate on the eastern slopes.

It was here, before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the 1530s, that the great civilizations of the Chimu and Incas flourished, which only in the 1820s were able to free themselves from Spanish domination.

Today there are four independent states Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.

They are inhabited by descendants of European settlers and Indians such as the Aymara and Quechua. The official language of these countries is Spanish.

The area is rich in natural resources and timber, but many people work for very low wages. They grow corn, sugar cane, bananas, coffee, potatoes, and a grain called quinoa.

Where is it located and how to get there

Address: South America, Andean Cordillera

Andes in South America on the map

GPS coordinates:-20.923594, -69.658586

Cordillera(Spanish Cordillera, literally mountainous areas), the largest and largest in the world, which is not the same in the world, is a mountain system. The Cordillera mountain system is also one of the highest mountain systems, subordinate only to the Himalayan and mountain systems of Central Asia.

Geography of the Cordillero mountain system

The Cordillera stretches from the Arctic coast in Alaska (66° N.

listen)) In northwestern North America along the western coasts of North and South America, in most of the southern coasts of Tierra del Fuego (56°) south of South America. Cordillera on the road traveling through a number of countries on both continents: Canada, USA, Mexico, Central America, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile.

The length of the Cordillero mountain system is more than 18,000 kilometers. The highest point is located in South America, on the top of Mount Aconcagua at an altitude of 6,960 m above sea level, and the highest peak in North America reaches the summit of the Cordillera on Mount McKinley (Alaska), reaching a height of 6193 m. The Cordillera form a huge barrier between the Pacific Ocean and the eastern parts of the two continents. The Cordillera is an excellent watercourse between two oceans, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and also the climatic limit between countries on both sides of the mountain system.

The entire mountain system of the Cordillera is divided into two parts, corresponding to areas of two continents: the Cordillero of North America and the Cordillero of South America or the Andes. The entire mountain system consists of several parallel ridges adjacent to the covering of internal tiles and plains (in North America - Yukon, Fraser, Columbia, B.

Basin, Colorado, Mexican; in South Peru and Central America). In North America, three parallel systems of mountainous areas are pronounced, one of them (Rocky Mountains) and extends east from the area of ​​the plateau, the other system, the mountainous regions extends directly to the west of this area (the Alaska Range Coast of the mountains of Canada, the Cascades, Sierra Nevada, etc.), and the third system of mountain regions runs along the Pacific coast, partly on offshore islands.

They come to Central America The Cordillera gradually fall and split into two branches. One branch is located in the east near the Antilles, the other crosses the Isthmus of Panama and enters the continent of South America.

Andes (Cordillera in South America) on the north and central parts consist of four, and on the other hand, two systems of parallel ribs are separated by a deep longitudinal depression or intermountain plateau.

Most high peaks- these are the ridges of the Cordillera of the central part of the Andes, where the height of individual peaks reaches more than 6700 m (Aconcagua, 6960 m, Hoyos del Salado, 6880 m, Sajama, 6780 m, llullaillaco, 6723 m).

The width of the mountain range varies considerably, so in North America the width of the Cordillera mountain range reaches 1600 km, reaching only 900 km in the southern continent, which is almost a fifth less.

Major orogenic processes driven by any of the Cordillera began in North America at Jurassic period, in South America (where most of it takes on the structure of the Paleozoic Hercynian stacking) - at the end of the Cretaceous and are closely related to the formation mountain ranges on other continents (cf.

Alpine styling). Educational processes are actively continuing in the Cenozoic. These processes largely determine the main orographic elements.

Cordilleran fold structures are closely related to mountains northeast Asia and Antarctica. After recent observations on the design of the Cordillera, it is far from complete, confirming this observation, showing quite common and sometimes very destructive earthquakes and intense volcanism, often resulting in serious injury and casualties, both between people and animals.

Active areas of the Cordillera have more than 80 active volcanoes, the most active are Katmayu, Lassen Peak Colima Antisana, Sangay, San Pedro, volcanoes of Chile and others. Quaternary ice, especially north of 44°N, plays an important role in the formation of the Cordillera. sh. and south of 40°S

Where is the Cordillera?

sh. Cordilleras are rich in minerals. Here I extract important deposits of copper (especially rich deposits in Chile), zinc, lead, molybdenum, tungsten, gold, silver, platinum, tin, oil, etc.

The climate of the Cordillera mountain system

Due to the large extent from north to south, the strong disintegration of the relief and the high height of the mountain, the result is an exceptional variety of natural conditions in mountain system Cordillera.

The Cordilleras lie in almost all geographic regions of the world (except for the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic belt).

The climate of the Cordillera is very diverse and varies greatly depending on the width of the landscape, the height and exposure of the slopes.

The boundaries of the Cordillera are strongly wetted in the temperate and lower zones (western slopes) in the equatorial regions and subequatorial (possibly eastern paths). The interior plains have a strong continental climate, while in the subtropical and tropical zones they are exceptionally arid. Large parts of the plateau, internal depression and reef slopes, especially in the tropical bands, are occupied by stages, halves and deserts.

The heavily moistened frontier chains of mountains are covered with dense forests. In temperate zones, coniferous forests (in the north) and mixed forests of evergreen beeches and conifers (in the south), closer to the equator, are mixed (deciduous and evergreen) subtropical and tropical forests. On wet slopes of reefs of equatorial, subequatorial and subtropical bands, complex spectra of high bands, from gills to eternal snow. The snow border lies in Alaska at an altitude of 600 m above sea level, from 500 to 700 m in Tierra del Fuego, and in Bolivia and southern Peru it rises to 6000-6500 m.

In Alaska and southern Chile, glaciers descend to the ocean, while in the hot belt they cover only the highest peaks.