Altitudinal Mesozonality – Version of Orographic Zoning of the Landscapes of the Centre of the Russian Plain

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to analyze orographic zoning in the centre of European Russia as a concrete expression of the altitudinal differentiation of plain landscapes. Materials and methods. The initial materials were the data of field landscape studies in the south of the mixed forests and forest-steppe zones during 1990-2020. The main research method is landscape and analytical. Results and discussion. On the basis of the regional field data, the structure of the altitudinal mesozones in the Desna River area, the Oka-Don plain, and the Central Russian Upland is revealed. Each mesozone corresponds to a certain level of absolute heights – low-hydrogenic (125-150 m), highly-hydrogenic (150-180 m), sublime-hydrogenic (180-220 m), sublime-denudation (180-220 m), sublime-watershed (220-250 m) and hilly-watershed (250 m or more). Conclusion. The centre of the Russian Plain is a region where the orographic variant of zoning is represented by a varied spectrum of high-altitude landscape mesozones. On the sublime plains, the spectrum of mesozones is complete – low-hydrogenic; highly-hydrogenic; sublime-hydrogenic; sublime-denudation; apical-watershed and hilly-watershed. On low-lying plains, the spectrum of landscape-high-altitude mesozones is truncated – low-hydrogenic; highly hydrogenic and elevated-hydrogenic. It should be especially noted that the boundary of the altitudinal intervals between the landscape-altitude mesozones is not always rigidly preserved. The sliding version of the boundaries between the mesozones is allowed during the transition from the sublime plains to the low ones and vice versa.