South America- a continent located in the Western Hemisphere of our Planet. It is crossed by the Equator line and divides this continent into two parts. One part (largest) belongs to the Southern Hemisphere, and the second (smallest) belongs to the Northern Hemisphere.
The mainland ranks 4th among the continents in terms of its area - 17,840,000 km². On its territory, which includes the adjacent islands, there are 15 states, three of which are dependent. By clicking on the link, you can see a detailed list of countries in South America in a table with capitals and characteristics. The population is approximately 400 million people.
In the west, the continent is washed by the Pacific Ocean, in the east by the Atlantic Ocean, in the north by the Caribbean Sea, which is the boundary between North America and South America.
Extreme points of mainland South America
The northern point - Cape Gallinas is located in Colombia on the Caribbean Sea.
The southern (mainland) point - Cape Frouard is located in Chile on the Brunswick Peninsula on the coast of the Strait of Magellan.
The southern (island) point - Diego - Ramirez - is the southernmost point of America and Chile, which consists of a group of islands covering an area of just over one square kilometer.
The western point - Cape Parinas is located in Peru.
Eastern point - Cape Cabo - Branco, located in Brazil.
Relief of South America
The mainland of South America is divided by relief into the Mountainous West and the Plain East.
The Atacama Desert is located in Chile and is the driest place on Earth. There are places in the desert where it rains once every few decades. Here is the lowest humidity. Of the vegetation, only cacti and acacias are found.
The western part of the mainland consists of the Andes mountain system, stretching through the seven states of South America, and the eastern part of the plains. In the North is the Guiana Plateau, 1930 km long and 300 - 1000 m high.
In the east of the mainland, the Brazilian Highlands are located, with an area of about 4 million km2. 95% of the Brazilian population lives here. The highest point of this highland is the mountain - Bandeira. Its height is 2897 meters. Due to the huge natural diversity, the Brazilian Highlands are divided into three parts: the Atlantic, Central and Southern Plateaus.
South of the Brazilian Highlands is the Laplata Lowland, on the territory of which such states as Paraguay and Uruguay, the northern part of Argentina, the southern part of Brazil and the southeast of Bolivia are located. The area of the lowland is more than 3 million km2.
The Amazonian lowland is a lowland covering an area of over 5 million km2. It is the largest lowland on our planet.
Climate of South America
There are 6 climatic zones in South America: Northern and Southern subequatorial belt, Equatorial, Tropical, Subtropical and Temperate zone.
The climate of South America in most of its subequatorial and tropical, in which dry and wet seasons are clearly defined. The equatorial humid climate is typical only for the Amazonian lowland. In the south of the continent, a subtropical and temperate climate prevails. In the northern plains, the temperature is 20-28 degrees all year round. In the Andes, temperatures decrease with altitude. There may even be frost. On the Brazilian plateau, the temperature in winter can drop to 10 degrees, and on the Patagonian plateau to zero degrees.
River systems of South America.
The following river systems are located on the mainland: Parana, Orinoco, Amazon, Paraguay, Uruguay.
The Amazon is the world's largest river in terms of basin area (7180 thousand km²), formed by the confluence of the Ucayali and Marañon rivers. Considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Brazil owns most of the basin. It flows mainly through the Amazonian lowland and flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
Parana is the second longest river on this continent, flowing in the southern part of the continent. It flows through the territory of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay. Just like the Amazon flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
Paraguay - a river, is the right tributary of the Parana. It divides the Republic of Paraguay into Northern and Southern Paraguay, and in its southern part is the state border between Paraguay and Argentina.
Uruguay is a river originating in Brazil and formed by the confluence of the Canoas and Pelotas rivers. It is the border between Brazil and Uruguay. Its river system is the country's main source of water supply. The country's largest hydroelectric power station is also located here.
Orinoco is a river that flows through Venezuela and flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Its feature is the bifurcation of the river. The Casiquiare River separates from it, which flows into the Rio Negro River. In this river there is a white river dolphin or Amazonian and one of the largest - the Orinoco crocodile.
Lakes of South America
Maracaibo (translated as "Land of Mary") is a large brackish water lake located in Venezuela. The depth of this lake differs significantly in its southern and northern parts. The northern one is shallow, and the southern reaches (according to various sources) from 50 - 250 meters. This lake is also one of the oldest lakes.
Titicaca (titi - puma, kaka - rock) is the largest lake in terms of fresh water reserves and the second largest after Maracaibo. More than three hundred rivers flow into this lake. It is navigable. Archaeological studies show that the city of Wanaku is located at the bottom of the lake.
Patos is a lake located on the coast in Brazil. It is 280 km long and 70 km wide. It is separated from the ocean by a sandy spit 8 km wide. It has large hydroelectric power stations. Salt, fish and oil are mined here.
Flora of South America
Due to the warm climate and the huge amount of rainfall, the plant world in South America is very diverse. Each climate zone has its own flora. A large area is occupied by the jungle, which is located in the tropical zone. Here grow: chocolate and melon tree - papaya, rubber trees, various palm trees, orchids.
To the south of the jungle, deciduous and evergreen plants grow in the equatorial forests. Here grows such a tree as a quebracho, which has a very durable wood. In the subtropical zone, you can find vines and cacti. Further, moving south, there is a steppe zone where feather grass and various herbs grow. Behind this zone, deserts and semi-deserts begin, where dry shrubs grow.
Fauna of South America
The fauna of the mainland is as diverse as the flora. Monkeys, sloths, jaguars, anteaters, parrots, hummingbirds, toucans and many other animals live in the tropics. Crocodiles, anacondas, piranhas, a rodent - a copybaru, river dolphins are found in the Amazonian selva. Only here you can meet a wild cat - an ocelot, similar to a leopard. In the savannah live: armadillos, peccary pigs, spectacled bear, ostriches, cougars, fox and maned wolf. In the plains zone live: deer, llamas, pampas cat. Only in South America can you find deer - pudu, only 30-40 cm high. Huge turtles live on the Galapagos Islands, which belong to South America.
Geography Grade 7
Lesson topic: Relief and minerals of mainland South America
The date of the…………….
Lesson Objectives: To continue the formation of students' ideas about the nature of South America; to recall already known and to disassemble with students new terms and concepts; to form their ideas about the tectonic structure, relief and minerals of South America - their composition, origin, structure; to introduce students to the objects of the relief of South America; continue the formation of the ability to establish causal relationships, comparing various geographic Maps.
Equipment: map of the structure of the earth's crust, physical map of South America, wall contour map.
During the classes
Checking the knowledge gained in the last lesson. Without using maps, determine and justify the correctness of the statement. In the answer column, put a sign (+) - if the statement is true, (-) - if it is false. Answer the question.
| Statements | |
| 1. this continent crosses the equator in its northern part | |
| 2. The area of the mainland is 18 million square meters. km. | |
| 3. The mainland is washed by the waters of the Indian Ocean. | |
| 4. separated from mainland North America by the Panama Canal. | |
| 5. the coldest continent on earth. | |
| 6. the extreme southern point of the mainland - Cape Agulhas (35S 20E) | |
| 7. is separated from the mainland Antarctica by the Mozambique Channel. | |
| 8. This continent is like a bunch of grapes. | |
| 9. in the south of the mainland is the island of Tasmania. | |
| 10. In the north, the mainland is washed by the waters of the Caribbean Sea. | |
| 11. This continent is washed by the waters of two oceans. | |
| 12. refers to one part of the world. | |
| 13. lies entirely in the western hemisphere. | |
| 14. is located in both the western and eastern hemispheres. |
Justification for incorrect answers ______________________________________________
Reflection
- Why do you need to know geographical position mainland?
I - setting the cognitive task of the lesson
1. Terms and concepts. Choose those that you already know and write them in the first column.
Platform, young mountains, shield, foundation, lowland, plateau, plateau, Amazonian, Brazilian, Orinoco, La Platskaya, Andes, graben, Aconcagua, Cotopaxi.
Ask students to complete the table
2. Reflection. We check what is written in the column "I want to know." We are looking for these concepts on the map of South America. Setting the cognitive task of the lesson. To study the features of the relief of South America.
3. Make a cluster on the topic "Relief of South America". Arrange arrows that show the relationship between the relief and its diversity.
4. Work in groups on the characteristics of one of the forms of relief according to the plan, which the students draw up on their own. Each group posts. Such landforms are characterized as: Andes, Amazonian lowland,
Orinoco Lowland, Brazilian Plateau, etc.
5. Checking the knowledge gained while studying the topic of the relief of South America.
1. Why is it necessary to study the relief of the territory?
2. What cards should be used?
3. Why are mountains located in the western part of the mainland?
4. Find the highest mountain?
5. What volcanoes are there in the Andes?
6. What is the dependence of the relief on the structure of the earth's crust?
6. Work in groups on the definition of minerals.
One group evaluates the minerals located in the Andes mountains, the other on the Brazilian plateau, and the third on the lowlands.
The dependence of types of minerals on the structure of the earth's crust is revealed.
Identification of causal relationships(filling in the systematizing table)
Using the maps of the atlas, fill out a systematizing table and, based on a comparison of the relief, structure and minerals in the Andes mountains, the Brazilian plateau and the Amazonian lowland, identify cause-and-effect relationships
Knowledge check. Digital dictation "Surface Shapes of South America".
1. Orinok lowland
2. Amazonian lowland
3 Brazilian Flathorn
4. Guiana Highlands
5. Andes Mountains
What is the name of:
A) the largest plain in the world?
B) an area of South America where catastrophic earthquakes occur?
C) an oil-rich plain?
D) highlands rich in gold and diamonds?
E) a highland that gradually descends to the northwest?
E) highlands, which are characterized by the highest heights in the central part?
G) mountains, the name of which is in the language local residents means "copper"?
Students check the spelling for correctness.
Homework: draw up a route for a geologist on the mainland of South America. Assess mining conditions.
It can be said about the relief of South America that its structure is multifaceted. The continent has an orotectonic structure.
General characteristics of the relief
South America is divided into the mountainous western part and the eastern plains. The continent is located on one lithospheric plate - the South American, only in Patagonia, which is located in the south, the platform connects with the Epipaleozoic, which is characterized by plains.
The main platform was formed in the Archean era. And in the west, the platform converges with the Cocos and Nazca plates. It is through this process that the Andes mountains are formed and continue to be formed.
In the southern part of the mainland, the platform collides with a plate called Scotia. Islands form between South America and Antarctica.
Out-Andean East
This territory is located on the South American platform. It is unique that at the heart of this platform are the cores of ancient metamorphic and igneous rocks.
They have access to the surface in the South Brazilian, Guiana and West Brazilian shields. The plateaus of the region are divided into blocky massifs.
The relief of the low plains can be characterized as monotonous. This applies to the Amazonian lowland, which occupies a huge area - about 5 million km2.
And the Orinok lowland is distinguished by a more variable relief - some of its parts are elevated.
Andean west
The Andes mountain system, which is the greatest mountain system, stretching for 9000 km, should be considered separately. Mount Aconcagua is the highest point of the mountain system, its height is 6960 m.
Three main mountain ranges can be distinguished - the Western Cordillera, the Central Cordillera and the Eastern Cordillera. It is also customary to single out the Coastal Cordillera, which in itself is low.
In the south, this mountain range turns into the islands of Chiloe and Chinos. The Central Andes are represented by the Altiplano and Punas intermountain plateaus.
The Andes mountain system is considered the longest mountain system on Earth. Here is the highest active volcano called Lullaillaco. You can also highlight volcanoes such as San Pedro, Osorno, Ruiz and Cotopaxi.
The rivers Atrato, Cauqui and Magdalena flow in the valleys of the Colombian Andes. The lowest point in South America is on the Valdes Peninsula.
Minerals of South America
The mainland is rich in different types mineral. The north of South America is characterized by huge reserves of natural gas and oil.
They study the relief of South America in the 7th grade, so many have most likely heard about the Andes, Patagonia, the Amazonian lowland, etc. Perhaps our article will be of interest not only to school students, but also to those who want to refresh their knowledge of a distant continent . In it we will talk about the main landforms of South America.
Geography of the mainland
On the map, the continent is below North America connected to it by the narrow Isthmus of Panama. Most of it is in the Southern and Western Hemispheres. Its shores are washed by the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
The area of South America is the fourth in the world and occupies 17,840,000 km2. 390 million people live on its territory, there are 12 independent and 3 dependent states. The largest of them: Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru. All of them, except for French Guiana, belong to the countries of Latin America. A huge, though not always positive, role in their development was played by colonists from Spain, France and Portugal.
Landforms on the mainland of South America are very diverse and represent both high mountains, so mid-altitude plateaus and lowlands. From north to south, the continent stretches for 7350 kilometers, covering six climatic zones - from the northern subequatorial to the southern temperate. For the most part, the conditions are hot and very humid, and the temperature does not drop below +5 °C.
The peculiar climate and topography of South America have made it a champion in some areas. So, on the continent is the highest volcano, the world's largest river and the highest waterfall. And thanks a large number rainfall, the mainland is the wettest on the planet.
Relief of South America
South America was once part of the Gondwana continent along with Antarctica, Australia and Africa. After their separation from each other, it briefly turned into a huge island, until the Isthmus of Panama arose.
The landforms located on the mainland of South America divide it into two large areas: flat-mountainous in the east and mountainous in the west. The average height of the entire territory of the continent is approximately 600 meters.
At the heart of the eastern part of South America is an ancient platform, so the local landscapes are mostly flat. They are represented by the Amazonian, Orinoco and La Plata lowlands, the Patagonian plateau, the Brazilian and Guiana plateaus. In the extreme southeast is the Salinas-Chicas depression - the lowest point on the continent with a height of -42 meters.
To the west are the Andes mountains. These are young geological formations formed during relatively recent (about 50 million years ago) volcanic activity. However, the process of their formation is not over, so volcanic eruptions and earthquakes can be observed now.
uplands
In the relief of South America, there are several elevated areas called highlands and plateaus. One such area (the Central Andean Highlands) is located right in the middle of the Andes. Here, the volcanic plateaus are interspersed with flat flat areas, and the average heights reach 4000 meters.
Landforms in the east are much lower. There is located the vast Brazilian Highlands, covering about 5 million km 2. Its highest point is Mount Bandeira (2890 m), although in most of the territory it rises to a height of 200 to 900 meters. The highlands are flat areas with individual protrusions of mountain ranges and plateaus with very steep, almost vertical slopes. Similar is the small Guiana Plateau in the north, which by origin is part of the Brazilian.
lowlands
The low-lying plains cover a significant part of the mainland, and occupy the territory between the mountains and plateaus of South America. They are located in the places of deflections of the foundation platform, which creates excellent conditions for the formation of swamps and rivers with deep valleys (Amazons, La Plata, Orinoco, Parana).
The Amazonian lowland is the largest on the continent and on the entire planet. It stretched in the north of the continent from the foot of the Andes to the coast Atlantic Ocean. In the southeast, it is framed by the Brazilian Plateau.
The area of the Amazonian lowland is 5 million km 2. Here flows the largest river on Earth, the Amazon, along with numerous tributaries. In the west, the relief of the lowland is flat and even; in the east, it is indented by crystalline rocks that come to the surface. The rivers in the eastern part of the Amazon are not as muddy as in the western part, dotted with numerous rapids.
Huge areas of the lowland are swampy and covered with impenetrable jungles of moist equatorial forests. This is one of the least studied regions of the world, inhabited by anacondas, caimans, cougars, tapirs, armadillos, capybaras, maze deer and other unique inhabitants.
Andean Cordillera
By origin, the Andes are part of the North American Cordillera. They run along the entire western coast of the continent, across the territory of seven states, and are the longest mountain system in the world (9,000 km). This is the main watershed of the mainland, in which the Amazon River originates, as well as tributaries of the Orinoco, Paraguay, Parana, etc.
The Andes is the second highest mountain system. Its highest point is Mount Aconcagua in Argentina (6960.8 m). According to the relief and other natural features, the Northern, Central and Southern Andes are distinguished. In general, mountains consist of numerous meridional ridges parallel to each other, between which there are depressions, plateaus or plateaus. On some massifs there are permanent snows and glaciers.
Islands and coasts
In the north, the outlines of the mainland are mostly simple, the coastline is not strongly indented. It does not form bays deeply protruding into the land and peninsulas strongly elongated into the sea. The shores are mostly smooth, and only in the Venezuelan region there is an accumulation of small islands.
To the south, the situation is changing. The mainland gradually narrows, and its shores are dotted with bays, bays and lagoons. Along the coast of Chile and Argentina, many islands adjoin South America. Only in the composition of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago there are more than 40 thousand of them.
Not all of them are inhabited, for example, the Falkland Islands. But many have fjords, glacier-covered mountains, gorges and a huge variety of animals. That is why most of the southern coastal areas are included in national parks and are even protected by UNESCO.
Minerals
The geological structure and diversity of the relief of South America was reflected in its natural resources. The continent is especially rich in minerals; at least half of the periodic table can be found in its bowels.
The Andes mountain ranges contain iron, silver, copper, tin, polymetallic ores, as well as antimony, lead, gold, saltpeter, iodine, platinum and precious stones. Colombia is considered the leader in the extraction of emeralds, Chile occupies the first world positions in the extraction of copper and molybdenum, Bolivia is famous for its tin reserves.
The troughs surrounding the Andes contain deposits of oil, coal and natural gas. Oil is also rich in the ocean floor near the mainland and the vast plains in the east. In the Amazonian lowland alone, proven oil reserves are about 9,000 million tons.
A powerful source of minerals is the Brazilian Highlands, located entirely in Brazil. On the territory of the country there are large deposits of diamonds, zirconium, tantalum, mica, tungsten, is the world leader in the extraction of niobium.
On the territory of Argentina - the second largest country on the continent, there are deposits of marble, granite, sulfur, brown coal, beryllium, uranium, tungsten, copper, natural gas and oil.
Conclusion
The relief of South America combines ancient geological formations and very young and active forms. Due to this, the landscapes of the continent are represented by mountains and volcanoes, plateaus and plateaus, lowlands and depressions. There are glaciers, fjords, deep river valleys, high waterfalls, canyons and gorges. Such a variety of relief was also reflected in the nature of the continent, making many of its objects a real treasure of the planet.
South America, southern mainland of the Western Hemisphere, between Pacific Ocean in the west and Atlantic approx. in the east, the Caribbean Sea in the north and the Magellanic Sea in the south, from 12 ° 28 "N to 53 ° 55" S. sh. Connected by the Isthmus of Panama with Sev. America. The area with islands is 18.28 million km 2. The greatest length is 7150 km, width is 5100 km. In the relief, a powerful mountain belt of the Andes (Aconcagua, 6960 m) in the north and west and a platform, flat-flat mountain east stand out. The uplifts of the platform correspond to the Guiana Plateau (Mt. Neblina, 3014 m) in the northeast and the Brazilian (Mt. Bandeira, 2890 m) in the east, separated by a trough occupied by the Amazonian Lowland (Amazonia). In the marginal and foothill troughs between the plateaus and the Andes, there are plains and lowlands: the Orinoco and the Interior Plains (Pantanal, Gran Chaco, Mesopotamia and Pampa); to the south of it, in the southeast, the Patagonian plateau rises to 2200 m. On the plateaus there are large deposits of iron and manganese ores, bauxite, non-ferrous and rare metals; oil and gas in foothill and intermountain troughs of the Andes; in the mountains there are deposits of ores of copper, polymetals, tin, etc.
Relief
In the relief of South America, a plain-flat platform extra-Andean East and a mountainous Andean West, corresponding to a mobile orogenic belt, are clearly distinguished. The uplifts of the South American platform are represented by the Guiana, Brazilian and Patagonian plateaus, the troughs are represented by the lowlands and plains of the Llanos-Orinoco, Amazonian, Beni-Mamore, Gran Chaco, Mesopotamia (Parana and Uruguay rivers) and Pampa; from the east, the plateaus are framed by narrow intermittent strips of coastal plains.
Out-Andean East. Located on the South American platform. Its uplifts are expressed in relief by plateaus (Guiana and Brazilian), and troughs - by lowlands (Amazonian, Orinocskaya, La Plata) and uplands (Gran Chaco). At the base of the platform lie the cores of the most ancient (Early Precambrian) igneous and metamorphic rocks that come to the surface in the Guiana, South Brazilian, West Brazilian shields.
Tectonic movements broke up the plateaus, in particular the Brazilian one, into separate blocky massifs. Outpourings of basalts formed in the southern part of the Brazilian Plateau the Parana lava plateau, the largest on Earth.
The Epipaleozoic Pampa-Patagonian plate, attached to the southeastern part of the Andes and the south of the South American platform, formed much more mobile. In it, uplifts and subsidence often alternate with sedimentary strata crumpled into short gentle folds.
The relief of the low plains is extremely monotonous. They formed in the syneclises of the South American platform plate, which was gradually filled with sedimentary deposits. The relief of the Amazonian lowland, which covers an area of 5 million square meters, is extremely monotonous. km. Even at the foot of the Andes, the height in the Amazon Valley is only 150 m above sea level. seas. In the less extensive Orinok lowland and on the Inner Plains, the areas closest to the Andes are usually elevated due to the removal of abundant sediments from the mountains and lowered to the axes of the troughs, emphasized by the course of the main rivers - Orinoco, Mamore, Paraguay, Parana; the swampy La Plata lowland stretches along the latter.
The Andean ridge system extends for 9,000 km to the north and west of the mainland. In the north and northeast, in Venezuela, there are two chains of the Caribbean Andes, deeply dissected by faults and river erosion. The main, meridional system of the Andes, or Andean Cordillera (Cordillera de los Andes), reaching 6960 m (Aconcagua), rises in the west of South Africa and is subdivided into the Northern, Central, and Southern Andes. The northern Andes (up to 5° S) are distinguished by the alternation of high fold-block ridges and deep depressions. In Ecuador, they consist of the Eastern and Western Cordilleras, the depression between which is filled with the products of the activity of the volcanoes Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, and others. In Colombia, there are three main Cordilleras (Eastern, Central and Western), separated by the depressions of the Magdalena and Cauca rivers. Volcanoes (Huila, Ruiz, Puras, and others) are concentrated mainly in the Central and South Western Cordilleras; for the central part of the Eastern Cordillera, ancient lake plateaus are typical, with a height of 2-3 thousand meters. In the north and west lie the largest lowlands in the Andean west - the Caribbean and the Pacific.
The Central Andes (up to 27-28 ° S. latitude) are much wider and more monolithic than the Northern ones. They are characterized by internal plateaus raised up to 3.8-4.8 thousand m, bordered by marginal ridges; the highest mountains carry considerable glaciation. The southern part - the Central Andean Highlands - the widest (up to 750 km) segment of the Andes; its main element is the Puna plateau with the ancient lake Altiplano plateau in the southwest and a number of blocky ridges in the east and south. In the east, Pune is framed by the Cordillera Real, with the western volcanic Cordillera Western (the second volcanic region of the Andes with volcanoes Misti, Lullaillaco, Sahama, and others), a longitudinal tectonic depression (with the Atacama Desert), and the Coastal Cordillera.
In the southern Andes in the north (up to 41 ° 30 "S), the relief is expressed: the double Main Cordillera (the city of Aconcagua in the east, or Front), to which the Precordillera massifs are attached to the east; the Longitudinal Valley of Chile and the Coastal Cordillera. Between 33-52° S there is another Andean volcanic region with large quantity active volcanoes to the west of the Main Cordillera and extinct volcanoes to the east of it. In the southernmost segment of the Andes - the Patagonian Andes - the Coastal Cordillera turns into an archipelago of islands, the Longitudinal Valley - into a system of straits, and the flooded troughs of the sharply declining Patagonian Cordillera - into fjords. Glacial forms dominate. Modern glaciation in South Africa covers an area of 25,000 km 2 , of which more than 21,000 km 2 are in the Southern Andes. There are also glaciers in the Western Cordillera, between 9 and 11 ° S. sh. and on the islands of Tierra del Fuego.
Guiana Plateau rises to the center (Neblin, 3014 m), Brazilian - from the north-west. to the south-east (Bandeira, 2890 m), Patagonian - from east to west (up to 2200 m). The relief of the Guiana and Brazilian plateaus is dominated by socle gently undulating plains (up to 1500-1700 m high), within which remnant cone-shaped peaks and ridges (for example, Serra do Espinhaso) or table, mostly sandstone, uplands - the so-called chapadas (Auyan-Tepui and Roraima, etc.). The eastern edge of the Brazilian Plateau is divided into separate massifs (Serra da Mantiqueira and others), which have characteristic forms of "sugar loaves" (for example, Pan di Azucar in Rio de Janeiro). The troughs and troughs of the Brazilian Plateau are expressed in relief as monocline-stratal plains with raised cuesta edges, accumulative plains (the depression of the San Francisco River, etc.), or a lava plateau (in the middle reaches of the Parana). The relief of Patagonia is dominated by layered, including volcanic, stepped plateaus, covered by ancient moraine and water-glacial deposits; the plateaus are cut by deep canyons of rivers originating in the Andes; arid forms of denudation are characteristic.
On the territory of the mainland, several large low-lying plains stand out: the Amazonian, Orinoco, Mamore, Pantanal, Mesopotamia, Pampas, as well as several high, highly dissected plains: the Guiana, Brazilian plateau, Patogonskoe plateau.
Amazonian lowland- the largest equatorial lowland in the world (an area of \u200b\u200babout 5 million km 2), crossing from west to east almost the entire mainland of South America, from the foothills of the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean, and lying between the uplifts of the Guiana Plateau in the north and Brazilian in the south.
The powerful trunk of the deepest river in the world, the Amazon, is the axis of the lowland, which received its name from it. The even green tone of the physical map, as if dressing the blue river-branches with foliage, indicates the amazing flatness of the territory. The humid equatorial climate characteristic of the Amazon is considered the most monotonous and monotonous on Earth. It is also difficult to find a more solid spot on the world soil map than the podzolized lateritic soils of the Amazonian lowland, cut through only by green veins of alluvial soils along the rivers. A continuous thicket is represented by humid equatorial forests - hylaea, which are most widespread in the Amazon.
The flat territory along the left bank of the Orinoco River, between the Andes in the west and north, the Guiana Plateau in the southeast and the Guaviare River in the south, is called Llanos Orinoco. It stretches for about 1,000 km in length, 300 km in width, and for the most part belongs to Venezuela, only in the southwest entering Colombia.
Vast open low-lying spaces covered with tall dense grass, and in some places scattered individual trees or groups of palm trees - this is the appearance of a typical llanos savannah.
The position in very low latitudes provides the Orinok Lowland with high temperatures (+250; +280 C) throughout the year. In contrast to the course of temperatures, the precipitation regime is extremely uneven. Dry and wet periods are clearly expressed, the duration and continuity of which varies with geographic latitude. During a drought, all organic life freezes, rapidly developing with the onset of rains. This seasonality in the development of the landscape is the most characteristic and common feature of the region of the Orinoco plains.
Mamore Plain. Much of the foredeep between the Andes and the Brazilian Highlands is a tropical flat area with high temperatures and a well-defined seasonality in the distribution of rainfall, with a variety of vegetation types adapted to endure prolonged droughts or floods, with capricious rivers, sometimes drying up, sometimes overflowing and flooding. vast spaces. This meridianally elongated territory in the north constitutes the eastern regions of Bolivia, in the southeast it belongs to Paraguay, and in the southwest it enters the borders of Argentina.
The interfluve of Parana and Uruguay ("Argentine Mesopotamia") is another, eastern region of the Inner Plains. Extensive overgrown swamps and swamps, poorly drained by barely flowing rivers, many kilometers of floods of large water arteries, palm groves on elevated sandy shores and hills and reed thickets in the lowlands. But in open steppe areas, cooler with a mild subtropical climate, evergreen trees (except for palm trees) are almost completely absent.
The climate of Mesopotamia is subtropical with abundant and fairly uniform precipitation and high temperatures.
pampas– treeless plains overgrown with grass. It is located in the region of the largest deflection of the La Plata syneclise, along the axis of which the Parana flows. On the right bank of the Parana, a new landscape area begins - the subtropical pampas steppe. Atmospheric precipitation falls mainly in summer, but quebracho and mimosa forests thin out, trees become an unusual phenomenon, grass cover is more closed, gray-brown soils are replaced by chernozems.
brazilian plateau in geostructural terms, it consists of a number of anticlises (shields) and syneclises (plates). Along with the processes characteristic of the Guiana Plateau - long-term destruction, peneplanation, clearing of the sedimentary cover and exposure of the crystalline base, the latest repeated uplift, etc., faults (in the east) and the filling of internal depressions with marine , volcanic and clastic strata. Washout predominates in the northern and eastern (more elevated and wetter) regions, and accumulation occurs in the central trough.
The crystalline surfaces, mainly in the east and northwest, are characterized by ancient denudation surfaces, peneplens, weakly dissected by rivers, at an altitude of 400–800 m above sea level. seas with remnant island peaks and “serre” fault ledges. Along the right bank of the river San Francisco was dissected by denudation of the "brasilide" roots, which form ridges up to 1500-2000 m in height (Serra do Espinhaço and others).
Patagonia Plateau formed on a young Patagonian platform with a Hercynian basement, articulated in the west by a tectonic "seam" with the Andes. Like the northern plateaus, the Patagonian platform was subjected to uplifts and faults with differentiated movements of individual blocks, in particular, those constituting the Gondwanid marginal uplifts and the intraplatform blocky massifs of the Patagonides. In significant areas of Patagonia, a cover of continental and marine horizontal deposits of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic has been preserved, contributing to the general evenness of the relief. Powerful Quaternary glaciation in the Patagonian Andes, with glaciers covering the southern part of Patagonia, left traces in the form of a pebbly cover of eroded fluvioglacial deposits. The relief is characterized by stepped plateaus, on average up to 1000-1500 m in height, descending in ledges to the east to the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, where a series of abrasion terraces are expressed. The uplifts led to a deep incision of the rivers laid down along the cracks, transiting, not accepting tributaries, in deep and wide canyons crossing Patagonia.
