Relief refers to all existing irregularities on the surface of the planet. They are the result of the interaction of the forces of the Earth, external and internal.
The relief of Russia has its own differences. Plains varying in height and shape are located on 2/3 of the country's territory. One third of the total area is mountains. These features of the relief of Russia are mainly associated with the large size of the territory and rather complex geological development.
The Central Siberian plateau and the Russian (East European) plain are considered the largest formations on the surface of the country. They are located on ancient platforms, differ in a two-tier structure.
The relief of Western Siberia is characterized by the presence of the plain of the same name. Often this relief formation is called lowland. This is due to the fact that half of its entire territory has a height of less than one hundred meters, only on the edges there are areas one hundred and fifty to two hundred meters high. The plain is located on the West Siberian Plate.
From the Russian plain to the south are the Caucasus Mountains. These are quite young and high mountain formations included in the relief of Russia. The highest point of the country, Elbrus, is also located in this area.
Ural folded-block mountains are not very high. However, this is a fairly ancient, heavily destroyed array, which was somewhat updated in the Neogene. Their highest point is Mount Narodnaya.
The relief of Russia in its largest features is determined by tectonic structures and geological structure. It should be noted that the territory of the country, like Eurasia as a whole, was formed as a result of the gradual rapprochement and subsequent collision of a number of large plates of the lithosphere. However, they do not differ in the uniformity of the structure. Within them, you can find areas that are relatively stable - folded mobile belts and platforms. The structure of lithospheric plates affects the placement of the largest relief formations - mountains and plains. Thus, lowland areas are associated with platforms - the most stable areas where folding processes have long been completed.
At the base of the ancient platforms (Siberian and East European) lies a fairly rigid foundation. It is formed by igneous rocks of the Precambrian period (crystalline schists, quartzites, gneisses, granites). In a larger area, horizontally occurring sedimentary rocks cover the foundation. However, the Siberian platform (in the region of the Central Siberian Plateau) is characterized by the presence of volcanic rocks, Siberian traps, spread over a significant area.
Areas in which a foundation composed of crystalline rocks comes to the surface are called shields. On the Siberian platform is the Aldan shield. On the Russian platform is the Baltic shield.
The mountainous terrain of Russia has a rather complex geological structure. The formation of massifs occurs in the most mobile areas of the earth's crust. As a result of geological processes , rocks form folds, are broken by faults and faults. Tectonic structures formed at different times - during the Mesozoic, Paleozoic, Cenozoic folding - during the collision of plates of the lithosphere. In some cases, rock formations are located in the inner regions of lithospheric plates. Such formations include, in particular, the Ural Range.
In the Far East is a fairly young mountain range - Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands. They are included in the large Pacific volcanic formation - the Ring of Fire. These mountain formations are characterized by high seismicity, earthquakes often occur here, active volcanoes are common .