﻿490 
  T 
  - 
  BELT 
  ON 
  THE 
  STEPPES 
  OF 
  SIBERIA, 
  

  

  37. 
  The 
  Steppes 
  of 
  Siberia. 
  By 
  Thomas 
  Belt, 
  F.G.S. 
  

   (Bead 
  June 
  24, 
  1874.) 
  

  

  1. 
  Introduction. 
  

  

  Many 
  writers 
  have 
  described 
  the 
  great 
  steppes 
  or 
  "tundras" 
  of 
  

   Siberia, 
  and 
  told 
  of 
  their 
  vast 
  extent 
  and 
  monotonous 
  aspect, 
  where 
  

   the 
  traveller, 
  day 
  after 
  day, 
  sees 
  the 
  nearly 
  level 
  plains 
  extending 
  

   to 
  the 
  horizon 
  in 
  long 
  low 
  undulations, 
  succeeding 
  each 
  other 
  like 
  

   the 
  gentle 
  heaving 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  an 
  otherwise 
  calm 
  ocean. 
  From 
  

   the 
  western 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Ourals 
  they 
  spread 
  right 
  across 
  the 
  northern 
  

   extremity 
  of 
  Asia, 
  nearly 
  to 
  Kamtschatka, 
  unbroken, 
  excepting 
  

   where 
  the 
  rivers 
  have 
  cut 
  deep 
  channels, 
  or 
  where 
  some 
  ridges 
  of 
  

   rock 
  rise 
  through 
  the 
  level 
  expanse 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  loam. 
  

  

  Last 
  October 
  I 
  journeyed 
  across 
  the 
  south-west 
  corner 
  of 
  these 
  

   vast 
  plains 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  thousand 
  miles, 
  from 
  Ekaterinburg, 
  

   on 
  the 
  eastern 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  Ourals, 
  to 
  Byanool, 
  a 
  small 
  town 
  360 
  

   miles 
  south-east 
  of 
  Omsk 
  ; 
  and 
  although 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  whole 
  

   area 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  steppes 
  this 
  part 
  forms 
  but 
  a 
  small 
  portion, 
  I 
  saw 
  

   enough 
  to 
  impress 
  me 
  with 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  their 
  enormous 
  extent, 
  and 
  

   to 
  excite 
  my 
  curiosity 
  to 
  try 
  to 
  discover 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  this 
  continental 
  

   expanse 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  loam. 
  I 
  lost 
  no 
  opportunity 
  of 
  examining 
  

   natural 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  ; 
  and 
  fortunately 
  these 
  were 
  not 
  

   scarce, 
  as 
  the 
  rivers 
  had 
  everywhere 
  cut 
  deeply 
  into 
  the 
  sandy 
  

   strata. 
  I 
  propose 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  paper 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  description 
  

   of 
  the 
  strata 
  composing 
  the 
  steppes, 
  to 
  offer 
  a 
  theory 
  to 
  account 
  

   for 
  their 
  origin, 
  and 
  to 
  seek 
  to 
  apply 
  it 
  to 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  earth's 
  

   surface. 
  

  

  Description 
  of 
  the 
  Strata. 
  — 
  About 
  60 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  Ekaterin- 
  

   burg 
  we 
  had 
  left 
  the 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  Ourals 
  behind 
  us 
  and 
  entered 
  

   upon 
  a 
  sandy 
  and 
  nearly 
  level 
  country, 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  the 
  

   great 
  Siberian 
  steppes. 
  The 
  sandy 
  soil, 
  in 
  some 
  parts 
  covered 
  with 
  

   extensive 
  pine 
  forests, 
  continued 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  Shadrinsky, 
  180 
  miles 
  

   east-south-east 
  of 
  Ekaterinburg 
  ; 
  but 
  beyond 
  that 
  town 
  it 
  was 
  of 
  a 
  

   more 
  loamy 
  character. 
  Large 
  shallow 
  lakes 
  were 
  numerous 
  ; 
  and 
  

   much 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  in 
  cultivation 
  was 
  of 
  a 
  peaty 
  character. 
  Around 
  

   all 
  the 
  lakes 
  were 
  extensive 
  tracts 
  of 
  peaty 
  ground, 
  proving 
  that 
  

   they 
  had 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  been 
  much 
  larger 
  and 
  had 
  been 
  contracted 
  by 
  

   the 
  growth 
  of 
  vegetation 
  around 
  their 
  borders. 
  

  

  At 
  Ischim 
  we 
  crossed 
  a 
  tributary 
  of 
  the 
  Irtisch. 
  It 
  runs 
  in 
  an 
  

   alluvial 
  plain 
  4 
  miles 
  wide, 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  steppe 
  strata 
  

   rise 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  about 
  80 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  river 
  (fig. 
  1). 
  They 
  are 
  com- 
  

   posed 
  entirely 
  of 
  loose 
  sand, 
  amongst 
  which 
  I 
  could 
  find 
  no 
  shells 
  

   or 
  other 
  organisms. 
  In 
  some 
  parts 
  the 
  sands 
  are 
  false-bedded 
  ; 
  and 
  

   next 
  the 
  surface 
  they 
  are 
  more 
  loamy 
  than 
  deeper 
  down. 
  They 
  

   contained 
  no 
  pebbles. 
  

  

  From 
  Ischim 
  to 
  Omsk, 
  about 
  160 
  miles 
  in 
  a 
  direct 
  line, 
  the 
  plains 
  

   continue 
  with 
  monotonous 
  uniformity. 
  At 
  Omsk 
  the 
  strata 
  exposed 
  

  

  