Belukha Mountain
{{short description|Highest peak of the Altai Mountains in Russia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Belukha Mountain
| photo = 2006-07_altaj_belucha.jpg
| photo_caption = The top of Belukha in the Altai Mountains in Russia is shown here in 2006. The mountain range is thought to be the birthplace of the Turkic people.
| elevation_m = 4506
| prominence_m = 3343
| prominence_ref =
Ranked 59th
| listing = Ultra, Ribu
| location = Altai Republic, Russia
| range = Altai Mountains
| map = Russia#Russia Altai Republic#Kazakhstan
| label_position = left
| coordinates = {{coord|49|48|27|N|86|35|24|E|type:mountain_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| first_ascent = 1914 by B. V. Tronov & M. V. Tronov
| easiest_route = basic rock/snow climb
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-wikidata = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 12
}}
Belukha Mountain ({{IPAc-en|b|ə|ˈ|l|uː|x|ə}}; {{lang-rus|Белуха|p=bʲɪˈɫuxəl}}, also known as Beluga Mountain, Icemount Peak ({{langx|kk|Мұзтау Шыңы}} / {{lang|kk-latn|Mūztau Şyñy}} {{IPA|kk|mʊsˈtɑw ʃəˈŋə|}}), or The Three Peaks ({{langx|alt|Ӱч-Сӱмер}} / {{lang|alt-latn|Üç-Sümer}} {{IPA|alt|ʏc͡ç sʏˈmer|}}), is the highest peak of the Altai Mountains in Russia and the highest of the South Siberian Mountains system.{{cite web
|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9015330/Mount-Belukha
|title=Mount Belukha
|work=Encyclopædia Britannica
|accessdate=2007-07-31
|archive-date=22 June 2008
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622031017/http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9015330/Mount-Belukha
|url-status=live
}} It is part of the Golden Mountains of Altai World Heritage Site.{{cite web
|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/768
|title=Golden Mountains of Altai
|publisher=UNESCO
|accessdate=2007-07-31
| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070818104201/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/768| archivedate= 18 August 2007 | url-status= live}}
Since 2008, one is required to apply for a special border zone permit in order to be allowed into the area (if travelling independently without using an agency). Foreigners should apply for the permit to their regional FSB border guard office two months before the planned date.{{cite web |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/europe-eastern-europe-the-caucasus/russia/new-border-zone-regulation-altai-concern |title=Thorn Tree - New border zone regulation/ Altai concern |publisher=Lonely Planet |access-date=1 March 2019 |archive-date=6 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106101232/https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/europe-eastern-europe-the-caucasus/russia/new-border-zone-regulation-altai-concern |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://dontmind.freeshell.org/trekking/altai/#permit |title=dont you ever mind :: the great outdoors :: altai, russia, 2008 |publisher=dontmind.freeshell.org|access-date=8 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235826/http://dontmind.freeshell.org/trekking/altai/#permit |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=dead}}
Geography
Located in the Altai Republic, Belukha is a three-peaked mountain massif that rises along the border of Russia and Kazakhstan, just a few dozen miles north of the point where this border meets with the border of China. There are several small glaciers on the mountain, including Belukha Glacier. Of the two peaks, the eastern peak (4,506 m, 14,784 ft.) is higher than the western peak (4,440 m, 14,567 ft.).
History
Belukha was first climbed in 1914 by the Tronov brothers. Most ascents of the eastern peak follow the same southern route as that taken in the first ascent. Though the Altai is lower in elevation than other Asian mountain groups, it is very remote, and much time and planning are required for its approach.
In the summer of 2001, a team of scientists traveled to the remote Belukha Glacier to assess the feasibility of extracting ice cores at the site. Research was carried out from 2001 to 2003: both shallow cores and cores to bedrock were extracted and analyzed (Olivier and others, 2003; Fujita and others, 2004). Based on tritium dating techniques, the deeper cores may contain as much as 3,000–5,000 years of climatic and environmental records. A Swiss-Russian team also studied the glacier.{{cite web |url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/p1386f/pdf/F8_PaleoRecord.pdf |title=Glaciers of Asia— THE PALEOENVIRONMENTAL RECORD PRESERVED IN MIDDLE LATITUDE, HIGH-MOUNTAIN GLACIERS—AN OVERVIEW OF THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY EXPERIENCE IN CENTRAL ASIA AND THE UNITED STATES |publisher=US Geological Survey (public domain) |accessdate=2012-05-13 |author1=L. DeWayne Cecil |author2=David L. Naftz |author3=Paul F. Schuster |author4=David D. Susong |author5=Jaromy R. Green |name-list-style=amp |archive-date=8 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130408102600/http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/p1386f/pdf/F8_PaleoRecord.pdf |url-status=live }}
See also
References
{{Commons category|Belukha Mountain}}
{{USGS}}
{{Reflist}}
Category:Mountains of the Altai Republic
Category:Mountains of Kazakhstan
Category:Kazakhstan–Russia border
Category:International mountains of Asia
Category:Four-thousanders of the Altai