阿尔泰山位于我国新疆维吾尔自治区北部边陲,其西部以海拔4374米的友谊峰为首的主峰群组成,南坡是喀纳斯综合自然景观保护区,在东经86°45′—88°11′、北纬48°23′—49°11′之间,总面积5588平方公里。本文研究范围向南扩展到前山山麓带。

The Altay Mts. are situated at the northern borders of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. The geographical coordinate of the studying area is: 86?5’ to 8811’ east lo.ngitu.de and 48°3’ to 49°1‘ north latitude. With an area amounts to 5588 km2. On the basis of the scientific data collected by the investigation in 1980, this paper deals with some problems of the vertical zonation in this area.The neotectonic movement occurred since the end of Tertiary and acted upon the Altay Mts. in the form of vertical movement have caused intense uplift of the fault-block mountains. Altitude of the mountains generally exceed 4000 m.The vertical zones on southern slope of the western Altay Mts. belong to a temperate semiarid type. Moisture and temperature, type of plants and soils are taken as main indicators in the division of the vertical zonation. Ten vertical zones may by recognized on the southern slope of the Altay Mts.When the spectra of vertical zones of the western Altay area are compared with those of the eastern Altay Mts., of the Tien-Shan Mts. and of the Kunlun Mts., mainly due to the increase of aridity and the lower latitudes, the altitude of some vertical zones of the other mountains are higher than the western Altay.In this paper, the relation of the vertical zones to land utilization is also described.