Byrranga

Byrranga 

mountains in the northern part of the Taimyr Peninsula in Taimyr (Dolgano-Nenets) National Okrug, Krasnoiarsk Krai. They are formed by a system of parallel or link-shaped chains and wide wavy plateaus. They extend for 1, 100 km and are over 200 km wide. The river valleys of the Piasina and Taimyra rivers divide the Byrranga Mountains into three parts: the western, central, and eastern, with altitudes (correspondingly) of 250-320 m, 400-600 m, and 600-1, 000 m (the greatest elevation is 1, 146 m).

The mountains are formed of Precambrian and Paleozoic rocks, in which traps (gabbro-diabases) play a large role. The climate is cold and sharply continental. The average January temperature is -30° C to -33° C; the average July temperature is 2° C to 10° C. Spring begins in June, and in August the average daily temperature drops below 0° C. Annual precipitation is 120-400 mm. There are glaciers in the east (the general area is more than 50 sq km). The mountains are covered with vegetation peculiar to rocky arctic tundra. Mosses and lichens predominate. Animals include lemming, arctic fox, reindeer, polar partridge, and snowy owl.

S. S. VOSKRESENSKII