Obshchii Syrt
Obshchii Syrt
an upland in the southeastern European part of the USSR. It stretches for about 500 km from east to west and is bounded by the Southern Urals in the east. It has a maximum elevation of 405 m and forms the divide between the Volga and Ural river basins. The upland is composed of Permian and Mesozoic sandstone, clay, and limestone. The Obshchii Syrt has plateau-like watersheds and stepped slopes. In places there are dome-shaped monadnocks (shikhany), and karst is well developed throughout the upland. Most of the area is covered with a bunchgrass steppe.