Sredinnyi Range

(also Zapadnyi Range), the main dividing range of Kamchatka, extending along the entire peninsula. Sredinnyi Range has elevations reaching 3,621 m (Ichinskaia Sopka—an active volcano) and measures 1,200 km in length and as much as 120 km in width. It is composed of Paleozoic schists and gneisses and Mesozoic-Cenozoic sandstones, shales, and volcanic rocks. There are many extinct volcanoes. Ancient glacial forms occur (cirques and U-shaped valleys). Modern glaciers cover 866 sq km. Forests of Erman’s birch and thickets of Japanese stone pine and dwarf alder are found on the lower slopes; alpine tundra occurs at higher elevations. High-grass meadows are found in the valleys.