Key Facts about Kolyma River

Table of Contents☰

About Kolyma River:

Location: It is a river in northeastern Siberia, far eastern Russia, risingin the Kolyma Mountains.
It is 2,129 kmlong and drains an area of 647,000 square km.
Course:

o In its upper course, it flows through narrow gorges with many rapids.

o The Kolyma River cuts through the majestic Verkhoyansk Range, one of the longest mountain ranges in Siberia.

o Gradually, its valley widens, enters the wide, flat, and swampy Kolyma Lowland, and flows northeastward to discharge into the East Siberian Sea (a marginal sea in the Arctic Ocean).

It is the largest river system underlain by continuous permafrost. For about eight months of the year (late September until early June), the river is frozen to depths of several meters.
It is primarily fed by spring snowmelt and summer rainfall.
The entire basin is covered by tundra or thin, stunted forest and has a sparse human population.

· The river has a mean annual discharge of about 136 cubic kilometers of water per year, making it one of the six largest rivers to drain into the Arctic Ocean.

Q1: What is Permafrost?

Permafrost is any ground that remains completely frozen—32°F (0°C) or colder—for at least two years straight. These permanently frozen grounds are most common in regions with high mountains and in Earth’s higher latitudes—near the North and South Poles.

Source:Russian plane lands on frozen river by mistake -prosecutors