Kharatas ridge



Kharatas is a mountain range in the Kuznetsk Alatau in the western part of the Ust-Abakansky district of the Republic of Khakassia.

The name is derived from the common Turkic kara (black) and Shor tas (naked).

The second order short mountain range adjoins the main ridge spurs of Kuznetsk Alatau. The length is 35 km from the southwest to the northeast. Kharatas branches off from the main ridge of the Kuznetsk Alatau in the region of Mount Verkhny Zub 2178 m and is the watershed of the Kharatas and Bely Iyus rivers. Absolute heights increase from north to south, from 1200 m to 2211 m (mountain Staraya Krepost). The southern section is represented by peneplanated dissected highlands 1700 m–2000 m dominated by tundra landscapes and fragments of subalpine meadows and light forests on tundra peaty and mountain meadow soils. The middle section 1400 m–1700 m is a steeply sloping middle mountain, deeply dissected, with dark coniferous forests. The northern part 800 m–1400 m is a steeply sloping, strongly and moderately dissected, ridged, peneplainized lowland, with cedar-fir-spruce and pine-larch forests on the slopes. Kurums of the Kuznetsk Alatau cover the Karatas ridges.

Popular destination for mountaineering, rock climbing, mountain tourism

== Peaks ==

Literature

 * Encyclopedia of the Republic of Khakassia: [in 2 volumes] / Government of the Rep. Khakassia; [scientific-ed. council: V. A. Kuzmin (prev.) and others]. - Abakan: Polikor, 2007. Vol. 1: [A - H]. - 2007. - 430, [2] p. : ill., portr. — Bibliographer. at the end of words. Art. - S. 252–253.