The Verkhoyansk Range was covered by glaciers during the Last Glacial Period and the mountains in the northern section, such as the Orulgan Range, display a typical Alpine relief.
The Verkhoyansk Range has a higher southeastern prolongation than the Suntar-Khayata Range, which is occasionally considered as a separate range system. Thus the highest point of the range in a restricted geographical sense is an unnamed 2,409-metre (7,904 ft)-high peak in the Orulgan Range.[3] The Ulakhan-Bom, highest point 1,600 metres (5,200 ft), Sette-Daban, highest point 2,012 metres (6,601 ft), and Skalisty Range (Rocky Range), highest point 2,017 metres (6,617 ft), are located at the southern end and were also considered separate ranges in classical geographic works. The two ranges were surveyed in 1934 by geologist Yuri Bilibin (1901–1952) together with mining engineer Evgeny Bobin (1897–1941) in the course of an expedition sent by the government of the Soviet Union. After conducting the first topographic survey of the area, Bilibin established that the Skalisty and Sette-Daban mountain chains belong to the Verkhoyansk Mountain System. Bilibin and Bobin also explored for the first time the Yudoma-Maya Highlands, located to the southeast of the Ulakhan-Bom/Sette-Daban/Skalisty ranges.[4]
Subranges
Besides the Orulgan, the system of the range comprises a number of subranges, as well as a plateau,[5] including the following:[6]
From the eastern slopes flow the rivers Dulgalakh and Sartang, which form river Yana further north, as well as its tributaries Bytantay, Nelgese, Derbeke, and Baky, among others.
Rivers in the mountainous areas are usually frozen between September and May.[3]
Climate and flora
The world's lowest temperatures for inhabited places have been recorded in this region, and there is quite deep snow cover for most of the year.
The mountain range is home to an alpine tundra, supporting various species of mosses and lichens.[2] Some sparsely-wooded forests of mainly larch and dwarf Siberian pine are found on smooth slopes.[3]