Ovruch Ridge

Ovruch Ridge [Овруцький кряж; Ovrutskyi kriazh] or Slovechne-Ovruch Ridge [Словечансько-Овруцький кряж; Slovechansko-Ovrutskyi kriazh]. An upland in the central portion of Polisia in northern Zhytomyr oblast. Nearly 50 km in length and 5–12 km in width, it stretches in an east–west direction from the town of Ovruch, with elevations ranging from 185 to 316 m. It consists mainly of Proterozoic quartzes, shales, and sandstones covered by a loamy soil and, in some locations, loess. The ridge has forests (mainly pine and oak), which cover about one-quarter of its total area, and is strongly dissected by ravines.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 3 (1993).]