ridge of high land situated in northeastern European Russia, oriented in a roughly north-south direction and stretching for about 470 miles (750 km) from the Barents Sea to the source of the Vychegda River. The ridge was formed by an upwarping of the underlying Russian Platform and consists of very ancient schists and other materials. The northern part is higher and consists of four hilly massifs, with heights up to 1,519 feet (463 m). The southern portion has a plateau character.