bogs, similar to the muskeg swamps of northern Canada, offer 

 serious problems to road and railroad construction. 



There is a more varied animal life in the forest than in the 

 tundra. Berries provide food for the small animals and rodents 

 which in turn provide food for the birds of prey and carnivorous 

 animals. The wolf, lynx, and fox inhabit the forest, together with 

 the marten and ermine. These animals move north in summer, 

 following their food supply and avoiding the hordes of mosquitoes 

 that breed in the water-soaked soil. The fur-bearing animals of 

 the tundra and forest areas are the basis of an important occupa- 

 tion and source of income. Although haphazard hunting and trap- 

 ping are prohibited, special breeding and trapping stations have 

 been established. 



Underlying essentially all of the tundra and taiga is a layer of 

 frozen ground with ice filling all the spaces between the particles 

 of soil and rock. The lower Ob, the Indigirka and Kolyma flow 

 along beds of ice in both summer and winter. The depth of the 

 permafrost varies, being narrower in the south and up to depths 

 of over 1,000 feet, as at Kazhevnikov Bay in Northern Yakutia. 

 The problems of construction, mining, and farming in permafrost 

 areas in the development of the Soviet northland focused attention 

 on the need for planned study. As a result, the Institute for the 

 Study of Frozen Soil was established in 1930. 



RESOURCES AND INDUSTRY 



Despite the rigors of the climate and difficulties imposed by other 

 characteristics of the arctic and subarctic environments, the Soviet 

 Union has been active in supporting a program of exploration, 

 exploitation and colonization of these regions. As a result, much 

 is known of the potential wealth of these areas. 



Geologic investigations of the tundra and the taiga of the 

 Yenisei and Lena basins have shown that a large coal field exists 

 in the area of the Tunguska River, a tributary of the Yenisei. 

 Estimates indicate that it contains 400,000 million tons. At 

 Norilsk, near Igarka on the Lower Tunguska, some mining is 

 going on to provide coal for the ships using the Northern Sea route 

 and for river steamers. There is also a deposit of nickel ore near 

 Norilsk that is being worked. Another arctic coal field is on the 

 Vorkuta, a tributary of the Pechora. This coal is of good quality 

 and makes excellent coke. 



On another tributary of the Pechora an oil field has been found. 

 Here on the Ukhta in 1936 oil wells and a refinery were installed. 



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