are of sedimentary origin and are made from limestone and rarely dolomite, anhydrite and shale; they rise above the water and extend for . Limestone is prone to weathering which often creates peculiar shapes. Karst processes created numerous caves and grottoes in this area. The river here has a mountainous character with about 70 rapids, and its elevation here decreases by over a length of . Large boulders sometimes protrude above the water surface. Here the river is wide and is rather winding, skirting mountain ranges and making numerous loops. One loop near Utkinskoy settlement is in diameter and is almost a closed loop. In the lower reaches, after exiting from the Ural Mountains, the river has a plain character. Here it flows through meadows, marshes, deciduous and mixed forests; it slows down and widens in some places up to , making occasional broad bends. The river discharges into the Chusovskoy Cove of Kama Reservoir, which is associated with the Kama hydroelectric power station located from the mouth of the Kama River. Construction of the dam resulted in flooding of the lower reaches of the Chusovaya up to from the mouth. The bottom of the river throughout its length is mainly covered in pebbles. The water discharge varies between with the average of . The flow is relatively strong – about 10 times that of such rivers as Volga and Kama; it is about on average and may reach in some places. Chusovaya usually freezes in late October through early December and thaws in April. Ice jams are common for the lower reaches with the increase in the water level of up to . The river is fed by snow (55%). precipitation (29%) and underground waters (18%). The floods typically occur between mid-April and mid-June. During the early summer, there are 6–7 rain floods with water levels rising up to . In July through August, the river depth decreases to in some places. Tributaries Chusovaya takes more than 150 tributaries with the largest being the river Sylva. The Kumysh tributary dives underground for about 6 km; the place where it disappears is called нырок in Russian ("dive" in English) by the local people, and the place where it resurfaces is named вынырок ("coming to the surface"). Such behavior is unusual but not unique to Kumysh and is observed for about 15 other rivers of the Urals. The main tributaries of