The Lena Cheeks (russian: Ленские щёки) is the name of a stretch of the
Lena
Lena or LENA may refer to:
Places
* Léna Department, a department of Houet Province in Burkina Faso
* Lena, Manitoba, an unincorporated community located in Killarney-Turtle Mountain municipality in Manitoba, Canada
* Lena, Norway, a village in ...
with peculiar
rock formations
A rock formation is an isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrop. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock. The term ''rock formation'' can also refer to specific sediment ...
in
Kirensky District
Kirensky District (russian: Ки́ренский райо́н) is an administrative district, one of the thirty-three in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia.Charter of Irkutsk Oblast, Article 13 Municipally, it is incorporated as Kirensky Municipal Di ...
,
Irkutsk Oblast
Irkutsk Oblast (russian: Ирку́тская о́бласть, Irkutskaya oblast; bua, Эрхүү можо, Erkhüü mojo) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of the Angara, Lena, and Nizh ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
.
This feature of the Lena basin is a tourist attraction regularly visited by river cruiser ''Mikhail Svetlov'' from
Yakutsk
Yakutsk (russian: Якутск, p=jɪˈkutsk; sah, Дьокуускай, translit=Djokuuskay, ) is the capital city of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located about south of the Arctic Circle. Fueled by the mining industry, Yakutsk has become one of ...
.
Description
The Lena Cheeks area is a roughly canyon bound by cliffs where there are three characteristic rock formations known as "Cheeks". They are located between the mouths of the
Ichera
The Ichera (russian: Ичера or Ичёра) is a river in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. It is a tributary of the Lena with a length of and a drainage basin area of .
The river flows across an uninhabited area of the Kirensky District. Ichera vil ...
and the
Chuya
The Chuya (russian: Чуя; alt, Чуй, ''Çuy'') is a river in the Altai Republic in Russia, a right tributary of the Katun ( Ob's basin). The Chuya is long, and its drainage basin covers . The river freezes in October or early November and ...
, upstream from the mouth of the
Vitim
Vitim (russian: Витим) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia.
Modern localities
*Vitim, Sakha Republic, an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) in Lensky District of the Sakha Republic
* Vitim, Republic of Buryatia, a ...
and downstream from the abandoned village of Chastykh. The cliffs rise above a bend in the Lena, reaching a height of above the waters of the river. The total width of the Lena before reaching the area is about , narrowing to about within the canyon.
The rocks are called First, Second and Third cheek, the latter being the furthest downstream. The First and Third cheeks rise above the right bank, and the Second above the left bank.
Quotes
The Cheeks of the Lena were described by 19th century travelers:
See also
*
Lena Pillars
Lena Pillars ( rus, Ле́нские столбы́, Lenskiye Stolby; sah, Өлүөнэ туруук хайалара, ''Ölüöne Turūk Khayalara'') is the name given to a natural rock formation along the banks of the Lena River in far eastern ...
*
List of rock formations
A rock formation is an isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrop. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock. The term ''rock formation'' can also refer to specific sedimen ...
References
External links
*
Lena River. Osetrovo – Lena Cheeks{{Portal bar, Russia
Lena River
Rock formations of Russia
Tourist attractions in Irkutsk Oblast
Canyons and gorges of Russia