The Olenyok (russian: Оленёк, sometimes spelled ''Оленек'', ''Olenek''; sah, Өлөөн, Ölöön) is a major

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...

in northern

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

, west of the lower

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 ...

and east of the Anabar. It is long, of which around is navigable. Average water discharge is . The Olenyok is known for its abundance in fish. It is frozen for over eight months every year and the climate in its area is harsh because of the direct influence of the Arctic.

History

In 1633 Ivan Rebrov reached the Olenyok from the Lena delta and built a fort. In 1642–44 Rebrov and

Fedot Alekseyev Popov Fedot Alekseyevich Popov (russian: Федот Алексеевич Попов, also Fedot Alekseyev, russian: Федот Алексеев; nickname Kholmogorian, russian: Холмогорец, for his place of birth ( Kholmogory), date of birth un ...

reached the river but were driven out by the natives. Pioneering Russian Arctic explorer Vasili Pronchishchev and his wife Tatiana (Maria) died of

scurvy Scurvy is a deficiency disease, disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, feeling tired and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, anemia, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, ch ...

in the area of the river in September 1736, while mapping the coasts of the Laptev Sea. After their deaths, husband and wife were interred at

Ust-Olenyok Ust-Olenyok (russian: Усть-Оленёк; sah, Уус Өлөөн) is a rural locality (a '' selo''), the only inhabited locality, and the administrative center of Ystannakhsky Rural Okrug of Bulunsky District in the Sakha Republic, Russia, lo ...

, near the mouth of the Olenyok. Their tomb was moved after the bodies were exhumed in 1999. In 1956 the

Olenekian In the geologic timescale, the Olenekian is an age in the Early Triassic epoch; in chronostratigraphy, it is a stage in the Lower Triassic series. It spans the time between Ma and Ma (million years ago). The Olenekian is sometimes divided i ...

Age of the

Triassic The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 Mya. The Triassic is the first and shortest per ...

Period of geological time was named for rock strata in the Olenyok area.

Course

The river's source is in

Krasnoyarsk Krai Krasnoyarsk Krai ( rus, Красноя́рский край, r=Krasnoyarskiy kray, p=krəsnɐˈjarskʲɪj ˈkraj) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai), with its administrative center in the city of Krasnoyarsk, the third-largest city in Si ...

, on the

Vilyuy Plateau The Vilyuy Plateau ( rus, Вилюйское плато) is a mountain plateau in Krasnoyarsk Krai and the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Siberia, Russia. It is a part of the Central Siberian Plateau and it is made up mainly of the upper course sectio ...

, part of the

Central Siberian Plateau The Central Siberian Plateau (russian: Среднесибирское плоскогорье, Srednesibirskoye ploskogorye; sah, Орто Сибиир хаптал хайалаах сирэ) is a vast mountainous area in Siberia, one of the Gre ...

. The river flows east and then north descending into the

North Siberian Lowland The North Siberian Lowland (russian: Северо-Сибирская низменность; sah, Хотугу Сибиир намтала), also known as Taymyr Lowland (Таймырская низменность), is a plain with a relatively ...

. In its lower course it bends northwestwards skirting the western slopes of the Kystyk Plateau and the Chekanovsky Ridge before emptying into the

Olenyok Gulf The Olenyok Gulf, also known as Olenek Bay, (russian: Оленёкский залив) is a broad gulf in the Laptev Sea. It is located WSW of the huge Lena Delta, which forms its eastern limit. There are some islands in the gulf, like Salkay I ...

of the

Laptev Sea The Laptev Sea ( rus, мо́ре Ла́птевых, r=more Laptevykh; sah, Лаптевтар байҕаллара, translit=Laptevtar baỹğallara) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is located between the northern coast of Siberia, t ...

. Its mouth is at

just west of the Lena River delta. Olenyok is a village located on the river bank.

Google Earth Google Earth is a computer program that renders a 3D computer graphics, 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposition, superimposing satellite images, aerial photography, and geog ...

Tributaries

The major tributaries of the Olenyok are the Arga-Sala (with its tributaries Kengeede, Kukusunda and Kyuyonelekeen), Bur, Ukukit, Birekte, Kuoika,

Beyenchime The Beyenchime (russian: Беенчиме sah, Бэйэнчимэ) is a river in Yakutia (Sakha Republic), Russia. It is a tributary of the Olenyok with a length of . Its drainage basin area is . The river flows north of the Arctic Circle acr ...

and

Buolkalakh The Buolkalakh (russian: Буолкалах; sah, Буолкалах) is a river in Yakutia (Sakha Republic), Russia. It is a tributary of the Olenyok with a length of and a drainage basin area of . It is a lowland river with its mouth very ...

on the left, and the Alakit,

Siligir The Siligir (russian: Силигир; sah, Силигир) is a river in Yakutia (Sakha Republic), Russia. It is the largest right tributary of the Olenyok with a length of — long counting the Orto-Siligir stretch of its upper course. Its dr ...

Merchimden The Merchimden (russian: Мерчимден) is a river in Yakutia (Sakha Republic), Russia. It is a tributary of the Olenyok with a length of and a drainage basin area of . The river flows north of the Arctic Circle across a lonely, desolate ...

, Kyuyutingde (Кюютингдэ), Khorbusuonka and

Kelimyar The Kelimyar (russian: Келимяр sah, Кэлимээр, ''Kelimeer'') is a river in Yakutia (Sakha Republic), Russia. It is a tributary of the Olenyok with a length of and a drainage basin area of . The river flows north of the Arctic ...

on the right.

Islands

Dyangylakh or Dzhyangylakh (Ostrov Dyangylakh) is a large flat delta island at the mouth of the Olenek River. There are many smaller islands in its immediate vicinity, such as Eppet Island off its eastern side, but none comes close to its size. Dyangylakh is long and wide.Dyangylakh
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References

External links