The Lena Plateau, also known as Prilensky Plateau (; ), is one of the great

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

s of

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

. Administratively it is mostly within the

Sakha Republic Sakha, officially the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia, and the largest federal subject of Russia by area. It is located in the Russian Far East, along the Arctic Ocean, with a population of one million ...

(Yakutia), with a small sector in the

Irkutsk Oblast Irkutsk Oblast (; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of the Angara River, Angara, Lena River, Lena, and Nizhnyaya Tunguska Rivers. The administrative center is ...

Far Eastern Federal District The Far Eastern Federal District ( rus, Дальневосточный федеральный округ, p=dəlʲnʲɪvɐˈstot͡ɕnɨj fʲɪdʲɪˈralʲnɨj ˈokrʊk) is the largest and the least populated federal districts of Russia, federa ...

, Russia. The plateau is named after the

Lena River The Lena is a river in the Russian Far East and is the easternmost river of the three great rivers of Siberia which flow into the Arctic Ocean, the others being Ob (river), Ob and Yenisey. The Lena River is long and has a capacious drainage basi ...

, which flows across it.

Google Earth Google Earth is a web mapping, web and computer program created by Google that renders a 3D computer graphics, 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposition, superimposing satelli ...

Protected areas

There are spectacularly eroded

rock formation A rock formation is an isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock (geology), rock outcrop. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock. The term ''rock Geological formation, formation ...

s composed of

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate Hydrate, dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, drywall and blackboard or sidewalk ...

-bearing and saline

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

, dolomite and, in some places

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

, in different spots of the plateau. The

Lena Pillars The Lena Pillars (; , ''Ölüöne Turūk Khayalara'') are a natural rock formation along the banks of the Lena River in far eastern Siberia. The pillars are high, and were formed in some of the Cambrian period sea-basins. The highest density of pi ...

, lining the banks of river Lena in the region, are the most well-known of these features. They were declared a

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

in 2012. Other

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

s in the plateau are the Sinyyaya Pillars by river Sinyaya, and the Turuuk Khaya Rocks by the

Lyutenge River The Lyutenge (; , ''Lüüteŋke'', obsolete "Люютэнкэ") is a river in the Sakha Republic, Russia. It is a right tributary of the Lena and has a length of . There are unusual rock formations by the river, the Turuuk Khaya Rocks, a prote ...

.Visit Yakutia
/ref> The

Olyokma Nature Reserve Olyokma Nature Reserve () (also Olekminsky) is a Russian 'zapovednik' (strict nature reserve) located south of the middle reaches of the Lena River on the right bank of its second largest tributary - the Olyokma River at the junction of the Aldan ...

is located on the eastern side, partly within neighboring

Aldan Highlands The Aldan Highlands, or Aldan Plateau (; ) are a mountainous area in the Sakha Republic, Far Eastern Federal District, Russia. Aldan town and Tommot are located in the northern area of the highlands and Chulman in the south.Google Earth The ...

Geography

The Lena Plateau is located in the southern Sakha Republic, between the

Lower Tunguska River The Nizhnyaya Tunguska ( rus, Ни́жняя Тунгу́ска, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪjə tʊnˈɡuskə, meaning "Lower Tunguska") is a river in Siberia, Russia, that flows through the Irkutsk Oblast and the Krasnoyarsk Krai. The river is a right tributa ...

in the west and the

Amga River The Amga (; , ''Amma'') is a river in Sakha (Yakutia), Russia. The length of the river is . The area of its basin is . The Amga freezes up in the first half of October and stays under the ice until May. Many different kinds of fish can be found ...

in the east. It extends roughly to the north along the left bank of the Lena River for more than with an average width of . The

Central Siberian Plateau The Central Siberian Plateau (; ) is a vast mountainous area in Siberia, one of the Great Russian Regions. Geography The plateau occupies a great part of central Siberia between the Yenisei and Lena rivers. It is located in the Siberian Plat ...

, is located to the northwest and the

Central Yakutian Lowland The Central Yakutian LowlandJohn Kimble (ed.), ''Cryosols: Permafrost-Affected Soils'' or the Central Yakutian Lowlands (; ), also known as the Central Yakut Plain or the Vilyuy Lowland, is a low alluvial plain in Siberia, Russia. Administrati ...

to the north. To the south, beyond the

Aldan Aldan may refer to: People *Gille Aldan, the first bishop of Galloway, Scotland *Andrey Aldan-Semenov (1908–1985), Russian writer *Duke Aldan, a fictional character in ''Langrisser IV'' video game Places *Aldan, Russia, a town in the Sakha Repub ...

, rise the

Olyokma-Chara Plateau The Olyokma-Chara Plateau (; ) is a mountainous area in the Sakha Republic and Irkutsk Oblast, Far Eastern Federal District, Russia.Google Earth A small section is in Kalarsky District, northernmost Zabaykalsky Krai. Charoite, a rare mineral, ...

and the

. The average height of the Lena Plateau surface is between and . Elevations become slightly higher towards the south of the plateau, reaching a maximum height of at an unnamed summit. The plateau is located in a

permafrost Permafrost () is soil or underwater sediment which continuously remains below for two years or more; the oldest permafrost has been continuously frozen for around 700,000 years. Whilst the shallowest permafrost has a vertical extent of below ...

zone where the soil freezes down to hundreds of meters. The Lena Plateau occupies a very large area, including parts of the districts of Mirny, Suntar, Verkhnevilyuy, Gorny, Khangalassky, Megino-Kangalassky, Lensky, Olyokmin, Amgin and

in the Sakha Republic, as well as parts of Katanga and Bodaybin districts in the

Hydrography

The Namana, Keyikte, Buotama, Menda, Suola, Kenkeme, Bappagay,

Tonguo The Tonguo (; ) is a river in Yakutia (Sakha Republic), Russia. It is a right hand tributary of the Vilyuy, with a length of and a drainage basin area of . The river flows across uninhabited territory of Verkhnevilyuysky District. Its confluence ...

, Botomoyu,

Kempendyay Kempendyay (; , ''Kempendeeyi'') is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, rural locality (a ''village#Russia, selo''), the administrative centre of and one of two settlements, in addition to Chayygda, in Kempendyaysky Rural Okrug of Suntarsky ...

, Tatta,

Tamma The Tamma (; ) is a river in Yakutia (Sakha Republic), Russia. It is a tributary of the Lena with a length of and a drainage basin area of . The Tamma is the largest river of Megino-Kangalassky District. The villages of Darkylakh and Khapt ...

Peleduy Peleduy (; ) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) in Lensky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 5,243. Geography Peleduy is located on the northern side of the edge of the Patom Hig ...

, Nyuya, Pilyuda, Ichera,

Chona The Chona (; , ''Çuona'') is a river in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) and Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. It is a right hand tributary of the Vilyuy, and is long, with a drainage basin of . The Russian Geographical Society organized an expedition in 18 ...

, Sinyaya,

Chyna Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1969 – April 17, 2016), also known as Joanie Laurer, was an American professional wrestler, fitness model, bodybuilder, actress, adult actress, and television personality. Chyna first rose to pr ...

, Markha, Namyldzhylakh,

Lungkha The Lungkha (; , ''Luŋxa'') is a river in Yakutia (Sakha Republic), Russia. It is the 14th longest tributary of the Lena with a length of — counting its Yychaky tributary. Its drainage basin area is . A331 highway passes close to the river ...

Khatyng-Yuryakh The Khatyng-Yuryakh (; ) is a river in Yakutia (Sakha Republic), Russia. It is the longest tributary of the Lungkha, of the Lena basin. Its length is and its drainage basin area . Course The Khatyng-Yuryakh is a left tributary of the Lungkha ...

, Tyugyuene,

Ulakhan-Botuobuya The Ulakhan-Botuobuya ( or Большая Ботуобуя; "Big Botuobuya"; , ''Ulaxan Botuobuya'') is a river in Yakutia (Sakha Republic), Russia. It is a right hand tributary of the Vilyuy, with a length of and a drainage basin area of . The r ...

, Malaya Botuobuya, Matta, Biryuk, Cherendey, Ura, Sitte and Lyutenge are some of the watercourses having their source in the plateau.

Flora and climate

There are

taiga Taiga or tayga ( ; , ), also known as boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. The taiga, or boreal forest, is the world's largest land biome. In North A ...

forests made up mostly of pine and

larch Larches are deciduous conifers in the genus ''Larix'', of the family Pinaceae (subfamily Laricoideae). Growing from tall, they are native to the cooler regions of the northern hemisphere, where they are found in lowland forests in the high la ...

in the higher areas.

Wetlands A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

and meadows are common in the river valleys cutting across the plateau.Приленское плато,

Great Soviet Encyclopedia The ''Great Soviet Encyclopedia'' (GSE; , ''BSE'') is one of the largest Russian-language encyclopedias, published in the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1990. After 2002, the encyclopedia's data was partially included into the later ''Great Russian Enc ...

The plateau is characterized by a harsh

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

, with long cold winters and sparse amounts of snow. In winter the temperature may drop to , and sometimes even down to . Summers are moderately warm with temperatures reaching to . Precipitation is between and per year. Most of the yearly precipitation falls in the summer in the form of rain.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Physiogeography of the Russian Far EastWetlands in Russia - Vol.4