Lena's Stone Forest in Russia
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| Lena's Stone Forest in Russia |
Lena's Pillars, also called Lena’s Stone Forest, is a natural rock formation about 60 km upriver from Yakutsk, in Russia. The amazing stone structures towers over 150 meters in height and extends along the river for about 80km.
The pillars’ rocks formed in Cambrian sea basins some 500 million years ago and are made up of alternating layers of limestone, marlstone, dolomite, and slate. The region’s extreme climate and the humidity from the river create extreme temperature swings, from +40 °C in the summer to -60 °C in winter. This causes a cryogenic process, consisting of a freeze-thaw action that shatters the rock, widening the gullies between them. These isolated, towering pillars can reach over 100 meters in height.
The pillars’ rocks formed in Cambrian sea basins some 500 million years ago and are made up of alternating layers of limestone, marlstone, dolomite, and slate. The region’s extreme climate and the humidity from the river create extreme temperature swings, from +40 °C in the summer to -60 °C in winter. This causes a cryogenic process, consisting of a freeze-thaw action that shatters the rock, widening the gullies between them. These isolated, towering pillars can reach over 100 meters in height.
Lena’s Pillars have fascinated travellers since the 17th century. But getting there is not an easy task. Your trip will start in Moscow city from where you will have to take a four day journey to the Siberian area of Yakutsk. First, you have to take a flight to Yakutsk, so long that if you flew opposite direction you could easily come to New York.
Lena Pillars contains outstanding evidences of the Earth and its living population development history. Numerous fossils of ancient organisms found here are unique preserved evidences of a very important stage in the history of the organic world and a biodiversity "boom", that occurred in lower Cambrian epoch. Also in Lena Pillars area the fossils of mammoth fauna representatives were found: mammoth (Mammulhus primigenius Blum), bison (Bison priscus Boj), fleecy rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiguibatis Blum), Lena horse (Eggus lenensis Russ), Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L)
Although Lena Pillars Nature Park is famous for its rocky formations, it is also home to numerous unique fossils of primitive fauna, such as mammoth, bison, reindeer, and wooly rhinoceros. Ancient organisms like mollusks, shells, sponges, and trilobites, dating back to the Cambrian Explosion were also found beautifully preserved.
This unique ecological and tourism location was submitted as a World Heritage site in 2006.
This unique ecological and tourism location was submitted as a World Heritage site in 2006.
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