Anabar River
Encyclopedia
The Anabar River is a river
in Sakha, Russia
, located just west of the Lena River
. Its catchment extends into the Putoran Mountains
that form the highest part of the Central Siberian Plateau
.
Its mean annual discharge is approximately 500 cubic metres per second, concentrated heavily in early summer when the ice that covers the river for most of the year thaws. The Gulf of Anabar is believed to be the easternmost fjord
in Russia - defining the point at which the climate during the Last Glacial Maximum
became too dry for glaciers to form - one notices a quite clear transition from fjords to deltas at river mouths when the Lena River
delta
is reached shortly to the east.
The basin of the Anabar river is notable as the location of the largest concentration of diamond
deposits in the world outside of Africa
and Australia
. These deposits made the Soviet Union
into one of the world's largest producers of diamonds, and remain the economic mainstay of the area.
have inhabited the basin of the Anabar River. Vasiliy Sychev was the first Russia
n to reach the river in 1643.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in Sakha, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, located just west of the Lena River
Lena River
The Lena is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean . It is the 11th longest river in the world and has the 9th largest watershed...
. Its catchment extends into the Putoran Mountains
Putoran Mountains
The Putorana Plateau or the Putorana Mountains is a high-lying basalt plateau, a mountainous area at the northwestern edge of the Central Siberian Plateau, to the south from Taymyr Peninsula. The highest mountain in the range is Mount Kamen which stands above sea level.The plateau is composed of...
that form the highest part of the Central Siberian Plateau
Central Siberian Plateau
The Central Siberian Plateau is made up of sharply demarcated surfaces of varying altitudes occupying most of Siberia between the Yenisei and Lena rivers. It extends over an area of 3.5 million km². The highest point is the Putoran Mountains rising to 1701 m. To the north of the plateau are...
.
Its mean annual discharge is approximately 500 cubic metres per second, concentrated heavily in early summer when the ice that covers the river for most of the year thaws. The Gulf of Anabar is believed to be the easternmost fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
in Russia - defining the point at which the climate during the Last Glacial Maximum
Last Glacial Maximum
The Last Glacial Maximum refers to a period in the Earth's climate history when ice sheets were at their maximum extension, between 26,500 and 19,000–20,000 years ago, marking the peak of the last glacial period. During this time, vast ice sheets covered much of North America, northern Europe and...
became too dry for glaciers to form - one notices a quite clear transition from fjords to deltas at river mouths when the Lena River
Lena River
The Lena is the easternmost of the three great Siberian rivers that flow into the Arctic Ocean . It is the 11th longest river in the world and has the 9th largest watershed...
delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
is reached shortly to the east.
The basin of the Anabar river is notable as the location of the largest concentration of diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
deposits in the world outside of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. These deposits made the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
into one of the world's largest producers of diamonds, and remain the economic mainstay of the area.
History
Historically EvenksEvenks
The Evenks are a Tungusic people of Northern Asia. In Russia, the Evenks are recognized as one of the Indigenous peoples of the Russian North, with a population of 35,527...
have inhabited the basin of the Anabar River. Vasiliy Sychev was the first Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n to reach the river in 1643.