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

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...

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 o ...

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-eigh ...

, 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 Anabar may refer to: * Anabar Bay, Laptev Sea * Anabar Constituency, Nauru * Anabar District, Nauru * Anabar District, Russia, Sakha, Russia * Anabar Highway, Russia * Anabar Plateau, Russia * Anabar (river), Sakha, Russia * Anabar Shield Anaba ...

. 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 Vasili Vasilyevich Pronchishchev (russian: Василий Васильевич Прончищев) (1702–) was a Russian explorer. In 1718, Vasili Pronchishchev graduated from Moscow School of Mathematics and Navigation and was promoted to nav ...

and his wife

Tatiana Tatiana (or Tatianna, also romanized as Tatyana, Tatjana, Tatijana, etc.) is a female name of Sabine-Roman origin that became widespread in Eastern Europe. Variations * be, Тацця́на, Tatsiana * bg, Татяна, Tatyana * germa ...

(Maria) died of

scurvy Scurvy is a 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, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding ...

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, ...

, 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 divid ...

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 period ...

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 ...

, 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 secti ...

, 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 Grea ...

. 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 The Chekanovsky Ridge (russian: Кряж Чекановского; sah, Чекановскай томтороот) is a range of mountains in the Bulunsky District, Yakutia, Russian Federation. The area of the range is uninhabited. The range wa ...

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 ...

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, th ...

. Its mouth is at

just west of the Lena River delta.

Olenyok Olenyok or Olenek may refer to: * Olenyok (river), a river in Russia * Olenyok (rural locality), a rural locality (a ''selo'') in the Sakha Republic, Russia *Olenyok Airport, an airport in the same rural locality *Olenyok Gulf The Olenyok Gulf, a ...

is a village located on the river bank. Google Earth

Tributaries

The major tributaries of the Olenyok are the

Arga-Sala The Arga-Sala (russian: Арга-Сала; sah, Арҕаа Салаа) is a river in Yakutia (Sakha Republic) and Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is the largest tributary of the Olenyok with a length of . Its drainage basin area is . The river basi ...

(with its tributaries

Kengeede The Kengeede (russian: Кэнгээдэ; sah, Күҥгэдэ), also spelled as ''Kengede'', ''Kengyade'' or ''Kende'', is a river in Yakutia (Sakha Republic) and Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is the second longest tributary of the Arga-Sala, of t ...

Kukusunda The Kukusunda (russian: Кукусунда; sah, Кукуһунда) is a river in Yakutia (Sakha Republic) and Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is the longest tributary of the Arga-Sala, of the Olenyok basin, and has a length of and a drainage bas ...

and

Kyuyonelekeen The Kyuyonelekeen (russian: Кюёнэлэкээн; sah, Күөнэлэкээн), also spelled as ''Kyuyonelekyan'' and ''Kyuenelekyan'', is a river in Yakutia (Sakha Republic) and Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is the third longest tributary of ...

Bur A bur (also spelled burr) is a seed or dry fruit or infructescence that has hooks or teeth. The main function of the bur is to spread the seeds of the bur plant, often through epizoochory. The hooks of the bur are used to catch on to for exa ...

Ukukit The Ukukit (russian: Укукит) 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 across a lonely, desolate area of th ...

Birekte The Birekte (russian: Биректе; sah, Билэктэ) 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, across a l ...

Kuoika The Kuoyka or Kuoika (russian: Куойка; sah, Куойка) is a river in Yakutia (Sakha Republic), Russian Federation. It is a tributary of the Olenyok with a length of and a drainage basin area of . The Kuoyka flows north of the Arctic ...

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 acro ...

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 ver ...

on the left, and the

Alakit The Alakit (russian: Алакит) 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 across a lonely, desolate area of Mirninsky and Olenyoksky dis ...

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 dra ...

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 The Kyuyutingde (russian: Кюютингдэ) is a river in Yakutia (Sakha Republic), Russia. It is a tributary of the Olenyok with a length of — including the Debengde at its head— and a drainage basin area of . It flows north of the Arcti ...

(Кюютингдэ),

Khorbusuonka The Khorbusuonka (russian: Хорбусуонка) 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, de ...

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
/ref>

References

External links