Tukulans (; , a term from Evenki origin) are relief forms shaped by
aeolian processes
Aeolian processes, also spelled eolian, pertain to wind activity in the study of geology and weather and specifically to the wind's ability to shape the surface of the Earth (or other planets). Winds may erosion, erode, transport, and deposit ...
of 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 ...
,
Yakutia
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 ...
,
Russian Federation
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
. They are
sand
Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...
dune
A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...
s of a characteristic type mainly found along the valley of 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 ...
, in the area of the lower
Vilyuy
The Vilyuy ( rus, Вилю́й, p=vʲɪˈlʲʉj; , ''Bülüü'', ) is a river in Russia, the longest tributary of the Lena (river), Lena. About long, it flows mostly within the Sakha Republic. Its basin covers about .
History
The river is first ...
river.Tukulan - The Yakut Desert /ref>
Tukulans come in the form of isolated dunes, but also as large sand-covered areas in certain spots of the plain, often among the trees of the
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 ...
.Якутские тукуланы /ref> The largest of the dunes lies at near the
Linde River
The Linde (; , ''Liinde'') is a river in Sakha Republic, Russia. It is a left tributary of the Lena.Article in
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 ...
History
Tukulans were first described in 1927 by pioneering researcher Sergei Kuznetsov during an expedition surveying Yakutia sent by the government of the
USSR
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. Kuzntesov published a paper calling attention on them. A few years later academicians Andrei Grigoryev of the
Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union
The Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union was the highest scientific institution of the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1991. It united the country's leading scientists and was subordinated directly to the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (un ...
Moscow State University
Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...
continued the study of these landforms, but they were faced with the problem that they lie in a remote area of difficult access. Finally in the 1940s
aerial photography
Aerial photography (or airborne imagery) is the taking of photographs from an aircraft or other flight, airborne platforms. When taking motion pictures, it is also known as aerial videography.
Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wi ...
surveys were carried out and all tukulan areas were identified and included in the cartography of the region.Тукуланы - «пустыни Якутии» /ref>
See also
*
Aeolian landform
Aeolian landforms, or Eolian landforms, are produced by either the erosion, erosive or deposition (geology), depositive aeolian processes, action of wind. These features may be built up from sand or snow, or eroded into rock, snow, or ice.
Aeolian ...