The Pillars Of TimeIf you travel 60 km up the Lena river from Yakutsk, Russia, you’ll encounte
The Pillars Of TimeIf you travel 60 km up the Lena river from Yakutsk, Russia, you’ll encounter a most spectacular sight: The Lena Pillars. These natural rock formations create a discontinuous belt that hugs the river’s edge for 80 km.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.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.For centuries, these majestic pillars have inspired shepherds, explorers, and poets, who incorporated them into stories and legends as giants, towers and mythological creatures. In 2012, they became a new UNESCO World Heritage site.~ SWMore info:http://worldheritage.routes.travel/world-heritage-site/lena-pillars-nature-park/http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/nominations/1299.pdfhttp://www.amusingplanet.com/2011/09/lenas-stone-forest.htmlPhoto credit: Sergey Dolya -- source link
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