Lena Pillars, Natural monument near Lena River, Sakha Republic, Russia
Lena Pillars are upright rock formations along the Lena River in Khangalassky District of Sakha Republic, stretching for several kilometers and rising up to 220 m (722 ft) above the riverbank. The limestone walls display layers of different colors and contain caves and hollows carved by wind and water.
The formations developed during the Cambrian period roughly 540 to 485 million years ago, when limestone deposited in a shallow sea. Later uplift and erosion exposed the layers and carved the vertical walls visible today.
The rock towers carry a name meaning pillars in the local language, reflecting how travelers and boatmen first saw them rising from the river. Their silhouette against the sky has inspired oral traditions passed down through generations of people living along this waterway.
Most visitors reach the site between June and September, when river boats depart from Yakutsk and stop along the pillars. Trails lead to viewpoints on the cliffs, offering views over the formations and the river.
Fossils of marine organisms from the early Cambrian are embedded in the layers, documenting the development of life more than 500 million years ago. Some crevices show remains of trilobites and other early sea dwellers.
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