On the Olenek River — 500 Kilometers by Oars, or One Field Season in the Life of Geologists

The article is devoted to a field expedition organized with the aim of re-evaluating the diamond content of the northern fields of the Yakutsk diamond province. The task was to search for kimberlite bodies in four kimberlite fields, discovered and tested by pits or wells in the 1970s. To assess diamond content according to mineralogical criteria, it was necessary to sample kimberlites and wash out the heavy fraction of indicator minerals. These kimberlite fields were located in the Olenek River Basin, and all the fieldwork was carried out by three specialists on two rubber boats without a motor, which made the rafting less fast, although less expensive. The article is organized in the form of a field diary. It reports the movement along the route with a description of all the twists and turns of this difficult but fascinating journey and the characteristics of certain types of the unique nature of Yakutia.

Yakutia, Olenek River, kimberlites, pits, concentrates, coastal outcrops, lenok, taimen