View on Yakutsk Mammoth Museum.

A woolly rhino discovered in the Kolyma River area in Republic Sakha-Yakutia, Siberia, Russia. Currently, kept in Yakutsk Mammoth Museum fridge.

Mammoth and other Ice Age beasts bones on shelves in the storage of Yakutsk Mammoth Museum [in the above photo]

I love visiting Yakutsk Mammoth Museum located in the mordern building of North-Eastern Federal University (formerly known as Yakutsk State University).

It occupies pretty small premises, but full of bones and samples right from the Ice Age. Most of all, I like to be in the lab of the mammoth museum. The entrance to that rooms is very restricted, but I was lucky to get inside.

Take a look at photos of the museum and the remains of the ancient Ice Age beasts discovered in the Arctic permafrost in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russia’s Siberia. If you are a big fan of paleontology, you would like them for sure.

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*Images are clickable.

You might wonder how we live in winter in Yakutsk, the capital of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, Russia’s Siberia. Take a look at street photographs taken today in my neighborhood around 2 pm.

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As you already noted, I am a big fan of Ajar Varlamov‘s photographs. This post with his images is already the 30th.

The previous photo post with Ajar’s pictures was dedicated to the season shift from summer to autumn in Yakutsk, Russia. If you didn’t see it, you need to check it and come back to this post to continue following cold weather progress in the city considered to be the coldest on Earth.

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Ajar Varlamov (his posts), whose many photographs you’ve seen previously, has two big passions. Initially, it was to carry his Nikon camera all the time and everywhere. A few years ago, his second passion became Marisha, Yakutian laika (dog breed originated in Yakutia’s Kolyma area).

Guess his major habit… Any ideas?.. Right, as you might have noted, that’s his daily dog walk on the field called Zelenyj Lug (Green Meadow). So, if you are his friend, you can see his daily local nature pictures.

Hereby, please, enjoy how fast climate changes in our area. September is the remarkable month, as it is only period, when we see autumn. In the early September it is warm, the middle already chilly, the end comes out with snow.

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Lena Pillars on the Lena River in Republic Sakha-Yakutia, Russia. Photo by Ajar Varlamov.

Great news arrived yesterday from UNESCO HQ in Paris. Yakutia’s Lena Pillars Nature Park was officially announced on Monday morning by The World Heritage Committee to be added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. It was the last site to be inscribed during this year’s session.

What is Lena Pillars Nature Park?

Lena Pillars Nature Park is marked by spectacular rock pillars that reach a height of approximately 100 metres along the banks of the Lena River in the central part of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). They were produced by the region’s extreme continental climate with an annual temperature range of almost 100 degrees Centigrade (from -60°C in winter to +40°C in summer). The pillars form rocky buttresses isolated from each other by deep and steep gullies developed by frost shattering directed along intervening joints. Penetration of water from the surface has facilitated cryogenic processes (freeze-thaw action), which have widened gullies between pillars leading to their isolation. Fluvial processes are also critical to the pillars. The site also contains a wealth of Cambrian fossil remains of numerous species, some of them unique.

Via UNESCO

Lena Pillars Photograps You Might Have Missed

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The spring is the most expected season during the winter in Yakutia. When it comes, it brings a great joy, as it gets warmer, snow melts, ice starts floating on rivers. A spectacular nature event, but…

The spring brings disasters as well. They happen to be devastating and hundreds of private houses and households go under water. This weekend the disaster came to the town of Srednekolymsk (population: 3500 people) situated on the west bank of the Kolyma River in North-East Yakutia, Siberia / Russia.

The ice jam occured on the river (see the photo further) and the level of water raised dramatically and the most part of the town went under water. At least, 1000 inhabitants were evacuated by the Russian Emergency Ministry yesterday, May 21st, 2012.

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Ajar Varlamov’s photo.

In Russia’s Yakutia, May is the time when we say, «Finally, the spring arrived and snow is almost gone.» It is the time to enjoy snowdrops. Like icebreak on rivers, these magic flowers are a symbol of the spring.

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Icebreak on the Lena River. Ice is floating fast on May 16th, 2012.

Location: Pokrovsk town, Central Yakutia, Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Siberia / Russia.

This is the biggest nature event in May. The end of the cold season, the start of the warm days!

See how ice is floating on the Lene River via the live webcam.

The above video was shared by ykt user REPKA.

Yuri Sleptsov, a Siberian artist based in Yakutsk, Russia

Hereby I present Yuri Sleptsov‘s art works. His drawings are done on a plastic board with the use of a scalpel. Such a technique is called scratchboard or scraperboard (grattazh, in Russian). Learn more about it on Wiki.

Yuri prefers to use the plastic, as it provides the sharp contrast between white lines and the black inked background. This technique is used very rarely. The drawing might be created in the course of several weeks, months or even year. A hard work. One little mistake might spoil the whole art piece.

Yuri Sleptsov started drawing in the scraperboard style in 1991. Since that, he participated in many various exhibits and was awarded for originality and fine technique.

He didn’t graduate any arts schools. Yuri used to be an economist, retailor, auditor. Currently, he is devoted to ethnographic researches. Does a lot to keep Eveni children’s summer nomad camp in Momsky region, North-East Yakutia.

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In February, as you might already know, I experienced just a magic reindeer sledding expedition across valleys and rivers of Oymyakon, East Yakutia, Russia’s Siberia. With the Even nomad family of the Cherkashins. Well, it was a sort of expedition to me, but not to reindeer herders. They considered two-day travel as a regular neighbourhood visit.

No more words from me. Enjoy 70+ photographs.

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