The Shandrin mammoth was discovered in 1974 at the feet of a steep slope in the eastern side of the Kondakov Plateau by geologist B. S. Rusanov of the Yakutsk Institute of Geology.[1]
Geography
The Kondakov Plateau is located in eastern Yakutia, rising above the right banks of the lower course of the Indigirka and gradually decreasing in elevation to the east.[2] Slopes are generally smooth and gentle and the average height of the plateau surface is between 150 meters (490 ft) and 300 meters (980 ft).[3] There are slightly higher ridges cutting across the plateau area, the Bonga-Taga ridge in the north and the Mokholukan in the south. The highest point is 498 metres (1,634 ft) high Punga Khaya located in the western part.[4][5]
The Kondakov Plateau is crossed by rivers Shandrin to the east and the Sundrun with some of its upper course tributaries, as well as by the Bolshaya Ercha, a tributary of the Indigirka.[6] The Malaya Ercha —the largest tributary of the Bolshaya Ercha, the Keremesit, as well as the Okhotnya and Barn-Yuryakh —tributaries of the Sakhartymay, have their sources in the plateau.[7]
The Kondakov Plateau north of the Ulakhan-Sis Range.
Flora and fauna
Permafrost prevails in the area of the Kondakov Plateau. The surface of the uplands is markedly dissected by river valleys in which there are forests of larch and forest tundra, especially in the southern part. Its higher elevations are covered with mountain tundra vegetation.[4]
The plateau has a harsh subarctic climate. The average temperature is −12 °C (10 °F). The coldest temperatures, down to −30 °C (−22 °F), have been recorded in February. In summer the average July temperature in the valleys does not exceed 14 °C (57 °F).[9]
Geology
Geologically the plateau is composed of sandstones, siltstones and schists of the Upper Jurassic. Andesites and basalts are present in some exposed crust parts of the plateau, where the local type of agate with a parallel-layered pattern can also be found.[4][5]
