Aldan (river)

Aldan River
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Stanovoy Mountains
Mouth
• location	Lena River
Length	2,273 km (1,412 mi)
Basin size	729,000 km2 (281,000 sq mi)
Discharge
• average	5,060 m3/s (179,000 cu ft/s) (near mouth)

The Aldan River (Template:Lang-ru) is the second-longest tributary of the Lena River in the Sakha Republic in eastern Siberia. The river is 2,273 kilometres (1,412 mi) long, of which around 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) is navigable. It was part of the River Route to Okhotsk. In 1639 Ivan Moskvitin ascended the Aldan and Maya Rivers and crossed to the Ulya River to reach the Sea of Okhotsk.

It rises in the Stanovoy Mountains southwest of Neryungri, then northeast past Aldan and through Tommot, Ust-Maya, Eldikan and Khandyga before turning northwest and joining the Lena near Batamay.

The river's main tributaries are the Amga River, Uchur River and Maya River. Its basin is known for gold and for Cambrian fossils.

References

• Zvegintzov, Nicholas; Yates, Anthol (2001). Siberian BAM Guide: Rail, River & Road. Rail Guides Series. Trialblazer Publications. ISBN 9781873756188.