Chona
The Chona (Russian: Чона; Yakut: Чуона) is a river in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) and Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. It is a right hand tributary of the Vilyuy, and is 802 kilometres (498 mi) long, with a drainage basin of 40,600 square kilometres (15,700 sq mi).[1]
| Chona | |
|---|---|
  Mouth location in the Sakha Republic, Russia | |
| Native name | Чуона |
| Location | |
| Country | Sakha & Irkutsk Oblast |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Vilyuy Plateau |
| • coordinates | 59°26′10″N 108°49′44″E |
| • elevation | 468 m (1,535 ft) |
| Mouth | Vilyuy |
• location | Vilyuy Reservoir |
• coordinates | 62°04′31″N 110°41′27″E |
• elevation | 246 m (807 ft) |
| Length | 802 km (498 mi) |
| Basin size | 40,600 km2 (15,700 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 125 m3/s (4,400 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Vilyuy→ Lena→ Laptev Sea |
The Russian Geographical Society organized an expedition in 1853–55 to survey the orography, geology and population of the Vilyuy and Chona basins.[2]
Course
The river begins in the Vilyuy Plateau, part of the Central Siberian Plateau, at an elevation of 317 metres (1,040 ft). It flows roughly northeastwards forming rapids which make the river not navigable. The lowest 170 km (110 mi) of its course were flooded by the Vilyuy Reservoir after the Vilyuy Dam was built in 1967. The river freezes between October and late May.[3]
The main tributaries of the Chona are the Vakunayka on the right and the Dekimde on the left. There are no permanent settlements by the Chona.[4]
 The T-shaped Chona-Vilyuy River system with the Chona in the lower left. |
See also
References
- Russian State Water Register - Chona
- Great Soviet Encyclopedia Richard Maack. Materials provided by the project Rubrikon.
- Chona — Great Soviet Encyclopedia in 30 vols. / Ch. ed. A.M. Prokhorov - 3rd ed. - M, 1969-1978.
- Russia. Topographic map P-50-XIX, XX . Scale: 1: 200 000