In remote tundra areas they aren't likely to be powerlines - powerlines for whom?
The are most likely seismic survey lines where seismic teams run a bulldozer in a laser sightline to form a "road" for the seismic survey trucks and support vehicles (fuel, stores, equipment, accoustic teams, messing & accommodation - quite a convoy) who fire dynamite shots in shallow boreholes and record the echoes miles back down the line for oil or mineral exploration. In desert and tundra where growth is slow they show up for decades.
These lines tend to reach from horizon to horizon and are as only wide as a single-lane road. Powerline easements are several times as wide, plus you can see the pylons.
6° 52.718' N 45° 12.276' E
Sorry, can't seem to attach an image. These are seismic lines in the Ogaden, Ethiopia. Maybe someone else can post the pic?
Last edited by Agaricus bisporus; 22nd Mar 2014 at 14:44.