Dazzling white chalk mountains simply cannot fail to attract the attention of tourists. As a rule, the places of outcrops of these snow-white rocks around the world are declared reserves or natural monuments. Where can you see the chalk mountains in Russia? Why are they interesting?
Chalk mountains: photo and description of a natural miracle
Chalk is a sedimentary type of rock, soft, white and crumbly. It is insoluble in water and is of organic origin. In fact, this is a product formed from the smallest animals - the inhabitants of the deep sea. Each of us is familiar with chalk since school days.
The process of active accumulation of this substance in the earth's crust began approximately 145-150 million years ago. And it lasted almost 90 million years. In geochronology, this time period is usually called the Cretaceous period.
The chalk mountains are unique geological formations found in different parts of Europe. They formed in those places where Tethys splashed millions of years ago - a warm and shallow ocean. Cretaceous outcrops often contain quartzite impurities, which is why theyshine beautifully in the sun. Due to their loose structure, chalk rocks and cliffs often attracted the attention of monks and all kinds of hermits. Here they built their cloisters and entire monastic complexes.
Chalky mountains: examples in Europe and Russia
Millions of years ago, vast expanses of Europe were under water. During this time, fragments of turtles, fragments of plants and fish skeletons accumulated at the bottom. All this was gradually compressed and turned into a new breed - chalk. In some places, the thickness of such deposits reaches 50 meters.
Over time, the ocean began to recede, and the seabed turned into dry land, exposing massive chalk deposits. This is how chalk mountains were formed in some places - silent witnesses of the geological history of the Earth. They are scattered in different parts of Europe: in England, France, Denmark, Russia and Ukraine.
One of the most striking examples of chalk mountains in Europe is the so-called White Cliffs of Dover. This is a grandiose 100-meter cliff located on the British coast (Kent). Sea waves gradually undermine it, forming massive screes at the foot of the cliff. The Needles Islands in the English Channel are another example of chalk formations. These are two picturesque cliffs located off the coast of the Isle of Wight.
Unique snow-white chalk formations are also found in Russia (in the Voronezh, Rostov, Belgorod, Orenburg regions). Thus, the largest belt of chalk mountains runs along the Don River and its tributary, the Seversky Donets. It originates within the Volgograd region of Russia andends on the territory of the Ukrainian Donbass.
Divnogorie - marvelous mountains on the banks of the Don
Where the small river Silent Pine flows into the Don, there is a museum-reserve "Divnogorie". Here, rocks and chalk pillars are scattered over an area of 10 square kilometers. This is one of the most popular natural attractions of the Voronezh region, which is visited annually by at least 50 thousand tourists.
The chalk mountains in the Voronezh region were nicknamed "divas" by the locals. Hence the name of the reserve. The flora of this area is extremely interesting. Botanists have counted about 250 species of plants here, almost half of which are calcephytes (in simple words, “mellow lovers”).
At the end of the 15th century, Greek monks founded a monastery here. In the Cretaceous rocks they built cave-cells for themselves. In 1862, a church was carved into one of the local rocks. Today, this unusual temple is included in many pilgrimage routes.
Mountains of chalk on the river Ilovla
Volgograd region also boasts of its chalk mountains. They are located on the right bank of the Ilovlya River, between the villages of Kamenny Brod and Kondrashi. This unique natural formation in some places resembles a wild and snow-white desert. The slopes of the chalk mountains on the banks of the Ilovlya are quite steep. But in some places you can still go upstairs even by car.
Within these mountains is the Kamenno-Brodsky Holy Trinity Orthodox Monastery, which wasIt was founded during the time of the Tatar-Mongol invasion. The monks dug caves in the chalk rocks, connecting them with passages. On the territory of the monastery there are springs with healing water, as well as several giant oaks up to 400 years old.
Fancy rocks of Lysogorka
Another Cretaceous miracle of nature is located in the Rostov region, near the village of Lysogorka. True, this area received the status of a natural monument quite recently, only in 2006.
The chalk mountains of the Rostov region excite the imagination of tourists with their appearance. Among the snow-white rocks of Lysogorka you can see the silhouettes of gloomy warriors, and the outlines of animals, and human faces … The chalk cliffs are located on the shore of a fairly large lake. In summer, it is especially good here: the air is filled with the aromas of thyme, and you can go fishing near the water.
Chalk adits of Belgorod
Traces of the Cretaceous period can also be observed in the Belgorod region. In particular, Belgorod has long been famous for the extraction of high-quality white chalk. On the outskirts of the city there is an old abandoned adit, the tunnels of which stretch for many kilometers inland. Today it has become a popular object among diggers and ordinary tourists.
In the corridors of the Belgorod adit you can find a wide variety of artifacts. For example, the remains of an old narrow-gauge railway, along which chalk was once taken to the surface. On the walls you can see mysterious drawings and patterns - traces of drilling rigs. And in one of the corridors there is a real car VAZ-2101. How did he get here?unknown. Next to the pride of the domestic auto industry lies a large piece of rusty metal. It is entirely covered with inscriptions left by visitors to the adit.
