Plateau Ustyurt: location, description

The famous plateau of Ustyurt is located in the MiddleAsia, occupies a huge area of ​​almost 200 thousand square meters. The border of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and a small section of Turkmenistan pass along it. Actually, the name "Ustyurt" in the Turkic version of the translation sounds like a "plateau".

A wonderful natural creation

Scientists-geologists suggest that from the momentthe occurrence of the plateau was not less than 20 million years ago. However, only at the end of the last century, in the 80s, the scientific world became interested in Ustyurt. The expedition to Ustyurt Plateau was organized on numerous occasions. People wanted to gather as much information about this magnificent place.

The neighbors of the giant natural creation are:

• on the western side - the peninsula Mangyshlak and the Gulf of Kara-Bogaz-Gol (in translation "Black mouth");
• in the east - the irretrievably drying Aral Sea, the delta of the Amudarya River.

Bozzhira

Dimensions of the Ustyurt plateau are impressive, in different places its height ranges from 180 to 300 meters. Sometimes there are abrupt 350-meter ledges - chinks, which rise above the adjacent plain.

The highest is the southwestern part of the plateauunder the name of Bozzhira. It consists of rocky ridges, hills (ridges) with almost equal outlines. The area of ​​Bozzhira is incredibly beautiful, it can make a worthy competition to the famous Valley of Monuments (USA). The only thing that distinguishes these amazing corners of the planet from each other is attendance by tourists. To the great regret, very few of them heard about the existence of this pearl of Ustyurt. It is worth to study Kazakhstan on the map of mountain ranges in order to assess the scale of this place.

A distant past plateau

More than 21 million years ago the plateau was locateddeep under water. In that distant era on Earth there were two huge continents - Laurasia and Gondwana. They were separated by the Tethys ocean. The disappearance of the ancient sea, which was part of the ocean, falls on the first half of the Cenozoic. The pace of this process accelerated approximately 2 million years ago, after the Caspian and Black Seas separated.

In the limestone of Ustyurt there are seashells thatconfirms the hypothesis put forward. In addition, there is a huge amount of ferromanganese nodules, which in size and shape resemble balls for billiards. Not everyone will guess that spherical formations scattered over the whole surface of the plateau are formed in the sea conditions. The water gradually washed away the dolomite and limestone rocks, but the ferromanganese concretions appeared stronger, they only acquired rounded outlines. I can not believe that the Ustyurt plateau is located in Kazakhstan. Local residents are proud of such a tourist attraction.

Indescribable beauty

The relief with an even surface isthe desert. In some places clay predominates in the soil, in others - clayey-stony surface. In addition, there are areas of sand or small gravel. The desert is replaced by cracks or rocks, consisting mainly of chalk. Involuntarily seized by the feeling that you are on the surface of a lifeless planet or are present on the set of Hollywood films of the same format. Plateau Ustyurt attracts the attention of many tourists and photographers who are engaged in the filming of landscapes.

The true beauty of Cretaceous rocks is manifested whenthe sun rises or sets. At these moments, a beautiful spectacle opens: the rays usually give the white rocks reddish shades. At noon they become slightly bluish. If you appreciate the natural attractions, then be sure to visit the plateau of Ustyurt (Kazakhstan).

Representatives of the flora and fauna inhabiting the plateau

Concerning flora and fauna it is worth notingfollowing. There is nothing that could surprise a tourist. Dominated by such representatives of the plant world as wormwood and saxaul. In a more favorable spring period, which does not last long, flowers appear, and the picture becomes brighter.

The animal world is more diverse. There are all those species that have adapted to life in the steppes and deserts. Climatic conditions on the plateau favor reptiles, which are represented by lizards, snakes and turtles. Well settled small rodents (jerboa, ground squirrel, marmot, gerbil), hedgehogs and hares. This is despite the fact that each of them is a potential prey for the wolf, fox or caracal. The cheetah, which belongs to rare species, is not bad, therefore we are guarding the law. The pride of Ustyurt is considered to be fearful saigas. Unfortunately, their population is in critical condition. Of the artiodactyls there are also argali.

On the rocks the chink froze in majestic posesvultures and eagles, proudly watching everything that happens down in the plain. There are birds, habitual for Europeans - pigeons and sparrows. The Ustyurt serpent plateau is inhabited to a greater extent. Therefore, tourists should exercise caution while walking along the stony terrain.

Another feature of the Ustyurt plateau is the large number of wild horses. Once the nomadic Kazakhs were breeding these domestic animals on local farms.

Water and winds

Water on the plateau is considered a deficit, becauseNatural reservoirs have long disappeared. All the rivers and lakes had dried up. Their existence in remote times is evidenced by dry beds and solonchaks. Winds in Ustyurt have complete freedom, because the plateau lacks natural barriers in the form of mountains and forests.

This is reflected in the state of the karst rocks, leading to soil erosion, which in turn leads to a gradual change in the boundaries of the Ustyurt plateau itself.

Riddles around the area

During the Middle Ages Ustyurt was on the waycaravans, which were sent from the city of Khorezm, and then moved to settlements on the shores of the Caspian Sea and the lower reaches of the Volga River. In other words, the Great Silk Road passed along it. There are still a lot of artifacts confirming that trade people very often visited the plateau. This, for example, remains of cemeteries and underground temples. Settled settlements, even cities with visiting courtyards for caravans (caravanserais) and with all infrastructure. The remains of one of such cities under the name Shahr-i-Wazir remained in good condition.

In the late 70-ies of the last century flying overPlateau aircraft conducted aerial photography. On the surface of the plateau, mysterious images were revealed, something like the arrowheads directed to the northeast. Figures of triangular shape have quite impressive dimensions, their sides reach 100 meters in length. Unknown masters used to create giant "arrows" on the ground using a crushed stone. Apparently, they contain some sacred meaning. A clear and unequivocal answer to this question, scientists do not yet provide.

Near each corner of the earth ditches are dug. In them, perhaps, water was stored. In addition to these "arrows", later discovered and other figures, in particular soldiers, pyramids and turtles, which are also lined with stone. "Arrows" on the plateau can be safely ranked in the same category of riddles of history as the famous images in the Nazca desert.

Be sure to visit Ustyurt after arriving in Kazakhstan. On the map of the area you can see exactly where this natural attraction is located.