Granite-steppe lands of Buh
Encyclopedia
Granite-steppe lands of Buh is a regional landscape park
in the north-west of Mykolaiv Oblast
in Ukraine
.
The park includes the river valley of Southern Buh and the ravine-like vallies of its tributaries: Velyka Korabelna, Bashkala, and Mertvovod. The park stretches on 70 km (43.5 mi) from the southern part of Pervomaisk
to the town of Oleksandrivka in Voznesensk Raion. It was established in 1994 by the decision of the Mykolaiv Oblast council and is located on the territory of Pervomaisk, Arbuzynka, Domanivka, and Voznesensk districts. The area of the park is 6267 ha (15,486.1 acre).
in the spurs of the Podolian
and Near-Dnipro Uplands. On the territory of the park the Southern Buh cuts into the crystalline massif
(array) of the Ukrainian shield
the outcome of which produced many rapids in the river. On the rocky banks are apparent types of the igneous rock
that reveal granite
.
The Granite-steppe lands of Buh represent the leftover spur of the ancient mountains once extending for 1000 km north-west to south-east from the Slovechansk-Ovruch mountain range
to the Near-Azov Upland. As the result of the denudation
process only the base of those mountains were left represented by the solid crystalline type of rock
. Over the last 60 million years this part of land was not subjected to flooding.
type of soil that occupies 95% of the territory. The floodplain
of the Southern Buh valley and the islands partially covered by the floodplain woods and meadows. The slopes of the valley retained the parts of the rocky (petrofit) steppe and leftovers of the grass-rich of the Gramineae- type and shrub-rich steppes.
On the territory of the landscape park grows around 900 species of vascular plant
s, with 26 of them listed in the Red Book of Ukraine
. Also the park is inhabited by no less than 9000 species of insect
s (56 are in the Red Book
) and about 300 species of vertebrate
animals (46 - in the Red Book
).
(dating 30,000 years BCE) to the times of the formation of the Slavic
ethnos
. The particular interest present the remains of various people: Cimmerians
, Trypillians, Sarmatians
, ancient Slavic peoples
, romans
.
In the park is a well-known tract Buh Gard, a historic landscape of local cultural heritage (ref#173/0/16-06) and what remains from the Cossacks settlement and a former seat of one of the districts (palanka
) of the Zaporizhian Host. In 2006 due to construction of the Tashlyk HAES the tract was unlawfully flooded without any known prosecutions followed.
In 19th century Viktor Skarzhynsky created in the place of the future landscape park an arboretum
.
In 2008 the Granite steppes of Buh became of the Seven Natural Wonders of Ukraine
and later was nominated as the world wonder candidate.
Landscape garden
The term landscape garden is often used to describe the English garden design style characteristic of the eighteenth century, that swept the Continent replacing the formal Renaissance garden and Garden à la française models. The work of Lancelot 'Capability' Brown is particularly influential.The...
in the north-west of Mykolaiv Oblast
Mykolaiv Oblast
Mykolaiv Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Mykolayiv.-Geography:The Mykolaiv Oblast is located in the southern half of Ukraine...
in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
The park includes the river valley of Southern Buh and the ravine-like vallies of its tributaries: Velyka Korabelna, Bashkala, and Mertvovod. The park stretches on 70 km (43.5 mi) from the southern part of Pervomaisk
Pervomaisk, Mykolaiv Oblast
Pervomaisk is a city in Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine and the center of the Pervomaiskyi Raion. It is located on the Southern Bug river which bisects the city...
to the town of Oleksandrivka in Voznesensk Raion. It was established in 1994 by the decision of the Mykolaiv Oblast council and is located on the territory of Pervomaisk, Arbuzynka, Domanivka, and Voznesensk districts. The area of the park is 6267 ha (15,486.1 acre).
Geology
The park is located at the southern edge of the Ukrainian crystalline shieldUkrainian shield
The Ukrainian Shield is the southwest shield of the East European craton. The Ukrainian Shield and the Voronezh Massif consist of 3.2-3.8 Ga Archaean crust in the southwest and east, and 2.3-2.1 Ga Early Proterozoic orogenic belts....
in the spurs of the Podolian
Podolian Upland
The Podolian Upland is an upland in western and southwestern Ukraine, with its small northwestern part stretching into eastern Poland. The Podolian Upland and the Volhynian Upland are often taken together as the Volhynian-Podolian Upland....
and Near-Dnipro Uplands. On the territory of the park the Southern Buh cuts into the crystalline massif
Massif
In geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole...
(array) of the Ukrainian shield
Ukrainian shield
The Ukrainian Shield is the southwest shield of the East European craton. The Ukrainian Shield and the Voronezh Massif consist of 3.2-3.8 Ga Archaean crust in the southwest and east, and 2.3-2.1 Ga Early Proterozoic orogenic belts....
the outcome of which produced many rapids in the river. On the rocky banks are apparent types of the igneous rock
Igneous rock
Igneous rock is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic rock. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava...
that reveal granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
.
The Granite-steppe lands of Buh represent the leftover spur of the ancient mountains once extending for 1000 km north-west to south-east from the Slovechansk-Ovruch mountain range
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
to the Near-Azov Upland. As the result of the denudation
Denudation
In geology, denudation is the long-term sum of processes that cause the wearing away of the earth’s surface leading to a reduction in elevation and relief of landforms and landscapes...
process only the base of those mountains were left represented by the solid crystalline type of rock
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
. Over the last 60 million years this part of land was not subjected to flooding.
Environment
The most predominant are the ChernozemChernozem
Chernozem , also known as "black land" or "black earth", is a black-coloured soil containing a high percentage of humus 7% to 15%, and high percentages of phosphoric acids, phosphorus and ammonia...
type of soil that occupies 95% of the territory. The floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
of the Southern Buh valley and the islands partially covered by the floodplain woods and meadows. The slopes of the valley retained the parts of the rocky (petrofit) steppe and leftovers of the grass-rich of the Gramineae- type and shrub-rich steppes.
On the territory of the landscape park grows around 900 species of vascular plant
Vascular plant
Vascular plants are those plants that have lignified tissues for conducting water, minerals, and photosynthetic products through the plant. Vascular plants include the clubmosses, Equisetum, ferns, gymnosperms and angiosperms...
s, with 26 of them listed in the Red Book of Ukraine
Red Book of Ukraine
The Red Book of Ukraine is a list of endangered animals and plants that live in Ukraine....
. Also the park is inhabited by no less than 9000 species of insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s (56 are in the Red Book
Red Book of Ukraine
The Red Book of Ukraine is a list of endangered animals and plants that live in Ukraine....
) and about 300 species of vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
animals (46 - in the Red Book
Red Book of Ukraine
The Red Book of Ukraine is a list of endangered animals and plants that live in Ukraine....
).
History
On the territory of the landscape park in the valley of the Southern Buh, between villages Mihiya and Oleksandrivka are found almost 100 archeological monuments that present a continuous chronological series of PaleolithicPaleolithic
The Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
(dating 30,000 years BCE) to the times of the formation of the Slavic
Slavic Europe
Slavic Europe is a region of Europe where Slavic languages are spoken. This area is situated in Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans, and includes the nations of Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Russia,...
ethnos
Ethnos
Ethnos may refer to:*Ethnic group*Ethnos...
. The particular interest present the remains of various people: Cimmerians
Cimmerians
The Cimmerians or Kimmerians were ancient equestrian nomads of Indo-European origin.According to the Greek historian Herodotus, of the 5th century BC, the Cimmerians inhabited the region north of the Caucasus and the Black Sea during the 8th and 7th centuries BC, in what is now Ukraine and Russia...
, Trypillians, Sarmatians
Sarmatians
The Iron Age Sarmatians were an Iranian people in Classical Antiquity, flourishing from about the 5th century BC to the 4th century AD....
, ancient Slavic peoples
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
, romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
.
In the park is a well-known tract Buh Gard, a historic landscape of local cultural heritage (ref#173/0/16-06) and what remains from the Cossacks settlement and a former seat of one of the districts (palanka
Palanka
-Places:In Serbia:* Bačka Palanka, a town and municipality in Vojvodina, Serbia* Smederevska Palanka, a town and municipality in Central Serbia, Serbia* Bela Palanka, a town and municipality in Central Serbia, Serbia...
) of the Zaporizhian Host. In 2006 due to construction of the Tashlyk HAES the tract was unlawfully flooded without any known prosecutions followed.
In 19th century Viktor Skarzhynsky created in the place of the future landscape park an arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
.
In 2008 the Granite steppes of Buh became of the Seven Natural Wonders of Ukraine
Seven Natural Wonders of Ukraine
The Seven Natural Wonders of Ukraine is the second stage of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine program. They are the seven natural attractions of Ukraine, which were chosen in the Seven Natural Wonders of Ukraine on August 26, 2008...
and later was nominated as the world wonder candidate.