| Abstrakt: |
The world-known paleontological site of the Pleistocene fossil fauna (42-10 thousand years ago) with four hairy rhinos Rhinoceros antiquitatis Blum and the mammoth Mammuthus primigenius Blum, and the only active mud volcano in the Carpathians were declared as the geological natural monument of national significance "Starunia" in 1984. The monument is located on the south-western outskirts of the village Starunia, in Bohorodchany region, Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, 25 km from the oblast centre. In the article several aspects of the monument's significance are defined for: 1) the development of the natural reserve fund, raising the category of the conservation area from "the natural monument" to "the Ice Age geopark"; 2) the development of tourism and recreation business; 3) solving important scientific problems, in particular, determining age rappers and periods of global climate changes; 4) assessment of the role of surface and deep sources of migration of carbohydrate compounds, which is important for prediction of oil and gas occurrence in the Precarpathian region; 5) substantiation of the medical and therapeutic potential by opening a salt-mud-ozotokerite sanatorium; 6) raising the socio-economic level of the village and region, creating new jobs for the population. In the history of Starunia's research, the discovery of the mammoth fauna in 1907 and 1929, the appearance of a mud volcano in 1977, scientific Ukrainian-Polish expeditions with well drilling, geophysical and geochemical surveys in 2004-2008, the publication of monographs in 1914, 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2017 are singled out. The insufficient attention of state authorities to the study of Starunia and the enthusiasm of scientists are critically evaluated. The author proposes the mechanism of the formation of geoactive zone in Starunia fold due to the constant pressure of the Carpathian sheets - folds, which pushed oil, gas, mineralized waters, muds, etc. from the bottom to the surface. This created appropriate conditions for the formation of ozokerite field, oil and gas deposits, mud volcano, salt craters, embalming the mammoth fauna. The author proposes to organize Starunia geodynamic field and raise the status of the geological nature monument of national significance importance "Starunia" to the international Ice Age geopark. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
