LLC “International geological tourism” conquers the Southern Urals
Limited liability company «International geological tourism" has developed a new days-long geological and mineralogical tour of the unique natural features of the Southern Urals – the Chelyabinsk Region and the Republic of Bashkortostan.
The itinerary includes visits to geological sites located down the river Juryuzan (Bashkortostan) and in particular mountain Yangan-Tau nicknamed “Smoking” for the emission of healing mineral gases and vapours. Today these gases and vapours have found their application in sanatorium-and-spa treatment and have become the main therapeutic basis of the sanatorium "Yangan-Tau". At the foot of the mountain there is a mineral water spring called Kurgazak in which the temperature never drops below +16 C even during the most severe frosts.
Bashkortostan’s nature is known not only for its healing springs but also for the vast reserves of useful minerals. So the connoisseurs of the Ural gems are attracted to the ancient gold and copper mine "Bakr-Uzyak" where it is possible to find wonderful samples of azurite and malachite.
According to the itinerary the staff members of LLC "International Geological tourism" visited Borisovskiye Sopki (the Chelyabinsk region), which were described by Academician A. E. Fersman during his trip to the Urals in 1912. Borisovskiye Sopki are a geological natural monument located 18 km southwest of the town Plast in Kochkarsk district of the Chelyabinsk region and 1.5 km to the south of the village Borisovka. They are represented by the low mountains - outliers, stretching about 6 km in length and up to 1.5 km in width along the river Kamenka. On the hills there is one of the unique deposits of bright blue kyanite which used to be mined commercially and which is now constantly enlarging the collections of mineralogical museums. Kyanite is used in jewelry, but mostly it finds its application as an industrial raw material.
It is used for the manufacture of high-refractory and acid-resistant materials, glow plugs in the automobile industry, in ceramics industry, as well as for the production of aluminum-silicon alloys (silumins). The prospects of kyanite are brilliant, that is why it is nicknamed "a stone of a new millennium."
By visiting these ones as well as many other geological sites (it is simply impossible to describe all of them here), you will be able not only to get acquainted with the Ural nature but also to experience living in the open and having a rest away from the hustle and bustle of big cities. Besides you will be able to assemble your own collection of unique Ural gems.
