Geological trip to Charyn canyon.

At 27 of May we were visited the most beautiful place in Kazakhstan called Charyn canyon. Besides beauty of this place it is also most dangerous place. Weather at this day was terrible, so rainy, that is why there were sill. Anyway, trip was so interesting. Our teacher Ivahnenko A.P and guide Sergey explained all geological structures on the road.

He said us about types of rocks, that they divided into 3: igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic.

Sedimentary rocks are formed from particles of sand, shells, pebbles, and other fragments of material. Together, all these particles are called sediment. Gradually, the sediment accumulates in layers and over a long period of time hardens into rock. Generally, sedimentary rock is fairly soft and may break apart or crumble easily. You can often see sand, pebbles, or stones in the rock, and it is usually the only type that contains fossils.

Metamorphic rocks are formed under the surface of the earth from the metamorphosis (change) that occurs due to intense heat and pressure (squeezing). The rocks that result from these processes often have ribbonlike layers and may have shiny crystals, formed by minerals growing slowly over time, on their surface.

Igneous rocks are formed when magma (molten rock deep within the earth) cools and hardens. Sometimes the magma cools inside the earth, and other times it erupts onto the surface from volcanoes (in this case, it is called lava). When lava cools very quickly, no crystals form and the rock looks shiny and glasslike. Sometimes gas bubbles are trapped in the rock during the cooling process, leaving tiny holes and spaces in the rock.

In addition, our guide said us about history, mineralogy and features of Charyn canyon. The Charyn Canyon is located in the Charyn National Park about 215km east of Almaty. Canyon has been described as the Grand Canyon’s little brother. This is not to detract from the sheer splendor of the canyon itself. The vista of dramatic erosion made by the river Charyn below and the elements has created a dramatic and impressive landscape.

The story of the Canyon is that it was formed about 3 million years ago as the land around the canyon started to rise. A very large lake existed in the area around the top of the canyon and it started to empty. Over the next million years the canyon was formed by the Charyn river. Approximately 2 million years ago a large earthquake disturbed the flow of the river by blocking it with a land-slip. The visitor part of the canyon then has suffered from the elements forming the rock sculptures. The Charyn River still flows at the bottom of the canyon forming the next great canyon. Because the area used to be a large inland sea, the deposits revealed on the sides of the canyon are relatively soft and are a geologists dream, revealing hundreds of millions of years of the earth’s history at this location.

In addition, we saw some geological structures such as Angular unconformities, faults, folds and caverns.

Angular unconformities.

At this picture, you can see the mixture of igneous and sedimentary rocks. Our teacher said that there only granite and biotite from igneous rocks. Also there so many reserves of biotite (MgCaCO₃).

 

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is important to say that this academic practice were incredibly interesting. We had studied a lot of information on our Physical Geology and Petroleum Geology lessons, but we haven't such chance to see everything in real life. So, with this practice we had this opportunity. Because besides a theoretical information we must do our practice. I really enjoyed this time as there was very interesting especially trip to Geological museum and Charyn. All the data is easier to memorize by competing with people, we had a great competition in our intellectual game, so that it was easier for us to revise all information. It was an incredible experience for me.

References:

· http://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/definition

· http://www.aapg.org/about/petroleum-geology/geology-and-petroleum/sedimentology-and-stratigraphy

· http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/bookseries/00704571