The “Stone Forest”, the “Stone Desert”, known in our country as the “Broken Stones” area, is one of the two existing deserts in Europe (the other is in Spain). The desert consists of sand dunes and several groups of natural rock formations on a total area of 13 km². It is one of the few places in Europe where cacti are known to grow and desert reptiles and other desert-type animals live.
The natural phenomenon is located 25 km from Varna. “Pobiti kamani” is located to the north and south of the Beloslav lake, it represents outcrops of Eocene sands, among which there are upright stone columns resembling a stone forest. The impressive landscape of the beaten stones is observed in seven large and several smaller outcrops. The most famous is the “Center – South” group. It is located 18 km west of Varna. It includes about 300 large and small columns, up to 6 m high, rising mainly south of the old Varna-Devnia road.
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Many hypotheses have been proposed for the origin of the “Broken Stones”, which can be united into two main groups, the first of which advocates the inorganic origin of the columns, and the second – their organic origin. In the first group, the claims suggest mechanical shaping of the structures through erosion processes under the action of the atmosphere and water, sea surf, weathering or infiltration of groundwater.
According to proponents of organic origin, the stone columns are the remains of coral reefs, fossilized gas springs, biogenic algal assemblages, or petrified forest. It is still not possible to say with certainty which of these hypotheses most accurately reflects the occurrence of this phenomenon, but they all rule out the idea that they are the creation of man.
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This can clearly be seen in the Quarry-Beloslav group, where all four levels of the Beaten Stones are revealed. The most impressive groups Pobiti kamani (“Center-South”, “Beloslav-West”, “Sunny-Southeast”), as early as 1938, were among the first protected areas in Bulgaria. Later, with several consecutive acts, a total of 14 groups with an area of 253.3 hectares were protected, and with the Order of the Minister of Environment and Water in 2002, the natural landmark was recategorized into a protected area. “Pobiti kamani” is a protected area in the Natura 2000 network, declared for the purpose of protecting the country’s largest inland sandy habitats with specific flora, vegetation and animal life.
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The only evidence of human life during the Mesolithic in Bulgaria was found in the area of the broken stones.
You can reach “Pobiti kamani” by car or by bus number 43 to the stop “Rasklon Banovo” in the village of Sunnyno. According to the information portal in Varna, the entrance fee for adults is BGN 5, for pupils, students and pensioners it is BGN 3, and children up to the age of 6 enjoy free entry.
The only other true desert in Europe is Tabernas
It is a protected natural park hidden in southeastern Spain, in the Costa de Almeria region. There, the sun shines over 3,000 hours a year, and temperatures reach 48 degrees above zero.
Tabernas has an area of approximately 280 square kilometers and the landscapes clearly show the process of natural desertification and erosion.
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Tavernas
2023-09-02 06:00:00
#desert #Bulgaria
