Zastinoche and budaniv sandstone deposits as potential geotourism objects of the Ternopil region

Abstract

The article provides information on existing quarries for sandstone mining as promising geotourism locations within the Ternopil region (Western Ukraine). The study area is famous for its ancient mining of natural stone from Terebovlya sandstones. The object of research is located within the Eastern European platform on the territory of Zastinoche and Budanіv deposits. Since princely times, stone has been mined here for the construction of fortresses and defensive structures. Sediments of the Neogene and Devonian ages take part in the geological structure of the Zastinoche deposit. The mineral is represented by Devonian sandstone with an average thickness of 12 m, broken by horizontal and vertical cracks into boulders. Macroscopically, sandstone is represented by red-brown, brownish-red, greyish-red, reddish-grey, brownish-grey, pink-grey, greenish-grey and light grey variations. The Budaniv deposit is composed of Quaternary, Neogene, Cretaceous and Devonian rocks. The minerals here are the sandstones of the Ivanovo formation (Devonian), the sandstone stratum consists of two horizons. The average thickness of sandstones of the first horizon (red, thick-tiled) is 14.4 m, in the thickness of sandstones there are layers of argillites and siltstones. Sandstones of the second horizon are more thinly tiled, characterized by a thickness of 2.6 to 4.3 m. With depth, sandstones have a pink and pink-red colour. Both gray and pink variations of sandstones are fine-grained, quartz, feldspar-quartz, mica.. Cement is iron-clay; the clay part of it is sericite-silicon. Mining of sandstones at both deposits is carried out manually with the help of crowbars and wedges to the full depth. All processes for the extraction and manufacture of side and rubble stone are performed manually. Terebovlya sandstone is environmentally friendly, so it is used for the construction of facades as a natural heat insulator. Sandstone is frost-resistant and acid-resistant. It is widely used in modern architectural design and restoration of historical monuments in Europe; it is made of almost everything for facades. Among the architectural structures built of Terebovlya sandstone – a nine-arch railway bridge-viaduct near the village. Plebanivka, Terebovlya and Budaniv castles, Pidhoryany monastery of St. Basil the Great, a large number of churches and cathedrals. Geological and geotourism survey of Zastinoche and Budanіv sandstone quarries in the Ternopil region gives grounds to consider these locations as potential geotouristic objects.