Ancient Granite Fracturings near Iskrivka Village in Kryvyi Rih Region

Abstract

In the summer of 2023, the staff of the City History and Local Lore Museum in Kryvyi Rih observed scraps of granite on the left bank of the Inhulets River near the southern outskirts of Iskrivka village, Oleksandriia district, Kirovohrad Oblast. Archaeologists and geologists inspected the rock outcrop up to 0.7 km. They’ve noticed places of ancient, possibly of Bronze Age period, granite mining in the area known as “Savyne pole”. As defined by O. O. Kalinichenko, PhD in Petrography, the rocks of the Inhulets dome belong to the Mesoarchaean granitoids of the Inhulets complex. Due to long-term weathering, these rocks had sharp notches of cracking and are split into flat rectangular blocks. The presence of such structures determined their use from the Eneolithic to the Medieval period. In September 2023 the folds of granite were discovered under the direction of V. V. Otroshchenko, DSc in History. There are 15 locations that were studied showing signs of chipping, notching and movement of blocks from the bedrock.
The usage of mineral resources in Kryvyi Rih region has attracted the attention of many historians and geologists since the beginning of the second half of the 19th century. German geologist L. Shtrippelman was the first to express an opinion about the ancient development of aspid slates for economic purposes. During observation in 1872, he examined the remains of an ancient mine, which he believed was the oldest in Eastern Europe. S. O. Kontkevych, a famous geologist, reported in his article, published in 1880, that he had revealed traces of ancient open-pit iron ore mining. As suggested by B. M. Hrakov, DSc in History, the Scythians may have developed local iron ores. 
It is likely that the practice of developing the deposits of iron ore was based on the use of mineral wealth from earlier periods. The evidence of the widespread use of local talc shale is recognised in the production of casting molds, amphibolites for axes-rods, and other tools noted by modern scientists. I. S. Nikitenko, DSc in Geology, in his dissertation, demonstrated that during the bronze age, the Kryvyi Rih region and its outskirts were a centre of mining. 
The discovery of ancient granite developments in 2023 is important for future research. This site appears to be the only one preserved in satisfactory condition in the area. The most interesting site is the Complex 2, where a long granite ridge (14 m in length) had a rectangular artificial niche (size: 1.8 × 1.8 × 0.75 m). The base had a distinct ridged surface formed by veins of harder aplite rocks. Depressions 3–7 cm deep indicated many thousands of years of weathering of less stable minerals at the site. Another slab of interest (size: 1.07 × 0.91 × 0.15–0.30 m) was found in the Complex 3. The slab was removed from its natural position and in modern research was found to be leaning against the protruding block opposite to the falling layer. Other chipped blocks at the site were sub-rectangular. Their dimensions were: 0.45 × 0.31 × 0.34 m; 1.8 × 1.1 × 0.30–0.45 m; 1.2 × 1.2 × 0.4–0.8 m; and 1.3 × 1.0 × 0.5 m. As the survey of developments showed, the ancient miners used horizontal and vertical cracks in perspective monoliths. Petrographer V. F. Petrun studied rocks in and around Kryvyi Rih in 1960s. He believed that the stone had been chipped by using wooden pegs and water along the perimeter of slabs in order to produce significantly sized plates. Massive hammers from the local hornblende amphibolite appear to have been used to drive wedges into the stone to process it for use. Today, numerous slabs and stele, including anthropomorphic ones, from probably Early Bronze Age, have been used by locals in their yards' fences. Such a unique site needs careful further research.