Photo by Dr. Anton Oleinik, "Cavern City" Bakly

Photo by Dr. Anton Oleinik Photo 3 Quarry near Skalistoe

“cavern city” Bakly in the vicinity of the Skalistoe Village, Bakhchisarai Region, Crimea Peninsula, Ukraine. This settlement was occupied during 2 – 3 centuries A.D. Caves were initially a niches weathered in the limestone and were enhanced by human activity. The limestones are Early Paleocene or Danian in age, made out mostly of brachiopods Danocrania and bryozoans.

GPS 44 o48’20.81” N 33 o 59’48.56” E

Dr. Anton Oleinik

Crimea, Russia

Dr. Anton Oleinik

Russia Near Bakly

Erosion near Bakly – Lower portion of the Early Paleocene (Danian) sandy limestone near the contact with the Upper Maastrichtian marls. Very intense weathering of loosely consolidated sandy pockets.

GPS 44 o48’16.99” N 33 o59’43.89” E

Early Paleocene Danian sandy limestone forming the resistant cliffs, also known as “questas” near Skalistoe (=Rocky) Village, Bakhchisarai Region, Crimea Peninsula, Ukraine. Photo No 3 shows the intact cliff above the quarry which is made of Lutetian ((Middle Eocene) nummulitic limestone. Danian limestone, being more dense, has long been used for building purposes in the area. Photo No. 3 shows several limestone blocks cut from the quarry wall (left foreground) by a large circular rock saw, lines along the dip of the bed showing where the pieces were cut from. The blocks were used without further cutting for building construction. Large number of abandoned blocks can be seen on photo # 2. Photo # 1 shows the reason why the quarry was abandoned – they cut all limesone available in the immediate vicinity. Progressively cutting in the up-dip direction, they eventually left only thin wall of limestone from what once was a thick cliff.

Dr. Anton Oleinik

Skalistoe, Ukraine, Bakhchisarai Region, Crimea Peninsula

GPS 44 o48’10.11” N 33 o59’21.92” E

Photo by Dr. Anton Oleinik, Skalistoe Photo 2

Photo by Dr. Anton Oleinik, Skalistoe Photo 1

Photo by Dr. Anton Oleinik, Xersones, Crimea Peninsula, Ukraine

Ruins of the ancient Greek settlement of Xersones on the shores of the Crimea Peninsula (back then called “Tavrida”) Near the city of Sevastopol, Crimea Peninsula, Ukraine.

Dr. Anton Oleinik


Xersones, Crimea Peninsula, Ukraine

GPS 44 o36’47.26”N 33 o29’31.40” E

Photo by Dr. Anton Oleinik, Valley in Bakhchisarai Region, Ukraine

View on the valley made by river eroding Early Paleocene (Danian) sandy limestone which forms resistant cliffs. Starosel’e village houses are down in the valley.

Dr. Anton Oleinik


Bakhchisarai Region, Crimea Peninsula, Ukraine.

GPS 44 o45’03.78”N 33 o54’53.26”E

Sel-Bukhra - View on the Proxladnoe village, Bakhchisarai Region, Crimea Peninsula, Ukraine from the top of the Sel -Bukhra mountain. In thebackground, you can see Danian cliffs near Skalistoe Village (previous slides). Notie that the ground appears white and picture is taken in July. The ground has very little soil and mostly consist of cropping out Upper Cretaceous marl of Cenomatian to Santonian age. GPS 44 o44 17.74 N 33 o59 53.81 E