The Steppe Geoglyphs are a number of earth constructions in the
Turgai Trough area of Turgai in northern
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
. There are at least 260 of these
earthworks.
The constructions
Many or all of them consist of smaller earthworks (mounds, trenches, and ramparts) arranged with each other to make geometric and other shapes (composite figures). These shapes are squares, rings, and three others.
[ The composite figures range from slightly under 90 m in length to over 400 m in diameter.] Besides being made of earth dug out and piled up, some of the geoglyphs are made by placing stones next to each other.
Some of the large shapes have been given names, including Bestamskoe Ring, Ushtogaysky (''or'' Ushtogay) Square, Turgay triradial swastika, Large cross Ashtasti, Ekedyn cross, Ashutasti ring, Kyzyloba line, Koga cross, and Shili square.
These shapes are large enough to be easily visible on Google Earth. The Ushtogay Square is at . The Turgay triradial is at , only about from the town of Urpek. Both are inside Amangeldi District, Kostanay Region
Kostanay Region ( kk, Қостанай облысы, translit=Qostanai oblysy; russian: Костанайская область, translit=Kostanayskaya oblast) is a region of Kazakhstan. Its administrative center is the city of Kostanay. The pop ...
.
Discovery and suggested origins
The earthworks were discovered in 2007 by Dimitriy Dey. He found them by searching Google Earth's satellite images for pyramids and similar configurations in Kazakhstan. They were first reported to the scientific community in 2014.
Optical dating (optically stimulated luminescence
In physics, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) is a method for measuring doses from ionizing radiation. It is used in at least two applications:
* Luminescence dating of ancient materials: mainly geological sediments and sometimes fired pott ...
) has been used to determine that one of the mounds dates to around 8000 B.C.E.
References
External links
Turgay Discovery Research project
NASA photographs from space
Kazakhstan Earthworks
KML placemarks file for Google Earth.
* {{Coord, 50.101705, 65.370420, name=Turgay, notes=. Turgay triradial swastika
Neolithic sites
Megalithic monuments
Archaeological sites in Kazakhstan
Geoglyphs