Description of the attraction
The granitoids of Mikkov Island is a state geological natural monument of regional significance, which is located in the area of the Kandalaksha district of the Murmansk region, in the Kovdozero forestry. The monument carries not only scientific, but also educational value, being one of the most interesting and unexplored objects in the Russian North.
Granitoids are located in the northeastern side of Mikkov Island, namely in the Kandalaksha Bay of the White Sea, at the entrance to Kovdova Bay, 6 km east of a small village called Kovda, and also 7 km southeast from the village of Lesozavodskoye and 55 km south of Kandalaksha. The total area occupied by granitoids is about 10 hectares.
Mikkov Island is an uninhabited island. To the northwest, south and west of the island there are a large number of islands of various shapes, most of which do not have a name due to their very small size. Among the largest islands are: Berezovets, Yelovets, Vysoky, Krivoy, Drystyanoy, Baklysh and Marfitsa. Closer to the southwest side of Mikkov, there is a long sandbank that connects the island with the adjacent small islands.
As for the relief component of the island, it has an uneven surface, somewhat elongated in the direction from northwest to southeast and slightly expanding to the eastern part with several bays that protrude from the north and south sides, dividing the island into two halves and leaving a small an isthmus up to several tens of meters wide. The total length of the island is approximately 1.5 km, and the width is 850 m at its widest part.
An impressive part of the island's territory is covered with dense, impenetrable forest, excluding only the north-western ends and the isthmus in the middle part. There are also three gently sloping small hills, the height of which reaches 9 m in the north-western side. In the northwestern part of the island, on one of the hills, there is a small geodetic point.
The unique state complex is a natural complex of outcrops of granitoids on a total area of approximately 200 by 500 meters, while the age of the granites at the location of their formation is approximately 2.4-2.5 billion years. The formation of natural granites took place gradually over an extended period of time at a temperature of about 600 ° C and a pressure of about 6 thousand bar. This process occurred as a result of the complete remelting of even more ancient rocks located in this area, which are called amphibolites and gneisses, and their remains in the form of peculiar xenoliths are scattered throughout the granites in the form of huge boulders and heavy debris. It should be noted that the natural monument is of considerable interest to researchers, geologists and just adventure seekers who are interested in the process of deep granite formation.
Today, there are accurate data on the average monthly temperature prevailing in the area of the monument, which is 12.5 ° C, which is typical for the warm season, and in the cold season the temperature reaches -12.4 ° C. During the years, the amount of precipitation is 398 mm.
Mikkov Island granitoids received the status of a state monument on December 24, 1980, according to the decision No. 537 of the Murmansk Regional Council of People's Deputies. The Committee for Ecology and Nature Management of the Murmansk Region, as well as the State Directorate of Specially Protected Natural Territories and Objects of the Murmansk Region were appointed responsible for the protection and control of the monument. It should be noted that to date, there is no protection regime for the island's granitoids.
