Description of the attraction
Geological natural monument "Geological outcrops of the Devonian on the Oredezh river near the village of Yam-Tesovo" was created in 1976 in the Luga region near the village of Yam-Tesovo. The area of the natural monument is 225 hectares. This territory was declared a natural monument in order to protect one of the reference outcrops to the day surface in the North-West of Russia of geological rocks of the Devonian period and the remains of old adits.
These geological outcrops can be included in the group of attractive excursion and tourist routes in specially protected natural areas along the Oredezh River.
In the left steep slope of the valley of the Oredezh River, sandstones of the Middle Devonian of the Stary Oskol horizon come to the surface. They are overlapped by basal conglomerates with remains of shell fish, which belong to the Sventoian horizon of the Middle Devonian period. The thickness of the Devonian rock outcrops is 1-18 m. In the west of the outcrop there is an abandoned adit. It is located at a height of 5.5 meters above the water's edge. The manhole has a height of 1, 2 - 1, 5 meters, and a width of 0, 8 - 1, 0 meters. At the entrance, one can immediately see, most likely, a recently collapsed part of the upper vault. The adit used to be of considerable length and, according to the testimony of local residents, partisans hid here during the Great Patriotic War.
Sedimentary rocks, in which the adit is made, quite often collapse. Therefore, the adit gradually rises, as it were, to the surface.
Coastal swallows nest in the outcrops. Their rather large colony, consisting of several thousand individuals, was seen near the village of Bor, smaller colonies live near the village of Yam-Tesovo. The gray partridge, corncrake, and quail nest in adjacent areas of the floodplain.
The vegetation of the natural monument is quite severely disturbed due to active economic activity, the long-term development of the territory by humans and the proximity of settlements. Anthropogenic impact is expressed, first of all, in the felling of trees, most often near settlements, littering of the territory with household waste, trampling, destruction of slopes, plowing of coastal areas, fires, grazing in floodplain meadows of small cattle.
On the banks of the Oredezh (especially on the left), broad-leaved tree species grow, such as ash, linden, oak, maple, hazel, rough elm and smooth elm. There used to be a park here. It is possible that ash, oak, linden, maple were brought for planting the park from the banks of the Oredezh River. In small areas of gray alder forests, as a rule, stinging nettle prevails. As they approach open areas of water and directly in the water, they grow: lake reed, river horsetail, yellow egg capsule; also here small duckweed and three-lobed duckweed are noted in a small amount. Floodplain meadows, flooded by water in spring, occupy communities dominated by acute sedge.
Small ruminants (goats and sheep) are now grazing in the meadows. Between the damp floodplain meadows and meadows of high coastal slopes, there is a strip of moisture-loving forbs, which is represented by long-leaved veronica, marsh geranium, forest reeds, marsh chase, marsh forget-me-not and others. On the steep and rather high slopes of the geological natural monument, low-grass meadows grow, on which there are quite rare species of plants: mountain clover, dyeing pupavka, bitter root, oregano and others. At the foot of the slopes you can find a pharmacy burdock. Perennial forage grasses grow on the right bank of the Oredezh in former hay meadows. Today these territories are occupied, for the most part, by pike. When the snow melts, the earth is flooded with water. The hay meadows are now partly overgrown with willows.
On the territory of the monument, the following are especially protected: outcrops of rocks of the Devonian period, a colony of coastal swallows, an adit, rare plant species: cruciform gentian, soft rose; rare species of animals: gray partridge, white stork, quail, corncrake.
On the territory of a geological monument, it is prohibited to carry out all types of construction work, mining and reclamation work, laying various types of communications, littering the territory.
