May 18, 2012 at 7:23 pm

Picture of the Day: A Sandstone Monolith in the Black Sea

by twistedsifter

 

A SANDSTONE MONOLITH IN THE BLACK SEA

 

sail rock sandstone monolith parus rock black sea russia Picture of the Day: A Sandstone Monolith in the Black Sea

Photograph by SERGEY S. DUKACHEV

 

Sail Rock, or Parus Rock, is a natural sandstone monolith of the late Cretaceous age, located on the shore of the Black Sea, in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It resembles the outline of a ship’s sail, hence its name.

The monolith lies 17 km to the southeast of Gelendzhik, near the village of Praskoveyevka (which is about 500 meters from the coast) and the farmstead of Dzhankhot (approximately twice that distance from the coast). Sail Rock has a sheer vertical slope confronting the shore of sea, isolated from the mass of basic rock by geological forces. It is more than three-fourths revealed by the tide and lies perpendicular to the coast.

What is most remarkable about this landmark is its proportions. While the cliff is only a little more than a meter thick (aprox. 4 ft), its height is about 25 meters (82 ft) and its length about 20 meters (66 ft). Thus, the form of the cliff is described as resembling the outline of a quadrangular sail.

An opening of unclear origin is located in the sail, approximatively 2.5 meters (8 ft) above the ground. Sail Rock’s status as a natural monument was declared November 24, 1971 by the administration of Gelendzhik. [Source: Wikipedia]