Situated on the south east of the Caspian
Sea (the largest land locked body of water in the world), Golestân
covers an area of 20891 sq kms. This province is bounded on the north west
by the Caspian Sea, on the east by Xorâsân province, on the
west by Mâzandarân province, on the nortn by Turkmenistan,
and on the south by Semnân province. From the Bay of Gorgân
and Bandar lies a vast fertile plain caught between the mountains in the
south and the Gorgân and Gonbad steppes to the north. Further east,
begin the steppes which stretch into Central Asia.
Golestân province is geographicaly uneven being clearly
divided in to plain and mountainous region. Almost through out the statethe
ground slop reducestoward plaine and the Caspian sea.
A large part of the province is taken by the Alborz
Range. The high Alborz(Elburz)Mountains, sealing off the narrow Caspian
strip, trap humidity and create a mild humid region with luxuriant
forests and swamps. Golestân province is one of the most humid region
in Iran.
Dašte Gorgân &
Gonbad
Steppe Block
The wide "Dašte Gorgân & Gonbad",
Gorgân & Gonbad plain, lies southeast of the Caspian Sea, bounded
by the Caspian Sea in the west, high mountain ranges in the south
and east and Iran-Turkmenistan border on the North. The proposed block
is located North of the Town of Gorgân and is geographically bounded
by 37o 00' 37o 30' latitdea and 54o-54o 30' longitude and covers an area
of about 1,700 km. SeeMap
.
Accessibility
and Water Supply
Gorgân is the nearest town to the block.
The considered area is highly populated and being an
agricultural center it has a good grid of roads. Gorgân River
is the main river of the area. The Dašte Gorgân (Gorgân
steppe)climate is semi humid. The annual rainfall is between 600
and 700 mm.
Geology
Dašte
Gorgân & Gonbad (Gorgân & Gonbad Steppe Block) is a
vast area, covered by Holocene deposits. In the southern mountain ranges
the Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks are exposed. The young sedimentary rocks
of this block from Pleocene to recent times belong to the Caspian basin.This
sequence consists of an alternation of shale, claystone, siltstone and
sandstone. The sandstone provides reservoir rocks and shales from source
and seals. The Cheleken formation was gas bearing in the Garniarik Tape structure
which is close to a mud volcano with the same name. The underlying
rock units are mainly Mesozoic formation of the Hezar Masjed
mountains* basin. The lower Cretaceous Tirgan
formation was gas bearing in Qezel Tape structure. The active mud volcano
of Naftice is also located in this block. Tectonic: The brown beds are folded
in the Pasadenian folding phase. As the area is covered by recent sediments,
the structures are defined by seismic survey. Previous Works: Geological
studies are carried out in the surrounding mountains and drilled wells.
The region is covered by the gravity, magnetic and seismic surveys. Minimum
Expected Scope of Work: The following studies is recommended:1) 1,000 km
2D seismic survey. 2) 180 km 3D seismic survey. 3) Drilling and testing
of 2 wells.
*In some documents a part of the HezarMasjed
mountain range is known as Kopeh Daq.
The direction of theHezar
Masjed ranges are from the south-east (in Xorâsân
province) to the north-west (in Turkmenistan).
Links:
Dašte Gorgân Block
Biosphere Reserve Directory
Miyânkâle Peninsula, Gorgân Bay and ...
Engineering geological survey for...
Image of Gorgân Bay, Caspian Sea
A preliminary study on the Gorgânrud (River) aquatic life: A
limnological approach
Solar Eclipses of Gorgân
Geognostiche beschreibung von Nord- und Zentral-Persien
Gorgânrud River
Lakes:
Lake Alagol, Ulmagol and Ajigol
Coordinates: 37°21'N
054°35'E Elevation: 5 m
Area: 1,400 ha
- Location: The lakes Alagol, Ulmagol
and Ajigol are situated in the Province of Golestân, on the "Gorgân
& Gonbad steppe"near the border with Turkmenistan. The lakes are situated
about 60 km southwest from the town of Gorgân. Criteria:1a,
2a, 3a, 3c The lakes Alagol, Ulmagol and Ajigol are good representative
examples of natural brackish and freshwater lakes characteristic
of the vast plains to the east of the Caspian Sea. The lakes provide
wintering habitat for four threatened species of birds: Pelecanus
crispus, Anser erythropus, Aquila heliaca and Oxyura leucocephala.
Together they regularly support over 20,000 waterfowl in winter, and
over 1% of the regional Middle East breeding populations of Anas strepera,
Aythya fuligula and Fulica atra.
- Wetland Types: Ss, Ts, R, P, W (dominant
types listed first) The site comprises a group of three small
lakes with associated marshes on the rolling grassy steppes
to the east of the Caspian Sea. Lake Alagol [900 ha] is a slightly
saline, seasonal lake. It lies about 6 km southwest of Lake Ulmagol
and Lake Ajigol. These two lakes [together 640 ha] are freshwater
lakes. They support reedbeds, and some aquatic vegetation. Both are
subject to wide fluctuations in water level, and occasionally dry
out completely.
- Biological/Ecological notes: Lake
Alagol is oligotrophic. It supports little aquatic vegetation
except for some Juncus, Carex and grasses, mainly in the northeast,
and a few patches of reed Phragmites communis. Lake Ulmagol and
Lake Ajigol are eutrophic lakes. They support a more varied vegetation
of Juncus, duckweed Lemna, Phragmites, manna Alhagi and algae, and
an abundant submerged vegetation. Much of Ajigol is overgrown with
Phragmites, and this lake has some adjacent stands of Tamarix thickets,
grasses and saltbush. The surrounding steppes are vast, gently undulating
grassland with low sandy hills. The lakes are utilized by a wide variety
of waterfowl during the migration season and in winter. They are especially
important for greater flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber, greylag goose
Anser anser, dabbling ducks, pochard Netta rufina, smew Mergellus albellus
and coot Fulica atra. Breeding species include great crested grebe Podiceps
cristata, black-winged stilt Himantopus himantopus, plover Charadrius
alexandrinus, gull Larus genei and tit Remiz pendulinus. Black stork
Ciconia nigra has been recorded in summer and may breed.
- Hydrological/Physical notes: Lake
Alagol is slightly saline and fed by seepage, springs and
local run-off. It floods in winter and sometimes dries out completely
in summer. The average water depth is 2 m. When full, it overflows
westwards. The lake bottom consists of mud and sand. The other two
lakes are freshwater lakes, fed mainly in autumn and winter by local
rainfall. Both have large seasonal fluctuations in water level. Their
bottoms consist of mud and fine clay. The three lakes rarely, if
ever, freeze over in winter.
- Human Uses: Activities at the three
lakes include grazing, reed cutting and recreational fishing and wildfowl
hunting. The water of lake Alagol is being used for irrigation by local
farmers, and for a fish hatchery. Research on waterbirds has been carried
out by the Ornithology Unit of the Department of the Environment. They have
carried out annual mid-winter censuses since 1969, and breeding surveys
on several other occasions. In the early 1990s two MSc students from Teheran
University have conducted research on the avifauna and physico-chemical characteristics
of the three lakes. In the surrounding area there are a few small settlements
where some agriculture is practised.
- Conservation Measures: The site
has no other designation than Ramsar, and is not legally protected.
The site has been on the Montreux Record since June 1993 due
to problems at Lake Alagol.
- Adverse Factors: The lakes Ulmagol
and Ajigol are subject to high levels of disturbance from
wildfowl hunters. At lake Alagol there is also some disturbance
from hunting, but on a much smaller scale since lake Alagol is
less accessible. The extraction of water from lake Alagol for irrigation
purposes and for a fish hatchery has resulted in lowering water
levels at the lake, especially in summer. Most recent Ramsar Information
Sheet/datasheet: 1997; Please see Introduction for more details.
Lake Ince Borun and Marshes
Coordinate: 37°13'N
054°30'E
Area:100 ha
These freshwater lake with some emergent marsh
vegetation, c. 40 km north of Gorgân, is surrounded by grassy steppe
and arable land.
A wide variety of waterfowl
such as good numbers of Cygnus olor
and Mergellus albellus wintering
here. The surrounding plains are probably an important staging
area for Charadrius asiaticus.
Lake Bibiširvân
and Lake Eymâr
Coordinates: 37°09'N
054°52'E
Area: 600 ha
Lying on the southern edge of the Gorgân
and Gonbad steppes, 36 km west-south of Gonbade Kâvous, these two
freshwater lakes support a vegetation of Carex
, Typha angustifolia and
Phragmites communnis and floating plants such as
Lemna sp, Hydrocharis morusrana, Ricca natans and
Salvinia natans.The surrounding area is cultivated.
These lakes are a wintering
area for a wide variety of waterfowl including good numbers
of Netta rufina and
Vanellus vanellus . Glareola
pratincola, Chlidonias
hybridus and small number of
Aquila clanga are some of the breeding birds
here. The annual precipitation is between 250-350 mm.
Source:
Lake Alagol, Lake Ulmagol and Lake Ajigol
Links:
Miyânkâle Peninsula, Gorgan Bay and Lapu-Zâqmarz
Âb-bandans
Wetlands of International Importance
Lake Alagol, Lake Ulmagol and Lake Ajigol
United Nations of Protected Areas
Noqre Tape (Gomišân ) marshes and Gorgân
& Gonbad Steppe
Coordinate: 37°15'N
053°55'E
Area:20,000 ha
The brackish lagoons and marshes of Noqre Tape,
in the north western town of Gorgân covering c. 4,850
ha. In the east, the wetland borded on the edge of
Gorgân & Gonbad steppes , a vast region
of grass-covered plains and rolling hills extending for over 100 km in
Iran but even further to the north in Turkmenisatn. The wetland lies
at the eastern edge of the vast area of low-lying plains with salt-tolerant
vegetation. The site is bounded in the west by low coastal dunes with typical
sand-dune vegetation, and in the east extends onto the short-grass plains
of the Gorgân & Gonbad steppes
. These marshes compise a larger area of shallow, brackish lagoons since
1.8 m rise in thelevel of the Caspian Sea.
The main vegetation of
wetland area are: Phragmites communis, Aelurpous
littoralis, Callitriche palustris, Ceratophyllum demersum, Juncus
acutus, Juncus littoralis, Potamogeton pectinatus, Ruppia maritima,
Typha angustifolia, Zannichellia palustris
etc.
There are 20 different
species of fishes here which belong to eight main goups:
Cyprinidare, Gasterosteidae, Atherinidae,
Muglidae, Gobiidae, Syngnathidae, Clupeidae
and Percidae.
During the winter, this
wetlands host many thousands of migrating birds, notably
Pelecanus crispus, Phoenicopterus ruber, Anser anser, dabbling
ducks, Fulica atra and Anas platyrhynchos.
Birds like Himantopus himantopus
and terns breed here. See
Map
The Caspian
Sea (Daryâye Xazar):
The area of the Caspian Sea is about 422,000 km2 with 6397 km coastline,
of which more than 900 km is along the Iranian side. About 128 large
and small rivers flow into the Caspian Sea from Iran, among them the
four largest rivers are: Sepidrud, Šalman, Šafarud,
and Tonekâbon.The highest salinity level reaches 12.7 ppt (about
1/3 of the ocean salinity)during summers. The average water temperature
in the coastal regions throughout the year ranges from 15.9oC to 17oC.
Temperature difference between the coldest area in the north,
and the warmest area in the south is 4oC during winter and 16oC
during summer.
More about the Caspian Sea
Status of Biodiversity in IRAN- Caspian Sea
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