Kreidianyi kar’ier u s. Novomyl’s’k (Chalk Quarry in the village of Novomylsk)

Functioning industrial quarry.

Rivne Oblast, Zdolbuniv Territorial Community (Hromada), Novomylsk Village, vul. Karierska.

50.52902, 26.3027

11,5 km

A long time ago, in the 1870s the locals discovered a high quality Zdolbuniv chalk deposit. At that time, Ilenki brothers, Czechs by origin, got to know about this, they drew attention to the huge deposits of chalk and built a small cement plant near the town of Zdolbuniv.

 At some point the quarry was the world’s ocean floor, i.e. seabed, hence sometimes people find shark teeth, turtle shells and fossilised remains of ancient animals here.  The turquoise ponds and the artificial, quintessentially man-made desert landscape attract a great number of tourists. Nevertheless, these reservoirs are not suitable for swimming, as they are very dangerous. “Volyn-Cement” company is gradually working on land revegetation (reclamation), and backfilling the reservoirs. The quarry is functioning, heavy motor vehicles and railway equipment work in it, as well as excavators on high-power electric traction.

 Despite the fact that the “Towns and Cities of Pohorynnia” Tourist Route passes through the quarry and does not intersect with the movement of industrial vehicles operating here, cyclists and hikers still need to be very careful, because the quarry has very steep slopes, there is a possibility of landslides and sink-hole collapses, moreover, in some places there are wetlands.