Basalt columns is a geological nature monument formed on the western slope of the Ukrainian Shield. These are igneous rocks, cracked in columnar basalt characteristic structure. The reserve is based on the Ivano-Dolinsky basalt deposits. In cross-section those columns are in the shape of geometric figures – from tetrahedron to heptahedron.
The protected area, established in the Ivano-Dolinsky basalt deposit (management organization – JSC “Ivano-Dolinsky special quarry”). Area – 0.8 hectares (2 acres), the total length of basalt columns – 180-230 m (590 – 750 ft). The height of these columns sometimes reaches 30 m (100 ft), and thickness – 1.2 m (4 ft).
Basalt columns is a unique natural site.
Dense rows of columns, amaze with their monumentality and geometric perfection. Some quarries formed by industrial basalt mining are flooded with water. One of the most picturesque ones is located in Yanova Dolyna boundary near Basaltove village: in the middle of the flooded quarry a little island appeared – it’s called "The Island of Love".
