A survey of geomorphological and neotectonic features around "The Starunia paleontological site" allows to produce a complete description of paleogeographic conditions and geological age of the Pleistocene mammals. The floodplain terraces I and II and a redevelopment valley have been distinguished on the geomorphological map and a sketch of cross-section of the Velyky Lukavets River valley. The location of fossil fauna (mammoth and rhinoceroses) has been indicated. The prospect of finding new extinct Pleistocene mammals preserved in bitumen and salt has been substantiated.
In the late Pliocene, the northeast macro-slope of the Carpathians was dissected by many parallel river valleys transverse to the main Carpathian direction of structures and longitudinal valleys. The rivers took down coarse-grained material from the mountains that formed the high terraces and debris cones (inland delta) of the ancient Dniester valley. The latter was formed at the foot of the Carpathians, in the area of the modern village of Loyeva and the Dniester, then gradually retreated 30–40 km to the northeast and took its present location on the longitude of the town of Halych. Its block mass alluvium formed two ancient terrace plains – Krasna and Loyeva. The climate was subtropical, the type of the present Mediterranean, as evidenced by the red-brown color of the clayey cement of coarse-grained alluvium and cover clays with active migration of iron and manganese.
In the early Pleistocene, in the wide swampy valley of the river Lukavets Velykyi, the winding beds of the last stage of river valleys development were quietly meandered. Monotonous dark gray to black marsh accumulations, silt clays, biogenic silts with numerous plant remains accumulated. Landscapes – tundra with dwarf birch, alder, willow etc. The climate was severe, consistent with Wurm (Valdai) glaciation (59–13 thousand years ago). Perhaps just then herds of mammoths and rhinos grazed in the valleys of the Starunia territory and our ancestors Cro-Magnons lived here.
The extremely important practical value of Starunia is that further expansion of research and creation of an international ecological-tourist center – the Geopark of the Ice Age will significantly improve the socio-economic status of the village of Starunia, provide the population with new jobs and raise the level of tourism in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. The authors hope that the unique phenomenon of Starunia will be preserved for future generations.
Endemic dwarf birch Betula apoiensis (Betulaceae) is a hybrid that originated from Betula ermanii and Betula ovalifolia
