The geographical data

Geographical position of city – 47⁰55’ northern breadth, 33⁰15’ east longitude.

Аdministratively the city is a part of the Dnepropetrovsk region.

The territory (in borders till 24.10.2002) is 407,3 sq.km., the extent from north to south is 126 km, width is up to 20 km

By the decision of the Supreme Rada of Ukraine from 24.10.2002 № 217-IV the total area of 43000,2 acres of Kryvyi Rih city is confirmed.

The city is located in a steppe zone of Ukraine, on the merge of the rivers Ingulets and Saksagan, joining the Dnipro basin. The territory of suburbs is puzzled by numerous gorges (Zelena, Bereznehovata, Chervona, Makortova, Halahova, Lozovatka, Hrushevata, Petrikova, Chervona Rokovata, Sukha, Hlyvata, Dubova, Vovcha, Suslova, Kobalska, Kaletina, Krytyi Yar and others).

Slopes of river valleys are abrupt in the places of bedrocks outcrops.

Time water-drains proceed during thawing snow and after rains in a bottom of the gorges. The Ingulets river drain is controlled by The Karachuny water basin, the Saksagan river is drain controlled by the KRES water basin, and also by the Dzerzhynsky and Makortovsky water basins.

Absolute marks of a surface of water basins vary from 30 up to 160 m. Primary marks of a surface is 50-100 m abs., minimal are usual for inundated sites of river valleys and make 30-45 m abs.

Climate is steppe, Atlantic-continental, characterized by the hot dry summer and moderately soft winter with often thawing weather.

Average duration of frostless period is 182 days, maximal - 224 days.

The most part of precipitations during a warm part of the year (April - October) is 268 mm. The daily maximum (90 mm) was observed in June, 1913.

Amount of days with snow cover is 69. A steady snow cover almost does not happen. The height of snow average of the biggest for winter is 10 cm, maximal - 30 cm.

Primary directions of winds: in the warm period of the year - northern (18,4 % of days), in the cold period - eastern (17,6 % of days).

Max wind speed - 24 m/sec. annually, 28 - 29 m/sec. once in 5 - 10 years, 30 - 31 m/sec. once in 15 - 20 years.

The Ingulets river and its left inflow the Saksagan river.

In the limits of the city the Ingulets Valley is mainly V-figurative, slopes of valleys of 25 - 35 m of height are abrupt, some places are flat, and dissected by ravines and gorges. The flood - plain of the river is 60 - 120 m width .

The Ingulets bed is sinuous, but single-path, of 40 - 60 m width , at shoals of 0,2 - 0,6 m depth , at pools - up to 5,0 m.

Current velocity of the river at pools is minor, at shoals is 0,2 - 0,5 m/sec.

The valley of the Saksagan river in boundaries of the city is mainly trapezoidal, the flood-plain is open, meadow, dry. The preferential width of it is 100 - 200 m. During a spring the high water flood-plain is overflowed with a depth of 1,0 - 1,5 m.

The bed of the river is single-path, its preferential width (except sites of water storage basins) is of 20 - 40 m. A current velocity is minor.

The natural mode of the river is modified much by a governing influence of dams, reset of mine and industrial waters, and also by the intake of water for technical needs.

The greatest expenditures of water of the Saksagan achieves 240 m3/sec.

The city of Kryviy Rih is situated in the central part of Ukrainian crystalline mass. Quarternary loams of 3 - 25 m width spread by Neogene clays, sand or limestone of 5-11 m width participate in geological construction of the city and its suburbs.

Above neogene deposites are placed pre-Cambrian crystalline rocks (granites), which outcrop in the valleys of the rivers.

Within the region two water-bearing horizons deposits of Quarternary period and crystalline Pre-Cambrian rocks and products of its destruction are allocated.

The city soils and its suburbs are ordinary black earth, alkali black earth, black earth, saline, alkali saline and alkali-marshy.

Common black earth is a main genetic group of soils in a suburban zone. They are supplied with nutritious substances, contain 4,5 - 4,9 % of a humuses and spread on watersheds.

Alkali black earth soils are characterized by high grade of humus content (5,9 %) and spread on flood-plain terraces of the rivers.

Alkali-soline soils are spread on the flood-plain of the rivers. The quantity of salts in them is 0,3 - 0,5 %, depth of bedding - 10 - 60 sm. The agronomical value of meadow saline soils is very low.

Soils of a suburban zone under condition of artificial watering are suitable for cultivation of all sorts of green plantings, characterised for a steppe Ukraine zone.

Кryvyi Rih is one of the richest regions of Ukraine in mineral resources . The main part of known deposits is connected with rocks of the Ukrainian shield. The most important among them are iron-ore deposits. One of the largest world iron-ore basins is obliged to Kriyviy Rih with its title. The deposits of ore is a narrow (2 - 7 km) zone, which stretches more than 100 km long along the Ingulets river and his its left inflow - Saksagan, Zhelta and Zelena.

Presently in Krivbass three main industrial types of iron ores are extracted such as: the rich ores, which are directly used in metallurgy, magnetite and oxidized ferruginous quartzites, which require dressing. Rich ores (reserves which on industrial categories include more than 1 mlrd. 200 mln. t) are deposited mainly among oxidized quartzites, creating about 300 ore deposits. The content of iron in them is more than 46 %, of harmful impurities - the 100-th fraction of a percent. They are extracted mainly by underground mining.

Magnetite quartzites (more than 10 % of iron), which reserves include more than 16 mlrd. t, are extracted mainly by a strip mining, and for the last years by underground mining; оxydized quartzites (30 - 46 % of iron) - are extracted only by strip mining. In 1980 the prospecting of the largest deposits magnetite quartzites for strip mining was up to 500 - 700 m depth : the Ingulets, Skelevatsk-Magnetite, Valiavkinsky, Novokryvorizke, Annovske, Pervomaiske, Zhymanovske was over. Since 1977 the prospecting on deep horizons of rich iron ores (1500 - 2000 m) has been carried out. In 1999 in this basin the detailed prospecting of East- Valiavko deposit (with reserves more than 1 mlrd. t.) which are deposited on low depths were completed also will be extracted by strip-mining. These ores are the base for the Kryvyi Rih oxidized ore dressing mill - (city Dolinska). Total prospected reserves of iron ores in Kryvyi Rih are more than 32 mlrd. tons.

In Кryvyi Rih there are appreciable deposits of brown coal. The Kryvyi Rih and Saksagan brown coal regions are included into the large structure of the Dnipro brown coal basin.

On the city territory there are deposits of a marble and the large deposit of dolomites (Frunze) with commercial reserves of more than 112 mln. t (almost 40 % of total balance reserves of Ukraine).

Besides, there are also unique in their way semi-precious, introduced by a radiant quartz - diverse natural "eyes", which complete list is - "cat's", "snake's", "hawk's", "tiger's" - it is possible to find only among ferroginous rocks of Кryvyi Rih .

The special place in the list of rocks, which after processing become works of art, is jaspers which are extracted in the Kotchubey pit, situated near the village of Annovka to the north of Pivn. MCM.

In the Kryvyi Rih basin there are deposits of roofing slates (Shmakovo), minium,ochre, mummy, talcy slates, construction sands, loam, etc. From the east to Kryvyi Rih graphite region.adjoins.

Кryvyi Rih is also rich in mineral waters, both by drinking сurative-table (Кryvorizka № 1, 2; Inguletska), and curative for external usage, which on chemical properties are close to waters such as "Izhevsk", "Minsk", "Odessa", known health resorts of Pyatigorsk and Tskhaltubo (radon slits). In Кryvyi Rih except for a long time operating deposit of medical radon waters arranged in region of the inhabited array Pivd.MCM, are prospected and radon waters on sites Khristoforovo, Nikolo-Kozelsk, Valovoe are ready for operation. Hydrogen-sulphide waters are also detected in Bazarovo village, ferruginous, very rare in Ukraine - in the region of Krasniy Shakhtar. In separate Kryvyi Rih mines waters which are rich in Iodum and Bromum are opened by slits.