Paleontological Expedition “In the Footsteps of Yu.A. Pastukhov”
With the support of the Department of Culture and Languages Development of Atyrau Region, the Atyrau Regional Museum of History and Local Lore organized the paleontological expedition “In the Footsteps of Pastukhov” from August 7 to 18, 2024. The expedition was led by Candidate of Geographical Sciences, Professor Kazhimurat Akhmedenov. Research was carried out on the Cretaceous massifs of the Akkegershin, Aktolagai, Koikara, Imankara, and Sholkara mountain ranges in the Zhylyoi District.
Using field and laboratory paleontological methods, 511 samples of paleofauna and paleoflora were collected, of which 259 belong to vertebrates, 229 to invertebrates, and 18 to fossilized wood specimens. During the expedition, unique fossil remains of the Upper Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic era were gathered. Among the finds were vertebrae of marine reptiles that lived on this territory 160 million years ago, teeth and vertebrae of Paleogene sharks, fish tail fins, fossilized tree specimens, teeth of large sharks that inhabited the seas 50 million years ago, as well as fragments of belemnites, bivalve mollusks, and sea urchins. “We can consider the Embasaurus as the paleontological brand of the Atyrau Region and believe it is essential to present this unique discovery to world science in a museum exhibition. The materials of the expedition will be processed, and an article based on its results is being prepared for a scientific journal. Further research is required to identify the species of animals that inhabited the Atyrau Region millions of years ago,” noted the head of the expedition, Kazhimurat Akhmedenov.
