Type of monument: Sacral object
Location: Aktobe region, Irgiz district, 40 km southwest of the district center
Research: Zhamanshin was first researched in 1937-1939 by scientists A.L. Yanshin and V.A. Vakhrameyev. During the same years Zhamanshin researched by the geological scientists. As a result, they found the rocks of the Paleozoic era here. Exploring Zhamanshin was not an easy task. Therefore, geological work continued in 1946, 1957, 1961 and 1963. During the research, many samples of black slag, special type of glass were found there. The discovered minerals were sent to the famous Moscow scientist Pyotr Florensky. In 1975-1976 he scientifically proved that the Zhamanshin crater was the result of a meteorite fall. The peculiar stones found here were given the name Zhamanshit, Irgisite. After that, in the summer of 1977 a special expedition of the Committee on Meteorites began to work here. In September 1989 there was organized the international expedition of the scientists from the USA, Canada, German Democratic Republic and France, which made Zhamanshin famous all over the world.
Brief description: The researchers determined that Zhamanshin was the result of the fall of a large meteorite 0.75-1.1 million years ago, flying in a direction from southeast to northwest. The crater is 5-6 km in diameter, its bottom is flat and about 700 meters deep. The diameter of the meteorite reached 200-400 meters.
Legends: There are many legends about Zhamanshin. This place was called Zhamanshin, because no grass grew and no animals lived there. People were hiding here from persecutors during the repressions and wars.