Analyzing the Geometry of the Torgai Steppe Geoglyphs

Abstract

The geometries of two-dozen geoglyphs in Northern Kazakhstan are examined to determine their age and purpose. The geoglyphs include linear arrangements of earthen mounds, cross figures, squares, and other shapes. In an attempt to understand the orientation of the cross figures an interesting alignment has been discovered that may be related to solstices. Based on optically stimulated luminescence and astronomical dating, the geoglyphs are estimated to range in age from thousands to tens of thousands of years old. The presence of more and less precise geometries aligned in different ways suggests that the geoglyphs were not the product of a single period or civilization but could have been created over an extended time with earlier figures more precisely aligned and better executed than later ones.