East Viru Clint

Text from: http://www.klint.envir.ee/klint/eng/17.html

East Viru Klint encompasses about 70 km (94 km along the escarpment line) in Ida-Viru County, between the Pada Valley and Sillamäe Town. The klint section is characterized by an up to 55-m-high, rather straight-running Ontika-type escarpment bordering the limestone plateau here.

Kalvi Klint Island (15 km2) is separated from the North Estonian Limestone Plateau by the Aseri Fault (in the south) and the Pada Klint Valley (in the west). The limestone plateau of Kalvi Klint Island has a slight southward dipping (52 m asl in the north and 47 m in the south). West of Kalvi Manor, the klint island is bordered for about 5 km by a Kunda-type escarpment, in which also the escarpment of the phosphorite complex differentiates to some extent. At Kalvi Manor, all three above-mentioned escarpments join into one, app. 50-m-high Ontika-type escarpment.
A Tudor-style knight’s castle is located on the Cambrian sandstone terrace at north of the old manor house. The castle was completed in 1913. After still another reconstruction and extension, the castle now accommodates an exclusive guesthouse and restaurant.

Aseri Klint Bay cuts up to 8 km into the klint plateau in more or less east-westerly direction, separating Kalvi Klint Island from the plateau. The northwestern coast of the klint bay follows more or less the course of the Aseri Fault. The southern coast of the klint bay (Kõrkküla Klint Plateau) is bordered by a 3-step klint terrace. Aseri is known first of all for its Cambrian blue clay, as this 535-million-year-old clay has been extracted here already since 1936.

Kõrkküla Klint Plateau, which rises up to the level of 59 m asl at its northern edge, encompasses nearly 15 km between the Pada Valley and Sõreda Stream. The klint plateau is bordered with a partly buried 3-step terrace. From the side of Tallinn-Narva Highway at Kõrkküla Village opens a beautiful view over Purtse Hiiemägi and the klint escarpment bordering the Saka-Ontika Klint Plateau.

Purtse Klint Bay penetrates 3 km long and nearly 6 km wide into the klint plateau in the area between Liimala Village and Moldova Village. At Purtse Village the klint bay narrows from 1.5 km to become an app. 200-m-wide klint valley. The klint island of Purtse Hiiemägi splits the klint valley into two nearly equal branches. On the western bank of the Purtse River lie two limestone-covered up to 20-m-high and app. 200-m-diameter hillocks – Linnamägi and Uueküla. On Linnamägi Hill lay an ancient Estonian fort named Taramägi in the 1st century. An even more famous Tarakalda Fort (in use in the 8th–13th century) was located 2.5 km downstream of Taramägi, on the west bank of the Purtse River. Archaeological finds (arrowheads, rune stones) suggest close connections of the fort with the Vikings. The eastern branch of Purtse Klint Bay is broader and has more distinct terraces.

Purtse Hiiemägi Klint Island, app. 1.5 km long and up to 0.7 km wide in its seaward part, divides Purtse Klint Bay into the eastern and western branch. On top of the klint island, at 45 m asl, there is a narrow plateau of Ordovician limestone. The klint island is bordered in the north with an up to 40-m-high abraded escarpment.

Under the southern slope of Hiiemägi lies the vassal fortress (tower fortress) of Purtse, which was established in 1553 by the notorious vassal Jacob Taube (said to have acted as a pirate). In the southern part of Hiiemägi there is the Memorial Park for the Victims of Cruelty, which is dedicated to all victims of red terror in Estonia.

Moldova-Aa Klint Bay is nearly 6 km wide and penetrates up to 1 km into the klint plateau between the western edge of Moldova Village and Saka Manor. The Ordovician limestone plateau in the area adjacent to the klint bay has a southward dip (up to 4 m/km). Near Saka Manor the escarpments join into one, laying a basis to the highest, longest and most monolithic cliff of the North Estonian Klint – the Ontika-type escarpment bordering the Saka-Ontika Klint Plateau.

Saka–Ontika Klint Plateau is edged in the north by an app. 50-m-high and rather straight-running Ontika-type escarpment and encompasses app. 20 km between Saka and Toila. The klint plateau is 2–3 km wide and lies at the altitude of 50–55 m asl, with the usual southward dip being either absent or very small (1–2 m per km).

A hotel named Saka Cliff & SPA is now located here. It is planned that the Baltic Klint Visitor Centre will be built at the restored manor house in near future and various exhibits introducing the Baltic Klint and the rocks and the surrounding park will be opened.