Golestân province is geographicaly uneven being clearly divided in to plain and mountainous region. Almost through out the statethe ground slop reducestoward plaine and the Caspian sea.
A large part of the province is taken by the Alborz Range. The high Alborz(Elburz)Mountains, sealing off the narrow Caspian strip, trap humidity and create a mild  humid region with luxuriant forests and swamps. Golestân province is one of the most humid region in Iran.

Accessibility and Water Supply
Gorgân is the nearest town to the block. The considered  area  is highly  populated and being an agricultural center it has a  good grid of roads. Gorgân River is the main river of the area. The Dašte Gorgân (Gorgân steppe)climate is semi humid. The annual rainfall  is between 600 and 700 mm.  

Geology
Dašte Gorgân & Gonbad (Gorgân & Gonbad Steppe Block) is a vast area, covered by Holocene deposits. In the southern mountain ranges the Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks are exposed. The young sedimentary rocks of this block from Pleocene to recent times belong to the Caspian basin.This sequence consists of an alternation of shale, claystone, siltstone and  sandstone. The sandstone provides reservoir rocks and shales from source and seals. The Cheleken formation was gas bearing in the Garniarik Tape structure which  is close to a mud volcano with the same name. The underlying  rock units are mainly Mesozoic formation of the Hezar Masjed mountains*   basin. The lower Cretaceous Tirgan formation was gas bearing in Qezel Tape structure. The active mud volcano of Naftice is also located in this block. Tectonic: The brown beds are folded in the Pasadenian folding phase. As the area is covered by recent sediments, the structures are defined by seismic survey. Previous Works: Geological  studies are carried out in the surrounding  mountains and drilled wells. The region is covered by the gravity, magnetic and seismic surveys. Minimum Expected Scope of Work: The following studies is recommended:1) 1,000 km 2D seismic survey. 2) 180 km 3D seismic survey. 3) Drilling  and testing of  2  wells.

*In some documents a part of the HezarMasjed mountain range is known as Kopeh Daq. The direction of theHezar  Masjed ranges are from the south-east (in Xorâsân province) to the north-west (in Turkmenistan).

Links:
Dašte Gorgân Block
Biosphere Reserve Directory
Miyânkâle Peninsula, Gorgân Bay and ...
Engineering geological survey for...
Image of Gorgân Bay, Caspian Sea
A preliminary study on the Gorgânrud (River) aquatic life: A limnological approach
Solar Eclipses of Gorgân
Geognostiche beschreibung von Nord- und Zentral-Persien
Gorgânrud River          

Lakes:

Lake Alagol, Ulmagol and Ajigol
Coordinates: 37°21'N 054°35'E Elevation: 5 m
Area: 1,400 ha

• Location: The lakes Alagol, Ulmagol and Ajigol are situated in the Province of Golestân, on the "Gorgân & Gonbad steppe"near the border with Turkmenistan. The lakes are situated about 60 km southwest from the town of Gorgân. Criteria:1a,  2a, 3a, 3c The lakes Alagol, Ulmagol and Ajigol  are good representative examples of natural  brackish and freshwater  lakes characteristic of the vast plains to the east  of the Caspian Sea. The lakes provide wintering habitat for four threatened species of birds:  Pelecanus crispus, Anser erythropus, Aquila  heliaca and Oxyura leucocephala. Together they regularly support over 20,000 waterfowl  in winter, and over 1% of  the regional Middle East breeding populations of Anas strepera, Aythya fuligula and Fulica  atra.

• Wetland Types: Ss, Ts, R, P, W (dominant types listed first) The site comprises a group of three small lakes with associated marshes on the rolling grassy steppes to the east of the Caspian Sea. Lake Alagol [900 ha] is a slightly saline, seasonal lake. It lies about 6 km southwest of Lake Ulmagol and Lake Ajigol. These two lakes [together 640 ha] are freshwater lakes. They support reedbeds, and some aquatic vegetation. Both are subject to wide fluctuations in water level, and occasionally dry out completely.

• Biological/Ecological notes: Lake Alagol is oligotrophic. It supports little aquatic vegetation except for some Juncus, Carex and grasses, mainly in the northeast, and a few patches of reed Phragmites communis. Lake Ulmagol and Lake Ajigol are eutrophic lakes. They support a more varied vegetation of Juncus, duckweed Lemna, Phragmites, manna Alhagi and algae, and an abundant submerged vegetation. Much of Ajigol is overgrown with Phragmites, and this lake has some adjacent stands of Tamarix thickets, grasses and saltbush. The surrounding steppes are vast, gently undulating grassland with low sandy hills. The lakes are utilized by a wide variety of waterfowl during the migration season and in winter. They are especially important for greater flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber, greylag goose Anser anser, dabbling ducks, pochard Netta rufina, smew Mergellus albellus and coot Fulica atra. Breeding species include great crested grebe Podiceps cristata, black-winged stilt Himantopus himantopus, plover Charadrius alexandrinus, gull Larus genei and tit Remiz pendulinus. Black stork Ciconia nigra has been recorded in summer and may breed.

• Hydrological/Physical notes: Lake Alagol is slightly saline and fed by seepage, springs and local run-off. It floods in winter and sometimes dries out completely in summer. The average water depth is 2 m. When full, it overflows westwards. The lake bottom consists of mud and sand. The other two lakes are freshwater lakes, fed mainly in autumn and winter by local rainfall. Both have large seasonal fluctuations in water level. Their bottoms consist of mud and fine clay. The three lakes rarely, if ever, freeze over in winter.

• Human Uses: Activities at the three lakes include grazing, reed cutting and recreational fishing and wildfowl hunting. The water of lake Alagol is being used for irrigation by local farmers, and for a fish hatchery. Research on waterbirds has been carried out by the Ornithology Unit of the Department of the Environment. They have carried out annual mid-winter censuses since 1969, and breeding surveys on several other occasions. In the early 1990s two MSc students from Teheran University have conducted research on the avifauna and physico-chemical characteristics of the three lakes. In the surrounding area there are a few small settlements where some agriculture is practised.

• Conservation Measures: The site has no other designation than Ramsar, and is not legally protected. The site has been on the Montreux Record since June 1993 due to problems at Lake Alagol.

• Adverse Factors: The lakes Ulmagol and Ajigol are subject to high levels of disturbance from wildfowl hunters. At lake Alagol there is also some disturbance from hunting, but on a much smaller scale since lake Alagol is less accessible. The extraction of water from lake Alagol for irrigation purposes and for a fish hatchery has resulted in lowering water levels at the lake, especially in summer. Most recent Ramsar Information Sheet/datasheet: 1997; Please see Introduction for more details.

Lake Bibiširvân and Lake Eymâr
Coordinates: 37°09'N 054°52'E
Area: 600 ha
Lying on the southern edge of the Gorgân and Gonbad steppes, 36 km west-south of Gonbade Kâvous, these two freshwater lakes support a vegetation of  Carex , Typha angustifolia and Phragmites communnis and floating plants such as Lemna sp, Hydrocharis morusrana, Ricca natans and Salvinia natans.The surrounding area is cultivated.
These lakes are a wintering area for a wide variety of waterfowl including good numbers of Netta rufina and Vanellus vanellus . Glareola pratincola, Chlidonias  hybridus and small number of Aquila clanga are some of the breeding birds here. The annual precipitation is between 250-350 mm.

Source:
Lake Alagol, Lake Ulmagol and Lake Ajigol      

Links:
Miyânkâle Peninsula, Gorgan Bay and Lapu-Zâqmarz  Âb-bandans                
Wetlands of International Importance
Lake Alagol, Lake Ulmagol and Lake Ajigol
United Nations of Protected Areas

Noqre Tape (Gomišân ) marshes and Gorgân & Gonbad Steppe 
Coordinate: 37°15'N 053°55'E
Area:20,000 ha
The brackish lagoons and marshes of  Noqre Tape, in the north  western town of Gorgân covering c. 4,850  ha. In  the east,  the wetland borded on the edge of Gorgân & Gonbad steppes , a vast region  of grass-covered plains and rolling hills extending for over 100 km in Iran but even further to the north in Turkmenisatn. The wetland  lies at the eastern edge of the vast area of low-lying plains with salt-tolerant vegetation. The site is bounded in the west by low coastal dunes with typical sand-dune vegetation, and in the east extends onto the short-grass plains of the Gorgân & Gonbad steppes . These marshes compise a larger area of shallow, brackish lagoons since 1.8 m rise in thelevel of the Caspian Sea.
The main vegetation of wetland area are: Phragmites communis, Aelurpous littoralis, Callitriche palustris, Ceratophyllum demersum, Juncus acutus, Juncus littoralis, Potamogeton pectinatus, Ruppia maritima, Typha angustifolia, Zannichellia palustris etc.
There are 20 different species of fishes here  which belong to eight main goups: Cyprinidare, Gasterosteidae, Atherinidae, Muglidae, Gobiidae, Syngnathidae, Clupeidae and Percidae.
During the winter, this wetlands host many thousands of migrating birds, notably Pelecanus crispus, Phoenicopterus ruber, Anser anser, dabbling ducks, Fulica atra and Anas platyrhynchos. Birds like Himantopus himantopus and terns breed here. See Map

The Caspian  Sea (Daryâye Xazar):
The area of the Caspian Sea is about 422,000 km2 with 6397  km coastline,  of which more than 900 km is along the Iranian side. About  128 large and small rivers flow into the Caspian Sea from Iran, among them  the four largest   rivers are: Sepidrud, Šalman, Šafarud,  and Tonekâbon.The  highest salinity level reaches 12.7 ppt (about 1/3  of the ocean salinity)during  summers. The average water temperature in the  coastal regions throughout the year ranges from 15.9oC to 17oC. Temperature  difference between the coldest  area in the north, and the warmest area in  the south is 4oC during winter  and 16oC during summer.

More about the Caspian Sea
Status of  Biodiversity  in IRAN- Caspian Sea