On the methodology of compiling a modern geocryological map of Yakutia on a scale 1:1 500 000
M.N. ZHELEZNYAK, A.N. FEDOROV, A.A. SHESTAKOVA, YA.I. TORGOVKIN, N.F. VASILIEV
P.I. Melnikov Permafrost Institute, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Russia
Keywords: geocryological map, permafrost, ground temperature, ice content, active layer, permafrost landscapes
Abstract
By synthesizing and interpreting the data collected over many decades by a large number of teams from the Melnikov Permafrost Institute, a mapping methodology was developed and a geocryological map was compiled for the entire territory of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) at a scale of 1:1 500 000. The geocryological map is of great scientific and practical significance for several reasons. It covers a vast territory of Yakutia where permafrost underlies over 90 % of the land resulting in particularly severe environmental conditions, incomparable to any other region of Russia. For areas with no or little previous research, the map is the only tool for preliminary assessment of geocryological conditions, as well as for formulation of research tasks for development projects. The detailed geocryological map also provides a useful basis for environmental assessment and monitoring, geocryological prediction, and resource management. The new geocryological map of Yakutia is a comprehensive summary of current knowledge on the differentiation of geological and permafrost characteristics which are depicted as separate layers (ground ice content, permafrost temperature, active layer thickness, geocryological processes). The map legend shows 18 lithology classes, 11 mean annual ground temperature/active layer thickness ratios and 4 ice-content classes, as well as typical geocryological processes.
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