Home – Home – Jornals – Geography and Natural Resources 2020 number 3

In the northern Ladoga area, the age of the Sortavala Group rocks in the southeast of the Raahe-Ladoga zone of junction of the epi-Archean Fenno-Karelian Craton and the Paleoproterozoic Svecofennian province, their relationship with dome granitoids, the age of the provenances, and the time of metamorphic processes were estimated. The study was focused on the Nd isotope composition of rocks, the geochemical and isotope-geochronological parameters of zircon from the granite-gneisses of the Kirjavalakhti dome, the basal graywackes of the lower unit and the trachytes of the middle unit of the Sortavala Group, and the plagio- and diorite-porphyry dikes cutting the volcanosedimentary units of this group. The new isotope-geochemical data show a Neoarchean age of the granitoids of the Kirjavalakhti dome (2695 ± 13 Ma) and their juvenile nature (ε_Nd( T ) = +1.5). The granitoids underwent tectonometamorphic transformations (rheomorphism) in the Paleoproterozoic (Sumian) (2.50-2.45 Ga), which are recorded in the U-Th-Pb isotope system of the rims of the ancient cores of zircon crystals. The volcanosedimentary complex of the Sortavala Group formed on the heterogeneous polychronous (3.10-2.46 Ga) continental crust of the epi-Archean Fenno-Karelian Craton. With regard to the errors in determination of the age of clastic zircon, the minimum concordant U-Th-Pb ages of 1940-1990 Ma of detrital zircon from volcanomictic graywackes of the Pitkyaranta Formation can be taken as the upper age bound of terrigenous rocks, which agrees with the maximum age of the Sortavala Group rocks estimated from the U-Th-Pb (SIMS) age of 1922 ± 11 Ma of the Tervaoya diorites (Matrenichev et al., 2006). According to the proposed new tectonic model, the accumulation of the volcanosedimentary complex of the Sortavala Group, its metamorphism, erosion, and overlapping by the Ladoga Group turbidites had already occurred in the pericratonic part of the epi-Archean Fenno-Karelian Craton by the time of the Svecofennian continent-island arc collision, subduction, and formation of bimodal volcanoplutonic complexes of the young Pyhäsalmi island arcs and felsic volcanics of the Savo schist belt (1920-1890 Ma).

The Lahroud Ophiolite in northwestern Iran contains extensive zones of Paleozoic ophiolite as remnantsof the Paleo-Tethys oceanic crust. The principal rock units are gabbro overlain by pillowbasalt, which is intruded by granites and interbedded with pelagic sedimentary units including radiolariancherts. Geochemistry and radioisotope studies, supported by Nd, Sm, Sr, and Pb isotope data, indicatethat the Lahroud Ophiolite originates from a within-plate basaltic mantle source. The isotope studiesshow that the basalts are derived from Indian-type oceanic mantle sources. The radiogenic data indicatethe involvement of subduction-related terrigenous materials in the source magma. All the rocks are geochemically cogenetic and were generated by fractionation of a melt with a composition of average E-MORB with a calc-alkaline signature. Two ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages, 343 ± 3 Ma for muscovite minerals and 187.7 ± 7.7 Ma for glasses, suggest that metamorphic and basaltic rocks formed during the Late Paleozoic to Early Jurassic, respectively. Microfossil studies show the presence of Paleozoic biostratigraphy. The crystallization process and rifting into the oceanic crust in the Lahroud Ophiolite probably began in the Carboniferous, with volcanic activity continuing during the late Triassic.

The paper concerns the sediment sequence, which is widespread in the Yenisei valley and in the Tuva and Minusa depressions and also present in the valleys of the southern Chulym plain. The sediments of this sequence were previously described as “Neogene mud-shedding”, as well as moraines, alluvial fan deposits, alluvium of Middle Pleistocene high terraces, and lacustrine sediments. The giant ripple marks on the Upper Yenisei terraces was commonly interpreted as ribbed moraines; however, in recent studies, these ridges have been repeatedly referred to as marks of giant current ripples. Besides, some recently published papers provide description of geology of this sequence fragments suggesting its deposition by cataclysmic floods. Geomorphological analysis of the area shows Pleistocene glaciers to have been localized within the medium-high mountainous areas. The glaciers did not reach the Tuva and Minusa depressions and occupied large areas only in the Todzha basin and on the periphery of the Darkhat basin, forming a glacial dam at its outlet, which resulted in glacial-dammed lakes filling the basin completely. These lakes outburst, and the resultant flooding led to the deposition of megaflood sediments, which we refer to here as the Upper Yenisei sediment sequence. A detailed analysis of its facies architecture revealed similarity of these sediments to those of the Sal’dzhar and Inya sequences in Gorny Altai. Most of the Upper Yenisei megaflood sediments are localized in topographic lows of the Tuva and Minusa depressions. Beyond the Altai-Sayan mountainous area, the megaflood sediments of the Upper Yenisei sequence compose high terraces of the Yenisei, Chulym, Chet’, and Kiya rivers in the southern Chulym plain. The formation of Upper Yenisei sequence dates to the first half of the Late Pleistocene, inasmuch as it contains inset alluvial sediments of the second terrace of the Yenisei River. The available data allow suggesting that the Upper Yenisei sequence formed in the first Late Pleistocene regional glaciation. The Sal’dzhar sequence in Gorny Altai and the fourth terrace of the Ob’ River on the Fore-Altai plain are stratigraphic analogs of the Upper Yenisei sequence. The Upper Yenisei and Sal’dzhar sequences can thus be considered future regional markers serving as a link for the local stratigraphic schemes of the Altai-Sayan mountainous area and adjacent West Siberian plains. The results obtained call for verification by geochronological dating, first of all, by modern luminescence dating methods covering a wider chronological interval than radiocarbon dating.

We consider the geologic structure of the Nerunda gold ore field located in the Nerunda-Mama ore district in northern Transbaikalia. Gold-quartz low-sulfide formation and ore-bearing carbonate-terrigenous strata and intrusive complexes are briefly described. An ore complex of beresite-listvenite metasomatites hosting carbonate-quartz veins and vein-veinlet zones is characterized. Two stages of ore formation have been recognized. Anomalous geochemical associations and the composition of ore mineralization typical of these stages have been established. Mineralogical and geochemical studies of gold-bearing metasomatites of the Nerunda ore field were carried out. The known geochemical and mineralogical search criteria used for the assessment of the erosion zone level of gold deposits were applied to the geologic conditions of the Nerunda ore field and the Nerunda-Mama gold ore district as a whole. The emphasis was made on the express assessment of the erosion zone level at the early stage of prospecting. We draw a conclusion about the gold potential of the poorly studied ore objects at depth and give guidelines for the following geological exploration.

The compositions of volatile components in cordierite, tourmaline, and quartz from pegmatites of the Kuhilal deposit were studied by pyrolysis-free gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), IR and Raman spectroscopy, and microthermometry, and their comparative analysis was performed. Capillary GC-MS was applied to determine the component composition and relative contents (rel. %) of volatiles from different zones of crystals and fractions of cordierite. It has been established that water and carbon dioxide prevail among them. Hydrocarbons are predominantly aliphatic, cyclic, and oxygenated. Heterocyclic, nitrogenated, and sulfonated compounds are present in gas-liquid inclusions in tourmaline and quartz, and volatile components are localized in both structural cavities and nonstructural positions in cordierites.

The paper presents results of a petrogeochemical and isotope-geochronological study of the granite-leucogranite association of the Pavlov massif and felsic volcanics from the Elash graben (Biryusa block, southwest of the Siberian craton). A characteristic feature of the granite-leucogranites is their spatial and temporal association with vein aplites and pegmatites of the East Sayan rare-metal province. The U-Pb age of zircon from granites of the Pavlov massif (1852 ± 5 Ma) is close to age of the pegmatites of the Vishnyakovskoe rare-metal deposit (1838 ± 3 Ma). The predominant biotite porphyritic granites and leucogranites of the Pavlov massif show variable alkali ratios (K₂O/Na₂O = 1.1-2.3) and ferroan (Fe^*) index and peraluminous composition; they are comparable with S -granites. The studied rhyolites of the Tagul River (SiO₂ = 71-76%) have a low ferroan index, an increased K₂O/Na₂O ratio (1.6-4.0), low (La/Yb) _n = 4.3-10.5, and a clear Eu minimum (Eu/Eu^* = 0.3-0.5); they are similar to highly fractionated I -granites. All the coeval Later Paleoproterozoic (1.88-1.85 Ga) granites and felsic volcanics of the Elash graben have distinct differences in composition, especially in the ferroan index and heavy REE content, owing to variations in the source composition and melting conditions during their formation at postcollision extension. A wide range of isotopic parameters of granites and felsic volcanic rocks (ɛ_Nd from +2.0 to -3.7) and zircons (ɛ_Hf from +3.0 to +0.8, granites of the Toporok massif) indicates the heterogeneity of the crustal basement of the Elash graben, which formed both in the Archean and Paleoproterozoic.

The mineralogy and contents of major and trace elements (including REE+Y) in bulk samples and separate size fractions of caviar-like ironstones from the Kamysh-Burun deposit (Kerch iron province) are studied to estimate the contributions of different REE+Y species to the total budget. The analyzed ore samples contain MREE adsorbed on Fe³⁺-(oxy)hydroxides, as well as LREE authigenic phosphates. The predominant rhabdophane-type (Ce(PO₄)nH₂O) phases are enriched in La, Pr, Nd, and Ca, depleted in Ce, and free from Th. The REE carriers belong to solid solution series of two main types: LREE(PO₄)·nH₂O - (Ca,Ce,Th)(PO₄)·H₂O (rhabdophane-like phase and brockite) or LREE(PO₄)·nH₂O - (Ca,U,Fe³⁺)((PO₄),(SO₄))·2H₂O (rhabdophane-like phase and tristramite). REE phosphates occur most often in the ≤ 0.25 mm fractions of ironstones, where average and maximum ΣREE contents ( X_av = 606-1954 ppm; X_max = 769-3011 ppm) are comparable with the respective amounts in the Chinese industrial clay-type REE deposits. The Kerch ores are commercially attractive unconventional resources of highly demanded Pr and Nd: they can be extracted at relatively low costs, due to high Pr/Ce and Nd/Ce ratios, while low Th and U reduce the environmental risks from stockpiled wastes.

It has been established that megacities, due to an excessive concentration of anthropogenic pressure, pose increased risks to human health and contribute to the growth primarily of mental illness. In this regard, a new medical-urban approach to the study of modern megacities is justified using the city of Moscow as an example. It is a multidisciplinary approach and includes a whole range of sciences and scientific directions: from urban planning, architecture, geography and ecology to medicine, psychology and sociology. It is confirmed by facts and arguments that the most effective for the implementation of the medical-urban approach is territorial planning, which is aimed at creating a spatial environment favorable for the human life and sustainable development of the city. It should focus on the spatial development of the territory, change the environment at the request of residents and form social design centers where residents, together with authorities and specialists, would propose initiatives for the development of their territories. It is illustrated by concrete examples that Moscow, as the basis of the urban development strategy, is oriented towards improving the quality of life and living comfort of the townspeople, the orientation of an acceptable health care system, health economics, and the fight against depression, which is characteristic of residents of all large cities of the world. The health programs of successful cities of the world (London, New York, and Singapore) and government programs of Moscow are analyzed, which are aimed at developing public ecological transport, forming an effective protection of public health from the adverse effects of urban factors, ensuring medical rehabilitation of the population and reducing risks to public health and improving the quality of life of citizens. It was revealed that the implementation of these programs in Moscow contributes to the formation of “health landscapes”: territories where the quality of the urban environment and living conditions of the population are approaching or correspond to the highest world standards.

We examine the methodological and practical issues related to the application of information technologies and space-based monitoring in ethnological examination of projects of Arctic industrial development. The necessity and prospects of using these technologies to assess the resource productivity of the territory are illustrated by the example of the project of the extraction of alluvial gold in the basin of the Mokrundya stream of the Srednekolymskii ulus (district) of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic. In particular, this is necessary for analyzing the distribution of dominant plant communities, determining the phytomass of pasture plants, stocks of wild plants, and reindeer grazing capacity, and for calculating the losses of the indigenous peoples of the North in the influence zone of the project. A geobotanical map of the study area is provided. It is also shown that the use of space-based monitoring in carrying out an ethnological examination of projects and determining the damage caused to the local population as a result of the impact on traditional land use practices (hunting, gathering wild plants, and reindeer husbandry) makes it possible to take an inventory of pasture lands of reindeer husbandry and reduce the cost of these projects in comparison with traditional methods (field surveys of the territory, and aerial imaging surveys). The possibilities of comparing interannual images can also provide insight into the dynamics of changes in the territory under the influence of anthropogenic activity and taking into account climatic transformations.

This article deals with the features in the morphology and dynamics of river beds and floodplains located in different natural zones and in different conditions of development of channel deformations. In preparing small-scale thematic maps (geo morphological, landscape and other maps), river valleys and their constituent river beds and floodplains are displayed in a simplified fashion using a common linear conventional sign. However, the procedure neglects the influence on the formation and development of riverbeds and floodplains from zonal processes associated with climatic features of river basins. For revealing this influence, an original small-scale map of riverbeds on a large territory of the East of the Eurasian continent covering the Asian part of Russia, Mongolia and China (Eastern transect), was compiled. The climatic zonality of both plains and highlands is widely manifested in this territory and the influence of zonality on intrazonal channel processes is emphasized. Of course, the leading factors are fluvial, but they are actively influenced by zonal natural factors. In the nival zone, they are represented by cryogenic processes, and in the semiarid zone by aeolian and halogen processes (salinization of floodplains). In the highlands, the role of horizontal zonality is less (it is manifested only in the semiarid highlands), but there the influence of azonal slope processes is intensified. Only in the humid zone, the nonfluvial factors of channel and floodplain processes are almost not manifested. The identified regularities are associated with the occurrence of dangerous emergency and extreme channel pro cesses which differ in their specificity in each natural zone. This should be taken into account when mapping them and using river resources.

This paper studies the changes in winter air temperatures in the Siberian sector of the northern hemisphere (60-120 ° E) over a long-term period of 1947-2017. A positive trend in air temperature (0,3 ° C/10 years) was revealed. An analysis of the magnitude and frequency of temperature anomalies also confirms an increase in surface temperature. The distribution of large positive and negative temperature anomalies was investigated. Centers of the largest recurrence of large negative anomalies were located in the south and south-west of the study area. A maximum number of negative anomalies were observed in December. Large positive anomalies (the highest frequency in January) were observed throughout the territory under consideration, and extremely large anomalies were found only at 20 % of the stations. The largest number of anomalies in the period of 1947-2017 was observed at the Irkutsk station. Based on the analysis of elementary circulation mechanisms (classification by B.L. Dzerdzeevsky), a relationship was established between the atmospheric circulation and the distribution of air temperature anomalies. It was concluded that the temperature regime in the winter months was formed under the influence of 26 elementary circulation mechanisms, combined into seven groups. The meridional circulation prevailed (75 % of cases). The elementary circulation mechanisms of the meridional northern circulation group were all characterized by the presence of blockings and intrusions of southern cyclones into the study area. In general, over the past two decades, an increase in duration of macrocir culation processes resulting in the inter-latitudinal air mass exchange has been revealed.

Using literature data and material from this author’s large-scale landscape-ecological research, an analysis is made of the impact of global anthropogenic warming over the last 100 years on the state of the forest geosystems of the Volga basin. In mixed forests, a nemoralization of the grass stand was revealed, with a decrease in the number of boreal species, and in oak forests - а massive desiccation of oak. It is found that on the southern border of the forest zone there occurs a partial replacement of forest-steppe vegetation with northern-steppe vegetation, this latter being substituted by dry-steppe vegetation. As a result, gray forest soils and common chernozems have persisted as northern relics. In the A1 soil horizon, the fractional composition of humus has changed, which indicates a change of the podzolic soil-forming process by the sodding process. At the main landscape line of the Russian Plain along the Oka and Volga valleys, a peculiar three-dimensional biogeographic ecotone was formed as a result of the transgression of different vegetation types: the taiga, nemoral forest and steppe types, along different biological ho rizons. Significant changes in the structure of hydrothermal niches of forest biogeocoenoses occurred on zonal ecotones of forests and steppes: the shift of dominants to an arid critical state of forests as well as the emergence of negative excesses and even “gaps” in the structure of niches. All these signs point to the beginning of massive structural and functional restructuring of forest geosystems in the Volga basin. Within the next 100 years, we can assume a certain “savanization” of mesophilic deciduous forests and their closure with a common mosaic complex of light forests, meadows and steppes of typical forest-steppe. This will occur against the background of instability of zonal boundaries.

The article presents the results of linear and areal retreat rates of gullies in the territory of the Western Pre-Kama region of the Republic of Tatarstan as obtained on the basis of the stationary observations and interpretation of high-resolution satellite images for the periods 1983-1994, 2000-2014 and 2015-2018. The results from monitoring the gullies and interpretation of satellite images indicate comparable rates of linear headcut retreat rates. Analysis of observational data shows an uneven character of the gully headcut retreat as well as indicating a reduction in the rate of development of gully erosion in the current decade compared with the period of 1983-1994 about twice in the Western Pre-Kama region and by a factor of 7 within a small catchment. It was established that, in spite of cessation of the linear growth, about 66 % of all the gullies under investigation continue their development by increasing the width, or areal retreat. The average area growth of gullies for the entire territory of the Western Kama region is 22 m ² per year, and for a separate catchment it is 1.5 m ² per year. It is shown that the chief reasons behind the decrease in the growth of gully headcut is climate change, which manifests itself in a rise of winter-spring air temperatures, a reduction of the duration of the cold period, an increase in the occurrence frequency of thaws and decreases in the depth of soil freezing as well as anti-erosion measures (construction of hydraulic structures and protective afforestation) which were actively introduced in the 1990s throughout the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan. The influence of land use has most likely played a secondary role.

Soil-erosion processes in the basins of the Tugnui and Sukhara rivers of the Selenga middle mountain region of the Republic of Buryatia were studied. It was revealed that the Tugnui basin is characterized by slope water-erosion, fluvial and aeolian processes. Five soil-erosion areas were identified. It was found that areas of rare, weak, medium and high density and the degree of density of gullies are typical for the southern slopes of the Tsagan-Daban mountain range, the northern slopes of the ridge Zaganskii range, the Tugnuiskii intra-depression low-mountain range, the river valleys, and the treeless cultivated areas. The gullies are affected by sub-mountain deluvial-proluvial aprons occupying the most extensive areas on the bottom of the depression, the ledges and surfaces of river terraces, and the bottoms of balkas. Toward the mountains surrounding the depression, the density and the degree of density of gullies decrease considerably. Territories with the degree of linear dissection ranging from 0,07 to 0,25 km/km ² and the density of gullies varying from 0,13 to 0,51 gully/km ² were identified. Compared to the deflation processes, the middle part of the Tugnui steppe region and the areas within the basins of the Barka, Galtai and Sutai rivers were severely destroyed by gullies. The base level of erosion in this locality is more than 400 m, according to absolute elevations the watersheds (average value) and the elevation at the mouth. Different groups of gullies were identified according to the distribution of gullies along the length, and to the indicator of the intensity of the erosion processes. It was found that most of the gullies with a length of more than 600 m are in the stage of rest, increasing more in volume and sometimes in length, due to the growing small side gullies holes, and the most widespread types are slope and bottom, and more rarely, less often coastal scours. It was found that the determining factors in the development of gullies of these types include the occurrence of slopes with a steepness of 3-5°, the complexity of the terrain, the heterogeneity of soil-forming materials, the occurrence of thick loose deposits, rain precipitation of significant intensity, and high agricultural development. It is estimated that the total length of the scours in the basins of the Tugnui and Sukhara rivers is 834 km, with 480 km of them corresponding to the gully network in the most plowed valley of the Tugnui river which has a catchment area of 2770 km ² .

Quantitative assessments are made of the formation of municipal solid waste, ash and furnace waste from heat power plants (boilers), and logging and timber processing activities in the central ecological zone of the Baikal natural territory. The mate rial and raw material balance method and the normative method were used as the basis, and calculations used potential volumes of waste produced (thematic industrial reference books) and specific indicators adopted for particular federal subjects of Russia. These authors are executors of several thematic research projects of federal and regional status, aimed at the environmental and socio-economic development of the central ecological zone of the Baikal natural territory (seven administrative districts and one urban district of Irkutsk oblast and of the Republic of Buryatia), which has allowed us, over the last two decades, to character ize, evaluate and predict the development of various economic processes in the environment and society of this territory, includ ing issues related to production and consumption waste management. Variants of a comprehensive solution to the problems of waste management are proposed: alternative sources of energy and heat supply in the central ecological zone (logging and timber processing waste and consumer waste) as well as applications in the construction sector and, in particular, in road construction (ash and slag). The findings of this research can serve as the substantiation of particular managerial decisions on the promotion of the ideology of the green economy by developing further the aforementioned individual types of reuse of waste produced in order to safeguard the World Heritage site, Lake Baikal, and sustainable development of society on its shores.

Based on our hydrological and hydrochemical studies in winter 2018 and on previous data (2001-2017), we analyze results on changes in the chemical components and water quality of the Selenga river and its tributaries obtained at the final stage of a long-lasting low-water period. It was found that after the historically minimum winter river runoff in 2012 and its slight rise in 2014, the winter river discharges in the subsequent period were again abnormally low and contributed to the deterioration of the Selenga water quality. During winter 2018, the concentrations of dissolved oxygen in the Selenga river and its tributaries changed from 6,0 to 10,5 mg/dm ³ (44-70 % of saturation). In some areas of the streams under study (the Selenga river near Novose lenginsk and downstream of the city of Ulan-Ude; the Uda river in Ulan-Ude), where the values were minimal, the water qual ity decreased to the “heavily polluted” category. At the beginning of the current century, the oxygen content in the river during the wintertime was significantly higher (67-99 % of saturation). This gives evidence to a decrease in self-purification capacity. It is found that sulphate concentrations as the indicators of industrial contamination of the river waters have increased through out the Russian section of the Selenga. In the lower reaches of the river, these values reach 16,5-22,2 mg/dm ³ , whereas in the pre-industrial period they varied within 7,2-10,4 mg/dm ³ . Concentrations of biogenic elements were the highest in the areas of input of wastewaters. On the whole, the hydrochemical studies made in 2018 unequivocally indicate the quality deterioration of the Selenga waters in the wintertime due to an anthropogenic impact and a decrease in the water runoff.

We examine the formation conditions for the resources and chemical composition of mineral lakes located in the vicinities to the unique natural site of the Barguzin intermontane depression, Nizhnii Kuitun. Presented are the results from studying the surface structure of this sand massif. It is shown that its formation is associated with peculiar features in the tectonic development of the Barguzin depression. It is pointed out that the block of rocks forming Nizhnii Kuitun is broken up by tectonic faults into several smaller parts, and this had a determining impact on its modern appearance. The lakes under study are situated in the northern part of Nizhnii Kuitun, in the Nukhe Nur urochishche, in the topographically clearly pronounced drainless depression. The formation of this depression occurred during the uplifting stage of the block of rocks when intensively fragmented rocks, located at the interface of the faults, lagged behind in vertical movement. The depression receives the runoff of surface and underground waters which drain sedimentary deposits of Nizhnii Kuitun. Data are provided to demonstrate that the lakes are situated in the ablation funnels of sand-clay sediments. On the basis of a quantitative determination of the chemical composition of water and gases, it is proved that seepage waters of sandy sediments of Nizhnii Kuitun and nitrogenous fissure-vein waters play the main role in the formation of resources and chemical composition of the lake water in the area of the Nukhe-Nur uro chishche. The hydrological-hydrogeological model of the formation of the lakes under study is suggested. In a dry period when the amount of water infiltrating through the sand deposits of Nizhnii Kuitun decreases, the proportion of deep fissure-vein waters increases; therefore, water mineralization increases in the lakes as well as fluorine, sodium, tungsten and molybdenum contents. In wet years, the contribution of drainage waters to the formation of the lake’s resources increases, and the concentration of these elements decreases.

Boreholes exposed the structure of the loess cover on four key sites along the line from the Eastern Azov region to the Terek-Kuma plain. In order to obtain the most preserved loess paleoarchives, the profiles and boreholes were established located at subhorizontal flat interfluves unimpaired by modern and relict erosion. A stratigraphic subdivision of sediments was carried out on the basis of the loess-paleosol scheme developed under the direction of A.A. Velichko. A set of laboratory analyses of 411 samples was carried out: granulometric analysis, loss on ignition, and magnetic susceptibility. A gradual decrease in the thickness of the Upper Pleistocene and Holocene loess-paleosol sequence and particle size from east to west was determined. Data obtained indicate that the source of loess material is located east to Ciscaucasia - in the deserts of the Caspian lowland and, possibly, of Central Asia. The main direction of the aeolian transport during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene was from east to west. The differences in thickness and grain size between the loess and paleosol horizons reveals a differentiation in the intensity of aeolian processes. The intensity was higher during cold stages and lower during warm stages. The loess paleo-archives located in the eastern Ciscaucasia have higher temporal resolution and more responsive paleoclimatic indicators than the western ones. They reflect regional climate changes better. In western Ciscaucasia, the sedimentation conditions were more constant throughout the Late Pleistocene and Holocene than in the east of the region.

The chemical (macro and trace element) composition of the waters of eutrophic and mesotrophic swamps and rivers is pro vided, based on of expedition investigations on the territory of the Northern, Central and Southeastern Altai. An increased content of a number of elements was observed, which is determined by the botanical composition of peats as well as underlying rocks. Special features in the formation of the composition of swamp waters in peat deposits of a different genesis are determined; the influence of swamps on the hydrochemical regime of surface waters are identified. A dependence of the hydrochemical composition of swamp rivers on swamp waters is confirmed, which is manifested in the content of humic acids. It was found that a change in the amount of humic and fulvic acids indicates the dynamism of their input from the peat deposit to the swamp waters as well as a higher content of humic acids in the waters of mountain swamps in comparison with the swamps of the West Siberian plain. It is shown that in the swamp waters of the Northern Altai there is an increased content of a number of elements, which has a sig nificant impact on the hydrochemical regime of intra-swampy rivers. In the Central Altai, there is an increase in mineralization of swamp waters due to a predominance of shallow swamps and the close occurrence of underlying rocks. It was determined that there is no accumulation of chemical elements in the swamp waters and in intra-swamp rivers of the Southeastern Altai, but an increased content of humic acids was determined. The content of trace elements does not exceed the value of maximum permis sible concentrations, which indicates that there is no input of man-made substances to the swamps of the territory of Altai. It is proposed to evaluate the elemental composition of swamp waters that has formed as a background composition to date.

This article presents the results of a comprehensive geochronological study of organic-rich sediments lying at the base of the sand suite in the well-known reference Belyi Yar II section on the left bank of the Irkut river (Tunka depression, Southwestern Cisbaikalia). It was found that in the 1960s, a pack of lake-marsh sediments from the lower part of the section was assigned to the upper Eo-Pleistocene, and the overlying sands to the Samarovo period of the Middle Pleistocene. Later, based on the first ¹⁴ C datings, the stratigraphy of these sediments was revised. The lower part of the sediments was attributed to the Kargian time, and the overlying sands to the Sartanian glaciation. However, the questions concerning the genesis, age and conditions of forma tion of these sediments remain controversial. In particular, the individual dates of ¹⁴ C differ greatly different from one another; therefore, they require further verification. A renewed study of the lower part of the Belyi Yar II section discovered peat and gyttjas deposits of alluvial origin. It was shown that their numerical age is beyond the ¹⁴ C dating method limits. Paleobotanical data showed that the gittya was formed in conditions of a relatively warm and humid climate, and the overlying layers accumu lated in the cooling and more xerophytic condition. Evaluation of the ²³⁰ Th/U isochronous age of these organogenic deposits, combined with palynological data, suggested that the bottom of the sand layer in the Belyi Yar II section was not formed during the Kargian time (MIS 3), as was thought previously, but during MIS 5. The gittya could have formed during MIS-5c, where as the overlying peat layers formed, possibly, at the transition to MIS-5b.

One of the largest and highly developed chemical complexes in Russia was formed in the Irkutsk region by the beginning of the 1990s and comprised of the petrochemical, chemical, microbiological, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. This paper described the transformation of the sectoral and product structures of this complex over the years of market reforms, the processes of separation, shutdown, and expansion of existing enterprises, and the creation of new industries. It was noted that the ecological conditions in the cities of the south of the Irkutsk oblast were improved due to technical and technological envi ronmental measures at the enterprises of the chemical complex and, to a greater extent, because a number of its enterprises were decommissioned and reduced in production output. At the same time, new serious environmental problems arose, associated with the need to eliminate waste and reclaim the territories of the enterprises that ceased to operate. The problems and prospects of diversification and development of the chemical complex on the basis of new types of local raw materials, namely natural gas, potassium salt, and wood waste. The conclusion was made that, the implementation of gas-chemical, potassium, and microbio logical projects could potentially make the chemical complex of the Irkutsk region one of the largest ones in the country again.

The development of the transport network affects the socio-economic development of the territory and it is one of the most important factors in the growth of the level and quality of the population life. There is the need for a study of transport acces sibility. In our work, we presented the mapping and assessment of changes in transport accessibility after the construction of service road. After the construction of the ESPO pipeline, a service road was built along it to maintenance the pipeline, which is located close to the district centers and crosses the local roads. This new road connected them into one network with year-round traffic. The object of our research is the Area of Oil and Gas Extraction in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and the North Irkutsk region.We have created transport accessibility maps with and without all service roads, separately for winter and summer seasons. We have created maps for several district centers. We calculated transport accessibility using the method of constructing iso chrones - lines of equal travel time to overcome the space relative to given points, using open GIS GRASS GIS. After construc tion, the company owner of this road gives permission to the municipal and federal services and local population use for free, but a preliminary application is required. There is a payment requirement and compliance with restrictions for transportation of commercial goods. After the construction of the ESPO pipeline, people who live close to the pipeline can reach to the district centers and neighboring districts by car year-round theoretically. The materials of this study can be useful in calculating the travel time on these roads, and finding priority areas for the construction of new roads.

A significant increase in the regional economic and social efficiency of the use of mineral resources in the regions of the Far North of Russia is the main condition for raising social standards of quality of life and slowing the significant migration outflow of the population from these places. This is possible with the creation of a denser transport infrastructure, the development of which will be facilitated by the transition from single-industry focal development schemes to a combination of sectors of the economy on the basis of territorial complexes of mineral raw materials. The object of the study was chosen Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Assessment of territorial combinations of mineral resources of the Republic showed the priority of further development of Western Yakutia, based on the potential of existing transit pipelines of Federal importance and using the benefits of proxim ity to the oil and gas areas of the Irkutsk region. This option solves the problem of “connecting” Yakutsk to the unified transport system of the country without the construction of an ultra-expensive bridge across the Lena river and accelerates the development of the emerging industrial area in the North-Western part of Yakutia on the basis of the Tomtor Deposit.

The description of the Asian territory of Russia in the format of an economic region, which is traditional for Siberian ge ographers, is continued in this article. The Eastern Siberia (the Irkutsk region, the Krasnoyarsk Krai, the Zabaykalsky Krai, and the Republics of Buryatia, Tyva, and Khakassia), which occupies almost a quarter of Russia, is populated by less than 6 % of Russians. It is established that resource-oriented productions commenced during the planned economic system and using the raw-materials base of the region continue to dominate during the period of market relations, with oil and gas production ac tively developing in the 21st century. According to the Spatial Development Strategy of Russia (until 2025), seven urban areas in the Eastern Siberia are identified as promising for the first time, including Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk as world-class scientific and educational centers. At the same time, there is an unprecedented outflow of population (since 1990, the population of the region has decreased by more than a million people, with the Irkutsk region being the leader in absolute terms) and a large-scale increase in “ metropolitan ” residents in all regions of the Eastern Siberia, with the city of Ulan-Ude being the leader. However, one may also observe positive construction dynamics and the active demand for housing mortgages, which are due to government programs for the development of housing of various hierarchical statuses (federal, regional, and municipal).

The paper considers the transport and geographical position of the region (TGP), which is an essential component of the economic and geographical position. The TGP means the position with regard to the transport network, the network of transport hubs and flows. The area of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Yugra is characterized by a large remoteness of its territory from the ice-free seas and oceans, and therefore the TGP of the okrug is not profitable. Underdeveloped transport and eco nomic conditions hinders the restructuring of the productive forces of the region. There are automobile, railway, river, aviation and pipeline transport in the okrug, which contribute to the overcoming the geographical distance and the realizing integration processes. The undeveloped transport infrastructure creates significant difficulties in the development of a territory with a high natural resource potential. The TGP refers to interaction resources; their role is especially great in Asian Russia, including the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Yugra. These resources include transport accessibility, an important indicator that affects the socio-economic situation in the region. It is necessary to calculate an indicator of border permeability to assess transport accessibility. The permeability of the area is an assessment of this area according to the contact degree between its sections. We proposed to introduce an indicator of border permeability that would take into account not only railways, highways and waterways, but also air routes, oil and gas pipelines. By calculating, we revealed that the most permeable border is with the Sverdlovsk oblast, less permeable with the Tyumen oblast, medium permeable with the Tomsk oblast and Yamal, and low permeable with the Republic of Komi. The least permeabale border is with the Krasnoyarsk krai.

We analyzed the main features, directions and factors of the agricultural land use system. Special attention is given to the most valuable resource - cropland. Its overgrowing with trees and shrubs is defined. Using the example of abandoned cropland within the forest zone of the republic, we revealed that the areas adjacent to the forest are potential pine forests with dry and herb-grass types of forests in future. Their use as cropland is possible with mandatory irrigation. The use as natural forage land is impractical due to the widespread dominance of unproductive plant species inedible for agricultural animals Potentilla, Heteropap pus, Artemísia in the grassy vegetation cover. The state of forest shelter belts at key research sites was assessed using the method of taxation and eye-measuring. One of the problems of rational land use of the republic is the presence of large abandoned land. Their return to agricultural circulation and agricultural rehabilitation requires significant costs. To assess the economic feasibility of introducing abandoned arable and natural fodder lands into agricultural production and calculating potential profits, a rent assessment was carried out, and the value of net operating income was calculated. In our methodology, the calculation of the value of costs is based on the use of the actual costs of agricultural enterprises, taking into account the adjustability of prices for crops and reflects the current socio-economic situation in the regions of the Republic of Buryatia. The calculations show that the cultivation of wheat, oats and barley is profitable for most agricultural enterprises in the republic with a minimum rate of return of 5 %. In the areas where the cultivation of oats or barley does not generate income, the costs pay off when growing the leading crop - wheat. According to the indicators of rental income from arable and pasture lands, the total income was calculated.

The paper analyzes the current state of coal export in the east of Russia, namely the Baikal, South Yakutia and Far Eastern coals. The place of the Baikal and Far Eastern regions on an all-Russian scale is established. The advantages and disadvan tages of coal complexes in Eastern Siberia and the Far East of Russia are examined in terms of export potential, such as the quality of coal and proximity to foreign markets. The reasons for the development of the coal industry in eastern Russia in recent years are identified. The countries and regions of the world importing the Baikal, South Yakutia, and Far Eastern coals are identified. Each coal-mining region in the east of Russia, whose coals are exported, is investigated. The volumes of the export, the directions of supplies, and the types of coal shipped are determined. The transport infrastructure used for the export of coal within the Baikal and Far Eastern regions, including border crossings and cargo ports, is analyzed. This study also touches upon the problems and constraining factors of coal export, such as the limited capacity of Russian railways, their utilized capacity, high transport tariffs for coal transportation, as well as loaded cargo ports carrying out coal transportation and their overcharges. The possibilities of overcoming these problems and the constraining factors of coal export are considered, which include, first of all, reconstruction of railway sections carrying out coal transportation, modernization of cargo ports loading coal to sea transport, and improvement in the depth of processing of coal mined in Siberia. The possibility of building new rail links with border crossings on the border between Russia and China is analyzed. The main prospects for coal export to the East Asian market are determined.

The paper presents an assessment of the socio-economic environment of the areas with mining orientation in the structure of which the mining industry has already been developed or can be developed in the near future. Based on the results of the study, we ranked the districts according to the living standards and resource prerequisites for the development of the mining industry in the short term. The socio-economic environment considered by the municipalities of the Irkutsk oblast is signifi cantly differentiated both in terms of living standards and resource prerequisites for the further development of the mining indus try. However, we can identify some general trends existing at the present moment. Those territories where the mining industry has a long history of development and the raw materials have steady demand in the global and domestic markets (Bodaibo, Nizhneilimskii, Mamsko-Chuiskii districts and Cheremkhovo) have a well-developed social infrastructure. In areas where the development of the mining industry has only just begun or is planned in the near future, there is an urgent need to create and further develop a social infrastructure, which is complicated by environmental conditions (Katanga, Zhigalovskii, Kirenskii dis tricts, etc.). It is the high cost of the extracted raw materials and its demand that should contribute to this process.

The Baikal region (the Irkutsk oblast, the Republic of Buryatia, and the Zabaykalsky Krai) is considered in the context of distribution of component phenomena of the level of development and social well-being over the macroregions of the Russian Federation with account for the dynamics of these phenomena during 2005-2016. The macroregions of the Russian Federation are compared by the components of the level of development and social well-being. In terms of the status achieved in 2016 and relative to most of the positions considered, the Eastern Siberia, particularly the Baikal region, is the least advantageous as compared to the Far East, and the macroregions located further in the west seem to have the highest values. As for the dynam ics, there are two areas of relatively rapid growth in the Russian Federation. One of them is located in the west of the country and includes the Central Black Earth Economic Region, the Central Non-Black Earth Region, the Northwest, the Southwest, and St. Petersburg. The other one includes the Far East, mainly its oceanic part. The Baikal region is located in a vast area of relatively slow growth. The Irkutsk oblast lags behind the Republic of Buryatia and the Zabaykalsky Krai in terms of the rate of progression of some components of socio-economic development and prosperity. It is proposed that the transition of the Republic of Buryatia and the Zabaykalsky Krai to the Far Eastern Federal District (FFD) may improve this trend and, in addition, in crease the injustice in the distribution of material goods allowed in relation to the Irkutsk oblast.

The paper shows that an important factor in maintaining health in severe climatic conditions of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is a balanced protein-lipid type of food recommended in SB RAMS. In 1992 the normative zoning established standards for the Republic of the protein:fat:carbohydrate (82.8:78.6:386.3 g/day), they were rather high for that period, but significantly lower than necessary, but their adoption ensured systematic social protection of the population. We analyzed the gradual reform of norms and limits of the regulatory zoning of the food basket in the Republic. It was established that the introduction at the regional level of two regulatory zones since the III quarter of 2002, relevant for this period, has led to a sharp deterioration in the socio-economic situation of the population. The structure protein:fat:carbohydrate (70.0:60.69:330.8) and the energy value of food in the food basket in the second regulatory zone have become practically comparable with the norms of the regions of southern Siberia. The norms protein: fat:carbohydrate (79.3:74.7:312.3 g/day) for 2013 remain below those recommended by the SB RAMS. On average, the deviations of protein and fat norms in the Republic in 2013 remained at the level of 1992 and amounted to 41 and 49 %, respectively. The paper demonstrates that the transformations are associated with a sharp decrease and slowdown in the growth rate of the living wage - the basic parameter of the socio-economic security of the population. The decrease in the level of social protection of the population was accompanied by an increase in mortality, especially from dis eases of the circulatory system and digestive organs. The largest contribution to overall mortality at both the regional and mu nicipal levels is made up of mortality from diseases of the circulatory system (44 %). It is necessary to change the normative zoning of the food basket with the maximum approximation of the norms to the protein-lipid type of nutrition to enhance the social security of the population of the northern territories.

This paper describes post-Soviet social and geographical features and trends in the development of migration processes in the historical and cultural macroregion of Siberia as a whole and with differentiation of 16 constituent regions. The study is carried out using information from the Rosstat database relating to the post-Soviet period, especially data from the 2013-2018 time interval during which no changes were introduced into the rules of statistical accounting of migration. The main post-Sovi et trends in the population migration of Siberia are as follows. First, a decrease in the volume of migration “at the place of residence” with an increase in the volume of migration “at the place of temporary residence”. Second, a centripetal intrare gional vector, a negative “western” interregional vector, and a positive vector of interstate migration. Third, depopulation in the migration of peripheral territories. Fourth, the slowdown of extensive urbanization due to exhausted rural demographic resourc es and rising prices for urban housing. Fifth, the improvement of suburbanization in the areas affected by the largest cities. Fi nally, the accumulation of population into the urban agglomerations of the trans-Siberian Economic Corridor. The migration trends manifested in individual regions are as follows. The maximal migration mobility is observed in the Khanty-Mansi Auto nomous Okrug (KHMAO), the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (YNAO), and the Altai Republic. A migration growth is observed in five regions (the Tyumen oblast, the Novosibirsk oblast, the Tomsk oblast, the Republic of Khakassia, and the Krasnoyarsk Krai), and a migration loss is manifested in the remaining 11 oblasts. The Tyumen, Novosibirsk, and Tomsk regions are the only regions with population growth from Russian territories. A migration gain from outside the Russian Federation is observed in all the above-mentioned regions.

This paper focuses on the problem of studying the demographic structure of the Irkutsk oblast in terms of reducing the number and proportion of young and working-age population. The indicators of reproduction of the population of the Irkutsk oblast for the period from 2011 to 2018 are analyzed. According to the UN scale, the proportion of elderly people over the age of 65 for the municipal districts, which determines the general pattern of aging of the population, is calculated. The cartograph ic method is used for grouping the territory of the Irkutsk oblast according to three types of age structures of the population: progressive, stationary, and regressive. It is shown that the demographic structure of the region’s population is territorially dif ferentiated: the progressive type is characteristic of the middle settlement area of the Irkutsk oblast and the Ust-Orda Buryat Ok rug, and the regressive type is characteristic for most urban districts and northern peripheral regions of the region. It is proposed to distinguish a transitional subtype from the progressive type of the age structure to the stationary type with a minimum difference in the proportion of ages younger and older than the working-age one. It has been established that the formulas for the age structures of the population of municipal districts are determined by the indicators of natural reproduction and the migration situation. According to state statistics, the forecast of the demographic structure of the population until 2036 is given. Currently, the region’s population is characterized by a transition from the stationary type of demographic structure to the regressive one.

This paper touches upon the regional settlement system as a tool for solving the main problems of territorial development of the Republic of Tyva. Revealing the economic content of this settlement requires one to focus on the settlement typologies, which makes it possible not only to estimate both the current level of socio-economic development of the region and the most important problems of a particular area, i. e., the problems related to the regional economy. Finally, the main attention is paid to the concept of developing a five-step hierarchical settlement system as a key solution to the most important and urgent regional problems: achieving the economically and socially well-balanced development of all territorial parts of the Republic and increas ing the level and living standards of the population.

The article presents the results of public health study in Buryatia (on the example of the cities of Ulan-Ude and Zakamensk) and Mongolia (on the example of the industrial centers of Ulan-Bator, Erdenet, Darkhan). Medical-demographic differences between analyzed territorial units are identified on the analysis of morbidity and mortality rates for 2010-2016. There is a certain similarity of morbidity and mortality in the urban areas of Buryatia and Mongolia. This is the prevalence of environ mentally significant diseases, such as neoplasms, respiratory diseases, diseases of the genitourinary system. On the example of Zakamensk it was revealed that in industrial single-industry cities an unfavorable environmental situation is formed even after the closure of enterprises.

The influence of environmental factor on the formation of the quality of life of the population and its special role in shap ing the quality of life of the population in industrial region (on the example of Kemerovo region) have been shown. The ap proaches to assessing the quality of life are analyzed. The main anthropogenic factors and their influence on the formation of environmentally disadvantaged living environment of the population of Kuzbass are revealed. The main reasons of high anthro pogenic pressure are established. The territorial assessment of the differences of anthropogenic impact (anthropogenic load index) in the Kemerovo region was carried out.

Studies have been conducted to evaluate the processes of natural and mechanical movement of the population of the regions of Siberia and the Far East in the post-Soviet period (using the example of the Irkutsk and Amur oblasts), the impact of these processes on the formation of labor potential. In both regions, from 1990 to 2017, the natural movement of the population was assessed as narrowed demographic reproduction, which did not ensure the formation of the necessary parameters of labor poten tial in the future. The processes of the mechanical movement of the population were characterized by a migration outflow of the population from the Siberian Federal District (SFD) and Far Eastern Federal District (FEFD) to the western regions of Russia. The eastern vector of increase in the outflow of the population was noted: the relative indicators of the mechanical decline in the population in the EFD and the Amur oblast were significantly higher than the average in the SFD and the Irkutsk oblast. The most negative aspect of the influx of migrants from abroad is illegal migration. A set of measures is proposed to solve the problems of internal and external migration.

This paper describes a study of the quality and living standard of the population of municipal districts of the Irkutsk oblast, the Republic of Buryatia, and the Zabaykalsky Krai in the context of a typed regional policy, whose activities are aimed at improving the human potential of the region as a whole with no account for the individual characteristics of each munici pal district. The region is characterized by significant intraregional imbalances in the socio-economic development of munici pal districts, which affect the living standards of the population, thereby allowing one to identify the problems and prospects of human development. It is shown that the successful development of human potential requires effective measures as part of the strategic programs of socio-economic development of the municipal districts of the Baikal region. Priority directions are proposed for increasing the human potential in seven groups of municipal districts, distinguished by geographical location and the ratio of urban and rural population (urbanized, low-urbanized, rural, northern, transboundary, suburban, and near-high way). Taking into account the territorial features of the region allows one to determine the human development vectors more accurately.

We considered the specifics of mapping natural population changes of the Irkutsk oblast. The Irkutsk oblast is a non-uniformly populated territory in its main part with a rare network of settlements (mainly of focal character) with the exception of the south along the Transsiberian Railway. We applied the dasymetric method by V.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shanskii adjusted for Siberian realities to identify local characteristics of the population distribution. The boundaries of the territories of areal settle ment were determined by the spot method with a buffer radius of 3 km from the borders of the settlement. Continuous lines of settlement formed by single or double chains of settlements along the transport routes, being the axes of economic activity, border upon the territories of areal settlement. A defining characteristic of this method is that the calculation of natural growth and further mapping was carried out not according to administrative units, but in the context of settlements and populated areas, ignoring the boundaries of municipalities. A cartographic study enables the identification of patterns and detailing of natural migration, taking into account the characteristics of the actual distribution of the population of the Irkutsk oblast.

The subject of the study is the quality of life of the indigenous peoples of the north of Siberia - Evenki and Keto, locally living in the rural settlements of Baikit and Sulomai of Evenki municipal district of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The purpose of this study is to analyze the differentiation of the subjective perception of the quality of life by different layers of the population living in remote villages of the northern taiga zone of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The task is the application of the developed methodology for a comparative analysis of the quality of life of residents in remote villages of Siberia. The scientific novelty of this study lies in the application of the method of objective and sybjective assessment of the quality of life to the population group living compactly in harsh northern conditions and belonging to the category of indigenous peoples of the North.

The article presents the main trends of medical geographic researches in general. The experience of studying Siberia from the standpoint of medical geography at the V.B. Sochava Institute of Geography SB RAS (IG SB RAS) is considered. The main branch directions of medical-geographic researches of Institute are discussed: medical-geographical zoning, biogeochemical, studying of geography of diseases with natural foci and zooparasitological. It is noted that medical and geographical research was the foundation for the formation of such areas in the Institute as recreational-geographical and anthropoecological. It is spoken about transformation of ideas of medical-geographical researches over time for various reasons, both external and inter nal, about change of research focus. It is noted that the IG SB RAS a powerful research center for multi-faceted multidimen sional study of the population of Siberia and neighboring territories of the sector of medical geography, sector of geography of the population and other units, which operates at the present time.