Mineral complexes of BRICS countries are supplementary to each other and one of promising directions of cooperation of the countries in this field is an expansion of mutual trade with mineral commodities and metals. In 2006–2018 the principal beneficiaries from such cooperation were SAR and Brazil which managed to dramatically increase export of commodities produced by their powerful mineral complexes in other BICS countries. On the other side close cooperation with these countries enabled China to turn into the principal customer of minerals and metals in international market, secure continuity of supply and price stability and get excess to mineral resources of other countries of the organization. At the same time expectation of future cooperation of BRICS countries in regulation of international mineral market for a number of reasons occurred to be strongly exaggerated.

The Philippine lithospheric plate is located at the intersection of the zones of intense influence of geosystems responsible for the evolution of the Earth’s outer shells, and is one of the most dangerous regions of the globe. The study of temporal variations of natural disasters at the end of the 20th — beginning of the 21st century is based on lies the premise of the relationship of strong earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tropical atmospheric eddies in areas of complex high instability of geospheres.

Comparison of the latest structural plan of the West Siberian plate with the dislocations of the basement and sedimentary cover allowed us to rank the latest plicative and disjunctive structures according to the degree of inheritance. As a result of the work carried out, inherited, reversed and newly formed plicative structural forms were established. It is noted that the prostrations of ancient structures differ from modern ones and inheritance occurs only in fragments. When comparing the newest faults with the oldest ones, inherited and newly formed discontinuous faults are noted. The newly discovered inherited structures can be considered as promising areas for the search for hydrocarbon deposits.

We obtained new data about the high degree of relationship between the relief and the nature of the latest movements within the depressions of the Ladoga and Onega lakes as a result of geomorphological studies. Computer geodynamic modeling showed that this relationship is explainable by the development of the supposed active faults identified by us on a detailed scale in an environment of northeastern extension, the axis of which is oriented across the strike of the considered lake basins.

The evolution of the deep-sea sedimentation system in the north-eastern part of the Black Sea during the Oligocene-Pliocene is considered mainly on the basis of seismic data. The fans and erosion canyons formation time is presumably related to the regressive-transgressive stages in the history of the Eastern Paratethys. The source areas of detrital sediments in the Tuapse Trough are identified. The sedimentation model of the Tuapse Trough and the changes in the Trough’s morphology since the Oligocene were reconstructed based on the analysis of the thickness maps and the onlap surfaces on the northern side of the Shatsky Swell. Paleogeographic maps were compiled for the Late Oligocene-Early Miocene (Maikop), Middle Miocene, and Pliocene.

Paleotemperature curves for water masses and average annual temperatures were constructed from our own and published data for Central and Eastern Tethys for the Jurassic-Quaternary
for the first time.

The article presents the results of structural and geomorphological analysis of the Taimyr Peninsula North-Eastern part. The main neotectonic structures of the region are identified. It is shown that the intensity of neotectonic processes increases in the North-East direction, which is due to the approach to the spreading zone of the Gakkel ridge in the Arctic ocean. In the same direction, the tectonic fragmentation of Taimyr, the height of mountain structures, and seismic activity are increasing.

A fundamentally important result of offshore exploration is the identification of a new oilbearing region in the eastern part of the Pechomorsk shelf. Large oil fields have been discovered here: Prirazlomnoye, Varandey-more, Medynskoye-more, Dolginskoye. The explored reserves and resources of hydrocarbons (HC) suggest that in the near future a new oil-producing region will be formed on the shelf of the Pechora Sea. According to the State Balance, the total initial raw oil resources in the Pechora Sea are 3273.2 million tons. The main task of our work is the desire of the authors to draw attention to the problem of accelerating the pace of searches for promising objects on the shelf of the Pechora Sea and additional exploration of already discovered deposits in the Ordovician-Lower Fransk oil and gas megacomplex in the Varandey-Adzvinskaya structural zone (VASZ).

The prevailing disproportion between the plans for the development of the fuel and energy complex, its resource availability and the rate of replenishment of the hydrocarbon raw material base of the Pechora Sea shelf may turn into serious problems for the energy security of the country.

The further development of a large oil production cluster on the shelf of the Pechora Sea is primarily associated with the prospecting and development of hydrocarbon resources of the relatively deep-lying oil and gas bearing predominantly carbonate Ordovician-Lower Fransky megacomplex (MC) on the VASZ shelf and adjacent areas, especially at the Prirazlomnoye and Medynskoye-more fields.

Mining coal requires detailed geological information about the structure of the coal seam and the quality of coal seams that allows to minimize the risks associated with the complicating mining and geological factors and changes in the quality characteristics of coal. The article discusses the experience of applying the mechanical logging method as an express method of operational exploration in the Olon-Shibirsk coal deposit. The mechanical logging data were compared with core sampling data and geophysical well surveys. As a result, criteria for dividing the coalbearing sequence of the deposit into lithotypes were identified. According to these criteria, it is possible to identify a general pattern for the considered coal seam: drilling speed increases with decreasing grain size, drilling speed also increases with increasing the content of organic matter in the rock, the maximum drilling speed is characterized by coal seams. The drilling speed is the determining parameter, while the other drilling parameters complement its readings in case of ambiguity in the interpretation of the graph. For coal seams, the dependence of drilling speed on ash content was determined. At the same time, the dependence is most correct for coal seams with thickness more than one meter. On the basis of operational exploration data using mechanical logging for some areas, the morphology of coal seams, as well as the complexity of their structure and ash content, which allowed to specify the reserves and quality by geological blocks. In the final comparison with the fact was confirmed an increase in the accuracy of calculations using the method of mechanical logging. Practical significance of the results of the study is to improve the quality of operational exploration in the field while reducing costs.

The article describes the geological structure of the Sarsanginsky gabbro-diorite-plagiogranite complex located in the border zone of the Middle and South Urals. The formation of its massifs took place in the late Silurian time in the abyssal zone at depths of about 6,5–7,0 km. The temperature range of crystallization of granodiorites was 900–990 С, and for gabbro 1180–1280 С. The system pressure at this moment corresponded to 190–200 MPa. The gabbro that make up the massifs under consideration were formed under stretching conditions on the oceanic crust. In terms of petrogeochemical features, they correspond to rocks at the base of island arcs and belong to the ophiolite formation.

The hypabissal intrusive of Mt. Kastel fayalite plagiogranites intruded in the center of the South Bank uplift within Crimean kimmerides. Plagiogranites crosscut and local metamorphose the complexly folded flysch mass of Tauride series T₂-J₁, the bodies of island-arc gabbroids of Early Bayos Pervomaysk-Aju-Dag complex and basalts bodies of Late Bayos Karadag complex. Judging by the pattern of partings and the contact conditions, the intrusive is relatively weakly tectonized. Kastel postisland-arc plagiogranites (72,02 wt% of SiO₂; 4,57 wt% of Na₂О; 1,26 wt% of K₂O; Na₂О/K₂O = 3,6; 92,4% of ferruginosity; Th >> U) contain high ferriferous olivine — fayalite, eulite and annite, rich in accessory zircon, monazite and xenotime. During the crystallization differentiation of plagiogranites of Mt. Kastel there was an accumulation of Fe and Mn in olivine composition, Na and K in plagioclase composition, Mn in ilmenite composition, Hf in zircon composition and Th in monazite composition, a narrowing of zircon and xenotime solid solutions composition. Endemic fayalite plagiogranites could arise under the conditions of orogenic regime, which, apparently, should be distinguished in the history of Mountain Crimean mesozoids.

The article focuses on the features of the formation of artesian basins of intermountain type. The conditions of formation of groundwater of Heihe artesian intermountain basin, located in the arid region of North-Western China, and water resources of the Tien Shan within Kyrgyzstan are considered. The differences in the hydrogeological structure of the basins, the features of recharge / discharge caused them to be divided into areas that are characterized by features in the chemical composition and quality of groundwater. This study describes the factors affecting the formation of groundwater, the geological and hydrogeological, and also hydrodynamic features of intermountain artesian basins. The main pattem of groundwater flows is characterized and the conceptual models of groundwater systems are presented. The chemical composition of their constituent aquifers is characterized. The obtained results provide a scientific basis for rational planning of social-economic management in the water-limited regions.