The foraminiferal assemblages from the mud volcanic breccia of the Shugo mud volcano (Kerch-Taman volcanic region, Taman peninsula) was studied in order to clarify the stratigraphic section of this region. Mud volcanic breccia contain shells of Miocene foraminifera, numerous well preserved Middle Eocene (Lutetian), and Upper Cretaceous (Santonian, Campanian, and Maastrichtian) species. The poorer preservation of the Cretaceous shells may be associated with the composition of the accommodating rocks, probably represented by terrigenous and carbonate-terrigenous turbidites. Finding the remains of the Upper Cretaceous and Middle Eocene foraminifera in the mud volcanic breccia indicates the presence of strata of this age in the section.

This article presents the results of geological and geochemical studies of the organic matter of source rocks and oil from reservoirs in the Karamay Formation (Anizian–Ladinian stages) in the eastern part of the Fukang Depression in Junggar petroleum basin. The quantity, quality, and degree of maturity of the organic matter in clayey mudstones in upper part of the Karamay Formation (T2k) were considered and the composition of the original organic matter, the conditions of its accumulation and the degree of maturity were reconstructed using pyrolytic parameters and biomarkers. The dark gray and gray mudstone in upper part of the Karamay Formation accumulated in fresh or low salinity lakes with relatively reducing conditions. At present, the organic matter of the Formation within the depression is in the zone of mesocatagenesis MK1–MK3, and therefore has not fully realized its oil-geological potential. It has been previously established that mudstones in upper part of the Karamay Formation provided the hydrocarbon fl uids for the Karamay reservoirs located in the submerged part of the Fukang Depression.

For the Dzhimidonsky vein polymetallic deposit (North Ossetia, Russia), formed in the Middle Jurassic time, it was established by the nature of the distribution of rare-earth elements in the veins and rocks that the sources of REE and ore components were a combination of host rocks of different composition (PR₃–PZ₁, PZ₃) and were replaced in time. Geochemical data served as the basis for the development of new methods of equilibrium-dynamic modeling and assessment of the influence of the change in time and space of fluid flows from different sources on the processes of ore formation.

A possible mechanism for preserving relic hydrates in low-permeable deposits of the berezovskaya formation of the Medvezhye fi eld at a reservoir temperature exceeding the equilibrium temperature of their dissociation is considered.

A regular change with the depth of finding of the complex of characteristics of Udachnaya pipe diamonds is studied: the habitus of crystals, the morphology of their surface, color, the presence of inclusions, spectroscopic characteristics (IR, FL, EPR). An increase in the intensity of the processes of their dissolution and etching, plastic deformation, as well as the processes of aggregation of structural nitrogen impurities with the depth of fi nding diamonds was found. It is assumed that these changes occurred at the intermediate stage of the formation of the Udachnaya pipe, in the conditions of a magmatic chamber.

«Geochemical functions» is a new free Add-In to MS Excel for geochemists and mineralogists. It implements useful functions for routine operations in geochemical and mineralogical calculations: abundance normalization, calculations of empirical formula coeffi cients from chemical and EMPA analyses, statistical operations with partial and unequal data.

The restoration of the evolution of the Elbrus Volcanic Center (EVC) is of great importance for predicting possible eruptions. Some stages of its development fall on the time interval, which is difficult to measure by conventional radioisotope techniques. In this regard, in this work, we studied the possibility of using the dating method by radiation centers in quartz the concentration of which was measured with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. When dating lava fl ows with an age of less than 50 thousand years, there is a good convergence of the results obtained by EPR dating, radiocarbon and comparative geomorphological methods. Due to the low thermal stability of radiation centers in quartz, in some cases, the measured values of age refl ect a later thermal impact of overlying lava fl ows or intrusive bodies. The improved technique of EPR dating with intermediate annealing led to the results that have better convergence with the data obtained by ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar and K-Ar methods for rocks older than 50 thousand years.

The unique magmatogenic putoranite ores are developed within deep horizons (>1750 m) of the northeastern flank of the October deposit in the Norilsk ore field. Th ese are coarse-grained putoranite aggregates with lamellaes of moihoekite and isolated pentlfndite disproportionation. The composition of putoranite is: [(Fe_17.6–17.9Ni_0.4–1.1Co_0–0.1)_18–19Cu_15.8–17.0]₃₅S₃₂; the composition of moihoekite is: [(Fe_17.8–18.0Ni_0.2–0.3Co_0–0.1)_{18.2– 18.3}Cu_17.7–17.8]₃₆S₃₂; pentlandite contains 1,75  wt% of Co, its composition is: (Ni_4.41Fe_4.36Co_0.23)₉S₈. Ores hold pneumatolytic stannopalladinite Pd₅CuSn₂, polyarite Pd(Bi,Pb), plumbopolyarite Pd(Pb,Bi), tetraferroplatinum Pt₂Fe(Fe,Cu,Ni), tulameenite Pt₂Fe(Cu,Fe,Ni) and kustelite (Ag,Au). Bornite is widespread in tectonized ores, as well as late hibbingite and Mn hibbingite (Fe²⁺,Mn²⁺)₂(OH)₃Cl, siderite and Mn siderite (Fe²⁺,Mn²⁺)[CO₃] aggregates, replaced magnetite and Cu-Fe-Ni sulphides. Pure zvyagintsevite Pd₃Pb and native silver compose syngenetic inclusions in hibbingite and siderite aggregates. Similar zvyagintsevite replaces pneumatolytic polyarite and plumbopolyarite. Metamorphogenic-hydrothermal zvyagintsevite probably arose from their material. Th is zvyagintsevite is sharply diff erent from pneumatolytic zvyagintsevite by the absence of Pt, Sn, Bi, Sb and Hg in its composition. The first detected hypogenic phosgenite Pb₂[Cl₂/CO₃] forms pseudomorphoses aft er galena, sometimes with hibbingite. Th e described low-temperature metamorphogenic-hydrothermal mineral association arose involving carbon dioxidechloride solutions in reducing conditions. Later metamorphogenic-hydrothermal hisingerite, bornite and barite, partially replacing hibbingite, siderite and Cu-Fe-Ni sulfides, arose with an increased fugacity O₂.

Geological-geophysical dates are showing that Holocene marine and Late Glacial glaciomarine sediments in the eastern Barents Sea represent seismostratigraphic complexes (SSC), accordingly SSCI and SSCII. Th e composed of glacial mineral matter sediments SSCII formed in the time of the Barents Sea shelf deglaciation, but the sediments SSCI deposited in conditions of open marine basin and are terrigenious. Features of the structure, composition and thicknesses of sediments SSCII are defi nite by melting conditions of degraded glacier masses and by character of originated sedimentation basins, but of sediments SSCI — by hydrodynamic factor and, partially, — by processes of last glacial eustatic marine transgression.