Formed in XVII century at the junction between mineralogy and mathematics subsequently crystallography is considered as the science which is closer to physics, chemistry, biology and even to medicine. Due to this fact, the community, associated with the Earth’s sciences, accepts it with some restraint. The importance of the most advanced crystallographic approaches, the results obtained and the new insights which contribute the further development of the new scientific ideas about the composition and the structure of the Earth and some terrestrial planets are considered.
The geological position, morphology of serpentinite bodies, limitation by faults, the presence of surrounding metamorphites as enclosing strata fragments within the Stanovsky ophiolite complex, the nature of metamorphism, high deformation of rocks of both ophiolites and contact zone strata, and the mineral parageneses of secondary transformations fully correspond to the signs of Stanovsky ophiolites introduction into the deeply metamorphosed Faddeevsky block strata of Northeastern Taimyr, and not their obduction. The modeling results showed that fragments of the oceanic crust introduced into the metamorphosed complexes of the continental crust during the collision can have a dual origin — from the primary oceanic crust, and from the newly formed crust of the back-arc basin. A detailed chemical composition analysis of the Stanovsky ophiolites indicates their formation in the suprasubduction setting of the back-arc basin, which justifies the possibility of the second scenario.
The paper presents the results of the U-Th-Pb isotope system study of the accessory zircon from the basalts of the Ghoithsk volcanic region (GVO) of the Western Caucasus. The sample for isotope dating was taken from basalt porphyrites of the Chataltapa volcanic complex, in the Tuapse River basin. It was shown by using of the ion microprobe isotope dating method of the zircon, that the effusion of basalts of the Chataltapa volcanic complex of the GVO occurred in the Jurassic at the boundary of the Aalenian and Bajocian age (169 Ma), during the tectonic transformation of the Greater Caucasus riftogenic basin. A low Th/U ratio was obtained for zircons from basalts, which is more typical for rocks of acidic composition. This fact indirectly confirms that the evolution of the Jurassic rift magmatism in the Caucasus occurred due to the assimilation of the continental type crust.
Using real-world examples, we studied the seismic-gravity modeling possibilities for territories that differ in the features of the physical and geological structure, in the scale of research, and in the exploration degree. It has been shown that it is impossible to formalize a unified approach to the construction of a seismic-density model — the modeling method inevitably changes according to the physical and geological situation, the volume and quality of a priori data. The effectiveness of seismic-gravity modeling is reacting both on the geological features of the cross-section: the extent of compartmentalization of the reflector horizons’ geometry, the contrast and depth of the density boundaries, the intricacy of the geological history of the region, and the survey methodological parameters.
The issues of constructing a general classification of continental natural and technogenic ecologicalgeological systems, which are the subject of research in modern ecological geology, are considered. A classification is proposed that takes into account the composition and characteristics of the components of ecological-geological systems.
New data on the bottom relief in the waters adjacent to the Belomorskaya Biological Station of Moscow State University (Kandalaksha Bay), obtained with the help of a multipath echo sounder (MBE), allowed us to study the bottom relief in detail and clarify the structure of Quaternary sediments in this area, significantly detailing the previously obtained data of continuous seismoacoustic profi ling (CSP). In the western part of the studied water area, the de Geer moraines were first identifi ed in a complex of glacial deposits, which were formed during the retreat of the glacier in the late Pleistocene in an easterly direction towards the modern deep-water part of the White Sea. In the deep-water part of the water area, according to the data of the MBE and CSP, sediments were studied, the genesis of which is due to the intensive manifestation of gravitational processes at the end of the Late Pleistocene — Holocene. The new data obtained may indicate the existence of “dead” ice in the Belomorskaya Depression.
The first results of determination of the content of different types of bound water by hygrometric method — adsorption isotherm method — for extracted rock samples of Bazhenov formation are presented. All obtained water sorption isotherms have a well-defined S-shape, which allows to determine the maximum possible amount of bound water of different types (mono -, poly-and capillary condensation) in all studied samples. The inflection points of the isotherms of the extracted samples fully correspond to the inflection points of the isotherms of the native samples. Based on the obtained results, it is possible to further estimate the specific surface area of the samples, and then determine the hydrophobicity coefficient and the parameters of the associated oil saturation.
The quality of fresh groundwater in the foothills of the Crimea, including that used for the water supply of the Crimean base of St. Petersburg State University and the Crimean educational and scientific center of Lomonosov Moscow State University, is considered. The results of longterm monitoring of the chemical composition of fresh water used for drinking purposes are presented and priority pollutants are identified. Hydrochemical modeling was carried out to calculate transport forms of chemical elements and subsequent assessment of their toxicity. The study area is located in the area of active water exchange, so in the groundwater most of the chemical elements are contained in concentrations below the level of biologically significant.
