Vol 74, No 1 (2019)

A new concept of cluster evolutionary minerageny is based on the idea of the formation of the Earth from the primary stellar material, which was preserved in the planet’s core. Its further destruction due to decay of heavy nuclear matter results in fragmentation of the material until the appearance of superheavy elements with their further nuclear dissociation. As a result, protomagma arises and penetrates to the upper mantle in the form of plume flows. This process supports the reactions that control the formation of chemical elements, minerals, ores, and rocks, which compose the upper mantle and the Earth’s crust. The processes of nuclear dissociation lead to the release of energy and decompression of matter. This initiates an increase in the Earth’s volume, its geotectonic activity, and the creation of the hydrosphere and atmosphere.

Analysis of new 3D and 2D seismic data made it possible to describe the continental slope relief of the northeastern Black Sea in detail, and to reveal a large number of gravitational processes of various types. It was found that the final phase of active development of lithodynamic processes was caused by the New Euxinian regression associated with the last glaciation; this ended more than 10 000 years ago. Irregularities that formed as a result of late Holocene landslides also occur; however, their contribution is insignificant, with an amplitude rarely exceeding 1 m.

At least two outcrops of igneous rocks have been reported from the watershed of the Bodrak and Alma Rivers (southwestern Crimea). Previous studies suggested that these outcrops are composed of pre-Middle Jurassic intermediate and acidic tuffs and lavas. We compared the rocks from one of these outcrops with those from the near-contact area of the Middle Jurassic Dzhidair intrusion, which is exposed proximally, near the Trudolyubovka village. The Dzhidair intrusion is mostly composed of altered dolerites. We show that the rocks from both locations were significantly altered to quartz—carbonate—dickite metasomatites due to acidic metasomatism. The pattern of alterations and the appearance of the least altered samples of dolerites are similar across both locations.

Domanic (and domanicoid) deposits are of great interest to researchers and oil producing companies, since they possess authigenic oil and gas contents. This work presents the results of studying the domanic outcrops in the Volga-Ural and Timan-Pechora basins. The stratigraphic interval included sediments from the Middle Frasnian stage of the Upper Devonian to the Tournaisian stage of the Lower Carboniferous. The main types of rocks are characterized by microscopic examinations of thin sections and geochemical parameters of organic matter are determined. It is shown that the domanic deposits of the Timan-Pechora basin are similar in structure and lithological composition to the domanic deposits of the Volga-Ural Basin. The upper part of the domanicoid section is distinguished by the domination of carbonate-siliceous types of rocks over kerogen mixed varieties. According to the geochemical parameters, the organic matter in the rocks from the domanic deposits of the Volga-Ural and Timan-Pechora basins belongs to type II; however, the organic matter of the high-carbon sequence is more mature in the outcrops of the Volga-Ural region than in the Timan-Pechora outcrops.

The geological structure of the Stepninsky, Vandyshevsky, Biryukovsky, and Uisky massifs, which belong to the Stepninsky monzogabbro-granosyenite-granite complex, is described. It was concluded that the crystallization depth of granitoid massifs decreases successively in this series of rocks from hypabyssal to hypabyssal-subsurficial facies. It was shown that intrusions in the Stepninsky complex belong to intraplate formations. At the initial stage, mafic-intermediate rocks of the deep mantle origin considered as derivatives from a separate plume were formed; at the later stage, granites and leucogranites of the calc-alkaline series formed. In terms of geochemistry the later group of rocks is characterized by rare-metal specialization.

Coalbed methane (CBM) is a new environmentally friendly unconventional energy source of great promise for exploitation. The CBM resources in the Qinshui Basin are as great as 3.97 × 10¹² m³, i.e., 10.8% of the total coal gas resources of China. Compared to the main coal basins of the United States, Australia, Canada, and Russia, the Qinshui Basin is characterized by high metamorphism, high gas content, and low values of porosity and permeability, as well as by low formation pressure. The commercial exploitation of productive beds at the Qinshui Basin requires the use of efficient technologies of stimulation. Vertical wells with hydraulic fracturing (HF) predominate at the Qinshui Basin. The CO₂ injection, electric pulse, multistage HF, etc. technologies are used as well.

A comparative study of the Late Quaternary sedimentation on the platform (Danube study area) and folded (Sochi study area) margins of the Black Sea was carried out. Differences in seafloor morphology and clastic supply combined with significant sea level variations account for the differences in sedimentary structure, texture, facies composition, mineral composition, and sedimentation mechanism between the Upper Quaternary sequences of the study areas.