Vol 54, No 5 (2018)

The paper presents the results of application of satellite radar interferometry for solving a wide range of problems associated with deformations of the Earth’s surface. Displacements of the Earth’s surface at the Romashkinskoe oil deposit are estimated using the technique for reconstructing three components of the displacement vector developed at the Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences; landslide activity above a section of the North Caucasus Railway tunnel near the village Mamaika (Bolshoi Sochi) is investigated, application of persistent scatterer techniques for estimating displacement fields in the territory of Moscow is tested, and coseismic and postseismic displacements in the area of the Altai Earthquake of September 27, 2003, are analyzed. The latest technologies make it possible to ensure that the obtained results correspond to the latest world standards and are competitive with the results obtained by foreign commercial companies for the territory of the Russian Federation and CIS countries.

To ensure the safety of hydraulic engineering structures (HESs), we analyze the methods and requirements on equipment for seismological monitoring in the area of emplacement, inspecting the state of a dam, and vibration control of machinery operation. We present a technical solution realized for the Chirkey hydroelectric power station (HPS) (Caucasus), which has no analogs worldwide and is the first to combine these types of observations. The system results in more economic and rational use of sensors, as well as novel monitoring capabilities. As an illustration, we demonstrate the possibility of detecting hazardous hydrodynamic phenomena at the early stage of their manifestation at a point remote from the HPS turbine.

A family of seismometers has been developed with capacitive transducers that convert the relative displacement between the inertial mass and the base of the instrument into an electric signal. These high-sensitivity seismometers have a unified electronic circuit; they can be rather easily manufactured, installed, and calibrated, which makes mass production of these instruments look promising. To assess the possibility of using these seismometers as substitutes for imported counterparts, a comparative analysis was carried out to study the performance of a portable short-period SM-3E broadband digital seismometer and imported seismometers of the same type. Seismic recordings of these instruments were statistically analyzed in the time and frequency domains.

The paper discusses the results of joint developments carried out by the Institute of Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS); Space Research Institute, RAS; and ROSCOSMOS organizations (Central Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Lavochkin Scientific-Production Association, the branch affiliate of Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, VNIITransmash) for gravitoinertial measurements aboard spacecraft, Earth satellites, and planets of the solar system in solving problems of satellite accelerometry, gradiometry (precision accelerometric measurements aboard spacecraft and space stations, including Progress, Salyut, Mir, and the ISS), as well as measurements of the seismogravity fields of the planets of the solar system (the Fobos-Grunt, Solar Sail, MetNet, Luna-Resurs, and Exo-Mars projects).

The paper presents the results of recent paleoseismological and archeoseismological investigations of the Kerch–Taman region. Data are obtained on local potential sources of large earthquakes that determine the seismic hazard level. The investigations convincingly show that the seismic activity level of the instrumental period of observations does not always characterize the real seismic hazard, even very generally. Seismogenerating zones with expected magnitudes of subsequent earthquakes ranging from 6.0 to 7.0 are revealed. The results allow us to conclude that the region is presently at the stage of seismic quiescence, probably before a large earthquake.

The paper considers in brief modern paleomagnetic and geochronological methods based on the study of the magnetic properties and isotope composition of rocks and successfully used in international practice in solving urgent applied and fundamental problems in geology, geophysics, and related sciences. The paleomagnetic method is widely used for spatially orienting borehole cores, allows intra- and interbasin correlations of paleontologically barren sedimentary cross sections, and is applied for the age correlation of ore-bearing intrusions and lava strata. Knowledge of the rock magnetic characteristics of rocks makes it possible to create 3D models of the poroperm characteristics of reservoirs of caustobioliths and reconstruct hydrocarbon migration paths. Thermochronological methods are generally used to reconstruct the thermal evolution of sedimentary basins: they make it possible to estimate the temperature and duration of heating of sedimentary and crystalline rock complexes; calculate the value of the geothermal gradient in the past, which is especially important for evaluating the conditions of hydrocarbon generation; reconstruct the tectonic history of sedimentary basins; calculate the thicknesses of eroded deposits; and identify the burial and uplift phases of crustal blocks. It is noted that the integrated use of modern methods and advanced equipment makes it possible to obtain comparable results at the world level. As an example, the results of multidisciplinary research on the Kola Peninsula are presented; they are used as a basis for creating a unique model of the tectonothermal evolution of northeastern Fennoscandia and the Barents Sea shelf. The article presents the resource base and the basic characteristics of the equipment used for the implementation of these methods at Russia’s leading scientific centers, such as Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences, Kazan Federal University, and St. Petersburg State University. The developed apparatus makes it possible to carry out the whole set of studies considered in this work for the needs of Russia’s mining and energy complexes.

The paper describes a series of studies of electromagnetic radiation in rock masses conducted at the Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences. The linear and nonlinear mechanoelectric transformations of piezoelectric and polymetallic ore occurrences are considered, which were studied on rock masses and in laboratory conditions. The results of experimental geophysical exploration jointly with piezoelectric and radio-pulse methods at several mineral deposits are presented. Methodical aspects of interpreting electromagnetic radiation sources in a rock mass are described.