Spectroscopic Redshift Measurements for Galaxy Clusters from the Lockman Hole Survey with the eROSITA Telescope Onboard the SRG Observatory

Astronomy Letters - We present the first results of our program of optical observations for galaxy clusters from the Lockman Hole X-ray survey with the eROSITA telescope onboard the SRG space...     

Optical Spectroscopy of SRG/eROSITA Objects with 2.5-m Telescope at the Caucasus Mountain Observatory of the SAI MSU

Astronomy Letters - Based on observations with the new transient double-beam spectrograph (TDS) at the 2.5-m telescope of the Caucasus Mountain Observatory of SAI MSU, we have determined the types...     

Optical Identification of Four Hard X-ray Sources from the INTEGRAL Sky Surveys

Astronomy Letters - We continue the study begun in Karasev et al. (2018) and present the results of our optical identifications of four hard X-ray sources from the INTEGRAL sky surveys. Having...     

Bistatic Radar Detection in the Luna-Resurs Mission

An overview of radiophysical investigations of the lunar soil and plasma shell by active radar detection with the use of spacecraft is presented. The possibility is analyzed of conducting bistatic measurements using the Irkutsk Incoherent Scattering Radar and the onboard radar system RLK-L which is being developed for the orbital station of the Luna-Resurs mission.     

The Oneka intrusive complex: a new structural type of large-scale manifestations of intrusive trap magmatism on the Siberian Platform

The Oneka intrusive complex, recognized on prospecting for hydrocarbons in the western Siberian Platform, in the northern half of the Bakhta megablock (Tunguska syneclise), holds a special position among the known and new large-scale manifestations of intrusive trap magmatism. During the process, original data on the distribution of traps in the 4.2 km thick platform cover were obtained. Diverse in morphology and size, the intrusions are of the same genesis, composition, and character of intrachamber differentiation and form a “framework” igneous complex in the northern half of the Bakhta megablock. This complex occupies an area of about 40,000 km². It is an intricate tectonomagmatic superstructure, with the volume of magmatic material estimated at 50,000 km³. Results of petrochemical and geochemical studies, multispectra and REE ratios, and isotope ratios ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70558–0.70580) suggest that diverse rocks of the Oneka intrusive complex were, most likely, formed from a primary picritoid magma, which underwent deep-level differentiation and was slightly contaminated with rocks of the crust and platform cover. The comprehensive study of the massif and results of numerical modeling show that the formation of such tectonomagmatic structures is closely related to the processes of intraplate magma formation in the craton lithosphere. The large Oneka intrusive complex, like other similar manifestations of Permo-Triassic trap (and alkaline-ultrabasic) magmatism of the Siberian Platform, can be considered projections of hotspots recording the evolution of the Siberian superplume.     

Development of sedimentary basins: differential stretching,phase transitions,shear heating and tectonic pressure

Classical models of lithosphere thinning predict deep synrift basins covered by wider and thinner post‐rift deposits. However, synextensional uplift and/or erosion of the crust are widely documented in nature (e.g. the Base Cretaceous unconformity of the NE Atlantic), and generally the post‐rift deposits dominate basins fills. Accordingly, several basin models focus on this discrepancy between observations and the classical approach. These models either involve differential thinning, where the mantle thins more than the crust thereby increasing average temperature of the lithosphere, or focus on the effect of metamorphic reactions, showing that such reactions decrease the density of lithospheric rocks. Both approaches result in less synrift subsidence and increased post‐rift subsidence. The synextensional uplift in these two approaches happens only for special cases, that is for a case of initially thin crust, specific mineral assemblage of the lithospheric mantle or extensive differential thinning of the lithosphere. Here, we analyse the effects of shear heating and tectonic underpressure on the evolution of sedimentary basins. In simple 1D models, we test the implications of various mechanisms in regard to uplift, subsidence, density variations and thermal history. Our numerical experiments show that tectonic underpressure during lithospheric thinning combined with pressure‐dependent density is a widely applicable mechanism for synextensional uplift. Mineral phase transitions in the subcrustal lithosphere amplify the effect of underpressure and may result in more than 1 km of synextensional erosion. Additional heat from shear heating, especially combined with mineral phase transitions and differential thinning of the lithosphere, greatly decreases the amount of synrift deposits.     

Evidence for the zircon origin of cadmium anomalies in bottom sediments from the littoral zone of the northern part of Lake Ladoga

The minor-element composition of bottom sediments from the littoral zone of the northern part of Lake Ladoga was studied. Close relationships between the anomalous Cd concentrations in lake sediments and Quaternary glacial formations on the territory of Karelia were shown. A negative correlation of Cd with other heavy metals and a positive correlation with Zr were observed. Most likely, Cd is an impurity in zircons from sandy and sandy loam sedimentary formations on the northern coastal area of Lake Ladoga.     

Carbonization and geochemical characteristics of graphite-bearing rocks in the northern Khanka terrane,primorie, Russian Far East

Regional carbonization was examined in Riphean metamorphic complexes in the northern part of the Khanka terrane. The results obtained by various techniques of physicochemical analysis indicate that all petrographic rock varieties of this complex bear elevated concentrations (from 10⁻⁴ to 10⁻⁶ wt %) of Au and PGE. XRF data were used to describe a wide spectrum of trace elements: Ti, V, Ni, Cr, Pt, Pd, Re, Rh, Os, Ir, Cu, Hg, Au, Ag, Ta, Nb, Sr, Rb, Zr, La, W, Sn, Pb, and Zn. The Rb/Sr-Ba diagram shows the fields of anatectic granite-gneisses, biotite granites, lamprophyres, graphitized crystalline schists, black shales, skarns, and quartz-graphite metasomatic rocks. The C isotopic composition in graphite from the metaigneous rocks (lamprophyres and crystalline schists of the amphibolite facies) corresponds to δ¹³C from −8.5 to −8.7‰, which suggests that the carbon could be of endogenic provenance. The carbon isotopic composition of the greenschist-facies black shales corresponds to δ¹³C from −19.9 to −26.6‰, as is typical of organogenic carbon. The concentrations of precious metals in the rocks are, on average, one order of magnitude lower than in the graphitized crystalline schists. The origin of the precious-metal ore mineralization was likely genetically related to the regional carbonization process.     

Long-term numerical theories of comet motion

We propose a method of constructing numerical theories of comet motion that cover long time intervals. The method involves the determination of individual values of the constants A ₁, A ₂, and A ₃ (radial, transversal, and normal components of nongravitational acceleration) and photocenter shifts for each appearance with the presence of a sufficient quantity of observations. Moreover, in the case of close planetary approaches, bursts of brightness, or heavy shifts in the cometary gas production maxima against the perihelion when standard models of nongravitational acceleration cannot provide an accurate presentation of the observations, we propose the use of instant velocity measurements. This method was used to construct a unified numerical theory of motion of the Kopff comet in the interval of 1906–2002. The theory encompassed 16 appearances of the comet with the mean error of unit weight σ = 1.40.     

The water cycle in the general circulation model of the martian atmosphere

Within the numerical general-circulation model of the Martian atmosphere MAOAM (Martian Atmosphere: Observation and Modeling), we have developed the water cycle block, which is an essential component of modern general circulation models of the Martian atmosphere. The MAOAM model has a spectral dynamic core and successfully predicts the temperature regime on Mars through the use of physical parameterizations typical of both terrestrial and Martian models. We have achieved stable computation for three Martian years, while maintaining a conservative advection scheme taking into account the water–ice phase transitions, water exchange between the atmosphere and surface, and corrections for the vertical velocities of ice particles due to sedimentation. The studies show a strong dependence of the amount of water that is actively involved in the water cycle on the initial data, model temperatures, and the mechanism of water exchange between the atmosphere and the surface. The general pattern and seasonal asymmetry of the water cycle depends on the size of ice particles, the albedo, and the thermal inertia of the planet’s surface. One of the modeling tasks, which results from a comparison of the model data with those of the TES experiment on board Mars Global Surveyor, is the increase in the total mass of water vapor in the model in the aphelion season and decrease in the mass of water ice clouds at the poles. The surface evaporation scheme, which takes into account the turbulent rise of water vapor, on the one hand, leads to the most complete evaporation of ice from the surface in the summer season in the northern hemisphere and, on the other hand, supersaturates the atmosphere with ice due to the vigorous evaporation, which leads to worse consistency between the amount of the precipitated atmospheric ice and the experimental data. The full evaporation of ice from the surface increases the model sensitivity to the size of the polar cap; therefore, the increase in the latter leads to better results. The use of a more accurate dust scenario changes the model temperatures, which also strongly affects the water cycle.