The Lomonosov Ridge as a natural extension of the Eurasian continental margin into the Arctic Basin

The inregrated geological and geophysical studies carried out in recent years in the Lomonosov Ridge and at its junction with the Eurasian shelf revealed evidence for thinned (reduced) crust in the ridge (20–25 km) and its relationship with shelf structures. We compared the parameters of deep seismic cross-sections of the shelf and Lomonosov Ridge, thus proving the existence of continental crust in the latter. Also, we analyzed the deep structure of the junction between the Lomonosov Ridge and the shelf and established a genetic geologic relationship, with no evidence that the Lomonosov Ridge moved as a terrane with respect to the shelf. In addition, seismological studies independently confirm the relationship between the Lomonosov Ridge and the adjacent shelf.The Lomonosov Ridge is a continental-crust block of a craton. The craton was reworked during the Caledonian tectonomagmatic activity with the formation of a Precambrian–Caledonian seismically unsegmented basement (upper crust) and an epi-Caledonian platform cover. Afterward, the block subsided to bathyal depths in the Late Alpine. This block and the adjacent areas of the Eastern Arctic shelf developed in the platform regime till the Late Mesozoic.     

MAIN FEATURES OF PHILOSOPHICAL MATERIALISM IN GEOLOGICAL WORKS OF M. V. LOMONOSOV

This tribute praises Lomonosov for his purported employment of the dialectic concept to the evolution of the earth. The claim that Lomonosov's interpretations of the earth are materialistic is absolutely true, as are all other scientific interpretations. Whether he is the father of materialism in Russian science is of little importance because all sound science is materialistic.

Twelve partly substantiated claims about Lomonosov's work are summarized. The statements that he first applied historical analysis to explain geologic phenomena and that he established the principle of actualism 70 years before LyeII should be brought to the attention of those unfamiliar with the contributions of the great Russian scientist. The tribute contains a good bibliography.--B. N. Cooper.     

Age of the Alpha-Mendeleev and Lomonosov ridges (Amerasian Basin)

The geological time of the formation of Alpha-Mendeleev and Lomonosov ridges is determined in a broad range from the Late Cretaceous to the Cenozoic. This does not allow researchers to have reliable insight into the evolution of the entire Amerasian Basin, which is characterized by a high hydrocarbon potential. The genesis of these ridges is still under discussion. For a more precise time assessment, the geothermal method, which is highly informative in the sense of lithospheric age, has been applied. On the basis of numerical geothermal calculations, the formation time intervals were determined at 97–79 Ma for Alpha-Mendeleev Ridge and at 69–57 Ma for Lomonosov Ridge; these ages conform to the geological-geophysical data and verify the fact that these ridges belong to the eastern part of the Russian shelf zone. The formation time of the Alpha-Mendeleev and Lomonosov ridges determined has allowed us to optimize the calculations and plate-tectonic reconstructions for the Amerasian Basin.     

Lomonosov ridge and the Eastern Arctic Shelf as elements of an integrated lithospheric plate: Comparative analysis of wrench faults

The notions of deformations in the juncture area of the Eastern Arctic Shelf and Lomonosov Ridge are highly contradictory. It has been suggested that these geostructures were divided by a large right-lateral wrench fault of the transform type, which is known as the Khatanga–Lomonosov Fault. Data obtained by interpretation of the A7 profile have been compared with seismic sections crossing large-sized wrench faults in other sedimentary basins. The investigations have shown that on the A7 profile there are no structures typical of large-sized wrench faults. The Eastern Arctic Shelf and Lomonosov Ridge, which are located on the same lithospheric plate, form an integrated structure where the ridge is a natural continuation of the shelf.     

Genesis of the Alpha-Mendeleev and Lomonosov ridges (Amerasian Basin)

In order to specify the origin and evolution of the Alpha-Mendeleev and Lomonosov ridges, profiles of the bottom relief and crustal basement were made. Additionally, the coefficients characterizing the rate of subsidence of the crustal basement in different parts of the ridges for the last 25 Ma were calculated and the depth of the crustal basement prior to the beginning of subsidence in the Early Miocene was estimated. The calculation results were compared with the model of thermal subsidence of the Greenland-Iceland and Iceland-Faroe thresholds, which were also formed by plume-tectonic processes. A large dome rise of the basement was found in the central parts of the Alpha-Mendeleev and Lomonosov ridges. It was also found that the coefficients of thermal subsidence of the crustal basement in the central parts of the Alpha-Mendeleev and Lomonosov ridges are close to those for the Greenland-Iceland and Iceland-Faroe thresholds. It was shown that the depth of the crustal basement prior to the beginning of subsidence in the Early Miocene grew going outwards from the central parts of the ridges, analogous to the present-day pattern. All the information given above indicates the thermal origin of subsidence for the Alpha-Mendeleev and Lomonosov ridges starting from the Early Miocene and the substantial influence of the Arctic Plume on the genesis and evolution of these ridges.     

Sedimentogenesis in the Amundsen Basin from geophysical data and drilling results on the Lomonosov Ridge

Studies in the Amundsen Basin have revealed six seismostratigraphic complexes (SSCs) in this region. The horizons bounding these complexes were dated by identifying the linear magnetic anomalies. The recognized SSCs are correlated with the seismostratigraphic and lithostratigraphic units of the Lomonosov Ridge. Based on these correlations, the lithological composition of SSCs in the Amundsen Basin is suggested. The formation of SSC2 is supposed to be due to the diagenetic processes associated with the transition of opal-A to opal-CT. It is found that, generally, the rate of sedimentation in the Amundsen Basin has consistently decreased since the beginning of its formation. However, in the Chattian time, the global regression resulted in a sharp increase in the rate of sedimentation in the basin. Arguments in favor of the duration of the Middle Cenozoic sedimentary hiatus on the Lomonosov Ridge reduced to 16.3 Ma are presented. It is supposed that the decrease in the intensity of oceanic crustal accretion in the Eurasian Basin, which is identified by the slowdown in the rate of its opening in the interval from 46 to 20–23 Ma might have resulted in a gradual sea level falling in the Arctic Ocean isolated from the World Ocean. This fact probably accounts for the Lomonosov Ridge having remained in subaerial conditions over the period from 36.7 to 20.4 Ma.     

PROBLEMS OF GEOMORPHOLOGY IN THE WORKS OF M. V. LOMONOSOV

Lomonosov is said to have implied appreciation of glaciation as a geologic process, to have proposed a system of evolution for land forms, and to have established the working concept of geographical analogy which the reviewer relates to Wegener's ideas on continental drift.--B. N. Cooper.     

The Lomonosov Equatorial Undercurrent according to Data Measured with a Shipborne Profiler, 2014–2017

The velocity and structure of the Lomonosov Equatorial Undercurrent of the Atlantic Ocean are determined based on the data measured with a shipborne acoustic profiler from 2014 to 2017. The seasonal variability of this flow is estimated, and the cases of its outcropping to the surface in the spring of the Northern Hemisphere are revealed.

     

Seismic geologic structure model for the sedimentary cover of the Laptev Sea part of the Lomonosov Ridge and adjacent parts of the Amundsen Plain and Podvodnikov Basin

Seismic data on the southern (Laptev Sea) extremity of the Lomonosov Ridge were used to develop a new structural model for the sedimentary cover. It permitted a correlation between the seismic cross-sections of the ridge crest and two deep-sea basins: the Podvodnikov Basin and the Amundsen Plain. It is the first time that a seismic model has taken into account both regional seismic-reflection profiles obtained from NP drifting ice stations and recent high-resolution CDP data. Our seismic model agrees both with geological data on the Laptev Sea continental margin and the data obtained from deep-sea drilling into the Lomonosov Ridge under the IODP-302 project. The sedimentary cover of the southern Lomonosov Ridge and adjacent parts of the Amundsen Plain and Podvodnikov Basin was dated at the Aptian–Cenozoic. The sedimentary section is divided by two main unconformities, of Campanian–Paleocene and Oligocene–Early Miocene ages. The cover contains a structurally complicated graben system, which is an extension of the New Siberian system of horsts and grabens, recognized in the shelf. Sedimentation began in the grabens in the Aptian–Albian and ended with their complete compensation in the Paleocene.     

Crustal structures of the Canada basin near Alaska, the Lomonosov ridge and adjoining basins near the North Pole

Seismic refraction surveys conducted in 1976 and 1979 over the broken ice surface of the Arctic Ocean, reveal distinctly different crustal structures for the Fram, Makarov and Canada basins. The Canada Basin, characterized by a 2–4 km thick sedimentary layer and a distinct oceanic layer 3B of 7.5 km/s velocity has the thickest crust and is undoubtedly the oldest of the three. The crust of the Makarov Basin has a thin sedimentary layer of less than 1 km and is about 9 km in total thickness. The Fram Basin has a similarly thin sedimentary layer but is 3–4 km thicker than the Makarov as it approaches the Lomonosov Ridge near the North Pole. The ridge itself is cored by material with a velocity of 6.6 km/s and may be a metagabbro similar to oceanic layer 3A. This ridge root material extends to a depth of about 27 km, where a change occurs to upper-mantle material with a velocity of 8.3 km/s. The core is overlain by up to 6 km of material with a velocity of about 4.7 km/s which could be oceanic layer 2A basalts or continental crystalline rocks with some sedimentary material.The Fram Basin probably began to open contemporaneously with the North Atlantic about 70 m.y. ago, by spreading along the Nansen-Gakkel Ridge. Although not yet dated, the Makarov Basin is probably no older than the initiation of the Fram Basin and may be much younger. The Alpha Ridge may once have been part of the Lomonosov Ridge, splitting off to form the Makarov Basin between 70 and 25 m.y. ago and possibly contributing to the Eurekan Orogeny of 25 m.y. ago, evident on Ellesmere Island. In contrast, the likely age of the Canada Basin lies in the 125–190 m.y. range and may have been formed by the counter-clockwise rotation of Alaska and the Northwind Ridge away from the Canadian Arctic Islands. The Lomonosov Ridge emerges from this scenario as a block resulting from a strike-slip shear zone on the European continental shelf, related to the opening of the Canada basin (180-120 my) and then becomes an entity broken from this shelf by the opening of the Eurasia Basin (70-0 m.y.).     

The Problem of the Existence of a Strike-Slip Fault in the Arctic Ocean between Lomonosov Submarine Ridge and the Adjacent Shelf

Doklady Earth Sciences - The junction zone between Lomonosov submarine ridge and the shelf of the East Siberian Sea was studied. The aim was to prove the absence of a strike-slip fault in the...     

Tectonic Structure of the Junction Zone between Lomonosov Ridge and the Eurasian Continental Margin

Doklady Earth Sciences - The tectonic structure of the junction zone between Lomonosov Ridge and the Arctic Continental Margin of Eurasia was clarified due to comprehensive analysis of data on the...     

Structural and Mineralogical Features of Diamonds from the Lomonosov Deposit (Arkhangelsk Province): New Data and Interpretation

Doklady Earth Sciences - Three groups of diamond crystals that differ in morphology, photoluminescence, infrared absorption, and thermal history were discovered in the Lomonosov deposit. The first...     

Observations of Near-Earth Optical Transients with the Lomonosov Space Observatory

The results of observations with the MASTER-SHOK robotic wide-field optical cameras onboard the Lomonosov Space Observatory carried out in 2016 are presented. In all, the automated transient detection system transmitted 22 181 images of moving objects with signal-to-noise ratios greater than 5 to the Earth. Approximately 84% of these images are identified with well-known artificial Earth satellites (including repeated images of the same satellite) and fragments of such satellites (space debris), according to databases of known satellites. The remaining 16% of the images are relate to uncatalogued objects. This first experience in optical space-based monitoring of near-Earth space demonstrates the high efficiency and great potential of using large-aperture cameras in space, based on the software and technology of the MASTER robotic optical complexes (the Mobile Astronomical System of TElescope- Robots (MASTER) global network of robotic telescopes of Lomonosov Moscow State University).     

Continental ridges in the Arctic Ocean: Lorex constraints

Recent multidisciplinary geophysical measurements over the Lomonosov Ridge close to the North Pole support the widely held belief that it was formerly part of Eurasia. The known lithologies, ages, P-wave velocity structure and thickness of the crust along the outer Barents and Kara continental shelves are similar to permitted or measured values of these parameters newly acquired over the Lomonosov Ridge. Seismic, gravity and magnetic data in particular show that the ridge basement is most likely formed of early Mesozoic or older sedimentary or low-grade metasedimentary rocks over a crystalline core that is intermediate to basic in composition. Short-wavelength magnetic anomaly highs along the upper ridge flanks and crest may denote the presence of shallow igneous rocks. Because of the uncertain component of ice-rafted material, seafloor sediments recovered from the ridge by shallow sampling techniques cannot be clearly related to ridge basement lithology without further detailed analysis. The ridge is cut at the surface and at depth by normal faults that appear related to the development of the Makarov Basin. This and other data are consistent with the idea that the Makarov Basin was formed by continental stretching rather than simple seafloor spreading. Hence the flanking Alpha and Lomonosov ridges may originally have been part of the same continental block. It is suggested that in Late Cretaceous time this block was sheared from Eurasia along a trans-Arctic left-lateral offset that may have been associated with the opening of Baffin Bay. The continental block was later separated from Eurasia when the North Altantic rift extended into the Arctic region in the Early Tertiary. The data suggest that the Makarov Basin did not form before the onset of rifting in the Artic.     

Geodynamic Evolution Model of the Major Structures of Amerasian Basin

We have analyzed the geodynamic evolution of the lithosphere and upper mantle of the Amerasian basin based on the stress-strain state simulation. It is shown that the asthenospheric spreading in the return upflow region of the mantle convection, results in formation of two local uplifts, which can be interpreted as Lomonosov Ridge and Mendeleev/Alfa Ridge. The further long-term action of the mantle convection leads to formation of Makarov and Podvodnikov Basins.     

Distribution of radioactive isotopes in rock and ore of Arkhangelskaya pipe from the Arkhangelsk diamond province

The contents of radioactive elements and the uranium isotopic composition of kimberlite in the Arkhangelskaya pipe at the M.V. Lomonosov deposit and of nearby country rocks have been studied. A surplus of ²³⁴U isotope has been established in rocks from the near-pipe space. The high γ = ²³⁴U/²³⁸U ratio is controlled by the geological structure of the near-pipe space. A nonequilibrium uranium halo reaches two pipe diameters in size and can be regarded as a local ore guide for kimberlite discovery. The rocks in the nearpipe space are also characterized by elevated or anomalous U, Th, and K contents with respect to the background.     

Structure of the Khatanga–Lomonosov Fracture Zone according to Seismic Data

Doklady Earth Sciences - Based on the results of geophysical data interpretation, the structural features of the Khatanga–Lomonosov fracture zone (KhLZ), adapted to the junction zone between...     

Spectroscopy of Diamonds from the M.V. Lomonosov Deposit

Geology of Ore Deposits - Abstract—Diamond crystals from the M.V. Lomonosov deposit (Archangelsk oblast, Russia) were studied by luminescence and infrared spectroscopy. Three groups of...     

Bathymetry of the Arctic Ocean North of 85° N latitude

Comparison of a new compilation of available Arctic bathymetric data north of 85° N latitude with previously published charts shows large discrepancies in the position and morphology of several major Arctic sea-floor features. Near the North Pole the Lomonosov Ridge pinches to a width of about 20 km with very steep slopes. The crest of the Ridge at this location is displaced dextrally by about 80 km. Also, the crest of this ridge curves towards Ellesmere Island and does not continue towards Greenland. The Marvin Spur is actually a series of knolls or sea mounts with relief varying from 500 to over 1300 m. The 600 km wide arch known as the Alpha Cordillera consists of closed, wide (10–40 km) elongated (180–260 km) troughs and ridges with relief of over 1000 m. Circular sea mounts and deeps are also noted along this Cordillera. The Arctic Mid-Oceanic Cordillera is a rather flat 200 km wide feature that tilts gently upward by about 500 m from the Pole Abyssal Plain to the Barents Abyssal Plain. It is characterized by a series of narrow ridges and troughs usually less than 20 km wide with a central deep trough over 5100 m deep and shallow ridges rising to heights of 2600 m. These features generally parallel the Lomonosov Ridge. This cordillera appears to be abruptly truncated along the Greenwich meridian. The Morris Jesup Plateau is a single pronged northeast trending feature with relatively shallow westward slopes and steeply dipping eastward slopes.