Paleomagnetism of the Upper Vendian Basu formation of the Bashkirian Meganticlinorium revisited

We have carried out paleomagnetic studies of the Upper Vendian sedimentary rocks from the Bashkirian Meganticlinorium (Southern Ural). The rocks were sampled at three localities spread over more than 100 km. Totally, more than 300 samples were collected from about 40 sampling sites. Stepwise thermal demagnetization up to 700°C revealed a stable component of magnetization of either polarity in 25 sites. The fold test and the reversal test for this component are positive, which is usually regarded as a sound argument in favor of the primary origin of magnetization. However, the Basu paleomagnetic pole (longitude 187.3°E, latitude 1.1°N) is located near the Late Ordovician-Early Silurian segment of the apparent polar wander path for Baltica, which might indicate a Paleozoic remagnetization of Vendian rocks. In this work we analyze different interpretations of the obtained results and evaluate the reliability of the Late Riphean and Vendian paleomagnetic data for Baltica.     

Late Quaternary lake-level changes of Lake El'gygytgyn, NE Siberia

Lake El'gygytgyn is situated in a 3.6 Ma old impact crater in northeastern Siberia. Presented here is a reconstruction of the Quaternary lake-level history as derived from sediment cores from the southern lake shelf. There, a cliff-like bench 10 m below the modern water level has been investigated. Deep-water sediments on the shelf indicate high lake levels during a warm Mid-Pleistocene period. One period with low lake level prior to Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 has been identified, followed by a period of high lake level (10 m above present). In the course of MIS 2 the lake level dropped to − 10 m. At the end of MIS 2 the bench was formed and coarse beach sedimentation occurred. Subsequently, the lake level rose rapidly to the Holocene level. Changes in water level are likely linked to climate variability. During relatively temperate periods the lake becomes free of ice in summer. Strong wave actions transport sediment parallel to the coast and towards the outlet, where the material tends to accumulate, resulting in lake level rise. During cold periods the perennial lake ice cover hampers any wave activity and pebble-transport, keeping the outlet open and causing the lake level to drop.     

Two-photon annihilation radiation in strong magnetic field: the case of small longitudinal velocities of electrons and positrons

Spectra, angular distributions, and polarization of two-photon annihilation radiation in a magnetic field are studied in detail in the case of small longitudinal velocities of annihilating electrons and positrons which occupy the ground Landau level. Magnetic field essentially affects the annihilation if its magnitudeB is not very low in comparison withB _cr=4.4×10¹³G, which may take place near the surface of a neutron star. The magnetic field broadens the spectra (the width depends on an angle betweenB and a wave vector) and leads to their asymmetry. The angular distribution may be highly anisotropic, being fan-like or pencillike for different photon energies . The total annihilation rate is suppressed by the magnetic field (B ^–3 forBB _cr).The radiation is linearly polarized; the degree and orientation of the polarization depend onB, and . The polarization may reach several tens percent even for comparatively small fieldsB 0.1B _crtypical for neutron stars. This means that the polarization may be detected, e.g., in the annihilation radiation from the gamma-ray bursts.     

Gamma-ray bursts and the production of cosmogenic radionuclides in the Earth’s atmosphere

An explanation is offered for the impulsive increase in the concentration of cosmogenic radiocarbon in annual tree rings (Δ¹⁴C ～ 12‰) from AD ?775. A possible cause of such an increase could be the high-energy emission from a Galactic gamma-ray burst. It is shown that such an event should not lead to an increase in the total production of ¹⁰Be in the atmosphere, as distinct from the effect of cosmic-ray fluxes on the atmosphere. At the same time, the production of an appreciable amount of ³⁶Cl, which can be detected in Greenland and Antarctica ice samples of the corresponding age, should be expected. This allows the effects caused by a gamma-ray burst and anomalously powerful proton events to be distinguished.     

Seismic inhomogeneities in the upper mantle beneath the Siberian craton (Meteorite profile)

The upper-mantle structure was studied from first-arrival data along the Meteorite profile, run using underground nuclear explosions. Unlike the layered, slightly inhomogeneous models in the previous works, emphasis was laid on lateral inhomogeneity at the minimum possible number of abrupt seismic boundaries. We used forward ray tracing of the traveltimes of refracted and overcritical reflected waves. The model obtained is characterized by considerable velocity variations, from 7.7 km/s in the Baikal Rift Zone to 8.0–8.45 km/s beneath the Tunguska syneclise. A layer of increased velocity (up to 8.5–8.6 km/s), 30–80 km thick, is distinguished at the base of seismic lithosphere. The depth of the layer top varies from 120 km in the northern Siberian craton to 210 km in its southeastern framing. It has been shown that, with crustal density anomalies excluded, the reduced gravity field is consistent with the upper-mantle velocity model.     

The State of knowledge about wetlands and their future under aspects of global climate change: the situation in Russia

About two-thirds of Russia’s land area are flat lands, which contributes to the development of conditions favouring wetland formation. Wetlands cover vast areas, especially in the north. Wetlands in the former Soviet Union were not recognized as separate or distinct ecosystems and this is still the situation in Russia today. Bogs are one of the most abundant and typical wetlands and were treated as worthless wastelands. Beginning in the 17th century and continuing under the Soviet government there was an enforced policy to drain wetlands and reclaim the land, mainly for farming. After the collapse of the USSR, this practice was discontinued along with the Soviet model of agriculture and an end to the forced and unnecessary use of pesticides and fertilizers with the result that the toxic load on Russian aquatic systems decreased drastically. Industrial production was also greatly curtailed. While it is now recovering, many of these are turning to environmentally-friendly technologies. The intensity of land-use related impacts upon Russian wetlands is negligible compared to that in more densely populated countries and therefore the environmental conservation of wetlands in Russia may not currently be an urgent problem. There is currently no consensus on what the overall direct and indirect impacts of climate change on the number of Russian wetlands will be—in some areas they may increase but decrease in others. In Russia, the most urgent issue is not the preservation of wetlands but the development of proper wetland management practices. For effective plans, data and information on wetland status, trends and characteristics are required that are not currently available.     

Influence of gamma-ray emission on the isotopic composition of clouds in the interstellar medium

We investigate one mechanism of the change in the isotopic composition of cosmologically distant clouds of interstellar gas whose matter was subjected only slightly to star formation processes. According to the standard cosmological model, the isotopic composition of the gas in such clouds was formed at the epoch of Big Bang nucleosynthesis and is determined only by the baryon density in the Universe. The dispersion in the available cloud composition observations exceeds the errors of individual measurements. This may indicate that there are mechanisms of the change in the composition of matter in the Universe after the completion of Big Bang nucleosynthesis. We have calculated the destruction and production rates of light isotopes (D, ³He, ⁴He) under the influence of photonuclear reactions triggered by the gamma-ray emission from active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We investigate the destruction and production of light elements depending on the spectral characteristics of the gamma-ray emission. We show that in comparison with previous works, taking into account the influence of spectral hardness on the photonuclear reaction rates can increase the characteristic radii of influence of the gamma-ray emission from AGNs by a factor of 2?C8. The high gamma-ray luminosities of AGNs observed in recent years increase the previous estimates of the characteristic radii by two orders of magnitude. This may suggest that the influence of the emission from AGNs on the change in the composition of the medium in the immediate neighborhood (the parent galaxy) has been underestimated.     

Animals and humans in the European Russian Arctic towards the end of the last Ice Age and during the mid‐Holocene time

Here, we present and discuss results from geo‐archaeological and palaeo‐zoological investigations at the Palaeolithic site Pymva Shor, in the Russian Arctic. As many as 3324 vertebrate fauna remains were recovered during two excavations. This includes bones of mammals, birds and fish. Radiocarbon dates were obtained from 26 specimens. The results show ages in the range 30–3 cal. ka BP. Hare and reindeer are the best represented amongst the identified mammalian species, whilst ptarmigan and various wader species dominate the avian bones. The Pleistocene assemblage includes herbivorous herd animals such as horse, bison and musk ox. These species are typical of the treeless tundra‐steppe landscape that existed during the Lateglacial. Of particular interest is a cave lion specimen that has been radiocarbon dated to approximately 15.5 cal. ka BP. According to our knowledge, this is one of the latest dated examples of this species in Eurasia. The faunal composition in the Holocene assemblage is strikingly different and includes distinct forest taxa such as beaver and pine marten. The avifauna also supports a forested environment with the presence of black grouse. A few stone artefacts were found within the strata, and have been radiocarbon dated to 16–15 cal. ka BP, suggesting that there were humans in the Pymva Shore area at that time. We identified impact notches and cut marks on some radiocarbon‐dated reindeer and bison bones, showing that humans were present twice during the Younger Dryas period. A fourth occupation phase is identified during the mid‐Holocene (6–5 cal. ka BP). We also investigated river terraces and obtained a series of luminescence dates. These have been used to reconstruct the geological history and the relationship to the find‐bearing strata.     

Ion Chemistry of the Ionosphere at E- and F-Region Altitudes: A Review

The current state of knowledge of E- and F-region ion chemistry is reviewed. Considerable attention is given to the progress in the chemistry of unexcited N₂ ⁺, O₂ ⁺, NO⁺, O⁺(⁴S), N⁺, H⁺, He⁺, Fe⁺, Mg⁺, Na⁺, Ca⁺, and K⁺ ions and electronically excited O⁺(²D), O⁺(²P), O⁺(⁴P), and $ {\text{O}}^{ + } (^{2} {\text{P}}^{*} ) $ ions. Achievements in our understanding of the role of vibrationally excited N₂ ⁺, O₂ ⁺, and NO⁺ ions in the ionosphere are discussed.     

Glacial and palaeoenvironmental history of the Cape Chelyuskin area, Arctic Russia

Quaternary glacial stratigraphy and relative sea-level changes reveal at least two glacial expansions over the Chelyuskin Peninsula, bordering the Kara Sea at about 77°N in the Russian Arctic, as indicated from tills interbedded with marine sediments, exposed in stratigraphic superposition, and from raised-beach sequences mapped to altitudes of at least up to ca. 80 m a.s.l. Chronological control is provided by accelerator mass spectrometry ¹⁴C dating, electron-spin resonance and optically stimulated luminescence geochronology. Major glaciations, followed by deglaciation and marine inundation, occurred during marine oxygen isotope stages 6–5e (MIS 6–5e) and stages MIS 5d–5c. These glacial sediments overlie marine sediments of Pliocene age, which are draped by fluvial sediment of a pre-Saalian age, thereby forming palaeovalley/basin fills in the post-Cretaceous topography. Till fabrics and glacial tectonics record expansions of local ice caps exclusively, suggesting wet-based ice cap advance, followed by cold-based regional ice-sheet expansion. Local ice caps over highland sites along the perimeter of the shallow Kara Sea, including the Byrranga Mountains and the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago, appear to have repeatedly fostered initiation of a large Kara Sea ice sheet, with the exception of the Last Glacial Maximum (MIS 2), when Kara Sea ice neither impacted the Chelyuskin Peninsula nor Severnaya Zemlya, and barely touched the northern coastal areas of the Taymyr Peninsula.