The Zagan earthquake of February 1, 2011, in the low-seismoactive zone of western Transbaikalia: Observations and analysis

We described the February 1, 2011 (M_w = 4.7) Zagan earthquake occurred in the area of the Zagan range. This event is one of the most significant in western Transbaikalia. Macroseismic effects of this seismic event were felt over a wide territory: the intensity of II was observed at the distance of more than 300 km. Earthquake focal parameters (hypocentral depth, seismic moment, moment magnitude and focal mechanism) calculated from the data on surface wave amplitude spectra correspond to the structural position of the origin connected with a zone of plastic flow (slip) bordering the northwest slope of the Zagan range (similar complex of the metamorphic core). The results obtained prove the existence of the continental extension processes in this area.     

Ballooning Instability in Coronal Flare Loops

Within the framework of ideal magnetohydrodynamics the excitation of the ballooning instability in a toroidal coronal loop with a radius of cross section a and a radius of curvature R is analyzed by using the energy method. Kink oscillations are able to excite the ballooning instability when the plasma beta parameter β>2a/R. It has been suggested that this can result in the formation of cusp-shaped coronal loops. Modulation of gyrosynchrotron emission caused by kink oscillations is considered. The intensity of gyrosynchrotron emission for optically thin sources is the most sensitive to Alfvén disturbances. The obtained theoretical results are discussed in the light of Yohkoh, SOHO, TRACE, RHESSI, and Nobeyama observations.     

Induced seismicity in large-scale mining in the kola peninsula and monitoring to reveal informative precursors

Large volumes of rock mass, mined-out and moved within these deposits, resulted in irreversible changes in the geodynamic regime in the upper earth's crust of the adjacent territory. These changes manifest themselves in a more frequent occurrence of such intensive dynamic phenomena as tectonic rock bursts due to fault movement adjacent to the area which is mined-out and man-made earthquakes which sharply decrease mining safety and result in great material losses.To develop the prediction techniques of such phenomena, a monitoring system is created, based on the program of the Kola Complex of geodynamic measuring stations. Most of this system is realized in the region of the Khibiny apatite mines. The system provides regional seismological monitoring, local prediction of seismicity in separate areas of a rock mass and, determination of stress and strain in rock masses, local geophysical monitoring over the state of rocks in a rock mass as well as physical and mathematical modelling of geodynamic processes in the upper earth's crust.The investigations have resulted in the distinguishing of some regularities in manifestations of induced seismicity and tectonic rock bursts and in the determination of strain precursors of intensive seismic events in the Khibiny mines.The mechanism is provided by the induced seismicity which resulted from the anthropogenic impact on the geological medium. A geodynamic monitoring complex is described, which is used to reveal the precursors of powerful seismic eventsin situ, and monitoring results are shown, obtained in the Kola Complex of geodynamic stations. Methods of preventing tectonic rock bursts and induced earthquakes are presented.     

Event study on pre-substorm phases and their relation to the energy coupling between solar wind and magnetosphere

On 11 November 1976, after a magnetically quiet period with the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) directed northward, a sudden southward turning of the IMF immediately led to a world-wide intensification of convection which was observed to start almost simultaneously at stations within the auroral zone and polar cap. The two-dimensional equivalent current system over the northern hemisphere had a typical two-cell convection pattern with a maximum disturbance of ΔH = ?300 nT observed on the morningside in the westward electrojet region. This enhancement of activity ended after 35 min in a localized substorm onset in the midnight sector over Scandinavia.The recordings made in this area indicate large fluctuations of various ionospheric parameters starting several minutes before the substorm onset. Two subsequent stages can be resolved: (1) high-energy particle precipitation recorded by balloon X-ray detectors and maximum ionospheric current density increase, while the electrojet halfwidth shrinks and the total electrojet current becomes weaker; (2) the maximum ionospheric current density stays constant and the high-energy particle precipitation decreases, while the auroral brightness increases and the total electrojet current and its half-width show a growing trend prior to the final breakup. A suggestion is made that the time interval of these two stages should be called “trigger phase”. A short discussion explains the trigger phase observations in a magnetospheric scale. The energy coupling between solar wind and magnetosphere during the pre-substorm phases is discussed by utilizing the energy coupling function ? defined by Perreault and Akasofu (Geophys. J. R. Astr. Soc.54, 547, 1978). The ? values appear to be on substorm level during the period of enhanced convection. A good correlation between ? and the growth of the Joule heating rate (estimated from the AE data) is found in the beginning, but during the last 20 min before substorm triggering ? is high while the Joule heating rate decreases. The behaviour of ? during the two stages of the trigger phase suggests that the start of the trigger phase is purely internally controlled while the length of the trigger phase and the final substorm onset may be influenced by the variation in ?.     

Native gold in Cu- and Ni-bearing pyroxenite-cortlandite intrusions and placers of the Dambuki ore cluster,the Amur region

The Dambuki ore cluster of the Upper Amur region is characterized by numerous and high-grade gold placers. A few small primary deposits and occurrences of gold-quartz type were formerly considered to be the main source of placers. However, the study of widespread Early Cretaceous Cu- and Ni-bearing ultramafic intrusions has shown that gold occurring in primary Cu-Ni ores and products of their weathering practically does not differ from placer gold in morphology, fineness, or geochemical features. In both cases, elements typical of Cu-Ni ore (Cu, Fe, Pd, Ni, etc.) are detected as impurities of gold particles. These data indicate that the Au-and Pt-bearing Cu-Ni ore mineralization may be the main source of placer gold. This ore mineralization is genetically related to small pyroxenite-cortlandite sills and dikes, abundant in the Dambuki ore cluster. The primary gold-quartz deposits and occurrences also contributed to the placers, but their part was rather small.     

First Historical Eruption of Kambalny Volcano

The first historical eruption of Kambalny volcano began on March 24, 2017 with the powerful ash emission from the summit crater reaching as high as 6 km above sea level. The explosive activity continued without interruption from March 24 to March 30. The most powerful ash emission was registered on March 25–26, when the ash plume drifted several thousand kilometers SW, S, and SE from the volcano. On April 2 and April 9, after several calm days, powerful ash explosions occurred generating ash plumes up to 7 km high. The area of the land and sea over which the ash plume drifted during the day of March 25, was 650000 km²; the area of the ash accumulation on the land that was formed from March 24 to April 9, exceeded 1500 km². These parameters were measured using the satellite-based data in the VolSatView information system. Domination of the silty fraction and the presence of secondary minerals (pyrite, gypsum, sulfur, and others) in the ash point to the phreatic character of the volcanic eruption.     

Influence of frost weathering on the recession of surfaces of technogenic landforms in Yakutia

The article assesses the influence of permafrost weathering on the rate of destruction of technogenic land forms, as exhibited on as illustrated by the railway embankment of the Amur-Yakut mainline in the Sakha Republic(Yakutia). Studies were carried out on a railway section more than 375 km long. The subsidence rate of the embankment slopes and structural excavations was determined using laboratory methods that simulate various mechanisms of temperature(with a transition through 0 ℃) impact on rocks. For the first time, a quantitative assessment of the influence of cryogenic weathering on the stability of the railway in the region belonging to the northern building-climatic zone is given. For the territory under consideration, embankment rocks were experimentally determined to undergo more than 100 freezing and thawing cycles during a year. Under the existing climatic conditions, cryogenic weathering actively affects the embankment of the railway to a depth of 30 cm. Most of the embankment deformations detected during field observations are due to defects in the integrity of this particular layer. The size of the disintegrating layer of particular types of rock comprising the railway embankment has been established as reaching 10 cm per year. In 5 years following the formation of embankments comprising the upper structure of the railroad tracks, the physical and mechanical properties of rocks, which initially had a tensile strength for uniaxial compression in the range of 40-70 MPa, were reduced by more than 50%. According to the authors, the establishment of regional cryohypergenesis features is universal in nature and can be applied to solving a wide range of tasks related to the assessment and prediction of the degree of cryogenic transformation of rocks having different structural properties.     

Russian-Cuban Colocation Station for Radio Astronomical Observation and Monitoring of Near-Earth Space

The article presents the main possibilities of using the projected Russian-Cuban geodynamic colocation station on the basis of the Institute of Geophysics and Astronomy of the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment of the Republic of Cuba to carry out radio observations and monitoring the near-Earth space. Potential capabilities of the station are considered for providing various observational programs: astrophysical observations; observations by space geodesy methods using radio very long baselines interferometers, global navigation satellite systems, laser rangers, and various Doppler systems, as well as monitoring of artificial and natural bodies in the near-Earth and deep space, including the ranging of asteroids approaching the Earth. The results of modeling the observations on the planned station are compared with that obtained on the existing geodynamic stations. The efficiency of the projected Russian-Cuban station for solving astronomical tasks is considered.     

Analysis of Pleistocene Cryogenic and Tectonic Processes in Northwestern Siberia: A Cryoheterotopic Approach

Doklady Earth Sciences - Results characterizing the Pleistocene environments in the region of Northwestern Siberia are presented. The study of these environments is carried out from the perspective...     

Oscillations of coronal loops and second pulsations of solar radio emission

The dispersion properties of the sausage eigenmodes of oscillations in a thin magnetic flux tube are numerically analyzed in terms of ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). The period of the modes accompanied by the emission of MHD waves into the surrounding medium, which leads to acoustic damping of oscillations, is determined by the radius of the tube, not by its length. The dissipation of the sausage oscillations in comparatively high (?0.7R _⊙) and tenuous (?6 × 10⁸ cm^?3) coronal loops is considered. Their Q factor has bound found to be determined by the acoustic damping mechanism. The ratio of the plasma densities outside and inside the loop and the characteristic height of the emission source have been estimated by assuming the quasi-periodic pulsations of meter-wavelength radio emission to be related to the sausage oscillations.