Late Ordovician Reefs and the Biological Crisis at the Ordovician–Silurian Boundary

Reef formation in the Late Ordovician was relatively widespread in the Sandbian and Katian times. In the late Katian, it gradually reduced and ended in the Hirnantian, before the end of the Ordovician. In parallel, reef-building skeleton frame-building biota disappeared and was replaced with algae and calcimicrobes.     

New Data on the Age of the Tonalite–Trondhjemite Orthogneisses of the Olekma Complex of the Central Part of the Chara–Olekma Geoblock,Aldan Shield

New U–Pb zircon (TIMS) results allow dating of protoliths of tonalite–trondhjemite orthogneisses of the Olekma Complex in the central part of the Chara–Olekma Geoblock (Aldan Shield) to 2825 ± 3 Ma and 2994 ± 3 Ma. Together with the results of previous geochronological studies, this proves that the Olekma Complex comprises heterochronous igneous rocks intensively reworked under amphibolite facies conditions and formed during different stages of geological evolution of the Aldan Shield.     

First U-Pb age of detrital zircons from sandstones of the Upper Emsian Takaty formation of the Western Urals with regard to the problem of primary sources of the Uralian diamond placers

Several alternative points of view currently exist on the origin of the primary sources of diamonds from the Cenozoic Western Urals placers. Some researchers suppose that their economic diamond resource potential is related to diamonds from tuffisitic facies of the mantle kimberlites-lamproites or impact structures. Other researchers suggest that diamonds originated from the eroded sandstones of the Upper Emsian Takaty Formation of the Lower Devonian, which represents ancient (fossil) placers or intermediate reservoirs. It is assumed that these reservoirs collected diamonds from worn kimberlite bodies, which were located in the Urals or on the East European platform (EEP). This paper presents the first U-Pb (LA-ICP-MS) age of detrital zircons from quartz sandstones of the Takaty Formation, which spans a range from 1857.5 ± 53.8 to 3054.0 ± 48.0 Ma. The absence of detrital zircons younger than 1.86 Ga excludes that the structural complexes of the Uralian, Fennoscandian, and Sarmatian EEP parts were the provenance areas that supplied the clastic material to the sedimentary basin, which accumulated the Takaty Formation. The similar age of our zircons and ancient crystalline complexes of the Volga-Uralian EEP part allows consideration that it was a single provenance area. If we assume that the diamond resource potential of the Western Urals is completely or partly related to the ancient diamond placers from the Takaty Formation, then the intermediate diamond reservoirs from its structure originated due to redeposition of destruction products of primary diamond-bearing rocks of the Volga-Uralia area. Thus, within the Volga-Uralian part of the EEP basement, we may expect identification of a previously unknown stage of kimberlite formation, which is significantly older than that responsible for the diamond resource potential of the Arkhangel’sk province.     

Radiation in space: Long-term cooperation between SINP MSU and the Lavochkin Association

The article discusses the progress made in studying space radiation in the heliosphere using SINP MSU instruments on board a spacecraft built by the Lavochkin Association, in predicting flight radiation conditions, and in studying the radiation resistance of spacecraft components.     

Observations of global oscillations of the sun in the SOKOL experiment onboard the CORONAS-PHOTON satellite

The helioseismological experiment onboard the CORONAS-PHOTON satellite is intended for the study of characteristics and the internal structure of the Sun using the solar eigenmodes spectrum obtained by the measurement of fluctuations of the solar radiation intensity. This experiment is the continuation of investigations of solar global oscillations started onboard artificial satellites CORONAS-I and CORONAS-F. Measurements of fluctuations of the solar radiation intensity in seven optical ranges—from the near ultraviolet to infrared spectral regions—are carried out by the solar photometer SOKOL (SOlnechnye KOLebaniya (Solar Oscillations)) developed at IZMIRAN. Over an instrument operation period of more than 9 months, a large volume of the scientific information (more than 500 MB) has been obtained. The primary processing of obtained data was performed, and spectra of fluctuations of the solar radiation intensity were constructed. On the basis of part of the processed information obtained by the photometer SOKOL, and data of the experiment DIFOS (Differential Oscillations of the Sun) onboard the artificial satellite CORONAS-F, the dependence of the relative amplitude of oscillations on the wavelength of the observation was determined.     

Chemical composition of the atmosphere and evolutionary status of the spectroscopic and speckle-interferometric binary 12 Persei

The system 12 Per is a spectroscopic and speckle-interferometric binary with the components of similar spectral classes. The parameters of its orbit were determined quite accurately over nearly a century of observations. To refine the atmospheric abundances of its components and their evolutionary status, we obtained the spectra of the star in the 3500–9600 Å spectral region using the echelle spectrometers of the 6-m BTA telescope of the SAO RAS and 2-m Zeiss-2000 telescope at Terskol Peak. Based on the luminosities (L ₁ = 3.02 L _⊙, L ₂ = 1.86 L _⊙) and effective temperatures (T _eff1 = 6195 K and T _eff2 = 6000 K) we have estimated the evolutionary status of the system’s components. The age of the system is 12.1 Byr, the components are at the stage of hydrogen burning near the zero-age main sequence. The resulting element abundances in the atmospheres of 12 Per components indicate enhanced metallicity of both stars: [Fe/H] ≥ 0.35. We consider a scenario in which the initially circular short-period orbit of the pair turns into an eccentric large-period orbit due to the transfer of angular momentum of the components to the angular momentum of orbital motion over one billion years.     

Lower permian deposits in the northern Kolva megaswell (Timan-Pechora plate): Lithology,formation conditions,and structure of petroleum reservoirs

Formation conditions of the Asselian-Sakmarian carbonate deposits in the region are reconstructed on the basis of scrutinization of their lithological characteristics. Two facies zones are identified and described: broad shoal zone with the biostrome massif and its slope framing dominated by the organogenic-clastic and microclotted limestones. Relationship of reservoir properties with rock types and facies is examined. Structural specificity of natural reservoir in the biostrome massif is demonstrated.