Memorial Book

Those who cannot remember the past
are condemned to repeat it...
George Santayana

Geologists Memorial
granite sculpture by
F.M. Sogoian
V.F. Sogoian
A.I.Muromskiy
Moscow, Russia

Backbone of the Soviet GEOscience

Russian officials and some of the RAS employees very busy today - while the Russian-speaking mapping and exploration geologists looking for any job around the world, some of officials and productive RAS scholars are selling out and share with foreign partners the geological information, which was gathered by Soviet experts of mapping and exploration, including the times when they worked under the rifles of the NKVD.

Classical geoscientific space of Russia is shrinking as a shagreen leather - in Earth Sciences it is now a good profit market for finished products - soviet geological maps ... without the refers to authors.

In mid of 90-s, I was in a business trip with a group of journalists in the Kaluga region. Assignment of Chubais & Co - "The press show of the first results of the program of privatization the state enterprises in the post-Soviet space."

To my question "And how do you will privatized the GEOLOGY?" - a lady of the soviet-party-union-of-workers looks like, from the organizing committee for the privatization, languidly replied: We do not know "how" - there are only some old maps and PC ... We have no idea what to do with mapping geologists - how their's works could be privatized? ... Now everyone in the world will be learned what THEY done with the state mapping and exploration geologists.

Russia actually lost the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where the new-Russia participated without the support of Soviet achievements.

It will be host the 34th International Geological Congress (IGC XXXIV) in August 2012, Australia (Brisbane, Queensland). The next 35th International Geological Congress (IGC XXXV) will be held in 2016, South Africa. Interestingly, what kind of geological and tectonic maps officials and some of RAS employees are going to present on the International Geological Congress in Australia or South Africa?

Global Research Report - RUSSIA January 2010 Jonathan Adams, Christopher King http://researchanalytics.thomsonreuters.com/m/pdfs/grr-russia-jan10.pdf

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Memorial Book was founded by author after the loss of her lovely geologists - Spouse - professor, dr. of geological and mineralogical sciences, Mom - dr. of geological and mineralogical sciences, Dad - dr. of geological and mineralogical sciences, Uncle - dr. of geological and mineralogical sciences, Mentors - professors, dr. of geological and mineralogical sciences, and some of her Fiends - mapping geologists.

None of my relatives belonged to the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as G-to-G autor - dr. of geological and mineralogical sciences.

So in my family, almost all were field geologists, and I am a second generation geologist. Many of my friends and schools grow up in geological and geophysical dynasties.

Many of us have fond memories of our childhoods in geological expeditions. One of my childhood memories is of watching the geological maps on the mom’s desk and on the walls in her office. We grew up among the rocks, minerals, scientifics geological books, and fairy-tale stories of the Malachite Casket by Pavel Bazhov (1879-1950) about Ural gems and semiprecious stones. The G-to-G author has never thought that would be feel every day since my parent’s, spouse, some friends, and tutors death.

In the late 80's, when I was a fifth grade of the Moscow Institute of Geological Exploration (MGRI), there was published one book which listed the names of famous academicians of Soviet Russia. It was a compilation of the USSR Academy of Sciences Publishing House with a red hard-cover and photos, listed the merits of the members of USSR Academy of Sciences in geology.

It was the first time I have an idea ever to create a list of geologists, who worked in numerous geological and exploration expeditions for the Ministry of Geology of the USSR and of whose results are not known, because geological mapping reports and exploration records were/are/will under the state secret.

"... Any discussion of Soviet Russia involves substantial difficulties. These difficulties are aggravated by the number of contradictions in the evidence of so-called eyewitnesses, and the even more contradictory deductions drawn from their reports.

The public has sufficient to distrust, on the ground of bias, the reports of émigrés. Equally, visitors to the Soviets from the abroad, despite the most honest intentions, are rarely able to see and report the essentials. Unfortunately, most of these visitors come only to obtain facts confirmatory of convictions firmly established prior to their visit. And certainly, in such cases, "He who seeks can find.

Foreign observers, who wish to discover the positive value of the Communist experiment, are hampered as to the validity of their conclusions by the fact that this is an experiment for which they have not paid, and are not paying. Therefore the price for actual achievements is no interest to them; that price has already been paid. For the observer, it is thus an experiment free of charge. The results have possible utility, while the incidental vivisection has been performed on the bodies of others. Why not take advantage of its results?

The "authentic data" obtained in such fashion are generally applied to the principal requirements of the investigator’s own group. As a result, a picture is created which scarcely represents the actual Soviet reality. "What should be" achieves an overwhelming preponderance over "what is". ..."

RUSSIA IN CHAINS
A Record of Unspeakable Suffering
by IVAN SOLONEVICH
Translated by Warren Harrow
LONDON, WILLIAMS AND NORGATE LTD, 1938

Fig. 1. Index map of the N.W. portion of the USSR. XVII IGC 1937 The dotted line indicates the route taken by the "Northern Excursion" CORNELIUS S. HURLBUT, JR., Mineralogical Society of America Volume 24, pages 134-144, 1939		Map of escape Solonevich's family from corrective labor camps as in 1934 Dotted lines marked routes Ivan and Jura from the Medvezhya Mt. and Boris - from the Lodeynoye Fields RUSSIA IN CHAINS IVAN SOLONEVICH, 1938

The USSR Government needed in specialists to discovery ore and oil fields in remote corners of the Soviet Union - mapping geologists. Profession of mapping geologist was romantic and prestigious. There were up to 19-30 applicants for competition to one position for the Moscow Institute of Geological Exploration (a.k.a. MGRI).

Geological Survey of the ex-USSR was fundamentally different from the geological services of foreign countries. In the USSR it was the "pipeline" of field routes measurable in running meters, mine workings measurable in cubic meters, and ares covered by the geological survey measurable in square meters. Today the Geological Survey in the ruins ...

map with areas of geological research in Russia as 1917 VSEGEI archives

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Overseas state and university geological groups have much in common with employees of the RAS. In USSR, as a rule, RSA researchers were not engaged in mapping projects. So, the RAS is a dilapidated facade of the post-Soviet geology. RAS scientists - the official face of Soviet's geoscience - have been preferable for international conferences, as one official told. The state mapping and exploration teams were backbone of the Soviet geology - Soviet geoscience - they very seldom have been allowed to travel abroad. Theirs maps were/is/will use by officials, new-money and RAS's employees for any project in any corner of the former USSR territory.

Geological Survey of the USSR during the large scale bed rock geological mapping project (1 : 50 000) Chukot, Far East of Russia, the eighties geological mapping - this is not exploration works for Russain mapping geologists there were big groups (up to 100-150 people) of numerous mobile troops (up to four people), who must move from square to square since the survey of each site done, we were needed to carry in a backpacks all stuff while mapped far far away corners of country

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Many of the state mapping geologists eventually got the ranks of geosciences latter - after the completion of the geological and geophysical surveys - and their methods of work in Soviet science were fundamentally different from the armchair fantasies of some so-called scholars of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Participants of the state mapping projects received their titles of academicians and corresponding members of RAS later - once defended thier doctoral thesis on the basis of geological and geophysical surveys, based on the collection of a large number of their own factual data. And perhaps one of the most painful side of the reforms in the Soviet Geology - is to reduce the large number of scientists of the RAS, which continue to exist solely to budget money and now - on the money from joint projects with foreign counterparts.

I dedicated the Memorial Book to my first mentors in geology ...

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Many of nameless state industrial employees were experienced geologists, geochemists, geophysicists, paleontologists and geomorphologists. They participated in ambitious government projects for bed rock and surface geological mapping of large areas of the Soviet Union and some of foreign countries. And many of them were Сandidates (PhD) and Doctors of Geological and Mineralogical Science.

The GEOLOGY OF THE USSR (volumes from I to XLVIII) is a compilation of information and knowledge on geological processes and terrain hazards, including mass movement processes, permafrost, flooding risks, faults, seismic activity and recent volcanism, etc. by the фrmy unknown mapping geologists of the USSR and more ... Please refer to the Memorial Book for more in-depth information on how the maps were developed.

Geological Map of the USSR, 1950

blank spaces on the USSR
State Geological Map in 1950
for Kolyma and Kamchatka areas
Far East of Russia

map from the textbook
Geological Mapping
by V.A. Aprodov, 1952

and (click)
Geologic Map of the USSR
from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia
1970–1977

You have nothing known about that group of geologists since the Soviet's top secret resolutions were the origin of geological exploration expeditions in the remote areas of the country ...

You have nothing known about that group of geologists since the Soviet authorities did not allow to travel these geologists and experts oversea - the National Committee of Soviet Geologists, a body which could decide who could travel abroad and who not.

Sergey S. Schultz - a geologist, a specialist in the field of general and regional tectonics, metallogeny, comparative planetary science, remote sensing methods of the study, doctor of geological and mineralogical sciences, professor, deist, a member of the Academy of Sciences of the Russian Germans, the author of several books on the history of St. Petersburg - was forced to sign a written undertaking to cease of all contacts with foreigners.

I know professor of the MGRI, who was not allowed to leave the USSR for geoscientific training in France in the 70's and was not allowed to have postgraduates.

Because of the paranoia with the strict secrecy of anything since 1924-1929, the first information about the opening in Russia of diamond-bearing kimberlites have been brought in a little-known industrial report prepared by Sarsadskih N.N. and Popugaeva L.A.

Each scholar of the RAS made his own choice at the time - to refer or not to geological mapping reports.

Unlike workers of RAS, in educational and scientific research institutes, and in the state enterprises of geological exploration, specialists and experts had to get a special permission from authorities to publish their articles in any journal.

Their's doctoral and Ph.D. thesis and abstracts had a symbolical sign - "For office use only".

Why? Dissertation theses, which were defended by the specialists from the public geological exploration enterprises have the "authentic data" - maps with the coordinates and nomenclature of sheets, lab results for gold, silver, nickel, platinum, tungsten - those most top secret data, which now the government of Russian Federation so eager trades on the auctions to provide the foreign investors the right to use the Russian's subsoil.

Russian geologists are a humorous people even if they are in big troubles. Culturally we seem well disposed to cracking a joke that can make hopeless people laugh.

We have so called black humor in some sad cases: All [geological] records prior to the 50's are classified and kept in Moscow, despite the expedition of geological exploration is deeply required of them. In one report, which was miraculously extant in Magadan, author-written: After finding the field [of gold], the [geological] crew was annihilated.

Same on the Russian: Все отчёты до начала 50-х засекречены и лежат в Москве, хотя ГРЭ очень нужны. В одном, чудом сохранившемся в Магадане, написано: после нахождения месторождения [золота], партия уничтожена (source, rus).

quotation from the signed statement of non-disclosure the state secrets in geological article, submitted by MGRI teacher to geoscientific magazine MGRI - the Moscow State Institute of Geological Exploration I am, ..., the author of the work (article) "On the systematization of marginal volcanic (volcano-plutonic) belts", familiar with the current list of information constituting the state secrets, and other information subject to secrecy on the organization for which I work, as well as with the current list of information that are prohibited for publication in the open press, radio and television, permitted by Glavlit, and I warned about the responsibility for the disclosing of state secrets." it is unknown how many names of original research records which has preserved the Rosgeolfond and its regional subdivisions

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This can not be excused or mercy, so must not be forgotten - the old experienced geologists who have worked all their lives to the state, were released from professional life by former communists and former weapons "scientists" during the 90s of XX.

Many of old experienced professionals, who never knew that such a market - state employees, including geologists, candidates of science, doctors, professors, experts in different fields, were helpless in the next Soviet's turn upside-down (Russian: kulbite) during the 90s. Most of the old experienced geolgists died, another part of younger post-Soviet geologists are outside of professional world now. We know at least two incidents when geologists took one's own life.

A big group of qualified state mapping geologists, who worked in numerous public geological exploration enterprises - "PGO ...Geologiya", including the time of Stalin's repressions, has gone out of professional world, became a victim of the recurrent experiment, after the crunch of the Ministry of Geology, and privatization of the public mining and exploration enterprises.

Map of the Corrective Labor Camps 1930-1950 by NIPTs "Memorial" and Geographic Faculty at the Moscow State University

map with areas of geological research in Russia as 1938 VSEGEI archives

сemetery of prisoners, Abezi settlement, near Vorkuta, 250 km Abezi - one of the Inta settlements in the area of Komi - were here before the camps, including camps of females, on the territory of which in 2007-2009 lived specialists in geodesy, worked on the gas pipeline of Yamal-Europe picture courtesy of Shavurin Sergei Vladimirovich in 2010 Sergey - a former presenter geologist of Aerogeologiya, was dismissed in 2003 for redundancy since 2003, works as chief geologist in OOO Geoinfotsentr"

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In the enterprises of mining industry to be privatized was no place for state mapping geologists, despite the fact they have discovered thousands of fields in Sovet Union and some countries abroad. The Soviet Union employed over 3 million scientists and technicians in research and development, and spend over 20 billion rubles annually for scientific work. ⁵ There were over 500 000 employees in the state geological and exploration organizations in 1980, including over 120 000 graduate specialists with university and technical education.

But there were less than 3-5% researchers in Russian Geological Survey who was involved with the mineral resources economics study, GIS and subsoil legislation in the mid of 90th (S.Tikhomirova, BMN, 13 (211), p. 10).

Larisa Popugaeva
(portrait of the artist B. Kornev)

Before 1917, geological mapping covered only 10.25% of Russia. According to Geolkom, in 1921 the size of unexplored territories reached for one geologist in Russia 235.8 km², whereas in France - 20 km² in the United States - 16 km² in England - 7 th km².

Many of the first geological maps on the territory modern Russia and former USSR were made by foreign geologists and Russian speaking geologists unfortunately are not aware of that fact since in the Soviets lot of geological data was closed. We did not know that the many authors of geological maps were repressed and some of our teachers repressed. And there were foreign geologists also ...

During the years of Soviets the different scale geological survey covered of the entire territory of the USSR.

Before the 90-s, almost 30% of the USSR areas were covered with 1 : 50 000 geological survey. It means that waypoints were located every 250-500 meters. The bulk of geological mapping in 1:50 000 scale was done in the Urals and Kazakhstan.

Because of the greater availability of Kazakhstan and Ural Mountains (especially after the evacuation of production facilities from the Сentral Russia to the Urals during the Second World War) both regions became the main arena where during the Soviet time was conducted detailed geological and exploration study in the large scales (1: 50 000, 1: 25 000, 1 : 10 000 and more).

Due to the state large-scale mapping projects here were revealed small and medium-sized deposits, where carried out the exploration works.

On the east and north-east of country the regional studies were conducted in 50-70's. In the late 70's there were completed geological maps in 1: 200 0000, 1: 100 000, and in some areas – in 1: 500 000 scale.

The remoteness of these areas did not allowed to conduct massive detiled exploration works in the Far East. So "why" here was completed mainly the regional geological survey. Same like as the northern of Canada ...

Delivery the mining equipment, food, and supplies to these remote regions of the Far East of Russia by helicopters was too expensive, compared with the mobile teams of nameless Soviet mapping geologists, who have mapped these far far away regions.

MI-4. The best helicopter in the world! It is smaller the MI-8

G-toG author has often worked with people who are/were involved in joint Canadian-Russian mining projects. I was asked many questions about Russian geologists. We have/had a different technique of geological mapping - so why we look different in field.

Geological Map of the USSR, 1950 map from the textbook Geological Mapping by V.A. Aprodov, 1952 blank spaces on the State Geological Map for West Siberian and Far Eastern economic regions in 1950 Geological Map of the USSR, 1983

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Geological maps of the USSR has been a prime source of factual material to any scientific reasoning - Russian students are taught to READ the geological maps from first to fifth year of education at universities and institutes. For admission to obtain the title of Kandidade (Candidade) of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences in Russia, one of the exam questions is "The Reading of Geological and Tectonic Maps (map-reading)".

The teachers of these special subjects for Russian students, including some of current members of the RAS, have been Soviet mapping geologists - professors and assistant professors, Ph.D. in geology and mineralogy of the state enterprises of geological exploration. All of them participated each field season (up to six months) in regional and large-scale mapping of various parts of the territory of the USSR in 30-50-60-70-80s.

And it is their work - geological maps with reports - remain to this day stay the main source of geological inspiration for some of the RAS's staff, who in his life has never had a single geological boundary on the map.

during the geological and geophysical studies in the Arctic - Chukchi Sea all survived, all found and were taken to the shore on the other AN-2 photography of N.N. Rzhevskyi, a member of the International Federation of Russian writers One Hundred Years of Geological Dynasty (rus)

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Geological map, which represent a graphic image of certain features of the geological structure of the crust, or any of its plot, is one of the main products of geological research in Russia. Information capacity of maps in general, and geological maps in particular, many times than information capacity of the book text, as well as speed of perception of any information.

Each type of geological maps in USSR/Russia is the original result of intellectual activities of geologists. The map is a kind of videoinformation document, where ideas, knowledge, and professionalism of authors find striking expression. So "why" in the Russian Federation, the object of copyright is not only a work of science, literature and art, but also geographical, geological and other maps, plans, sketches and plastic works relative to geography, topography and other sciences (Part IV of the Civil Code, the Article 1259. Objects of Copyright).

mapping was an upstream of the Soviet mining and petroleum industries and the prime source of factual material to any scientific articles, which lets one validly choose a given solution or hypothesis ...

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Geological, geophysical, geochemical and geomorphological surveys were conducted step-by-step on scales of 1: 500 000, 1:200 000, 1:50 000, 1:10 000, etc. on whole area of the Soviet Union. The works were planned every five(one) years, have been systematic, conducted within one nomenclature of rocks and one methodology, which has became universal as a result of wide range of geological, paleontological, geophysical, geochemical and biogeochemical studies during the searching of minerals in different geological and environmental conditions.

Russian geologists discussing geology of the Ametistovy deposit, Northern Kamchatka, Far East of Russia

Examination of the former USSR's territory was done during the numerous State Mapping Programs:

Geological Map of the USSR in the seventies picture from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia (GSE), 1970–1977 There were three GSE editions. The first edition of 65 volumes (65,000 entries, plus a supplementary volume about the Soviet Union) was published during 1926–1947. The second edition of 50 volumes (100,000 entries, plus a supplementary volume) was published in 1950–1958. The third edition of 1970–1977 contains 30 volumes (100,000 entries, plus an index volume issued in 1981. The GSE contents articles about the Soviet Union and all countries of the world Geological Map of the USSR, 1983

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At the G-to-G, we talk in what kind of like conditions performed Russian mapping geologists their duties - the grads of 30's through 80's. We talk how these geologists had been forgotten by the post-Soviet government in the 90s during privatizing the public geological organizations, state geological mapping and geological exploration enterprises. We talk about unknown state mapping experts of the former U.S.S.R., whose geological maps are in using till now by business and RAS. OLD GEODATA FOR THE NEW TIMES ...

This has not been prospecting with participation of entuziatsy-dilettanti and students - there were the state mapping programs and special projects, which attended by the teams of qualified geologists, doctors and candidates of geological and mineralogical sciences who spent in fields up to six months without breaks. And this category of state geologists has most suffered during the economic reforms.

We dedicated the Memorial Book to them ...

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abstract of PhD dissertation
Anna D. Ananchenko

For office use only

monograph, title of dissertation
Geochemical Investigations
During a Group Geological
Mapping on 1: 50 000 scale
of the North-East of the U.S.S.R.
The methodology and results
Chair of Geochemistry at the Geological
Faculty of the Moscow State University
Book 1, 256 с. Specialty 04.00.13 -
Geochemical Methods for Search of
Mineral Deposits, Moscow, 1982

Anna D. Ananchenko, PhD† archives

Many of Soviet geologists were worked in the closed research institutes. So their detailed maps (1:50 000) and reports are continue to be a "top state secret" for authors till now in spite of the fact that there is sometimes only results of geological research in that reports. The top secrets ... in stock ...

Wealthy factual geological data created by state mapping geologists of the former state enterprises "PGO ... Geologiya". Reports of numerous geological parties surrendered to the Russian Federal Geological Fund (Rosgeolfond) and were available to anyone who has the appropriate form for admission to the state secrets, including large-scale geological maps
1: 50 000 (1: 25 000, 1: 10 000 and so on).

The works of many industrial geologists remain closed to the public until now. Very practical Ph.D. thesis of certain geoscientists with an ample geochemical statistical material, which served including for corrections of equations in applied geochemistry, have brand "for restricted use" (for example - Ph.D. thesis by Ananchenko, 1982, and others) are not available for public - "For office use only". It takes lot of time to get any manuscript from the Rosgeolfond in Russia.

And at the same time on the international exhibitions we can find the posters showing the results of geochemical investigations, geological maps with minerals data, the present authors of which had never known. Uranium, platinum, gold, diamond - the list of strategic minerals for anybody who is an English speaking. And "For office use only" for Russian speaking geological community.

The state's guarantee of double standard.

Please, believe, foreign colleagues, there was done a big job during the state geological mapping and exploration projects on the territory in which you try to invest and where you try to collect samples under guiding of RSA's employees. Please, remember about that and take a closer look when you going to participate in "NEW" scientific or mining projects in Russia.

517.4 thousand record-manuscripts (Kovtonyuk, 2006) based on the detailed mapping and exploration investigations of the former USSR are stored under combination of locks in the State Geological Funds "(Rosgeolfond)". And it is unknown how many names of original research records which has preserved Rosgeolfond and its regional subdivisions.

State Mapping Geologists - it was a particular category of geologists in the Soviet Union, who mapped far far away terrains of Russia and discovered mineral deposits in the most remote corners of the country to pass of deposits to the mining industry. The work of state mapping geologists involved compilation of large amounts of scientific literature dealing with different type of mineralizations and deposits in the geological records since the times of Geological Committee 1882-1929 (Geolkom ).

In memory of Anna D. Ananchenko† and every one who has been associated with discovering of deposits and occurences at the Far East of Russia, G-to-G author submitted the extended abstract "Cassiterite-Sulfide Mineralization Revealed by Dispersion Flows in Belaya Sopka Mountain (northeastern Russia)" to the 24th International Applied Geochemistry Symposium 2009 (reprint - eng, 492 KB; June 1st to 4th, 2009, University of New Brunswick Fredericton, New Brunswick Canada).

It is impossible to name everyone who has been associated with discovering of deposits and occurences at the Far East of Russia

former graduates of MSU and MGRI - mapping geologists - a team of the Aerogeologiya Expedition (Moscow) during the bed rock mapping and geochemical surveys (1: 50 000) - the seventies from left to right: A. Grishin, S. Montin, and S. Meretskov

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All of us - Russian speaking geologists - were dressed in the same look khaki uniform during the field expeditions. But each of us was an unique while research and mapping process.

students and graduates of MSU and MGRI - mapping geologists - a team of the Aerogeologiya Expedition (Moscow) the Belaya Sopka Mountain (northeastern Russia). Snow has not fallen. left to right: Natasha Raikova, Andrew Kozhurin, Volodya, Valera, and another Valera, Anatoly Grishin, Victor Fedorov - the seventies

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"Began with the January 1992 state trip to the market without the announced state program, without appropriate training industries and enterprises, was doomed to unprecedented over
the past decade, social shocks. If the reduction of the military budget by 30% caused a long debate in Parliament and the society, the decline in the first quarter of the appropriations in the exploration industry for 60% (on the level of volumes in 1991) turned invisible and left more than 400 thousandth team of state geologists, one on one with their problems."
Victor Petrovich Orlov on 1992, deputy Minister of Geology (1990-1992),
chairman of Roscomnedr (1992-1996), President of the Russian Geological Society ...

And where you were Mr. President of the Russian Geological Society in 1992?

The beginning through the middle of 1990s was a terribly sad time for the Russian geologists. Many professors of geology, assistant professors, and young perspective scientists needed to finish their research programs and careers. Lot of them were needed to earn the livelihood on the unqualified work. Some of them died.

The G-to-G author knows some of them who commited suicide: my friend-geologist jumped out the window, another experienced perspective geologist of my age hang oneself - I just only know his name, one older geologist shot oneself.

We dedicated the Memorial Book to them ...

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Maria Alexandrovna Bolhovitinova

professor of MGRI, paleontologist
friendly jest to the anniversary

To have a highest education in Russia was a privilege only for the males till the 1869. Highest education for women was made possible after the liberal reforms, the 60-ies - after the abolition of serfdom.

The Highest Woman's Courses was on of the first highest woman’s education institution in Russia.

In 1860, the first woman-listeners show up in Russian universities. It was brought to the government attention, and on December 15, 1861 in the Ministry of Education discussed the possible the admission of women in Russian universities. The issue was resolved adversely.

Women wishing to study has always been many in Russia. Not getting at home an access to the highest education, Russian women departed abroad, mainly in Switzerland, where in 1867 the University of Zurich and Polytechnic School opened the doors for woman-students. In 1872 in Zurich were studied 108 Russian women.

Russian female-students in foreign universities proved five times more than representatives from other countries. This caused the resentment of government. In 1872, the government revokes Russian women from overseas universities and gives permission to open a Highest Woman's Courses in Russia.

In 70s in several universities in Russia (St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan, Kiev), opened the first female Highest Medical Courses, which exist until the mid 80-ies. So apart from that have become the generalists women's courses in St. Petersburg and Moscow, where began to study the first small group of the future female geologists also.

In 1917, the first woman - metallogenist and mining engineer Dr. Derviz V.M. sent by Geolkom on the field work in the Ussuri region. She was instructed "initial the study of many still completely unexplored iron ore deposits in Primorye Region, with the requirement to make an effort to fairly broad and rapid geological and mining research of mentioned fields with mandatory of magnetometric study".

These places were had a fragmentary information. Only in 1878 there came the forester and his assistant, and before that duties of the teacher, a doctor and the judge played the police officer. By 1908, a small town, bad roads cut off from the rest of the province, a wooden church and hospital resettlement. Population, devastated by war fled, the house boarded up. Supplies essential - kerosene, soap, candles, tea, sugar - were not available for any money. Besides of peaceful prospecotrs - the Chinese and Koreans - in the taiga met "industrialists" not averse nor beast, nor man. This explore required a great effort.

We dedicated the Memorial Book to the first Russian female geologists also

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Natalia Sarsadskikh, 1953
mapping geologist
photo after Eugenyi Treivus

The names of three prominent women geologists - Natalia Sarsadskih, Larisa Popugaeva and Natalia Kind - written in the history of the discovery of Soviet diamonds.

How many Russians want to know about them? Awards have been received, profits have long shared ... by others ...

Natalia Sarsadskih - one of discoverers of diamond pipes in Western Yakutia, Ph.D. in Geology and Mineralogy, introduced the technique for search kimberlite pipes in Russia by using pirops. Natalia spent three years to identify the most promising area of search for diamonds. Her whole family - father, sister, husband, daughter, son, cousin, nephew - geologists.

Larisa A. Popugayeva - geologist, the first who discover the kimberlite (diamondiferous) pipe "Zarnitsa". In 1954 - after thirteen years of searching - the young geologist Larisa finally pinpointed the first Soviet diamond pipe.

Not everyone geologist gets a rare happiness with use of knowledge and experience to anticipate where is the deposit should be located, and found it in the predicted place. Especially if the public "on the tip of the pen" type of deposit, reserves, and quality of raw material belongs to only one of the world's largest, unique. Such happiness "fell" to Natalia Kind, in Yakutia, opened the first and one of the largest diamond fields - diamond pipe "Mir".

However, the name of pioneer decades was silenced, and the awards, honors and benefits were received by others.

In 1957, for the discvovery of next field with industrial diamonds in the Yakutian SSR the State Prize and the Order of Lenin were awarded heads of industry and expeditions, some of geologists. But pioneers of diamond deposit Natalia Kind and geologist, forewoman Ekaterina Nikolaevna Elagina not only did not receive awards, but were dismissed from the geological expedition. For many decades their names are not mentioned. As the diamond remains was the top state secret, the truth sometimes was known only by their relatives.

Larisa A. Popugayeva mapping geologist photo from paper by Rishat Yuzmuhametov, 2004		Natalia V. Kind mapping geologist photo from paper by V.A. Baskina, 2001

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For Russian woman-geologists, who conducted mapping, search and exploration in areas of diamond pipes, it was impossible to buy the jewelry with diamonds, even with the cheapest diamonds, because they can be accused by officials of hiding diamonds during the performance of duties. And ... Russian womans could not afford such luxury.

This is what we call in Russia the "state secret".

We dedicated the Memorial Book to nameless Soviet female geologists and coalminers ...

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Many of Russian-speaking geologists, technicians, and laborers were also perished during the four-six month's geological expeditions in the Soviet time - we found information about two missed students, who worked and died in Siberia during mapping and searching for oil deposits at the end of 50s. And we have no information how many really died in geological expeditions ...

Many specialists were killed in accidents. There were lot of deaths at the North of Kamchatka during the geological mapping of 1:200 000 scale in 70s-80s. The Memorial Book is a place that makes a fitting tribute to the memory of these geologists, drill men, and field laborers too.

We dedicated the Memorial Book to them ...

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In Russia, along with the search for missing people after the Second World War, continues the search for citizens, innocent convicted and disappeared between 30-60-ies. Among these people are prominent geologists, who have been victims of mass repressions in the USSR.

nameless mapping geologist, 1959

General search for medium and small deposits of minerals in the North America do the junior mining companies and prospectors. Many of the prospectors in the Far East of Russia were from China and Korea - lot of them were repressed since 1917.

The geological mapping with search of deposits involved several generations of Russian-speaking geologists, geophysicists, geochemists, miners, prospectors that you would never know about if it not for the collapse of the Soviet Union. Lot of them after 1917 continued their geoscientist research or began geological studies under forcible supervision.

Pavel V. Wittenberg - a mapping geologist, professor was arrested in 1930. He was sent to the ten years "from Siberia to Siberia" - in the Arctic, where Wittenburg began to work even before the revolution. In 1936-1941 he conducted the field studies on the Taimyr Peninsula and the Arctic islands - geological mapping and search of mineral deposits.

Peter Nikolaevich Izmailov - mapping geologist and the first Russian Federation chess champion in 1928 (22 years old at the time). Peter was shot in 1937.

The following is an answer to the question: Why do Russian geologists afraid to show, to sell or to lose the geological maps?

"In Norilsk started a new wave of repression. One day my mother was summoned to the Political Department. Returning, she said that if my father [Vladimir S. Domarev] was alive, he would be arrested again, as alleged "in the America was found the geological map of Norilsk." - recollection by Irina Domareva-Ganshkevich.

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Nikolai N. Gadalov - the owner of gold-mines was charged with the transfer of geological information to foreign investors. It was a good reason for the arrest of N.N. Gadalov, G.A. Markov, N.I. Savelyev and other partners by the Siberian OGPU n 1924 (Krasnoyarsk). All of them were concluded in Novonikolsky prison, but released shortly after for the largest redeem. But there was a "Golden Case" of Gadalov-Markov-Savelyev after.

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Victor K. Mayer - charged with the transfer of materials with design of Transurala constructions to Japanese. Shot to the death in November 10, 1937.

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Nikolai I. Prokhorov - soil and ground scientist. Prior to the World War II re-arrested, charged with the loss of topographic maps and shot to death.

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Dr. Borisov A.A. for the loss of the confidential report arrested in late 40's and was sentenced to ten years in prison.

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Fedor A. Markov - director of the Cartographic workshop at the TsNIGRI at the time of arrest. Shot to death in May 23, 1937.

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Nikolai V. Kuklin was a chief engineer of the Ural Pyshminsk Expedition and chief geologist Shabrovsk Expedition, his work has been associated with radioactive materials. On August 1, 1949 he was arrested "on suspicion of loss of the secret protocol of technical meetings of the Shabrovsk expedition from May 23, 1949 "A works of hydrogeological team on radiological and geological investigation of water sources and wells in the Urals."

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Anna V. Zakrevskaya - geologist, paleontologist, an expert on the Quaternary period. Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, professor/ Arrested on September 14, 1938 to charges of involvement in the Ukrainian nationalist and "wreker activity - concealed mineral deposits".

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Georgiy N. Fredericks was arrested and charged with "intentional misinterpretation of geological cross-section in prospecting for oil in the area Chusovoy campuses" and shot to death.

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Peter Nikolaevich Chirvinsky arrested in January 6, 1931, charged in wrecking - "concealment of mineral reserves."

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Vasily I. Kaishov arrested in 1938 on charges of "incorrect estimation of the gold reserves."

Since the Soviet time, if geologist lost or burned by accident the geological maps, or topographic maps, or satellite images, or aerial photographs that caused for her/him the dismissal of a professional activity - forever or permanently, or arrest, or shot.

Simbir-Olchan prison camp

Magadan region

photo collected by O.G. Kulakov, 2000

I graduated the Moscow Institute of Geological Exploration (a.k.a. MGRI). I am highly value the geoscientific traditions of the MGRI and proud that have received an education in the Moscow Institute of Geological Exploration which was/is a major educational institute of USSR/Russia in more comprehensive geological mapping, deposits search and exploration methods. My spouse and parents, uncle and friends - all of them studied in MGRI.

"MGRI was a fabulous Higher School, an oasis of free-thinkers. Samizdat was spread in all chairs and in all departments due to undeclared promotion of administration - in fact, most of MGRI teachers were former GULAG prisoners." - Sergei TOPOL for Weekly Newspaper "Solidarity" N 26 (21/07/2004)

Uranium was the reason of repression in 1949 among of many geologists including teachers of the Moscow State Institute of Geological Exploration (a.k.a. MGRI).

It was so-called The Krasnoyarsk's Trial of Geologists in 1949. Some of the MGRI teachers became GULAG prisoners in 1949.

By the end of the 1930s, labor camps could be found in all twelve of the Soviet Union''s time zones. The system continued to expand throughout the war years, reaching its height only in the early 1950s.

By the GULAG's peak years in the early 1950s, there were camps in every part of the country, and slave labor was used not only for mining and heavy industries but for producing every kind of consumer product (chairs, lamps, toys, those ubiquitous fur hats) and some of the country''s most important science and engineering. ¹

... 3 778 234 people (including foreigners) were indicted by judicial and extrajudicial authority for "counterrevolutionary and other state crimes" from 1930 to 1953; of those, 786 098 people were sentenced to capital punishment and shot. ²

According to the book "Repressed Geologists" published by VSEGEI (1999), about one thousand ³ persons - exploration geologists, miners, drillers, laborants, and etc. - were arrested and served time in labour camps.

But it is just the record published by officials. We could never disclose the latent information. We do not know exactly how many... May be more... Some of them died, some of them survived... We will search...

Just during the period from October 1, 1936 through November 1, 1938 the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court as the court of first instance reviewed the record number of cases - at 36 906, of whom 25 355 were sentenced to shooting. ⁴

The Memorial Book is a place that makes a fitting tribute to the memory of all geologists, who were victims of repressions in Russian mining, oil and gas industry.

We dedicated the Memorial Book to them ...

* * *

the Medal of Honorary Explorer
of the Earth Subsoil

Anna D. Ananchenko† archives

Russia has a long geological and mining history. But we have many unknown persons who took a part in the building of mineral resource raw material base for nowaday Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, ....

The Bureau of Mines / Minerals yearbook
area reports: international 1980, (1980)
by Strishkov V.V.THE MINERAL INDUSTRY
OF THE U.S.S.R., pp. 1003-1074

In Africa, the first Nigerian metallurgical works is to be built with Soviet assistance. The capacity of this plant is to be 1.3 million tons per year of steel. It will be built near a deposit of iron ore discovered and proved by Soviet geologists

Geological Map of Asia, Great Soviet Encyclopedia (GSE), 1970–1977

[TOP]

By foreigner''s eyes most of us - Russian geologists did have nothing in Soviet time - just only hard work. But almost all of us were happy because each day brought a new view on the Earth''s history - what maybe more interesting for real geologist?

Please, believe that the time of "NEW" investigation for lot of Russia's regions elapsed. There was a time of Soviet's Gulag system and Brezhnev’s era for the NEW geological discovers because of the state mapping programs.

Now it is the time of repeating the previous geological traverses and making additional views to the former research data if researcher does not change the scale of investigations to more detail. That is a way for "new" geological research in Russia.

So the Memorial Book is a book that makes a fitting tribute to the memory of Geologists who have never come back from the one''s Territories...

Ilya I. Sonin, PhD and Anna D. Ananchenko, PhD during the bedrock geological mapping of the Northern Kamchatka Koryak Autonomous Region, Far East of Russia, the eightieth (Anna D. Ananchenko† archives)

[TOP]

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References

¹ Anne Applebaum. Gulag: A History, 2003 (Washington County Free Library). Note: While working for the "Business MN" in the middle of 90s the G-to-G.com author found that about 85-95% production of Soviet Union''s plants and factories made products for military. It was wery difficult, for instance, textile mills turn into civil manufacturing because these factories were designed for producing cords only and could not to use a German''s technologies to product fine woollen clothes.

² "Reabilitatciia", Governmental Bulletin [Praivitelstvennyi vestnik], 1990, No 7

³ O.V. Petrov, at the jubilee meeting of the scientific council of VSEGEI dedicated to the 125-th anniversary of Geolcom-VSEGEI, St-Petersburg, January 31, 2007 (VSEGEI - acronym: A.P. Karpinsky Russian Geological Research Institute)

⁴ Nikita Petrov, "Memorial", Mark Jansen, University of Amsterdam: He boasted shooting. Strokes to the portrait of Stalin Judge Basil Ulrich. "Novaya Gazeta" Cpetsvypusk "The truth Gulag" from 04.12.2008 № 11 (11) - rus. Russian: Никита Петров, "Мемориал", Марк Янсен,Амстердамский университет:
Он хвастался расстрелами. Штрихи к портрету сталинского судьи Василия Ульриха. "НОВАЯ ГАЗЕТА" Cпецвыпуск "Правда ГУЛАГа" от 04.12.2008 №11 (11)

⁵ Strishkov, V.V. THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF THE U.S.S.R. Bureau of Mines / Minerals yearbook area reports: international (1980), pp. 1003-1074

Thank you very much for showing an interest in our web-site G-to-G. It is our sincere hope that G-to-G will provide additional information about Russian geological community and clarify some of the misunderstandings concerning Russian geological and exploration practice, mining laws which have the origin in pre-revolutionary Russia and continued to develop in Soviet time. We try to let know to English speaking geological community about lot of Russian geologists who had never used to travel outside of Russia (Soviet Union) and had never any opportunity to share their geological experience with English-speaking geological community.
Thank you, Svetlana.

Information about the repressed, perished and dead geologists, workers, prospectors, and miners gathered from various sources. Versions of articles are regularly updated and supplemented by new data. Translation of articles from Russian to English is made by G-to-G author. We apologize in advance for any mistakes in the translation of articles, and also thank everyone who sends specific information about their loved ones.

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