Книга подготовлена к 60-летию кафедры инженерной геологии и охраны геологической среды геологического факультета МГУ. Она содержит исторические сведения о становлении и развитии кафедры, освещает достижения в учебной и научной работе кафедры с момента ее организации до последнего времени. В приложениях приведены сведения об основных учебниках, учебных пособиях, монографиях, сборниках, картографических материалах, выпущенных кафедрой. В ней содержатся списки окончивших кафедру, а также всех защитивших на кафедре кандидатские и докторские диссертации.

Planet Earth is unique in many ways from the other silicate-metal planets in the solar system. In addition to oceans and an atmosphere that contains oxygen, Earth is the only planet that exhibits plate tectonics. Plate tectonics appears to be the result of convective cooling of the mantle, although the gravitational pull of subducted slabs probably drives plate motions (Conrad and Lithgrow-Bertelloni, 2002). Plate tectonics includes sites of plate formation at ocean ridges and sites of recycling into the mantle, which today are at subduction zones. Although geodynamic models support coherent plates throughout Earth history, just when and how plates became negatively buoyant is not yet clear. This is partly due to our uncertainty about the early thermal history of the mantle. Was the mantle hotter than at present, as generally assumed, or was it the same temperature (or even lower) due to enhanced rates of convective cooling during the early Archean? This leads to the question of how we track modern-style plate tectonics back in time. <...>

This monograph is a new detailed study of large and unique ferrous, precious, base metal and rare metal deposits in Russia. It addresses complex interrelated problems of geological setting, magmatism, and ore genesis of Northeastern Transbaikalia, one of the Earth’s largest Paleoproterozoic metallogenic provinces. This area comprises three super-large and a number of ordinary deposits and occurrences. First of all, this province hosts 50 Mt of copper in sedimentary and magmatic rocks, including the giant Udokan deposit. Russia’s largest reserves of vanadium are concentrated within the Chiney gabbro-anorthosite pluton. And finally, the Katugin deposit, with unique reserves of niobium and zirconium, is also located here.

Modern geochemistry utilizes three powerful tools: (major and trace) elements, isotopes, and equations, to study various Earth and environmental processes. A combination of the experimental tools (elements and isotopes) with theoretical tools (equations) provides penetrating insights into the Earth and environmental processes. The aim of this book is to link equations more closely with geochemical measurements, including elemental abundances and (radiogenic, radioactive and stable) isotopic compositions. The importance to use equations in scientific research has been best stated by Albert Einstein, "Equations are more important to me, because politics is for the present, but an equation is something for eternity." <...>

Geochemists recognize the utility of the rare earth elements (REE) as especially powerful tools for tracing geochemical processes within the earth. Interest in the REEs reflects, in large part, their unique and chemically coherent properties that arise as a result of their trivalent charge and the similar ionic radii of all 14 naturally occurring rare earths. For example, owing to their trivalent charge, the REEs are chemically fractionated from divalent Ba and tetravalent Hf, their nearest neighbors in the Periodic Table of the Elements.

Для успешного решения новых задач, поставленных XXIII съездом КПСС перед трудящимися Севера, предусматривается дальнейшее пополнение машинно-тракторного парка колхозов, совхозов и промышленных предприятий, однако значительная часть работ будет выполняться имеющимся парком тракторов и бульдозеров. Поэтому необходимо как можно лучше использовать эти машины, правильно эксплуатировать их.

Hillslope analysis is a branch of geomorphology whose aims and methods are often not well understood by geographers. Yet the whole of the earth's land surface is formed of slope facets, and an understanding of their form and of the natural processes acting on them is fundamental to geomorphology. One may define a hillslope quite simply as an element of the earth's surface inclined to the horizontal. Thus a slope possesses a gradient, giving it a direction or orientation in space. <...>

The word “geomorphology” is derived from the Greek roots geo (Earth), morphos (shape), and logos (study). Thus, geomorphology is the study of the shape of the Earth’s surface. Schumm (1991) defines geomorphology as the science of phenomena on or near the earth’s surface and the interactions between different types of materials and processes, including solids, liquids and gases. The effects of human activity are often crucial. Some authors consider geomorphology to be one of the most difficult physical sciences (Linton, 1964). Some authors restrict geomorphology to the study of the characteristics of sub-aerial topography but others extend it to the morphology of the ocean floors. Geomorphology also includes the investigation of landforms on other planets; this science is called planetary or extraterrestrial geomorphology (Greeley, 1985; Baker, 1981a; 1993, 2001, 2004a).

Книга младшего научного сотрудника Института палеобиологии, кандидата геолого-минералогических наук Клары Григорьевны Багдасарян представляет собой палеобиологическое и геологическое исследование чокракского горизонта, отложения которого широко распространены на территории Юга СССР. В работе детально рассматриваются вопросы происхождения и развития чокракской фауны моллюсков, устанавливаются три этапа в развитии чокракского бассейна и на основе этого обосновывается тройственное подразделение чокракского горизонта. Исходя из экологического анализа комплексов и отдельных родов моллюсков, автор приводит биономичес* кую характеристику бассейна. Значительное внимание уделяется выявлению причин и факторов эволюционного развития чокракских моллюсковых ценозов. В работе приводятся также описания новых и малоизвестных форм чокракских моллюсков.

For several decades geologists have been applying field, petrographic, and geochemical methods to study the diagenesis of limestones, dolomites, evaporites and sandstones. The most successful studies have integrated field and petrographic work with various geochemical methods. For most applications, the value of any one of the most commonly applied techniques has often been limited; however, when applied together they have proven very useful. Careful petrography has been the most important and reliable component of diagenetic studies.