The purpose of this review is to discuss the problem of seismic data visualization in relation to human vision capabilities based on the seismic signal dynamic range assessment.

   The ways of increasing the information content and efficiency of visualization methods in terms of increasing their resolution are considered. The conducted analysis has shown that the dynamic range of seismic recordings exceeds the capabilities of the human eye by 2–3 orders of magnitude and the capabilities of technical visualization means by 4–5 orders of magnitude. Color vision models are considered on example of the most versatile hardware additive RGB color model. The model was chosen based on the idea of the human vision system as a set of photosensitive cones that register red, green and blue colors and the human brain, which processes and forms a color image in one’s consciousness. The relationships between monochrome and color images perceived by the human eye based on several types of sensitive receptors have been established. It is concluded that the use of a color image significantly expands information capabilities. Thus, 8 grey steps are enough for the monochrome method of information output, whereas the use of color devices allows to increase the number of steps up to 14. The methodology for solving this problem consists in the application of new technologies based on the use of large-scale and three-dimensional images providing a significant increase in the values of luminous flux, resolution and contrast based on the expansion of the dynamic range taking into consideration the limits of human vision.

   The authors studied modern gas manifestations spatially associated with the ore deposits in the Kaitbinskaya lithological-facies zone of the Yenisei Ridge.

   The purpose of the research is to obtain scientifically based data on the genesis of gaseous and vaporous fluids in various sampling environments of the Vostochny open-pit mine of the Olympiadinskoye gold deposit: rocks, natural waters, free-flowing gases from blastholes and air of the surface atmosphere.

   It has been conducted a complex of field and analytical works including degassing, gas chromatography, pyrolysis of the organic substance of lithified and metamorphosed deposits, analysis of carbon isotopic composition in carbon dioxide and methane in fluidal systems. In order to study normal gas-geochemical field (natural background) of the work area an atmospheric geochemical survey was carried out at the reference site – an “environmentally friendly” site with the minimal influence of technogenic factors. It has been determined that the surface atmosphere of the site had been formed due to the landscape and geomorphological conditions of the Kaitbinskaya lithological-facies zone as well as fluidal systems of deep horizons. The latter, due to the presence of an extensive network of disruptive disturbances and diffusion-filtration processes of mass transfer reached the zone of exploratory geochemical sounding. The conducted pyrolytic studies of rocks have proved that within the open section of the Vostochny open-pit mine the organic substance of the Kordinskaya series of the lower Riphean deposits has implemented its oil and gas generation potential and cannot serve the formation source of abnormal gas fields of the Olympiadinskoye gold deposit. The studied gas systems are polygenic in nature and, being allochthonous to the host sediments, are formed without the participation of gases from the upper generating (bio) zone. According to isotope-geochemical criteria, these are mainly endogenous and naphthidogenic fluids identical to the gas condensate accumulations of the Yurubcheno-Tokhomskaya oil and gas accumulation zone.

   Subduction processes are accompanied by the sites of hydrothermal activity including large deposits of gold and transitional metals of island-arc or back-arc origin, whereas volcanic arcs host most part of the worldwide resources of metallic minerals. However, the role of suprasubduction metal transfer and the associated role of redox processes in their formation are still ambiguous and require direct studies of sulfide mineralization in high-pressure rocks, as well as their formation stages and sulfide preservation during progressive and peak metamorphism. In order to describe the behavior of chalcophile elements in the paleozones of continental subduction we performed preliminary mineralogical (SEM-EDX) and isotope (S) studies of sulfides in the North Muya block eclogites (northeastern Transbaikalia). Sulfide mineralization of pyrite-chalcopyrite-pyrrhotite composition has a metasomatic origin associated with the retrograde fluid transformation of initially “dry” eclogite assemblages during exhumation to lower- or mid-crust levels after or synchronously to the decompression and formation of plagioclase-diopside±amphibole symplectites (below 10-12 kbar). Extremely heterogeneous isotopic composition of pyrite sulfur (δ34SVCDT) was caused by various sources of fluids of presumably metasedimentary origin (from -8.2 to -6 %) in the paragneiss segments of the North Muya block. But they also could be predominantly buffered by hydrothermally altered metabasites (from +0.7 to +7.1 %). An alternative mechanism could be the participation of a single predominantly oxidized (sulfate-containing) fluid with the significant isotopic fractionation (up to ~15–20 %).

   The purpose of the article is to present an algorithm developed on the scientific and methodological foundations of quantitative and qualitative processing of geological and commercial data to implement the procedure for deep identification of deposits.

   The developed algorithm consists of two levels: the initial stage includes facility identification by tectonic and stratigraphic characteristics resulting in the formation of a number of megagroups of objects. Then they are subjected to deep differentiation using the elements of data factor analysis, which is carried out together with the monitoring of the highly identical objects. The presented approach to solving the problems of field effective grouping is the most effective due to a comprehensive and reasonable assessment of the groups of facilities formed as a result of modeling. The developed algorithm was tested on example of a number of fields associated with terrigenous reservoirs of the Devonian and carboniferous systems of the Volga-Ural oil and gas province. After two calculation stages the percentage of correctly grouped objects averaged 96.8 %, which is a high result. To make the search for analogous objects qualitative and objective eighteen equations have been obtained that combine twenty parameters describing the geological and physical characteristics of productive formations as well as the physico-chemical properties of the fluids saturating them at the sufficient level of reliability. Based on the results of using the developed algorithm for deep identification of deposits, the authors obtained a number of relevant mathematical dependencies between various parameters, graphical distributions of objects in the axes of the main components, which all together enable efficient and systematic search for analogous objects in the deposits of terrigenous reservoirs of the Devonian and carboniferous systems of the Volga-Ural oil and gas province. Besides, the presented identification diagrams enable successful management of the processes of oil recovery within the micro- and macro-levels of facility distribution in the axes of the main components. They also allow to form a list of general recommendations that will contribute to the optimal development of liquid hydrocarbon resources.

   The purpose of this study is to analyze the current level of knowledge on the issue of hazardous manifestations of rock pressure in natural electromagnetic fields as well as to assess the possibility of using this phenomenon for forecasting dangerous geodynamic phenomena in the open-pits of the Norilsk ore region.

   Modern mining technologies allow to extract minerals from fairly large depths, for example, in Norilsk region mining can be carried out at levels of about 1.5–2 km deep, which significantly exceeds the critical depth of dangerous deformation process manifestations.

   The object of the conducted research is the rock massifs of the Talnakh ore cluster in the Norilsk region prone to the manifestation of dangerous geodynamic phenomena.

   The deposits of the Norilsk ore region are liable to or dangerous for rock bumps. As the mining depth increases the hazardous geodynamic phenomena intensify, which justifies the need for hazardous phenomena prediction to ensure safe mining operations. The development of geophysical technologies (the electrical prospecting technologies in natural electromagnetic fields to predict seismic events in particular) is an urgent task that will improve the safety of mining operations. Based on the analysis of world experience we can conclude that the use of natural electromagnetic radiation recording to predict changes in the state of a rock massif is promising. Due to the fact that a large number of factors including lithological composition, texture and structure features influence the parameters of natural electromagnetic radiation the forecast technology for a specific mine should be based on the deviation of natural electromagnetic radiation parameters from background values that depend on the mining and geological conditions of the open-pit under investigation.

   As part of proactive geoecological research, the purpose of which was to assess the impact of waste from the industrial site of the Vostsibelement plant on the ecosystem of the town of Svirsk (Irkutsk region), the authors discovered anomalies with strong arsenic and polymetallic contamination located 200 m north-west from the boundary of the industrial site of the “Vostsibelement” plant. Part of the contaminated site is the former industrial site of the Angarsk Metallurgical Plant, which was successfully remediated in 2009–2013. This raised the questions of a detailed study of the current environmental and geochemical situation at the site and identification of the processes causing the presence of significant contamination on the previously successively reclaimed site. To estimate the current geochemical state of the site, an environmental-geochemical survey, which was four times more detailed than the requirements of the state standard, was carried out, accompanied by rapid X-ray fluorescence analysis of samples. As a result, it was found out that on the area of more than 30 hectares,13 hectares of which belong to the former industrial site of the Angarsk Metallurgical Plant, the present pollution exceeded the standards for arsenic, lead, copper and zinc by tens and hundreds of times. At the same time, it was determined that the nature of pollution and the spatial localization of the main anomalies had changed relative to the initial situation in 2009: currently, pollution is concentrated in the peripheral areas of the industrial site and beyond and is chaotic in nature (pollutant concentrations in neighboring samples, even taken over a mesh of 50×50 m, may differ by hundreds of times). The sites reclaimed with soil removal feature no significant contamination. For a retrospective analysis of changes in the situation at the site during reclamation works in 2009–2013 and after their completion, until the summer of 2022, the analysis of Landsat and Sentinel satellite multispectral sensing data was applied. With a time resolution of no worse than one image per month, the materials in the visible and near-infrared range were analyzed. The normalized differential vegetation biomass index (NDVI) was chosen to be the main informative indicator as it clearly reflects the facts of changes in the surface type of the industrial site and allows to assess the vegetation development on the site, which is an important indirect indicator of the environmental and geochemical situation. As a result, a good convergence of geochemical and remote sensing data was established and it was shown that reclamation measures had been carried out to the required extent and gave a noticeable result: the measures taken to remove the polluted soil and deliver conditionally clean and conditionally fertile soil are clearly recorded. A positive geobotanical effect from these measures is noticeable since there is the change in the vegetation type and biomass increase in the reclaimed areas compared to peripheral areas left for self-overgrowth by native vegetation. It is shown that with the time this effect disappears and a single type of vegetation is formed on the area. However, no obvious facts of significant technogenic impact on the industrial site after the end of monitoring activities in 2016 according to multispectral satellite data were revealed. There was not any soil removal or delivery of large volumes of waste on the site. The vegetation developed synchronously with the background areas. Thus, the study reliably confirmed the fact of pollution and described it in detail, tracked the progress of reclamation measures and proved the presence of positive environmental effects. It also refuted the hypothesis about the possibility of secondary pollution as a result of obvious anthropogenic influence. At the same time, it is shown that geochemical studies of such objects conducted in accordance with current state standards can distort understanding about their condition, while greater methodological freedom of scientific research compared to the work within the framework of government assignments allows to reveal the chaotic nature of pollution in the peripheral areas of the area and beyond. But even the achieved detailed description definitely does not allow us to consider the ecological and geochemical characteristics of the object presented in the article as final as it seems necessary to thicken the sampling mesh at least by four times. The degree of probable “soft” gradual pollution of the industrial site due to the transfer and migration of pollutants from nearbyт objects (up to II hazard class), which can be sources of additional secondary pollution with all detected elements, also remains unexplored. Thus, the data obtained indicate the need for an additional set of engineering and environmentalт work that goes far beyond the scope of the proactive scientific research. The methodological conclusion from the work is the proof of the applied approach effectiveness and applicability to geoecological research, which can make it possible to assess the current situation quickly, reliably and at low cost as well as to analyze, confirm or refute the hypotheses about the development of the situation and therefore can be successfully used in other similar cases.

   The fact that lithium has a wide range of applications in many fields including the production of lithium-ion batteries determines an increased interest in lithium mining. The most common types of lithium raw material sources are underground brines, saline lakes (“salars”), and ore minerals. In 2021, the first and unique deposit of lithium clays was discovered in the McDermitt caldera (Nevada, USA). Its resources are estimated at 13.7 million tons of lithium carbonate with the lithium concentration of 2231 mg/l. The uniqueness of this deposit raises the interest in the formation of model ideas about lithium
clay genesis to search for analogous deposits and explore them.

   The purpose of the article is to provide an overview of the geological structure and describe the main development periods of the McDermitt caldera.

   The authors also characterize the potential sources of lithium (felsic igneous rocks and hydrothermal fluids), migration paths of lithium-bearing brines as well as the formation mechanism of clays with a high lithium content (hectorite, illite and smectite). A generalized formation model of this type of deposits is proposed. Particular attention is paid to the role of hydrothermal fluids as a potential additional source of lithium “supply” to the caldera basin. Key criteria characteristic of industrial accumulations of lithium of this type have been formed in order to explore and identify analogous deposits. In conclusion, the authors put forward a hypothesis about the presence of deposits that are analogous to the Thacker Pass in the McDermitt caldera in the lithium province on the Altiplano-Puna plateau in one of the calderas of the Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex, and in Eastern Kamchatka.

   The purpose of the studies of kimberlite pipes of the Verkhnemunskoe diamond field is to calculate the Middle Paleozoic paleomagnetic pole to clarify the trajectory of the apparent migration of the pole and reconstructions of the paleogeographic position of the Siberian platform at the time of the manifestation of active tectono-magmatic processes.

   The Verkhnemunskoye deposit is located within the Verkhnemunskoye kimberlite field of the Yakutsk diamondiferous province and includes five kimberlite pipes (Deimos, Zapolyarnaya, Komsomolskaya-Magnitnaya, Novinka and Poiskovaya), the age of which according to geological and isotopic data is estimated as Late Devonian-Early Carboniferous (372–347 Ma). For the first time scalar and vector physical parameters of kimberlites and captured xenoliths from different structural-material complexes of the Earth’s crust, as well as the host terrigenous sedimentary rocks of the Early Paleozoic were obtained, which are necessary for the development of physical-geological models of the Verkhnemunskoe field deposits. A relatively deep level of erosional shearing of the field has been established. The primary (synchronous with the formation of the field) natural residual magnetization was preserved in the kimberlite cohesive mass. The main carrier minerals of natural remanent magnetization vectors of kimberlites are unaltered magnesioferrite and magnetite, which indicates their thermo-sufficient nature. The natural remanent magnetization vectors of captured xenoliths indicate that the influence of hypergenic processes did not strongly affect the NRM vectors of kimberlites. Firing test is positive. The paleomagnetic pole with coordinates Φ = 26.5°N, Λ = 142.2°E, dp/dm = 6.2/7.8° was calculated from the obtained clusters of N = 10 vectors of the primary natural remanent magnetization of kimberlite pipes. On its basis, we reconstructed the paleogeographic position of the Siberian Platform, which at the time of the kimberlite intrusion was located in the middle latitudes of the northern hemisphere and was facing north with its southern edge.