Precise Point Positioning technology is a high-accuracy positioning method of global navigation satellite systems that can achieve centimeter-level positioning accuracy using one receiver and precise orbit and time information. Unlike differential positioning methods, which rely on ground reference stations, Precise Point Positioning provides greater global coverage and significantly higher operational efficiency. The advancement of four global navigation satellite systems – GPS (Global Positioning System), GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), GALILEO (global navigation satellite system), BDS (BeiDou navigation satellite system) – resulted in significant improvements in all signal transmission structures and satellite constellation positioning notifications that expanded the capabilities achieved by the modernization of these systems. The purpose of the study is to investigate the Precise Point Positioning technology performance performance for the four specified global navigation satellite systems by comparing the time they took to converge within a user-defined accuracy, analysis of positioning accuracy, and evaluation of the satellites used to derive the positioning solution. The results of the study will expand knowledge about multi-system applications of global navigation satellite systems and serve as a basis for innovative development of high-precision navigation and positioning technologies for global navigation satellite systems in the fields of surveying, mapping, and autonomous driving.

The efficiency of mining the underground reserves of diamond kimberlite pipes in Yakutia is largely determined by the condition of man-made protective massifs. These typically consist of an ore cushion, or sometimes an ore pillar, overlain by man-made altered and redeposited soils formed as a result of intensified weathering and development of gravitational processes (talus, rock falls, landslides, etc.) within the quarry walls. The purpose of this study is to comprehensively assess the deformation and strength properties of man-made landslide deposits formed at the bottom of the Aikhal open-pit mine and determining the safety of underground mining operations. Laboratory studies of soils included granulometric, mineralogical-petrographic, chemical, geomechanical, and other types of analyses. Additionally, experimental studies of the deformation potential of detrital and dispersed soils were conducted. The use of an integrated approach to studying man-made sediments revealed their distinctive features, including a high degree of heterogeneity in their state and properties. The soils are composed primarily of crushed rock and gravel with sandy loam aggregate. The coarse-grained material is characterized by a wide range of weathering and strength parameters (from slightly to highly weathered and from strong to soft). The presence of soft fragments in the composition of sediments contributes to their premature destruction. Fine-grained soils are characterized by abnormally low values of deformation and strength parameters, which allowed them to be characterized as structurally unstable and prone to yielding.

The purpose of this article is to substantiate the importance of comprehensive crystal chemical analysis in the mineralogical and technological assessment of solid mineral ores. On example of rare silicate minerals (tinaksite, tokkoite, potassium-hastingsite, and others) selected from the deposits of various genetic types the effectiveness of the integration of modern analytical methods including X-ray structural analysis, electron probe microanalysis, Mössbauer, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance, as well as optical spectroscopy and luminescence was demonstrated. The study obtained quantitative data on cation distribution by structural positions, iron valence state spectra features associated with OH vibrations, and luminescent characteristics. The identified quantitative “composition-structure-properties” correlations enabled the solution of such fundamental tasks as determining crystal chemical formulas and mechanisms of isomorphic substitutions, studying ion exchange and redox processes, reconstructing mineral formation conditions, and analyzing the nature of functional properties. The obtained results provided a basis for predicting the technological behavior of mineral raw materials and developing genetic criteria. Among other things, it has been convincingly demonstrated that the comprehensive approach to assessing solid mineral ores enables a transition from empirical description to predictive modeling making a significant contribution to both the development of fundamental mineralogy and the solution of applied problems in rational subsoil use. The established patterns and developed methodological principles open up new prospects for the creation of energy-efficient and environmentally friendly technologies for processing mineral raw materials with the targeted use of their functional properties.

The article provides a systematic review of modern approaches to the use of artificial intelligence methods for processing and interpreting geological and geophysical data in the prospecting and exploration of solid mineral deposits. The key areas of artificial intelligence integration into geological exploration processes are considered: automation of seismic, magnetic, gravimetric and electromagnetic data analysis, recognition of structural and anomalous objects based on machine learning algorithms and deep neural networks, integration of heterogeneous sources of geoinformation using multimodal architectures. The article explores approaches to ore content forecasting, constructing of three-dimensional geological models, and assessing of probabilistic scenarios for ore body location taking into account geological uncertainty. Particular attention is paid to the issues of interpretability of artificial intelligence models, the effect of the quality and completeness of the input data on the reliability of the results obtained, as well as institutional, technical and personnel limitations that hinder the widespread implementation of artificial intelligence in geological exploration practice. The article discusses the development prospects of hybrid intelligent systems that combine expert knowledge and algorithmic methods, as well as the possibility to create digital twins of deposits as a basis for the digital transformation of the mineral resource complex. The article is based on the analysis of relevant publications by Russian and foreign authors and can serve as a methodological guideline for conducting scientific research, creating applied software solutions and increasing the efficiency of digital geology in the context of increasing complexity and cost of geological exploration.

An important role in engineering geology belongs to geophysical methods that enable effective study of soil structure and properties to determine seismic microzoning when designing buildings and structures in industrial and civil engineering. To assess the effectiveness of exploration geophysics methods, the territories of the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Horizon cinema in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russia) were selected. The fine structure and velocity parameters of soils were conducted on those sites using seismic 2D-profiling. The purpose of the work was to obtain and monitor changes in the physical and mechanical parameters of soils in their natural rock bedding, both horizontally and vertically. Seismicity analysis of the sites was performed using multiwave seismic exploration methods based on the recording of longitudinal, transversal, and converted waves with different polarizations. A Laccolith 24M digital 24-channel seismic survey station was used for seismic exploration. A pulsed non-explosive source (tamper) was used to excite elastic vibrations. The types of recorded waves and the nature of their oscillations were determined using both traditional methods and theoretical calculations of wave fields using a technique for constructing a seismic section based on the observed wave field. The study resulted in the construction of seismic sections, the analysis of which was subsequently confirmed by drilling wells to depths of 20–25 meters. Conducted studies showed impossibility to select a single unique site for drilling a well that would allow to provide a detailed description of the site as a whole. Therefore, seismic profiling was recognized as the most effective method enabling parameter measurement for the entire site, both laterally and at depth.

The main structural features of a rock mass that determine its mechanical and deformational properties and, consequently, its stability are fracturing, blockiness, and layering, as well as the rock composition itself. A large number of small open cracks on the walls of workings also appear during blasting and mechanized excavation, which underestimates the main structural parameters of the massif and deteriorates the stability forecast according to the Z.T. Bieniawski system, which is frequently used in practice. The purpose of the engineering-geological study of mass fracturing of the deep horizons of the Irokinda gold deposit was: qualitative assessment of the rock mass properties, approximate quantitative assessment of the rock mass properties by calculation, and identification of hazardous intervals within the entire rock mass. The availability of refined data on rock mass fracturing allows for both upward and downward adjustments to the stability class, including those during mine development. It also identifies promising areas for studying crack propagation patterns during blasting operations and their impact on the integrity of the peripheral rock mass, as well as blast control to reduce the impacts on the rock mass. The obtained results of the qualitative and quantitative fracturing study were interpreted in terms of their genetic origin to interpolate the estimates of fracturing parameters and rock property indicators in the massif and the possibility of taking them into account when calculating the stability of mine workings using various methods. Based on the obtained documentation materials of the mine walls and the study of borehole cores, a 3D model of individual sections of the Irokinda gold deposit was created. It allows to improve the accuracy of rock mass zoning for addressing current production challenges, such as predicting geomechanical processes and improving their management methods.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the typochemistry of gold-bearing minerals of the silver-gold series at the Dukat gold-silver deposit (northeast Russia). The methods of optical microscopy and X-ray spectral microprobe analysis were used in the research. The minerals were selected from the most common gold-silver ores at the deposit, which have a predominantly silver composition. It was found out that they are represented mainly by gold-bearing native silver and kustelite. Electrum of low fineness is much less common. The fineness of gold-bearing silver varies in the range of 10–99 ‰ (on average 51 ‰), kustelite – in the range of 101–245 ‰ (on average 149 ‰). The studied electrum separations have low fineness – from 274 to 438 ‰ (on average 357 ‰). The following patterns were revealed in the impurity composition. Gold-bearing silver is characterized by the maximum amount of impurity elements: in addition to gold, these are tellurium, copper, antimony, mercury, lead and iron; selenium, sulfur and bismuth were found in some isolated spots. The total content of all impurities (excluding gold) is also maximum – up to 1.35 wt. %. Kustelite has a slightly lower amount of impurities: tellurium, mercury, antimony, copper and lead; bismuth and selenium are noted in isolated spots. The sum of all impurities is less than 1.23 wt.%. Electrum contains the minimum amount of impurity elements: tellurium, mercury, copper and bismuth; less often it also contains arsenic and selenium. The sum of impurity elements does not exceed 0.67 wt. %. The elemental composition of the impurities and their concentration levels in the studied intermetallic compounds generally reflect the geochemical features of gold-silver ores, predominantly silver in composition, which predominate in the upper-medium ore intervals of the Dukat deposit. The identified typochemical features can be used in exploration to determine the ore-formational identity of the discovered mineralization, and also serve as an additional criterion for assessing the erosional truncation of ore zones and predicting mineralization in depth.

The problem of anthropogenic changes in the biogeocenotic functions of the soil cover of urban forests in the Irkutsk region requires knowledge of the territory functioning mechanism and timely assessment of environmental consequences. The purpose of the research lies in the selection of a list of necessary indicators that describe the environmental and functional properties of soils, which allow a highly informative assessment of changes in the environmental state of the soil cover in an urbanized environment. The research asseses those environmental and functional properties of soils which are directly related to the improvement of the urban environment including detoxifying ability, nutritional regime and soil buffering capacity. Forest litter and upper humus horizon parameters are shown to be the most informative. All selected soil indicator parameters are found to have high levels of mutual correlation, reflecting their high functionality under the negative anthropogenic impacts (technogenic pollution and recreational load) of the urban environment. The research results expanded our understanding of the environmental mechanisms of soil adaptation to anthropogenic loads and the role of these components in maintaining ecological balance in urban areas. The presented approach based on selected informative parameters of forest soils in urban areas enabled to assess the environmental potential of soils as well as the feasibility of cleaning and restoring the urban environment under the current conditions of airborne anthropogenic pollution and recreational loads. It also allowed to develop recommendations for optimizing urban environmental conditions.