МИНЕРАЛОГИЯ НЕОПЛЕЙСТОЦЕНОВЫХ МОРЕН И МОРЕНОПОДОБНЫХ ОТЛОЖЕНИЙ ТЕРРИТОРИИ МОРДОВИИ

Abstract

The results of the mineralogical composition study of moraines and moraine-like deposits in the territory of Mordovia are presented. The material has been studied on a fine sand fraction of 0.25–0.1 mm according to the method used in the Scientific Research Laboratory of the latest deposits and paleogeography of the Pleistocene in the Lomonosov Moscow State University. The samples were taken during field work carried out on the eastern periphery of the area of the Neo-Pleistocene glaciations of the Don glacial zone. New field data on Quaternary glaciations in the Don River basin region and in the Middle Volga region cause a significant aggravation of discussions, which often leads to a revision of the age of moraine horizons and consequently the justification of new paleogeographic reconstructions and stratigraphic constructions. The varying degree of geological knowledge of the region makes it difficult to compare the sections of the latest deposits. In this regard, the problems of the number and age of glaciations are particularly relevant. It requires a more reasonable determination of the remote sources position of debris removal, knowledge of the mechanisms of the peripheral ice sheets’ impact on landscapes and clarification of the boundaries of their distribution. Detailed lithological data on glacial deposits can also be useful for geologists-surveyors and the needs of many sectors of the national economy. The final goal of the work is to reconstruct the paleogeographic conditions of the glacial formations on the territory of Mordovia, the number, age and distribution boundaries of the cover glaciations on the basis of the conjugate approach. A comprehensive study of the glacial and interglacial strata will allow to revise the previous ideas on the stratigraphy and paleogeography of the region in the future. Therefore, the results of processing data on the mineralogy of moraines and moraine-like deposits are cons