Exploration of the Kuznetsk Coal Field in the XVIII – Early XX Centuries within the Dynamics of Geological Knowledge Development

Abstract

The paper analyzes the process of scientific knowledge formation regarding the Kuznetsk Coal Basin in the context of the dynamics of geological knowledge development. The author employed historical-genetical and comparative-historical analyses, as well as generalization method to study the process of accumulation of knowledge about the Kuzbass region in conjunction with various socio-economic factors. The author conducted a terminological analysis of definitions in line with the conceptual framework of geology. Results of geological explorations of the region in XVIII – early XX centuries have been analyzed as a part of scientific foundation for the local mining development. The first fragmented mentions of coal deposits were part of the large-scale Siberian expeditions in the XVIII century. The early geologically significant mentions of coal-bearing layers near certain villages date back to the first half of the XIX century. From the middle of the XIX century, the geological exploratory research sponsored by the Cabinet of His Royal Majesty the Emperor, accumulates fragmented data on several coal-bearing regions of Kuzbass, which brought about the understanding that there are significant coal deposits making up the depth of the field. Intensified due to the growing economic demands of the country, the commercial interest of individual industrialists and the development of geological science, further geological findings of the coal deposits of the area were for the first time complemented by substantiated results, which answered practical questions regarding industrial evaluation of coal reserves, their qualitative diversity and regional peculiarities of coal fields. Near the end of the third decade of the XX century, geological research revealed a close-to-modern and well-rounded understanding regarding the geological build-up and the coal resources of the Kuznetsk Basin, which finally revealed its strategic significance for the state.