Angara Region Research Articles

Люди и вулканы Окинского плоскогорья в древности: влияние вулканической деятельности на выбор мест организации поселений

The Oka Plateau is situated in the Sayan Mountain System on the West of the Buriatia Republic. In the Late Pleistocene, this territory was influenced by local glaciers which were developed along the rivers’ valleys. . Glaciers played an important role in the strategy of human development of the territory of the Oka Plateau, for long periods of time making inaccessible the numerous valleys of the tributaries of the Oka River, the main water artery of the Oka Plateau. Starting from the end of the Pleistocene and throughout most of the Holocene, volcanic activity intensified in the upper reaches of the Zhobolok (a tributary of the Oka). The poured lava flows advanced into the Oka valley and blocked the river, creating a natural dam. As a result, a vast dammed paleolake was formed above the dam. After the natural situation stabilized, the shores of the paleolake were actively developed during the Holocene optimum. It was the settlement of the people whose material culture finds many analogies among the archaeological materials of the Angara region. In 2021, a series of Neolithic sites were discovered in the area of Zun Nomto-Gol. During the study of these sites, the frequency and sequence of development of the shores of the ancient lake were established. The fact of a gradual decrease in the level of the dammed lake at an early stage of its existence (the Neolithic era according to archaeological periodization) has also been established. Later, the water level in the lake decreased dramatically and many ancient sites turned out to be high above the water, which led to the cessation of the development of previously inhabited areas.

Youth Centre in the historical quarter 108 in Irkutsk

The authors tried to solve the general composition of the quarter and the internal organization of the multifunctional centre in harmony with the surroundings, as well as to realize the main idea: to build a new progressive building for young people in the capital of the Angara region, a centre for intellectual, professional and creative growth.

Mechanisms of state support for cluster policy in the lower Angara region

Mechanisms of state support for cluster policy in the lower Angara region

North Angara Early Holocene hunter–gatherers: Archaeological evidence of the collector strategy

This paper examines Early Holocene hunter–gatherer subsistence–settlement patterns in the North Angara region, located at the northern boundary of Cis-Baikal, Siberia. The archaeological evidence, supported by radiocarbon and stratigraphic data, indicates the presence of hunting and fishing activities, resource diversification, lithic technologies, and settlement organization showing some aspects of the “collector” end of Binford's forager–collector continuum: specialized “logistical” camps and a multi-activity residential base with different patterns of resource procurement and technology. Considering paleoenvironmental conditions, this pattern can be largely explained as an attempt by hunter–gatherers to minimize the risks of seasonal deficits from fishing and game hunting in a boreal zone.

Materials from the burials of Sergushkin-3 ground cemetery in the Northern Angara region: on the issue of chronology and geneses of the Tsepan Culture

The Sergushkin-3 ground cemetery (Northern Angara region), studied in 1974-2011, included 24 burials of the Bronze Age, Early Iron Age and the Middle Ages. The cultural and chronological attribution of some com-plexes is polemical. The purpose of this article is to introduce into scientific discourse materials from burials 8 and 9, including the results of contextual and comparative study of funeral and commemorative practices of these assemblages, as well as paleo-anthropological data and radiocarbon dates. Burial 8 contains macerated, broken and partly burned bones of a 25–30 year old woman and represents an oval pit oriented along the river. Accord-ing to the grave contents, the remains of the dead woman were burnt in the burial pit. She was accompanied with two sickle type bronze blades, a stone arrowhead and two bone plates. The burnt tree samples provided the ra-diocarbon ages of 3165 ± 130 BP (SPb_147) and 2945 ± 130 BP (SPb_148). Burial 9 contains macerated, partly broken and burnt bones of a young 18–20 year old man and a young 16–20 year old woman in a ground pit ori-ented along the river. The partial cremation of the remains was performed outside. The deceased were accompa-nied with a piercing tool made of moose splint bone, one stone and four bone arrowheads, four horn arrowhead sockets and a hollow horn collar. The burnt tree samples were radiocarbon dated to 2790 ± 100 BP (SPb_381) and 2750 ± 100 BP (SPb_382). The grave goods of both burials are similar to those of the Tsepan Culture of the Early Iron Age (8th–2nd c. BC), while the calibrated calendar interval of their radiocarbon ages is within 15th-10th c. BC. It agrees with the dates of the same “early” Tsepan burial 4 on the Pashina settlement (late 2nd — early 1st mil. BC). The recorded details of funeral rites of these burials are typical for earlier assemblages in the Baikal-Angara re-gion. The sickle type bronze blades and horn sockets are unique for the Bronze Age materials in Angara and Baikal regions, but they impressively resemble the curved knives and bone sockets of the pre-Scythian period from Yakutia and Trans-Baikal region. Based on the above, a suggestion has been made regarding the initial stage of formation of the Tsepan Culture as having been the result of migration processes in the region in the second half of the 2nd mil. BC.

Variations in radon concentrations in the underground waters during the generation and occurrence of seismic events in the Baikal region

The purpose of this work is to analyze the variations of radon volumetric activity in groundwater from the South Angara region and to identify and study the response of the emanation field to the most significant seismic events that occurred in the Baikal region in 2021. To achieve this goal, we organized daily monitoring of the radioactivity of groundwater in the study area. The analysis of the obtained series made it possible to determine the amplitude of fluctuations of radon volumetric activity Q (from 13.2 to 48.4 Bq/L), as well as the average annual (26 Bq/L) and daily average (4.5 Bq/L) indicators.The total number of earthquakes that occurred during the year on the territory of the Baikal region yielded a sample of 40 most significant (M≥4) events, for which the radii of the areas of influence were calculated. In three cases, we found that the sampling points were located within the influence radii or close to it. In four cases, the actual distances from the monitoring points to the epicentres were one and a half to three times greater than the calculated radii, and in the rest thirty-three cases, these distances were more than three times greater than that.Three types of emanation responses to seismic events have been identified, with one of which to be recorded before an earthquake, that is, to be a prognostic sign. Among the earthquakes demonstrating this effect, the Khubsugul earthquake was the strongest in the study area over the past ten years. Grouping by distance from the source to the sampling point relative to the radius of the event’s influence practically coincides with the set of earthquakes by the recording time and the type of recorded responses.Thus, the fluctuations of the emanation field spread over considerable distances from the earthquake generation area with gradual attenuation, and the response recording moment and the type of anomaly that appeared on the graph depend on the power of an impending event, as well as on the distance between the earthquake epicentre and the sampling point. The study shows that the possibility of identifying the emanation precursor effects before strong earthquakes on the territory of the Baikal region is based on two primary conditions: first, sufficient strength of an impending earthquake; second, the location of the sampling point within the radius of the area of influence of this earthquake.

Electronic Corpus of Linguaculture of the Northern Angara Region: Foundations, Structure, and Application

Linguaculture is a heterogeneous linguacognitive phenomenon that depends on the local area, values, and community, as well as on national and ethno-specifics cultural codes and subcodes of mythology, theology, anthropomorphism, biomorphism, household, commerce, etc. The article introduces the linguacultural corpus of the Northern Angara Region that unites oral and multimedia (polycode) texts of traditional regional linguaculture. The corpus is being developed at the Siberian Federal University and includes empirical material of complex folklore, dialectological, and ethnographic expeditions to Kezhemskiy, Boguchany and Motygino areas. The article describes the basic principles of the corpus, i.e. representativeness, synchronism, and regionality, as well as the thematic, genre, functional, and semantic diversity of oral and polycode texts. Culturally marked oral texts are included in the corpus based on their linguistic and cultural informativeness. The corpus is divided into dialect, folklore, and multimedia subcorpuses of valuable information, which can solve various issues of Russian studies, as well as practical issues of linguacultural ecology. The information search process depends on several parameters: speech and folklore genre, topic, basic concept, and word. The article also contains a comparative analysis with other specialized corpora of oral speech, which revealed prospects for further development and application. The linguacultural corpus of the Northern Angara Region contributes to regional lexicography and other branches of Russian studies, e.g. Siberian linguaculture, language and culture, language and mentality, etc.

Первые радиоуглеродные данные для средненеолитических погребений Южного Приангарья (сообщение)

In the Neolithic studies of the Cis-Baikal, the problem of hiatus (break in mortuary traditions) remains topical. According to the latest data, adjusted for the freshwater reservoir effect, it manifests itself over a period of about 600 years (6660–6060 cal BP). During the implementation of the project “Missing Link: The Problem of Identification of Middle Neolithic Burials on the Territory of Baikal-Yenisei Siberia”, carried out under the guidance of one of the authors, it was proposed to associate with the Middle Neolithic complexes of campsites where Ust-Belaya and Posolskaya ceramics are recorded. In parallel, a search was carried out for burials that could be correlated with this stage. More recently, we have received the first radiocarbon data on two burials from the Southern Angara region. One of them (Ust-Ilir burial ground) was included in the database already at the first stage of the study. The second (from Shumilikha burial ground) was not initially considered as a potential object for dating and was analyzed as an addition to other materials. As a result of radiocarbon dating, two determinations were obtained from fauna samples (fragments of bone tools). It has been established that the age of the Ust-Ilir burial complex with bone pendants with waterfowl images, unique for the Angara region, is within the range of 6275–6012 cal BP (6182±70 mean HPD cal BP). A similar burial (Gremyachii Klyuch) was excavated in 1959 in Krasnoyarsk. Burial No. 44 from Shumilikha is somewhat older and is dated in the range of 6622–6410 cal BP (6508±43 mean HPD cal BP). Thus, the age of this burial complexes falls within the interval of the Middle Neolithic hiatus. Moreover, these data do not require any correction, since they were obtained from samples from the bones of herbivorous mammals. Both burials could have been left by huntergatherers who made Ust-Belaya ceramics, as evidenced by the finds of fragments of this type in the collection of exposed materials from the Ust-Ilir burial ground, as well as the synchronism and territorial proximity of burial No. 44 of the Shumilikha burial ground and complexes of cultural layer 3 of the Ust-Belaya site with fragments of similar vessels. This is the first reliable data on hiatus, the problem of which is likely to lose its relevance in the near future.

Погребальные комплексы Байкало-Енисейской Сибири с неопределенной культурно-хронологической принадлежностью: анализ и корректировка базы данных

To identify the burial complexes of the hiatus period (a break in traditional burial practice), which, considering the latest adjustment, is determined in the Cis-Baikal by the interval of 6660–6060 cal BP, we are implementing the project “Missing Link: The Problem of Identifying Middle Neolithic Burials in the Baikal-Yenisei Siberia”, which aims to address this issue within the territorial framework of the entire region. In less than three years, it was possible to collect and process data on a large series of burials, whose cultural and chronological affiliation raised questions. As a result, a database was created, which at the first stage consisted of 107 complexes, then was reduced to 57. Over the past year, new data have been obtained that make it possible to refine the database. There were also changes in the content of the database: some burial complexes were excluded, while others were added to it. Some inaccuracies made at the previous stage of the study have also been corrected. In addition, for the first time, we rank objects according to their likelihood of belonging to the Middle Neolithic (hiatus) based on reliable radiocarbon dates and comparative analysis. The revised database includes burial complexes from four locations of Baikal-Yenisei Siberia: the Kansk-Yenisei region, Northern Angara region, Southern Angara region, and Upper Lena. Now it contains information about 49 complexes of Baikal-Yenisei Siberia, which are divided into five groups. It was established that 9 burials (groups 1 and 2) can be associated with the hiatus period, and in 6 cases reliable confirmations in the form of correct AMS-dates have already been received. Burials from groups 3 and 4 have a high potential for filling the hiatus after correcting the available radiocarbon data and obtaining an additional series of determinations. The complexes of group 5 have the lowest degree of probability of belonging to the Middle Neolithic. We also note that when filling the hiatus, one should not strive to be limited to the period of 6660–6060 cal BP, since these frameworks of the Middle Neolithic indicated only the absence of known burials in the territory of the Cis-Baikal at that time. The Middle Neolithic is actually a more complex phenomenon, associated with the development of Baikal-Yenisei Siberia by new groups of hunter-gatherers who came from the west a little earlier, probably about 7000 cal BP. The exodus of this population also did not occur instantly, and the upper boundary of the Middle Neolithic requires clarification.

Краткий обзор вариабельности терминально-краевого расщепления в комплексах финального сартана Байкало-Енисейской Сибири

The article presents the characteristic of the terminal-edge microknapping from the archaeological complexes of the Final Sartanian (sr4 ) of Baikal-Yenisei Siberia. These complexes are dated in the interval of 14.7– 12.8 ka cal BP. Most of them are localized in the Southern Angara region (14 objects). The rest of them are located on the Upper Lena (1 object) and in the Kan-Yenisei region (2 objects). Cultural complexes from the above-mentioned interval are included a large number of the Bølling–Allerød (BA) soils. The process of the identification of techniques/methods of terminal-edge microknapping coincide with understanding that is considered in Japanese archeology. Variations of the Yubetsu techniques (Sakkotsu, Oshorokko) are widely used including those which have a sharp flaking angle in the traditional system of frontal platform trimming. Bifaces, unifaces, flakes, platy partings and pebbles were the preforms. There are single forms made in the Rankosi technique. The earlier technique of Saikai continues to exist. The blanks were pebbles, flakes, specially prepared forms, bifaces. The main feature of this technique is the trimming of the platform by transversely oriented spalls with one of the laterals. It is combined with Campus technique. It is based on the use of flakes, flattened cores of various modifications and specially prepared bifacial forms as blanks. For the Campus technique a special variant of platform trimming was fixed which was formed by a series of flakes from the lateral as in the Saikai technique. Then the working segment of the platform was supplemented with a specific “stepped” flakes from the front. The closest analogies of the Yubetsu strategy are found in the materials of synchronous objects in the Baikal-Patom highlands and Western Transbaikal region. The combination of the specific techniques of microknapping of the Saikai and the Campus has broad analogies in the Sartanian complexes of the Yenisei River valley. In the development of the cultures of the late stage of the Upper Paleolithic of Baikal-Yenisei Siberia a certain continuity is traced. It is expressed in the development of microknapping strategies.

Проблемы культурно-хронологической идентификации Усть-Илирского могильника (Южное Приангарье)

The search for the Middle Neolithic burial complexes in Baikal-Yenisei Siberia is one of the most important fields of modern regional research. It is directly related to the problem of the so-called hiatus, which is characterized by the absence of dated burials for several hundred years between the Early and Late Neolithic in the range of ~7–5.5 ka cal BP (or ~6.6–6 ka cal BP to updated data). We see the greatest prospects at this stage of research in identifying the burials of hunter-gatherers who owned the technique of making Ust-Belaya pottery, so the connection of this ceramic type with some burials is already quite clear. This article proposes a new view on the cultural and chronological affiliation of the Ust-Ilir burial ground, which was discovered in 1990 at the mouth of the Ilir River, the left tributary of the Iya River (Southern Angara region). It is distinguished by the originality of the mortuary rite and inventory and stands out against the background of the known Neolithic burial complexes in Baikal-Yenisei Siberia. In the grave, partially destroyed by the Bratsk Reservoir, the remains of three people, fire traces and “ocher” spots (powdered red mineral pigment) were found. During the excavation of the burial, along with various tools, bone needle cases with carved ornaments, pendants from deer teeth, and bone pendants that imitate the latter in shape, unique objects of art were found - miniature bone sculptures with images of waterfowl. In addition, on the beach where the burial was discovered, exhibited finds were collected, including stone and bone tools, as well as fragments of ceramics of the Ust-Belaya type, which most likely belong to this complex. As a result of the analysis of the elements of mortuary rite and inventory of the Ust-Ilir burial ground, its similarity to some Neolithic burials of Krasnoyarsk, the Northern and Southern Angara region, whose cultural and chronological affiliation has not yet been clearly defined, has been established. The closest to Ust-Ilir is the burial complex discovered in 1959 in Krasnoyarsk near the Gremyachii Klyuch stream, in the materials of which there are similar artifacts with images of waterfowl and needle cases with an ornament. We recently obtained a radiocarbon date for this complex from a deer bone sample (from the inventory), which shows its age at 5280±25 BP (6182–5943 cal BP). Given the above facts, the Ust-Ilir burial ground can be synchronous with the Gremyachii Klyuch burial. These complexes, as well as burials close to them from other areas of Baikal-Yenisei Siberia, with a high degree of probability could have belonged to hunter-gatherers who own the Ust-Belaya pottery tradition and inhabited the region in the Middle Neolithic.

Концепции лесопромышленного освоения севера Сибири в конце 1920–1930-х гг.

The article is aimed at analyzing the concepts of timber industrial development of the north of Siberia in the late 1920–1930s. In the strategy of industrialization in the USSR (late 1920s – early 1940s), the north of Siberia with large reserves of natural resources occupied an important place. During this period, attempts were made to plan the development of forest resources of the territory in conditions of poor forest knowledge. The projects were characterized by the gigantic scale of production, involving the integrated use of wood. Timber industry hubs were planned along the banks of large Siberian rivers, in close connection with railway and energy construction projects. In the years of the third five-year plan, versions of the timber industry development of the north of Siberia were processed in connection with the establishment of a water protection zone in the European part of the USSR. The concepts testified to the largest prospects of timber industry hubs in the middle reaches of the Ob River and the Lower Angara region. At the present stage, the analysis of the concepts of timber industrial development of the north of Siberia is important in the design and construction of timber industry enterprises in the macroregion, determining the directions of export of forest resources

Опыт реконструкции облика человека раннего неолита из погребения могильника Шумилиха (Южное Приангарье)

This paper presents the results of a reconstruction of the appearance of a hunter-gatherer of the Kitoi culture from a burial at the Shumilikha cemetery in the Southern Angara region. The excavations were carried out in 1999. In the grave, the walls of which were coated with clay, the remains of a human 25–35 years old were found. Under the skeleton, which was sprinkled with “ocher” (grated hematite rock), traces of a wooden construction were recorded. The grave goods (more than a hundred items) included such interesting finds as the kernels of fishhooks, a bone spoon, beads made of bone paste, as well as two items made of white jade: a ring and a cylindrical bead. There is a reliable radiocarbon date for the human bone, which, taking into account the correction for the reservoir effect, shows an age of 7,003±106 cal BP and allows you to determine the age of this complex by the Early Neolithic. Modern software for 3D modeling and visualization opens up great opportunities, so a virtual method was chosen to reconstruct the appearance of a human from a burial. First, all the bones of the skeleton were scanned, for which two types of 3D equipment were used: a stationary scanner RangeVision Spectrum based on structured light photogrammetry (for the skull and small bones) and a hybrid handheld scanner with structured LED and infrared illumination Shining 3D Einscan H (for large bones). The scan results are processed in RangeVision's ScanCenter NG using built-in algorithms. Filling voids, smoothing surfaces, simplifying 3D models, and correcting mesh defects are done manually at the stage of model postprocessing. For further work, the resulting models were transferred to the stl format. Facial reconstruction was carried out in Blender and ZBrush in several stages: 1) importing and combining models; 2) modeling of lost teeth and reconstruction of the occlusion; 3) CAD modeling of a set of soft tissue depth markers and their positioning by craniometric points; 4) modeling of auxiliary circuits for nose reconstruction and eyeball setting; 5) modeling of masticatory muscles; 6) modeling of facial muscles and fat sacs to simplify the production of a basic head model; 7) modeling the base mesh of the head; 8) digital sculpting of the head; 9) detailing of the digital sculpture; 10) rendering of the model and preparing the model for printing. As a result, a digital model of the appearance of an Early Neolithic hunter-gatherer from a burial at the Shumilikha cemetery was obtained.

Некоторые результаты технико-морфологического анализа керамики среднего неолита юго-западного побережья Байкала (по материалам стоянки Падь Долгая II)

This article presents the results of a technical and morphological analysis of Middle Neolithic pottery from the multilayered site Pad Dolgaya 2 that located on the southwestern coast of Lake Baikal. The pottery collection includes 574 fragments from at least 13 vessels. It has been established that the raw material for all the pottery of the layer was heavily sandy, ferruginous clay with a natural admixture of sand and fine quartz. The composition of the molding mass is mainly free of artificial additives. In 5 cases, inclusions were recorded, presumably being fireclay. Different traditions were noted in the processing of the outer surface of the vessels (knocking out with a smooth, corded or ribbed spatula). The basis of the complex is the Posolskaya pottery with an external thickening of the rim. Vessels are mostly of complex, closed shape. Probably their bottom is pointed. Corolla diameters vary from 22 to 28 cm; in one case - 10 cm. The shards are dense and thin. There is evidence that the vessels were made using patchwork molding, probably on base molds (string prints are noted on the inner surface of one of the vessels). All units are ornamented; the pattern was located along the rim and in the upper part of the vessel. Vessels with a relief thickening of the rim, decorated in the classic embassy tradition, predominate in the findings. On a number of vessels (while retaining the main features characteristic of the Posolskaya type), there are tendencies towards simplification of the ornamental scheme and leveling of the thickening of the rim. Together with the Posolskaya ceramic type, fragments from a vessel with imprints of a braided net were found. The combination of the Posolskaya and reticulated types of pottery in one complex is noted at all stratified objects of the Middle Neolithic of the Baikal region. The studied pottery complex is similar in composition and main technical and morphological features to materials from stratified Middle Neolithic sites in the Upper Angara region. The dating of complex of the cultural layer II of the Pad Dolgaya 2 site (Posolskaya ceramic type) is based on stratigraphic observations, analogies with the materials of reference objects in the Baikal region, and radiocarbon AMS dating. As a result, it was found that the studied complex belongs to the Middle Neolithic and is dated within 6750– 6310 cal BP.

Опыт реконструкции облика человека раннего неолита из погребения могильника Шумилиха (Южное Приангарье)

This paper presents the results of a reconstruction of the appearance of a hunter-gatherer of the Kitoi culture from a burial at the Shumilikha cemetery in the Southern Angara region. The excavations were carried out in 1999. In the grave, the walls of which were coated with clay, the remains of a human 25–35 years old were found. Under the skeleton, which was sprinkled with “ocher” (grated hematite rock), traces of a wooden construction were recorded. The grave goods (more than a hundred items) included such interesting finds as the kernels of fishhooks, a bone spoon, beads made of bone paste, as well as two items made of white jade: a ring and a cylindrical bead. There is a reliable radiocarbon date for the human bone, which, taking into account the correction for the reservoir effect, shows an age of 7,003±106 cal BP and allows you to determine the age of this complex by the Early Neolithic. Modern software for 3D modeling and visualization opens up great opportunities, so a virtual method was chosen to reconstruct the appearance of a human from a burial. First, all the bones of the skeleton were scanned, for which two types of 3D equipment were used: a stationary scanner RangeVision Spectrum based on structured light photogrammetry (for the skull and small bones) and a hybrid handheld scanner with structured LED and infrared illumination Shining 3D Einscan H (for large bones). The scan results are processed in RangeVision's ScanCenter NG using built-in algorithms. Filling voids, smoothing surfaces, simplifying 3D models, and correcting mesh defects are done manually at the stage of model postprocessing. For further work, the resulting models were transferred to the stl format. Facial reconstruction was carried out in Blender and ZBrush in several stages: 1) importing and combining models; 2) modeling of lost teeth and reconstruction of the occlusion; 3) CAD modeling of a set of soft tissue depth markers and their positioning by craniometric points; 4) modeling of auxiliary circuits for nose reconstruction and eyeball setting; 5) modeling of masticatory muscles; 6) modeling of facial muscles and fat sacs to simplify the production of a basic head model; 7) modeling the base mesh of the head; 8) digital sculpting of the head; 9) detailing of the digital sculpture; 10) rendering of the model and preparing the model for printing. As a result, a digital model of the appearance of an Early Neolithic hunter-gatherer from a burial at the Shumilikha cemetery was obtained.

International conference «Soil as interlink for functioning of natural and anthropogenically transformed ecosystems» devoted to the 90th anniversary of the department of pedology and land resources estimation, Irkutsk State University and year of Baikal

From August 23 to August 29, 2021, Irkutsk hosted the Vth International Scientific and Practical Conference "Soil as interlink for functioning of natural and anthropogenically transformed ecosystems" (hereinafter – the conference) dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Department of Soil Science and Land Resources Assessment of the Irkutsk State University (ISU) and the Year of Baikal. The total number of participants of the conference was 130 from 27 regions of Russia and 6 other countries (the Republic of Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Lebanon and Lithuania). The article presents a brief review of plenary and sectional reports on the following research topics: 1) theoretical soil science: genesis, evolution, classification problems; 2). multidisciplinary approaches of soil science related to the use of soil science methods in other research areas and scientific and industrial areas; 3) Soil resources and land assessment (fertility, degradation, land reclamation, qualitative and economic assessment, ecology and land protection). A total of 43 presentations were given at the conference: 8 plenary and 35 sectional. The interested reader will find a detailed description of the reports presented in this review, as well as other and other conference materials in the collection "Soil as interlink for functioning of natural and anthropogenically transformed ecosystems" (2021).
 A brief description of two excursions is given: (1) one excursion to the beautiful scenery at the shore of the Lake Baikal, held on August 23, 2021; (2) and another excursion at the Bratsk Reservoir on August 26-29, 2021. The purpose of the excursions wass to get acquainted with the nature and historical and cultural heritage of the Irkutsk region, Lake Baikal, as well as with soils, soil-forming rocks and natural features of the Southern Angara region. During the excursion tour, landscapes, rock outcrops and soil sections were presented: soils on a bumpy-depression relief; Paleolithic site of ancient man "Malta" with sections near the geoarchaeological objects "Malta-Bridge 3"; alluvial gray-humus soil in the floodplain of the Belaya River; exposure of Lower Cambrian rocks near the village Novomaltinsk; Cheremkhovsky coal mine; dispersed-carbonate gypseous chernozem near the Unga River; Novonukutsky gypsum mine; gray metamorphic soil and micellar-segregational chernozem on the bank of the Bratsk reservoir near the village Balagansk. At the end of the tour, the conference participants held a roundtable discussion about the problems of genesis and classification of the soils of the south of the Near-Angara region. The classification position of all the presented soils was justified within the framework of two classification systems: Classification of soils of Russia (2004) and Classification and diagnostics of soils of the USSR (1977). For scientific and informational support of the excursion, the guide "Southern Pre-Angara region: features of soil formation on rocks of different ages" (2021) was prepared and published.
 The conference aroused great interest among a wide range of specialists in the field of soil science, agrochemistry and ecology, land resource assessment, landscape studies, etc. The organization of such events promotes exchange of experience and strengthens the cooperation between researchers from leading universities and research centers, advancing the effective development of soil science, research methodology and practice, generalizing the information about soil as a link between the functioning of natural and anthropogenically transformed ecosystems.

Application of the Project Approach in the Territorial Development of the Eastern Regions of Russia

Natural resources extraction, industrial and social development of the Eastern regions of Russia is associated with great costs and takes a long time. These costs are due to both natural and climatic conditions, and poor-developed infrastructure of the territory. Use of the project approach may accelerate regional development. The project approach assumes the achievement of goals in a short-time period and the use of various investment sources. The Krasnoyarsk Krai applies the project approach for natural resources extraction and industrial development. In the region, large-scale investment projects have been implemented for 20 years. These projects have huge socio-economic effects. The Krasnoyarsk Krai has unique features that make it possible to implement large-scale investment projects based on the principle of public-private partnership, where private investments make up the bulk of the total investment. The regional advantages are its geographical position; huge reserves of hydrocarbons, coal, gold and other minerals; involvement in natural resources development of large companies and investors, such as MMC Norilsk Nickel, Rosneft Oil Company, Rusal, Sberbank and others. Significant industrial and scientific potential also contributes to the successful implementation of large-scale investment projects in Krasnoyarsk Region. The purpose of the study is to assess the socio-economic effects of large-scale investment projects implemented in the Krasnoyarsk Krai. The paper analyzes investment projects for the integrated development of the Lower Angara region, the Arctic zone of the Krasnoyarsk Krai and «Yenisei Siberia». The results demonstrate that projects of natural resource use result in the infrastructure development, new jobs creation, an increase in tax revenues, and the acceleration of economic growth. The paper also identifies problems, bottlenecks and risks of the investment projects, which enables the planning and economic authorities of the region to correct investment decisions and prevent negative social, economic and environmental consequences

Assessment of regulating ecosystem functions/services of the urban forests in the Angara region (Eastern Siberia, Russia)

The studies of urban forests were carried out on the territory of the Angara region in cities with a high air pollution index (up to 20) and with a high recreational load. The state of forest biogeocenoses was assessed by the parameters of trees, forest litter, and soil. Morphostructural, physicochemical, biochemical, and toxicological indicators were analysed. It was found that the selected biogeochemical parameters of trees and soils have a high level of correlation relationships under conditions of negative anthropogenic impact. The biogeochemical redistribution of technogenic pollutants in urban forests connects with the accumulating capacity of the soil cover and the regulatory function of trees, namely the ability to purify atmospheric air by accumulating toxicants in the needles and leaves. Regulatory function/service of pollutant absorption and air purification depends not only on the condition of urban forests, it is unequal for forests of different cities and, even more, for different forested territories.

Study of gold-bearing ores material and mineralogical composition in Lower Angara region

In connection with the involvement in new deposits exploitation, represented by refractory oxidized ores with a fine-dispersed phase and valuable component low content, there have been trends in the processing of this type of raw material. The alluvial gold-bearing sands of Lower Angara region are of practical interest. The results of the material and mineralogical composition of gold-bearing ores made it possible to establish that most rock fragments are quartz-mica schists, which are dilapidated by weathering up to 15% of the sample mass and clay inclusions. Ore by 61.5% is presented with grain size of more than 20 mm. Gold is distributed almost evenly by size class. Basically, gold is found in intergrowths with quartz, mica, pyrite, and clay components. The size of the gold grains ranges from 0.03 to 0.05 mm to several microns. The content of the valuable component was about 3-5%. The result of gravity concentration of the original ores showed the possibility of obtaining gravity concentrates with a metal content of 220-250 g/t, with extraction up to 93-95% and obtaining tailings from 0.3-0.5 g/t, followed by leaching of cyanide and sulfur-alkaline solutions. The extraction of the valuable component into the solution was 80% and 98%, respectively. The results obtained indicate the possibility of processing these types of ores in Lower Angara region.

Increasing fire and logging disturbances in Siberian boreal forests: a case study of the Angara region

Forest disturbances are a critical environmental issue globally and within the boreal biome, yet detailed attribution and trends in disturbances are lacking for many Siberian regions. The Angara region located in the southern taiga of Central Siberia has experienced significant disturbances during the past several decades and is a hotspot of change in Eurasia. Here we estimated fire and logging disturbances using MODIS and Landsat data for the period 2002–2020 across the Angara region and analyzed the resulting trends. Average annual burned and logged area was about 220 and 31 thousand ha or 2 and 0.3% of the study area, respectively. In total, about 4.1 million ha (38% of the region) and 0.6 million ha (6% of the region) were disturbed by fires and logging, respectively. Spatial analysis showed that almost 50% of fires were ignited within 2 km of anthropogenic features such as settlements, roads and logged areas. Almost 5% of the Angara region was burned two or more times during the 19 years of observations. Improved and strictly-enforced conservation and management policies are required to halt continued forest degradation in the Angara region and similarly-affected boreal forests in Siberia.