Russian Eastern Arctic Research Articles

Outlines of the Archaeological Study of the Stone Age in the Russian Eastern Arctic

The East Siberian Arctic is an enormous territory. In many respects it still remains little explored. The main matrix for assembling versatile knowledge about the nature and man of the region is the Bering Land concept. In this article, the history of the development of theorethical grounds of the research and exploration of the region is discussed. The history of human settlement in arctic West Beringia spans approximately 50,000 years. More than two-century-long practice of archaeological study comprises three periods: the initial stage ending before WWII; post-war period, or Soviet stage (1940s to 1991); and the modern post-Soviet stage (1991 to the present day). Basic ideas on geology and paleogeography of the region were formed during the first two stages; then methodological grounds were expanded in archaeological studies. The first Pleistocene site was discovered in the area in the early 1970s. The knowledge on the ancient past of Beringia has been largely obtained within the modern stage of research when various evidence of the past human activity has been received, which enables to reconstruct the process of human settlement in the area. Unique objects of the world cultural heritage, such as Zhokhov and Yana sites, have been revealed. These materials allow identification of the complex technologies of the Stone Age, thanks to which people occupied these areas, and evaluation of the features of the socio-cultural development of the ancient population of the region. Results of the studies performed recently demonstrate a giant scholarly potential for further research in that area. Qualitative changes in the examination of the region are largely associated with the expansion of scholarly tools.

Impact of the Ports of the Northern Sea Route on the Development of Focal Zones of the Russian Eastern Arctic

An attempt is made in this work to identify the mechanisms of the influence of the ports of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) on increasing the efficiency of the formation of focal zones for the development of the Eastern Arctic. The propulsive potential of the transport infrastructure is considered; the importance of the NSR for the integration of the southern and Arctic regions of the Far East is indicated. The methodology of the work is based on the theory of cumulative growth, in which the ideas of the formation of "growth poles" occupy a decisive position. The work uses methods of grouping, logical and comparative analysis. The information base of the study was the data of Rosstat. It is shown that the state’s activity on the development of the NSR stimulates the development of the North Yakutsk and Chukotka support zones, enhancing the transport and raw materials specialization of the Eastern Arctic as a whole. The paper substantiates that in the Far Eastern Arctic, the traditional view of ports as the most important infrastructure assets, which are the business and economic center of territorial development, is insufficient for the recognition of transport infrastructure as a propulsion industry. Transport is a necessary but insufficient condition for the emergence and accelerated development of local "growth poles" in the Arctic. The propulsive effect of the port economy is low and is mainly of an induced nature, when capacities for product processing are created in the port territories, or when the transport infrastructure stimulates the emergence of transport-intensive extractive industries.

Transformations of coastal arctic communities in the russian Far East: facts, thoughts and reflections

The article presents the results based on the data of the sociological studies undergone in 2018-2019 with the help of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research in the frames of the larger project “Transformations of socio-cultural image of indigenous people of the Arctic coast of Yakutia in the conditions of modernization: experience of interdisciplinary research”. It depicts the socio-economic environment that indigenous population of remote Coastal territories of Russian Eastern Arctic is bound to in their everyday life. The sociological survey was conducted in four settlements situated at the Arctic shore of Yakutia. The conclusions are made concerning the influence of modernization on the lifestyle of indigenous population (mostly Evens and Evenks) through different periods of the history (Preindustrial, Industrial, Postmodern). There was done an attempt to foresee the future development of Coastal Arctic as the tendency based on past and contemporary situation. Historic and contemporary data showed that modernization causing the loss of some elements of traditional lifestyle did not necessarily lead to the extinction of ethnic culture. The strong factor of cultural sustainability is environmental. Arctic indigenous people are tied to the place of birth. Arctic environment ensures continuality of traditional values.

Marine cold air outbreaks in the Russian Arctic: climatology, interannual variability, dependence on sea-ice concentration

In this study, we evaluated the climatology and interannual variability of marine cold-air outbreaks (MCAOs) in the Russian Arctic marginal seas (from the Barents to Chukchi seas). We used a simple index for identifying MCAOs based on the vertical potential temperature gradient between the sea surface and the 800 hPa level. We calculated the index using 6-hourly Era-Interim data for the 1979–2018 period. Given the index, we evaluated spatial and temporal variability of weak, medium, and strong MCAOs frequency as well as their dependence on sea-ice concentration using non-parametric tests. The most intense MCAOs were found in the Barents and Kara seas. The annual cycle maximum for the western Russian Arctic (WRA) were found in wintertime, while it was revealed in mid-late autumn for the eastern Russian Arctic (ERA). In the WRA, we found a statistically significant decrease in amount of strong MCAOs in winter and late autumn and a general strengthening of MCAOs in spring. Meanwhile, over the ERA region, increase of moderate and weak cold-air intrusions during October and November was revealed.

Fluorine in the Surface Water of Bering Island

First data have been collected to characterize fluorine concentrations in the surface water of Bering Island (the Komandorskie Islands). The average fluorine concentration is 0.23 mg F/L with variations within the range of 0.08–0.42 mg F/L, which is ~2 times higher than the average fluorine concentration in world rivers (~0.1 mg F/L) but corresponds to its occurrence in rivers in the Russian Eastern Arctic and Kamchatka (0.15–0.21 mg F/L). The major fluorine sources have been shown to be weathering products and atmospheric precipitation.

Demographic development trends in the Russian Eastern Arctic

The paper considers the features of the demographic processes in the Russian Arctic zone by the example of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in the period from 1939 to 2017. The future of the Arctic depends in large part on its demographic potential. What should be the population of the territory, how the space is organized, whether the population is needed, or enough of the watch organization of production: what should be done (or what not to do) so that the way of life of the native and the indigenous population remained in harmony with the environment, and at the same time solved large-scale tasks in the interests of the country. The study uses the method of constructing and comparing demographic pyramids for different time periods. There are specified demographic groups that differ in their reproductive behavior. On this basis, time periods were identified, within which demographic processes were going in different ways that allows us to assess the relationship between the nature and outcome of these processes and the structure of population at different stages of history. Based on the prospective analysis of the demographic processes in the territory of development of this part of the country, there was revealed the specific in the dynamics and features of the formation of the demographic potential through natural reproduction and migration movement of the indigenous people and newcomers. The authors examined the changes in the population structure at the time of population growth due to intensive arrivals before 1990 and the dramatic decrease as a result of the outflow in the 1990 s, which significantly changed the structure of the population, the ratio between different groups. This approach to analysis of demographic indicators may be used in elaboration of strategic plans for socio-economic development of the region. It gives an adequate assessment of the current situation, helps to formulate in strategic documents the goals and objectives of socioeconomic development, to determine the priorities in the regional demographic policy.

Change in the time of stable ice formation in the Russian Eastern Arctic seas at the beginning of 21st century

The purpose of the paper is to analyze the spatial-temporal variability of the time of stable ice formation in the Russian Eastern Arctic seas (the Laptev Sea, the East-Siberian Sea, the Chukchi Sea) in autumn period during 1942–2018, as well as the climatic changes for the last 20 years. The specialized information archive containing the dates of stable ice formation in the elements of regular grid (5 degrees along the parallel and 1 degree along the meridian) based on the AARI observations and satellite imagery was developed. The archive covers 2.2 million km2 of the Arctic area. During the period from 1942 to 2018 one can reveal 4 consecutive climatic periods: mean dates of ice formation (1942–1953), anomaly early dates of ice formation (1954–1988), mean dates of ice formation (1989–2002) and anomaly late dates of ice formation (2003–2018). Notice that the ice formation regime in the 21st century, by its abnormality, differs radically from that in the 20th one. For the total area of three seas, the mean date of ice formation in the 21st century became 21 days later than in the 20th one. The most significant changes (up to 45 days) take place in the Chukchi Sea. The transformation of the ice formation regime typical for the 1942–2002 to the regime of 2003–2018 happened rather quickly — approximately within 5 years. The anomaly late time of ice formation began in the Chukchi Sea in 2003, and then this anomaly propagated to the East-Siberian Sea (in 2005) and to the Laptev Sea (in 2009). The 16-year period of anomaly late ice formation consists of three 5–6-year periods depending on location of the maximum anomalies: 2003–2008 (the Chukchi Sea), 2009–2013 (the Laptev Sea), and 2014–2018 (the Chukchi Sea again). As a consequence, the period of autumn warming, which has begun in 2003, is going on till present, and the latest date of ice formation in the eastern Arctic seas for the entire 77-year period was registered just in 2018.

U–Pb and Hf isotope analysis of detrital zircons from Devonian–Permian strata of Kotel’ny Island (New Siberian Islands, Russian Eastern Arctic): Insights into the Middle–Late Paleozoic evolution of the Arctic

U–Pb and Lu–Hf isotope analyses of detrital zircons collected from the Devonian–Permian strata of Kotel’ny Island (New Siberian Islands, Eastern Russian Arctic) provide vital information about provenance areas and history of the poorly studied Paleozoic basement of the Laptev and East Siberian shelves. Based on detrital zircon signatures, our study reveals that the studied succession can be divided into two distinct groups: Devonian–Lower Carboniferous and uppermost Carboniferous–Permian. U–Pb and Lu–Hf isotope signatures of detrital zircons from the Devonian–Lower Carboniferous deposits correspond to well-known Precambrian–Early Paleozoic magmatic and metamorphic events within the northern part of Baltica, indicative of a peri-Baltican affinity of the New Siberian Islands during this time. A lack of zircon ages close to the depositional age of the formation, along with a mature composition of the sandstones, suggest that the Devonian–Lower Carboniferous succession formed as a result of extensive sediment reworking from a distal provenance. By contrast, uppermost Carboniferous–Permian sandstones have an immature composition, with numerous young detrital zircons close to the age of sedimentation and Hf signatures typical of a continental arc environment. We therefore suggest that the provenance for these younger deposits was located within a coeval orogeny and based on previous studies, we conclude that these deposits were sourced from the north-western part of the Uralian Orogen.

Геофизические и литолого-геохимические предпосылки нефтегазоносности глубоководных и шельфовых бассейнов российской восточной Арктики

Геофизические и литолого-геохимические предпосылки нефтегазоносности глубоководных и шельфовых бассейнов российской восточной Арктики

New data on the age of the glaciation in the New Siberian Islands (Russian Eastern Arctic)

To estimate the age of the glaciation in the New Siberian Islands, fossils of small mammals from the Sana-Balagan site (Faddeevsky Island, Russian Eastern Arctic) have been studied. The evolutionary degree of this fauna, which indicates the age of the sediments underlying the glacial deposits, suggests that the glaciation of the New Siberian Islands began no earlier than 190–210 thousand years ago. The new biochronological data in combination with 230Th/234U dates show that the geological event in question was synchronous with the Moscow glaciation or the Moscow stage of the Dnieper glaciation (the Vychegda glaciation, the final stage of the Saalian, the final stage of the Riss, the end of the MIS 6, 180–140 thousand years ago).

Rift systems of the Russian Eastern Arctic shelf and Arctic deep water basins: link between geological history and geodynamics

In our study, we have developed a new tectonic scheme of the Arctic Ocean, which is based mainly on seismic profiles obtained in the Arctic-2011, Arctic-2012 and Arctic-2014 Projects implemented in Russia. Having interpreted many seismic profiles, we propose a new seismic stratigraphy of the Arctic Ocean. Our main conclusions are drawn from the interpretation of the seismic profiles and the analysis of the regional geological data. The results of our study show that rift systems within the Laptev, the East Siberian and the Chukchi Seas were formed not earlier than Aptian. The geological structure of the Eurasian, Podvodnikov, Toll and Makarov Basins is described in this paper. Having synthesized all the available data on the study area, we propose the following model of the geological history of the Arctic Ocean: 1. The Canada Basin formed till the Aptian (probably, during Hauterivian-Barremian time). 2. During the Aptian-Albian, large-scale tectonic and magmatic events took place, including plume magmatism in the area of the De Long Islands, Mendeleev Ridge and other regions. Continental rifting started after the completion of the Verkhoyansk-Chukotka orogenу, and rifting occurred on the shelf of the Laptev, East Siberian, North Chukchi and South Chukchi basins, and the Chukchi Plateau; simultaneously, continental rifting started in the Podvodnikov and Toll basins. 3. Perhaps the Late Cretaceous rifting continued in the Podvodnikov and Toll basins. 4. At the end of the Late Cretaceous and Paleocene, the Makarov basin was formed by rifting, although local spreading of oceanic crust during its formation cannot be excluded. 5. The Eurasian Basin started to open in the Early Eocene. We, of course, accept that our model of the geological history of the Arctic Ocean, being preliminary and debatable, may need further refining. In this paper, we have shown a link between the continental rift systems on the shelf and the formation history of the Arctic Ocean.

Devonian–Permian sedimentary basins and paleogeography of the Eastern Russian Arctic: An overview

The Arctic basins attract broad international interest because of the region's potentially significant undiscovered hydrocarbon resources. The Russian High Arctic is mostly represented by broad shelves, with a few wells drilled only in its western part (Kara and Barents shelves). This contribution provides an overview of the geological setting, stratigraphy, paleogeography, and tectono-sedimentary evolution of the middle–late Paleozoic basins of the Eastern Russian Arctic, including: Severnaya Zemlya, the New Siberian Islands, northern Siberia, the Taimyr and Chukotka peninsulas, and Wrangel Island. Reconstructing the geological evolution of the Eastern Russian Arctic during the middle–late Paleozoic is very difficult because the region was overprinted by a number of late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic tectonic events.

Organic matter type, origin and thermal maturity of Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic successions of the New Siberian Islands, eastern Russian Arctic

Geological investigations in the offshore area of eastern Russian Arctic attracted an increased interest in the recent years. Data concerning organic and coal petrology is scarce for the shelf and offshore area of the eastern Russian Arctic. Consequently, thermal maturity and depositional environments of sedimentary facies remain less described and examined. A detailed characterisation of organic matter type and origin as well as determination of thermal maturity have been carried out on siliciclastic and carbonate sedimentary samples from Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic outcrops of the New Siberian Islands, eastern Russian Arctic. The acquired organic and coal petrological data contribute to the overall assessment of petroleum potential of the studied offshore area and the neighboring shelf area.The investigated organic matter of Silurian and Middle Devonian mudstones and siltstones contain distinct, multi-staged solid bitumen (“dead oil”) preserved either as fracture-, fissure-, and vein-fillings, indicating activation of migrations pathways for re-occurring crude oil-bearing fluids or in form of “streaks”. The examined dispersed organic matter of Triassic deposits is predominantly composed of terrestrially derived macerals followed by alginite macerals (Tasmanite and Leiosphaeridia prasinophytes). The analysed Cretaceous and Tertiary deposits reveal (i) Aptian/Albian inertinite-rich sub-bituminous coal and lignites formed in fresh water lakes and swamps to brackish near-shore depositional environments with phases of wildfires as well as (ii) Cenomanian/Turonian lignites with pollen grains and carbonised debris (pyrofusinite), indicating stages of forest/moor paleofires. The (iii) Paleocene and Eocene deposits bear mineral-rich and xylite-rich lignites characterised by the lowest coal rank stage, containing different fossil conifer species.The thermal maturity of organic matter in Silurian to Tertiary deposits obtained from random vitrinite and bitumen reflectance measurements is an important parameter in determining the petroleum generation stage at the studied localities. The calculated thermal maturities of Silurian to Middle Devonian deposits acquired from random reflectance measurements of bitumen indicate condensate-wet gas to early dry gas generation window. The thermal maturities of sedimentary organic matter in samples collected from Tertiary to Triassic successions ranges from immature to main phase of oil generation.The composition of the organic matter and thermal maturity of the analysed Triassic siliciclastic deposits suggesting mature stage for oil generation can be used among others to evaluate their hydrocarbon potential. The Cretaceous and Tertiary deposits can be described as thermally immature. In two localities, where the thermal maturity is anomalously high, the examined organic matter has been thermally altered beyond the dry gas preservation limit.

Present-day structure and stages of tectonic evolution of Wrangel Island, Russian eastern Arctic Region

Present-day structure of Wrangel Island was formed during two main stages of Mesozoic-Cenozoic deformation. The general fold-thrust structural grain of the island, characterized by northern vergence and complicated by NW-trending right-lateral strike-slip faults, originated in the post-Triassic. Mesostructural data indicate a near-meridional orientation of regional compression. This deformation stage was related to the orogeny in the New Siberian-Chukchi Fold System, which occurred at the end of Neocomian in the pre-Aptian. The next stage was characterized by a near-meridional and NNW-SSE extension established by superposition of normal, right-lateral strike-slip, and pull-apart kinematics upon the former fold-thrust structure. Comparison of the structural and the published seismic data allows us to suggest the later stage of compression to be in the Late Cretacous-Paleocene, which is correlated to the Mid-Brookian angular unconformity in Arctic Alaska and North Chukchi Basin. Accordingly, the Cenozoic age (since Paleocene-Eocene) of the main extension and right-lateral transtension most likely corresponds to opening of the South Chukchi (Hope) Basin localized immediately to the south of the Wrangel-Herald Arch (High). The difference in structural patterns of the Silurian-Lower Devonian and the Upper Devonian (?)-Triassic rocks is evidence for deformation related to the Ellesmerian Orogeny in the Middle-Late Devonian.

Lithostratigraphic and tectonic features of the formation of hydrocarbon pools on the shelf of the Russian eastern Arctic

Chronostratigraphic, geologic, and tectonic preconditions of the formation of hydrocarbon pools on the shelf of the Russian eastern Arctic are considered. Based on study of the Upper Cretaceous section at Cape Derevyannye Gory (Novaya Sibir Island), it is shown that the Arctic shelf comprises thick deltaic sequences that can accommodate solid and liquid hydrocarbons.

Land-Ocean Systems in the Siberian Arctic, Dynamics and History

Land-Ocean Systems in the Siberian Arctic, Dynamics and History

Structure and geology of the continental shelf of the Laptev Sea, Eastern Russian Arctic

The Laptev Sea is of great significance for studying the processes of the initial breakup of continents. It is the southern termination of the Gakkel spreading ridge and thus the location of structural features resulting from a continental margin/spreading ridge intersection. The present-day understanding of the Laptev Shelf geology is based on the Russian multichannel seismic reflection data and extrapolation of the terrestrial geology. Geologic and plate-kinematic data are used to constrain the interpretation of the seismic reflection data. The Laptev Rift System consists of several deep subsided rifts and high standing blocks of the basement. From west to east these are: the West Laptev and South Laptev rift basins, Ust' Lena Rift, East Laptev and Stolbovoi horsts, Bel'kov-Svyatoi Nos and Anisin rifts. The central and eastern parts of the shelf have the greatest contrasts in the gravity field ranging from −60 mGal over the rifts to 50 mGal over the horsts. The rifts contain up to five seismic stratigraphic units bounded by clear regional reflectors and underlain by folded heterogeneous basement. They are suggested to be Late Cretaceous to Holocene in age and reflect different stages of spreading ridge/continental margin interaction. The estimated total thickness of the rift-related sediments varies between 4 and 8–10 km while the sedimentary cover on the uplifts is significantly reduced and generally does not exceed 1–2 km. An eastward decrease of the total thickness of the sedimentary sections from about 10 km in the South Laptev Basin to 4–5 km in the Bel'kov-Svyatoi Nos Rift and the simplicity of the entire rift structure may indicate a rejuvenation of the rifts in the same direction. The entire rift system is covered by the uppermost seismic unit, which probably reflects a deceleration of the rifting during the last reorganization of the North American/Eurasian plate interaction since about 2 Ma.