Russian Expedition Research Articles

New data on the age of dolerites and basalts of Mendeleev Rise (Arctic Ocean)

We present results of 40Ar/39Ar isotopic investigations concerning the dating of dolerites and basalts that were sampled during the Arctica-2012 polar expedition. Basalts were sampled by means of deep underwater drilling with wells up to 2 m in outcrops on the seafloor (basalts), and dolerite samples were obtained from the bottom of an escarp of Mendeleev Rise using a manipulator on the research submarine. The analysis results of the obtained mono-mineral fractions (amphibole, plagioclase, pyroxene) from the studied rocks yielded an Early Paleozoic age of the dolerites and basalts from Mendeleev Rise. The oldest ages obtained for amphibole reach 471.5 ± 18.1 and 466.9 ± 3.3 Ma, which corresponds to the Early-Middle Ordovician. The isotopic composition of argon was measured on two mass spectrometers: the Micromass Noble Gas 5400 (UK) and the Thermo Scientific Argus (Germany). The determined Early Paleozoic age of igneous rocks of Mendeleev Rise and seismic data obtained during the last Russian expedition Arctica-2012 [2] let us suppose that this continental block of the Earth’s crust has a Precambrian basement similar to the basement identified for the New Siberian islands including the De Long archipelago.

Dynamical Processes in the Drifting Ice in the Arctic Ocean

Information about physical and mechanical processes in the ice based on instrumental observations on the drifting and land fast ice is presented. Methods of measurement of the parameters of ice oscillations and waves in Russian expeditions in the Arctic were used. Sea ice cover reacts to oscillations, surface and internal waves in atmosphere and in ocean. Force of interaction of sea ice generates large-scale effects of self-excited oscillations. Natural dynamical processes in the drifting ice floes (system ice-ice) reflect many forms of deformation and failure of the ice, observed at the interaction in the system ice-structure (lock-in or self- excited vibration). Especially it relates to the effects discussed in ISO 19906 2010 as a lock-in or self-excited vibration. The mechanics of interaction of a sea ice with icebergs also can be considered as analogue of interaction in the system ice-structure. Sea ice cover is a dynamical dissipative system of the geophysical level in which physical-mechanical processes of different scale and intensity occur simultaneously. Study of physical-mechanical properties of sea ice cover is based on consideration of ice as a material, and construction as a geophysical discrete medium which is under impact of atmosphere and ocean (1). Periodic horizontal shears on significant space of ice are registries; they are related to the class of self-excited oscillations. The mechanical processes in dynamic system ice-ice are very similar to processes in system ice-structure. Intermittent crushing of the contacts of ice floes, with regimes of resonance events, chaotic vibrations and impacts in ISO 19906 2010 (2) are revealed It follows a necessity of a complex investigation of the sea ice for solution of weather and climate tasks and ice technology interconnected with ice impact to offshore engineering structures. Scientific and applied problems of the sea ice are interconnected and are solved by experimental and theoretical methods. A structure of the sea ice cover is analyzed by using theories of elasticity, viscosity and plasticity. Thus general strategy of investigation was realized at natural experiments and monitoring of the mechanical state of land fast and drifting ice in the Arctic. As a rule, except for traditional measurements, two main tasks were set: — investigation of physical-mechanical processes of deformation and failure of ice to obtain data for development of forecast method of ice state and its failure in advance of several hours; — consideration of possibility in the future use of obtained data for solution of tasks of ice bearing capacity and evaluation of ice actions onto shores, bottom and structures of the Arctic shelf. The technology of monitoring ice state is based on interconnected tasks of ice mechanics, morphometry and geophysical processes, which occur under action of external forces from atmosphere and water. The inverse tasks allow using mechanical changes in ice and giving estimate of forces, which cause these changes. It makes a possibility of prediction of time and place of extreme ice phenomena, which is especially important during exploitation of the offshore structures and navigation in ice. Such approach allows to integrate applied and scientific tasks: evaluation of ice strength of local and meso scale, short-term forecast of sea ice compression, evaluation of ice loads on structures.

In pursuit of early mammals

Preface 1. Introduction 2. Methods: Collecting Materials and Establishing Relationships 3. Paleontological Exploration of Mongolia by American, Japanese, Soviet and Russian Expeditions 4. Polish-Mongolian Expeditions, and the Nomadic Expedition, 2002 5. Origins of Mammals and the Earliest Representatives of Mammaliaforms and Mammals 6. Haramiyidans and Probable Related Forms 7. Docodontans 8. Eutriconodontans 9. Monotremes and the Issue of Australosphenida and Boreosphenida 10. Multituberculates and Gondwanatherians 11. Symmetrodontans 12. Eupantotherians and the Origin of Pseudotribosphenic Molars 13. Tribotheria, Matatheria, and the Issue of Deltatheroida 14. Eutherian and Placental Mammals 15. Paleobiology of Mammaliaforms and Early Mammals 16. Diversification of Mammaliaforms and Mesozoic Mammals: A Summary Bibliography Index

New records and new synonyms of antlions (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae) from China

The antlions from the subfamilies Nemoleontinae and Myrmecaelurinae deposited in the Entomological Museum of the China Agricultural University (CAU) belong to 16 species, among which 11 are recorded for China for the first time. Four species with mostly Oriental distribution are recorded for the first time from the northern localities in Palaearctic China. The Dzungarian faunistic center of antlions with two species recently described from Turan is distinguished. Some species characteristic of Mongolia were found in adjacent China. Occurrence in China of three species, collected by Russian expeditions 100 years ago, is confirmed. Five species described by Yang from China have been synonymized with widely distributed species.

Russia and South Africa Before the Soviet Era

This article is devoted to relations between Russia and South Africa from the mid-17th to the early 19th century. It covers first attempts at sending Russian expeditions around the Cape of Good Hope by Peter the Great and Catherine II and describes how the first Russians reached the Cape from the other end, from Kamchatka. It goes on to describe the trips to the Cape by Russian naval officers and other Russians, some of whom spent a long time in South Africa and left interesting descriptions of the Cape. A unique testimony to the fact that black South Africans knew about Russia is presented in the letter of a Pondo chief to the Russian tsar. The most significant part of Russia’s relations with South Africa was its preoccupation with South African affairs during the Anglo-Boer War of 1899–1900, when Russian volunteers went to fight for the Boers and two medical detachments were sent to treat their wounded. At that time Russia even established diplomatic relations with Transvaal. Mutual interest in the mining sphere is also analysed, and relations between some Russian and South African intellectuals are mentioned. Immigration of Russian Jews to South Africa is also described.

The status of the southernmost part (Lake Pihkva) of large Lake Peipsi: A purification pond or polluter?

Large Lake Peipsi (3555 km2) is divided between two countries, Estonia (44%) and Russia (56%). The southernmost part of the lake, Lake Pihkva, is almost entirely (99%) in Russia, and is continuously being polluted by the greatest inflow to Lake Peipsi, the insufficiently purified River Velikaya. Research on this lake (Lake Peipsi) in the growing season has been possible as a result of Estonian–Russian joint expeditions (2003–2010) in the month of August. Our study has demonstrated statistically significant variances in the hydrochemistry and zoo- and phytoplankton data between the lake parts. Several parameters used for characterizing the lake's ecosystem were considerably higher for Lake Pihkva than for the larger Lake Peipsi s.s. These include increases in TP concentration (3×); TN (2×); Chlorophyll a (3×); biomass of cyanobacteria (4×); Microcystis (4×); Aphanizomenon (5×); abundance of Chydorus sphaericus (5×); Keratella tecta (8×). However, several values were lower in Lake Pihkva than in Lake Peipsi: water transparency (3×); ratio between zoo- and phytoplankton biomasses (2×); cladoceran mean weight (3×); abundance of Eudiaptomus gracilis (1.5×); abundance of Kellicottia longispina (1.8×). Different natural conditions (topography, catchment area, relative depth) and different pollution loads in the lake parts have resulted in apparently different resistances in their ecosystems and different responses to human activity. At present, on the basis of TP data (up to 200 mg m−3), Lake Pihkva appears to act a polluter of adjacent lake part rather than a purification pond.

Origins of the Russian Antarctic expedition: 1819–1821

ABSTRACTIn 1819, the Russian government launched two expeditions: the first squadron of two ships departed to explore the southern polar areas, and the second set out for the northern polar areas. The expedition to the southern polar areas took place under the command of Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen. Up to the present day, very little information is available, from the Russian literature, about the initiator and main goals of the expedition. At the same time, the travels and main results of the expedition have been widely popularised, but not necessarily accurately, in Russian as well as in English. On the basis of recently discovered documents, this article attempts to establish who the initiator of these Russian expeditions was, how the expeditions were prepared, and whether the main tasks of the expeditions were realised. The conclusion is that Jean-Baptiste Prevost de Sansac, Marquis de Traversay was the initiator of the Russian Antarctic expedition, not the Russian navigators Adam Johan von Krusenstern, Otto von Kotzebue, Gavrila A. Sarychev or Vasilii M. Golovnin as stated in Soviet publications. The real aim of the expedition was to discover the Antarctic continent which would have added glory to de Traversay as well as to Emperor Alexander I and, in a wider sense, also to the Russian empire. All dates are given according to the old style calendar. The difference with the new style calendar is 12 days.

Magnetic declination measurements over European Russia and Siberia in the 18th century

The paper presents the history of measurements of the geomagnetic field parameters over the territory of Russia in the 18th century derived from archival and literature sources. Topographical mapping of the European territory and neighboring seas of the Russian Empire from the late 17th to the mid 18th century during which magnetic measurements were made was of great importance for determining magnetic declination. The magnetic declination in Siberia and its neighboring seas was measured for the first time during the first expedition of V. Bering in 1728 and then during his second expedition (the Great Northern Expedition) in 1733–1742. Magnetic measurements were carried out along the northern coast of Siberia and in the Bering Sea. The academic group of the expedition performed magnetic declination measurements over southern regions of Siberia (Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Nerchinsk, Yakutsk, etc.) in 1735 and 1736. During the second half of the 18th century, Russian expeditions determined geographical coordinates of the cities of European Russia and carried out magnetic declination measurements for them. During these expeditions Inokhodtsev paid attention to the anomalous magnetic declination in the Kursk region. In his opinion, the anomaly could have been caused by the presence of iron ore.

Estonia and Antarctica

ABSTRACTThe Russian South Pole expedition carried out in 1819–1821 was an early milestone in the scientific exploration of the Antarctic. The expedition took place under the command of the Baltic German Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen. Bellingshausen came from the Island of Saaremaa in Estonia. The Russian empire, and followed by the Soviet Union, did not attach much importance to Bellingshausen's expedition. It was only after World War II as the question of the Antarctic received close attention that the Bellingshausen expedition received political significance in the Soviet Union. The fact that the expedition really took place was used by the Soviet Union to claim rights to the Antarctic and also to argue for its participation in Antarctic exploration (see Tammiksaar 2007; Bulkeley 2011). In the early stages of exploration of the continent, Estonians were given the opportunity to carry out investigations there. The first Estonian research programme in the Antarctic, on noctilucent clouds, was elaborated by the astronomer Charles Villmann. Altogether some tens of Estonians have visited the southern continent performing investigations in earth sciences, atmospheric physics, hydrology and ecology of surface waters and the human influence on them. They have also carried out isotope studies of the ice sheet to reconstruct environmental conditions in the past.

Composition and distribution of pelagic ostracods (Ostracoda: Myodocopa) in the Somov and Ross seas and adjacent waters of the Southern Ocean

The study of materials collected by Russian expeditions and literature data showed that the pelagic ostracod fauna of the Somov Sea, which lies south of the Antarctic Divergence (AD), is an impoverished complex of the fauna of the Australian-New Zealand Antarctic sector. While to the north of the AD the ostracod fauna includes species introduced from waters of the subantarctic and tropical-subtropical structures, ostracods of the Somov Sea are mainly typical Antarctic species. To the north and south of the AD, ostracod abundance and species richness are highest in the depth range of 200–500 m (especially at 300–400 m). Austrinoecia isocheira is the most common species in the Somov Sea and Alacia hettacra in the adjacent northern region. The more southerly Ross Sea has harsher environmental conditions than the Somov Sea and its ostracod fauna is a more impoverished complex of mainly Antarctic species. Alacia belgicae and A. isocheira are the dominant species in the Ross Sea, with their highest abundances at 200–300 m depths. The proportion of A. hettacra in the Ross Sea taxocene decreases southwards. The taxonomical composition and biogeographical structure of ostracod faunas change in the AD region at the northern boundaries of both seas.

Twelve Days at Nuku Hiva: Russian Encounters and Mutiny in the South Pacific (review)

Reviewed by: Twelve Days at Nuku Hiva: Russian Encounters and Mutiny in the South Pacific Max Quanchi Twelve Days at Nuku Hiva: Russian Encounters and Mutiny in the South Pacific, by Elena Govor. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-8248-3368-8, xi +301 pages, bibliography, index, black-and-white illustrations. Cloth, US$49.00. The history of Russian expeditions in the Pacific has not attracted much attention in the English language, so it is important that an account of the first Russian circumnavigation led by Adam Krusenstern and Urey Lisiansky in the Nedezhda and Neva in 1803-1804 has been given such fine treatment in Elena Govor's Twelve Days at Nuku Hiva. Govor analyzes the naval and intellectual precursors, the naval and scientific personnel, and the meetings on the deck and ashore in Nuku Hiva. In so doing, she traverses a wide range of historical fields including cultural encounters, European fascination with Oceania, the science of collecting and observing, naval protocol, the significance of prior scientific and expedition experience, and the problems caused by personality clashes in shipboard relationships. The word "mutiny" in the title is slightly misleading. The contest over command [End Page 258] while the ships were anchored in Nuku Hiva is a diversion that lasted after the voyage ended, and it is reminiscent of the leadership struggles that troubled other expeditions, right back to Mendaña and Quiros in the seventeenth century. But this fine book is really about relations between Nuku Hivans and the two ships' crews as they went about seeking artifacts, specimens, water and firewood, and companionship, both male and female. The events, and the subsequent logs, journals, and published essays by officers and crew of those twelve days at Nuku Hiva offer a concentrated historical moment, a window into all the European voyages that have long fascinated scholars and are still able to generate heated debate and differing interpretation, seen recently in two more big books on Cook's voyages, by Nicholas Thomas (Discoveries: The Voyages of Captain Cook, 2005) and Anne Salmon (The Trial of the Cannibal Dog: Captain Cook in the South Seas, 2003). Govor begins with the background of the main observers and recorders of what happened during those twelve days: the two captains; the Russian envoy who was en route to Japan; numerous scientists, aristocrats, and several literate crewmen; and a number of artists. These twelve days have a rich archive and Govor expertly weaves citations from most of these accounts into her analysis. This approach is repetitive at times and several versions of the same event seems unnecessary, but the reader is richly rewarded with an intimate and detailed account of events on board as Nuku Hivans followed a daily ritual of swimming out to the ships, or as the Russians ventured ashore to meet the other: the noble savage and the men, women, and children of nature they had read about back in Europe. Govor divides this material into four sections. The introduction reveals some fascinating detail, common to other voyages but useful here as a reminder that Russian expeditions were more German, English, and French than Russian in language and training, due to the wide trans-Europe education, training, and adventures of the officers and scientists. That many on board could only communicate in German or French is just one example of the detail Govor brings to the reader's attention. Part one is long, and after reviewing voyage literature and the work of several key historians, it covers the purpose of the voyage, the protagonists, and the voyage out to the Pacific. Days one to nine at Nuku Hiva are then covered in part two in great detail—onboard, ashore, and in the minds and writings, and art, of the visitors. A wonderful parallel story is the role and fate of the two, now well known beachcombers on Nuku Hiva at the time, Edward Roberts and Joseph Kabris. The last three days are treated superficially in one chapter. The aftermath of the voyage in scientific outcomes and in terms of empire, and the resolution of the leadership challenge—the so-called mutiny—are covered in part three, followed by...

Findings of barnacles (Cirripedia: Thoracica) in deep-sea foulings of artificial substrates

The study of deep-sea barnacles collected by Russian expeditions to the North Atlantic and adjacent areas of the Arctic Ocean revealed two barnacles species in the foulings of sunken vessels, viz., Trianguloscalpellum ovale (Hoek, 1883) and Verum striolatum (G.O. Sars, 1877) that were not previously known in deep-sea foulings. Descriptions of these species are given. The role of barnacles in deep-sea fouling communities is discussed.

The Russian Expedition's Sydney Visit In 1820 and Some Forgotten Blue Mountains Names

The Russian Expedition's Sydney Visit In 1820 and Some Forgotten Blue Mountains Names

V. N. Pilipko. « Nekotorye itogi arheologičeskih issledovanij na Staroj Nise ». Rossijskaja Arheologija, n. 1, 2007, pp. 150-158.

The article concerns the destination and main chronology of Old Nisa, according to the data gathered especially by the Soviet and Russian expeditions in the central complex (but there are also some notes about the recent Italian-Turkmen works). In Pilipko’s opinion, the centre was probably founded as a royal fortified residence around the middle of the IInd century B.C.; after a while, probably after the death of its founder Mithridates I, Old Nisa changed its function and became a dynastic c...

Structure and distribution of pelagic ostracods (Ostracoda: Myodocopa) in the Arctic Ocean

The study of the pelagic ostracod fauna of the Arctic Ocean based on materials collected by numerous Russian expeditions (1929–1993) and data from the literature showed the extreme poorness of the Arctic pelagic ostracod fauna, its mainly North Atlantic genesis and complete isolation from the Pacific fauna. Maximum ostracod abundance was observed in the epipelagic zone, and the greatest species diversity occurred in the relatively warm deep Atlantic layer throughout the year. To the north, east, and west of Franz Josef Land and Spitsbergen, the number of species and abundance indices of pelagic ostracods were decreased. In superficial water layers of the Central Arctic, maximum ostracod density and biomass were recorded in June and September. The best bioindicator of warm Atlantic water in the Arctic basin is Obtusoecia obtusata; and of cold polar water in the North Atlantic, Boroecia maxima.

Distribution of Boroecia borealis (Ostracoda: Halocyprididae) in the Arctic Ocean and adjacent waters of the Atlantic

The geographical and vertical distribution of Boroecia borealis was studied based on literature data and materials collected by Soviet and Russian expeditions in the Arctic Ocean and adjacent waters of the Atlantic during the period from 1929 to 1993. In the region of study, this species occurs at a temperature from 0.5 to 17.7°C. In the Arctic basin, B. borealis is predominantly found in the warm deep Atlantic layer. The central Arctic region is not a zone of exclusion of this species, but is a part of the species’ range, where its apparently dependent populations occur. In the northern Atlantic, B. borealis can reach into the low latitudes as far as 30°N.

A new species and new records of deep‐water Calappidae (Crustacea: Decapoda) from the Indian Ocean with a key to the Mursia Desmarest, 1823 species of the region

Deep‐water Calappidae collected by German and Russian expeditions to the western Indian Ocean and additional material from several European and American museums were studied. Calappa japonica Ortmann, 1892 was recorded from the Red Sea for the first time, where it occurs in unusually deep waters and C. pustulosa Alcock, 1896 was recorded for the first time off Madagascar. Eight species of Mursia Desmarest, 1823 are known from the Indian Ocean (M. africana Galil, 1993, M. aspera Alcock, 1899, M. bicristimana Alcock and Anderson, 1894, M. coseli Crosnier, 1997, M. cristiata H. Milne Edwards, 1837, M. flamma Galil, 1993, M. curtispina Miers, 1886, and M. minuta n. sp.). For M. bicristimana the status was clarified and a new species described. This description is partly based on a specimen which prior to this study had been erroneously considered a syntype of M. bicristimana. New characters and a key are provided to facilitate identification of the Indian Ocean species of Mursia. The contrasting geographic distribution patterns of the two genera are discussed with regard to their vertical distribution.

Distribution and seasonal dynamics of Boroecia maxima (Ostracoda: Halocypridinae) in the Arctic basin and adjacent Atlantic waters

Based on materials obtained during Soviet and Russian expeditions to the Arctic basin and adjacent Atlantic waters during the period from 1929–1993, as well as data from the literature, we examined the distribution range of the common deep-sea ostracod Boroecia maxima. This species occurs throughout the pelagic water column (down to 3000 m depth and below) and prefers low water temperatures (surface Arctic and intermediate water masses). During the year, at all depths, the ratio between age groups of B. maxima remains virtually unchanged. Breeding apparently continues year-round. During the polar night, B. maxima makes no migration into warm Atlantic water, where wintering predatory zooplankton occur in large numbers, and thus avoids grazing pressure.

Discovery of the wreck of the Soviet steamer Chelyuskin on the bed of the Chukchi Sea

In 1933, the steamer Chelyuskin sailed from Murmansk, east bound to attempt a transit of the Northern Sea Route to the Pacific, in order to demonstrate that such a transit could be achieved in one season. The vessel became beset in heavy ice in the Chukchi Sea, and after drifting with the ice for over two months, was crushed and sank on 13 February 1934. Apart from one fatality, her entire complement of 104 people was able to establish a camp on the sea ice. The Soviet government organised an impressive aerial evacuation, under which all were rescued. Following several unsuccessful attempts, the wreck was located on the bed of the Chukchi Sea by a Russian expedition, Chelyuskin-70, in mid-September 2006. Two small components of the ship's superstructure were recovered by divers and were sent to the ship's builders, Burmeister and Wein of Copenhagen, for identification.

Transits and Transitions: Astronomy, Topography, and Politics in Russian Expeditions to View the Transit of Venus in 1874

Russian expeditions to observe the transit of Venus in 1874 provide an opportunity to explore the nature of astronomy and society in late Imperial Russia. This paper brings to light the personnel and places involved in Russian missions and examines their integration within the burgeoning networks of Russian imperial power designed to bring efficient governance to the Empire in the wake of the disastrous Crimean War. For the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, brother of Tsar Alexander II, and his reform-minded circle, astronomy and geography were part of an effort to reinvigorate empire and autocracy on more participatory models and demonstrate the vitality of Russia to foreign audiences. At the same time, another flurry of expeditions was taking place, as populist revolutionaries began “going to the people” to spread messages of disruption and revolution. How the transit passed across these differing interpretations of the right forms of imperial travel and “scientific” governance in Russia form the focus of the paper.