Assessment of various scenarios for the development of mineral deposits in the region (as exemplified by the Republic of Tuva)

It is shown that Tuva has a sufficiently rich mineral and raw material diversity and the potential for their development. Nevertheless, the development of the republic is hindered by the existence of transport and infrastructure restrictions, to eliminate which, first of all, it is necessary to build a railway along the Kyzyl-Kuragino highway. On the other hand, given the border area of the territory that adjoins western Mongolia, there is a possibility of implementing various scenarios for the construction of railway tracks. The calculations performed to evaluate scenarios for the development of mineral resources of the republic using methods of intersectoral assessment shows that when implementing a pessimistic option for the development of the potential of mineral resources of Tuva (in which the construction of the railway to Tuva is frozen and only deposits of non-ferrous metals and gold are developed), the gross regional product of the republic will grow to 164 billion rubles, which will be 45% of the growth of this indicator in relation to the GRP of 2018. With the implementation of the optimistic option I, (in which it is planned to build a railway along the Kuragino-Kyzyl highway, coal deposits, non-ferrous metals, gold are being developed), the GRP of the republic will grow up to 351 billion rubles. In addition, calculations have been made for the construction of railways that would connect Tuva with Mongolia and China.

On the origin and morphology of Z-shaped splitting of coal deposits (on the example of Eastern Donbass)

Статья посвящена выявлению морфологии и происхождения распространенных во многих угольных регионах мира уникальных углепородных структур – Z-образных расщеплений угольных залежей, впервые обнаруженных автором в Восточном Донбассе. Актуальность работыопределяется необходимостью разработки научных основ угленакопления для определения промышленной ценности и минерагенических перспектив территорий. Цель работы. Совершенствование теории угленакопления и первичного структурообразования в осадочных формациях в целом. Методы работы. Вещественно-структурный анализ пересекающихся геологических разрезов угленосной территории западной части Восточного Донбасса известными литолого-структурными методами, сопоставление выявленного Z-объекта с аналогичными структурами других угольных регионов и гипотез о формировании Z-расщеплений. Результаты работы. Обнаружено и исследовано первое в Восточном Донбассе Z-образное расщепление угольной залежи. Залежь k2н каменской свиты С25 каменноугольной системы у г. Красный Сулин асимметрична в разрезе и плане. Высота Z-объекта составляет первые десятки метров, площадь – многие десятки км2, протяженность с севера на юг превышает 20 км. Объект имеет угольные основание и свод в плане, сопряжение их угольным соединением. Z-образность объекта проявляется в субмеридиональных сечениях. Уникальны односторонняя – с запада – замкнутость соединения, наличие угольных пачек-перемычек, неразвившихся до соединения. Выявлена этапность формирования объекта. На конкретном примере определены условия развития Z-объектов: попеременное фронтальное поступление крупных сбалансированных порций в основном растительного или растительно-минерального материала на смежные участки территории с разных сторон с частичным заходом языка минеральных осадков на покрытый углематеринской массой один из них. Нарушение условий приводит к отклонению облика структуры от типовой либо прекращению ее образования. Механизм поступления материала – разливы рукавов палеодельты. Односторонняя замкнутость соединения в плане вызвана поступлением локальных потоков минерального материала. Ниша седиментации создана процессами тектонического относительного опускания смежных участков территории. Исследованная структура возникла в условиях сочетания тектонических и седиментационных предпосылок, главный вклад в ее формирование принадлежит деятельности палеорусел. В этой связи структура отнесена к аккумулятивному типу. Приведены примеры других Z-объектов. Z-структуры развиты на различных масштабных уровнях. Результаты исследований имеют значение для различных регионов угленакопления и решения общих вопросов седиментации. The article is dedicated to the identification of the morphology and origin of unique coal-bearing structures common in many coal regions of the world - Z-shaped splitting of coal deposits, first discovered by the author in the Eastern Donbass. The relevance of the work is determined by the need to develop the scientific foundations of coal accumulation to determine the industrial value and mineragenic prospects of the territories. Aim. Improvement of the theory of coal accumulation and primary structure formation in sedimentary formations in general. Methods. Material-structural analysis of intersecting geological sections of the coal-bearing territory of the western part of the Eastern Donbass using well-known lithological-structural methods, comparison of the identified Z-object with similar structures of other coal regions and hypotheses about the formation of Z-splits. Results. The first Z-shaped splitting of a coal deposit in the Eastern Donbas was discovered and investigated. The k2n deposit of the Kamenskaya suite C25 of the Carboniferous system near the town of Krasny Sulin is asymmetric in section and plan. The height of the Z-object is the first tens of meters, the area is many tens of km2, and the length from north to south is 20 km wide. The object has a coal base and a vault in plan, their conjugation with a carbon connection. The Z-shape of the object appears in submeridional sections. Unique is the one-sided - from the west - closed connection, the presence of coal bundles-bridges that did not develop before the connection. The stages in the formation of the object are revealed. On a specific example of the conditions for the development of Z-objects: the transverse frontal supply of large balanced portions of mainly plant or plant-mineral material in different parts of the territory from different mineral sediments with a partial entry of the tongue onto one of them covered with a source coal mass. Violation of the conditions leads to a deviation of the structure from the typical one or to the termination of its formation. The mechanism of material receipt is the spill of the paleodelta arms. One-sided closedness of the connection is in terms of providing local flows of mineral material. The sedimentation niche was created by the processes of tectonic relative subsidence of additional areas of the territory. The investigated structure arose under the conditions of a combination of tectonic and sedimentation prerequisites; the main contribution to its formation was the activity of the paleochannels. In this regard, the structure is classified as an accumulative type. Examples of other Z - objects are given. Z-structures are developed at various levels. Research results are of significance for different regions of coal accumulation and solution of general sedimentation issues.

Russia’s Foreign Economic Activity and Japan’s Strategic Interests in the Far East at the Beginning of the XXI Century

At the beginning of the XXI century, in the context of the further complex and contradictory development of the world economic process, the strengthening of the competitive struggle of states for markets, an important problem remains the struggle of countries with limited natural resources for the possession of territories rich in these resources, or for the most profitable cooperation with the countries - owners of such territories. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the geopolitical situation in a particular region and build relationships with these countries taking into account its peculiarities. The article analyzes Japan’s strategic interests in the Russian Far East in the light of the problems under consideration. As you know, the natural resources of Japan are very scarce, only limestone and coal deposits are found in more or less sufficient quantities. At the same time, minerals such as oil, gas, iron ore, etc., are present on the territory, but in insufficient quantities for the development of metallurgy, energy and other life-supporting industries. Thus, Japan, being one of the most economically and technologically developed countries, is at the same time one of the poorest in terms of mineral resources. Based on this, it is relevant to analyze Japan’s economic strategy in solving the tasks under consideration in relation to neighboring states and, in particular, with Russia, which at the present stage is an important military-political, geopolitical and economic player in East Asia. Russia has the most modern means to solve the main problems of national security and territorial integrity, an important component of which is the region of the Far East, which occupies an essential place in the system of modern international economic relations.

Identifying Correlation of Coal Seams in the Tien Hai Area, Northern Vietnam by Using Multivariate Statistic Methods

In northern Vietnam, the Tien Hai area is considered a high potential area of coal deposits. Twohundred fifty-six geochemical coal samples of 13 cores in the Tien Hai area investigate coal seams andcoal deposits to identify the correlation of coal seams. According to the statistical method and clusteranalysis of geochemical samples, the results indicate that the Mg, V, As, Ca, Zn, Cr, Co, K, Na, Sr, Fe,Ge, Re, U, Mo, Th, and Ga elements are good indicator elements of the major and trace elements in coal.Most of them comply with the normal or lognormal distribution rules. Besides, the Yb, Sc, Ho, Er, Tm,Lu, Y, Tb, Pr, Dy, and Sm elements are also good indicator elements for rare earth elements in the region.Therefore, the selected elements are used to identify the correlation of the coal seams in the Tien Hai area.Based on the similarity degree between studied objects, the results of grouping boreholes in coal seamsshow that the correlation of coal seam TV2-11 is suitable and acceptable, the coal seams TV3-6a, TV3-6b, and TV3-6c can be grouped into the coal seam TV3-6. These results present that the models can helpstudy geochemical coal samples and identify the correlation of the coal seams in the Tien Hai area.Additionally, the statistical analysis shows a remarkable degree to determine the correlation of the coalseams. Geochemical coal data can help to evaluate the indicator elements of the major, trace elements,and rare earth elements in coal seams and coal rashing of adjoining and pillar rocks in the Tien Hai area,northern Vietnam.

Ecologico-economic Substantiation of Environmental Remediation of Rock Disposal Dump at the Coal-mining Regions of Siberia and the Far East

Based on the remote sensing data, the aggregated information has been provided on rock disposal dumps of the surface and abandoned coal deposits in the mining regions of Siberia and the Far East. High-resolution satellite images have helped to square the acreage of slope grade horizontal alignments of rock disposal dumps, as well as the yielding capacity of plant ecosystems on the dump slopes. The rock dumps architecture has been proposed to ensure the ecological balance generation at the appropriate pace. The economic indicators of the remedial ecology package work at the rock dumps have been provided.

Leaky Waveguides in Hydrocarbon Reservoirs and their Implications for Oil Banks Detection

The presence of naturally occurring subsurface waveguides for electromagnetic (EM) waves has been previously documented. In particular, the mining industry recognized that a coal seam bounded by layers of conductive rock acts as a leaky waveguide. Consequently, the attenuation constant and phase shift of EM signals propagating through the coal layer are modulated by the thickness of the coal and the EM properties of the three layers forming the leaky waveguide. The radio imaging method (RIM) was developed based on this discovery to characterize coal deposits. Recent studies have demonstrated that guided waves can provide useful information about the subsurface. Structures with similar dimensions and EM properties are found in oil fields in the form of layers of evaporite (e.g. anhydrite) bounded by hydrocarbon reservoirs. To the best of our knowledge, the feasibility of exploiting such structures to characterize the inter-well region has not been investigated extensively. We conducted a theoretical analysis and 3D numerical simulations in the time and frequency domains to demonstrate that layered structures in oil fields can act as leaky waveguides and efficiently guide EM waves. Our results suggest that such structures substantially enhance the propagation of MHz EM signals. Among multiple parameters evaluated, the conductivity of the layers has the most significant effect on signal attenuation, and thus its range of propagation. We estimated that EM signals of approximately 10 MHz can propagate several hundreds of meters through a layer of anhydrite in the presence of conductive bounding reservoirs. The received signals are affected by the properties of the anhydrite layer, but also by the properties of the bounding reservoirs, conferring sensitivity to changes in reservoir saturation. We conclude that this approach could be further developed to infer fluid saturation and especially to identify the presence of oil banks in water-flooded hydrocarbon reservoirs.

Petrological Composition of the Last Coal Seam in the Longmendong Section before the End-Permian Mass Extinction

Late Permian coal deposits are widely distributed throughout southwestern China. This paper describes the petrological composition of the last coal seam in the Longmendong section of the Emeishan area during the latest Changhsingian (Permian) and records important information regarding the evolution of the mass extinction event that occurred at the end of the Permian. The results show that the dominant coal maceral group is vitrinite, followed by liptinite and inertinite macerals, and the coal minerals include quartz, chamosite and pyrite. The pyrofusinite and carbon microparticles occurrence modes could have been formed during wildfires in the adjacent areas. The β-tridymite occurrence modes and the high proportions and occurrence modes of magmatic quartz indicate that synchronous felsic volcanic activity occurred during the peat mire accumulation period. The chamosite and quartz occurrence modes suggest that they primarily precipitated from Fe-Mg-rich siliceous solutions that was derived from the weathering of nearby Emeishan basalt. The pyritic coal balls occurrence modes in the C1 coal seam are likely the result of coal-forming plants and Fe-Mg-rich siliceous solutions in neutral to weak alkaline conditions during late syngenetic stages or early epigenetic stages within paleomires.

Sedimentary organic matter as a proficient tool for the palaeoenvironmental and palaeodepositional settings on Gondwana coal deposits

Palynofacies is based on the different types of the dispersed/sedimentary organic matter (DOM/SOM) and has been used as a proficient proxy for the palaeoclimatic reconstructions in sedimentary deposits of various time spans. It has also been acknowledged as an effective tool in the different domains like sequence biostratigraphy, palyno-biostratigraphy, palaeodepositional history, identification for depositional processes, oxic–anoxic environment, and variations in the water depth. It has been emerged as an analytical tool in palaeoclimatic reconstruction, which could complement geophysical and geochemical datasets. Since long palynofacies analysis has been exclusively applied in the marine sediments, it has recently dragged the attention of many researchers as a significant parameter for palaeoclimatic interpretation in continental deposits. In the last few decades, more consideration was focused on palynofacies that have become an essential proxy in the biostratigraphic and other non-biostratigraphic fields due to its requirement in the petroleum industries. The present study provides a basic idea of dispersed organic matter characterization, methodology, interpretations, and its application with special emphasis on the Gondwana deposits. The study also includes the summary of the worldwide distribution of the Gondwana sediments, especially for palaeodepositional settings through palynofacies along with other parameters.