Geologic Structures of the Arctic Basin

Alexey L. Piskarev

Alexey L. Piskarev (Piskarev-Vasiliev) graduated from Leningrad Mining Institute with MSc in Exploration Geophysics. After graduation he joined the Research Institute of the Arctic Geology (NIIGA). 

During the early stages of his carrier, Alexey L. Piskarev concentrated on studying physical properties and paleomagnetizm of the Northern Siberia geological formations as a base for regional interpretaton of anomalous potential fields.  The results of this research later formed the basis of his PhD thesis.

Subsequently, Alexey L. Piskarev conducted multi-discipline geophysical investigations as a part of regional geological program in the Insular and Coastal Arctic (Frantz –Joseph Land, Spitsbergen, Novaya Zemlya, Novosibirsky Islands, Kanin Peninsula). These works later became a reference point for interpretation of geophysical surveys in the Arctic.

After NIIGA transformation into the All-Russian Research Institute of Geology and MineralResources of the World Ocean (VNIIOkeangeologia), the geology of World Ocean seafloor became, and still is, the subject of Alexey L. Piskarev’s studies. He participated in several expeditions in the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans eventually leading to his DSc thesis «Petrophysics of seafloor bedrocks and sediments in the ore-bearing regions of the abyssal ocean».

In following years, Alexey L. Piskarev focused his attention on wide spectrum of unsolved geological problems of the Arctic Ocean. Using the latest geological and geophysical data, he synthesized them into a regional crustal models, analyzed the evolution of the major structural elements and estimated a hydrocarbon potential of the Arctic Seas.

Alexey L. Piskarev authored 170 published works, including the monographs: «Petrophysical models of the Earth crust in the Arctic Ocean» (in Russian), 2004, and «Energy Potential of the Russian Arctic Seas: Choice of the Development Strategy» (in English), 2012. He is a co-author of the patent RU-2328019, 2008 (“An apparatus for marine electric sounding and a method of electric sounding from vessel in motion”), pending, based on Gulf of Mexico surveys in 2004-2005.

For several years, Alexey L. Piskarev gave a course «Integration of Geophysical Methods in Mineral Exploration» at the St. Petersburg Mining Institute. Currently, he is a professor at the St. Petersburg State University teaching courses “Marine Geophysics”, “Geology and Geophysics of the Arctic” and “Geodynamics”.

Affiliations: Associate Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences.

Awards: Prize winner of the international academic publishing company "Nauka" for series of papers “Tectonics and Petroleum Potential of the Arctic Ocean”.

Victor A. Poselov

Upon graduating from the Leningrad Mining Institute with MSc in Exploration Geophysics, Victor A. Poselov was involved in land seismic oil and gas exploration in the Timan – Pechora Province.

Working with the “Sevmorgeologia” Agglomerate and later - All-Russian Research Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources of the World Ocean (VNIIOkeangeologia), he specialized in marine seismic surveys. Victor A. Poselov designed and supervised the seismic survey in the Weddell Sea, initiating systematic Russian seismic investigations of the Antarctica sedimentary basins. These also included the Deep Seismic Sounding (DSS) at the Fielhner shelf glacier. The results of these investigations were summarized in the Victor A. Poselov’s PhD thesis “Structure of the Weddell Sea sedimentary cover”. 

During the 90th of the last century Victor A. Poselov participated in application of the multichannel seismic technology (MCS) to investigation of the Arctic Basin deep crustal structure. He took parts in several international multi-discipline expeditions on RVs “Polarstern” and “Oden” (the Podvodnikov Basin and the Mendeleev Ridge, 1996, 1098). In 2002 he completedthe DSc thesis “Structure of the abyssal Central Arctic Basin in light of seismic information”

Victor A. Poselov, acting as a science director, participated in the Russian expedition “Arktika- 2005” in the Mendeleev Ridge region. The multi-discipline program included DSS and MCS seismic, airborne geophysics and bottom sampling. It delivered new information on crustal and sedimentary cover structure of the Mendeleev Ridge itself and its junction with the Eastern-Siberian Sea shelf. In 2007, the similar program, also with Victor A. Poselov participation and scientific oversight, was run under the “Arktika-2007” expedition concentrated on the Lomonosov Ridge and its junction with adjacent shelf.

The major findings of the above investigations were summarized in monograph “Russian Arctic Geo-Ttransects (result of geological and geophysical studies)”, in Russian (2014) and English (2017) (executive editor Valery D. Kaminsky, science editors Victor A. Poselov, Georgy P. Avetisov) and several papers in Russian and foreign media.

Currently, Victor A. Poselov is the Head of Marine Seismic Exploration Department of VNIIOkeangeologia Institute. He also oversees the interpretation of the geological and geophysical information related to legal delineation of the Russian Arctic shelf boundary.

Victor A. Poselov authored and ??-authored more than 120 scientific publications, including 7 monographs.

Valery D. Kaminsky

Valery D. Kaminsky had graduated from the Saint Petersburg State University with MSc in geophysics. He began his scientific carrier with All-Russian Research Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources of the World Ocean (VNIIOkeangeologia) studying geophysical fields of the World Ocean during several oceanographic expeditions. His PhD thesis presented the investigation of origin, age and evolution of the seamounts based on interpretation of magnetic anomalies.

Valery D. Kaminsky took part in the multi-discipline investigation of the shelf seas developing the technology of optimal integrations of geophysical methods and its instrumental base.

The following stage of Valery D. Kaminsky’s scientific investigations concentrated on the abyssal part of the Arctic Ocean - the Arctic Basin. He participated in the High Latitude Airborne  Expeditions “Sever” and  oceanographic expeditions of RVs  “Sibir”, “Akadmik Fedorov “ and “Rossiya”, adapting the methodology of the geophysical surveys to the specifics of the ice-covered Central Arctic waters. Using combined interpretation of seismic, gravity and magnetic data, Valery D. Kaminsky completed regionalization of the potential fields and constructed integrated deep crustal models. These findings served as a basis of his DSc thesis “Deep structure of the Central Arctic Basin”.

Utilizing the results of his work in the Central Arctic Basin and information on the latest oilfields discovered in the abyssal parts of the WorldOcean, Valery D. Kaminsky was able to produce the preliminary estimate of the Central Arctic Basin hydrocarbon potential.

Valery D. Kaminsky authored more than 100 published papers. He is an editor and co-author of several volumes: “The Arctic at dawn of the third millennium – resources and ecology”, 2000; “The Russian Arctic: geological history, minerals and geoecology”, 2002; “Minerals and raw materials of the Russian Arctic (current status, forecasts and goals)”, 2007; co-author and executive editor of “Russian Arctic Geotransects (result of geological and geophysical studies)”, in Russian (2014) and in English (2017).

Affiliations: Associate Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (since 2017)