No 8 (2023)

The article considers possible environmental consequences of the exploitation of primary gold and copper deposits in the river basins of the Sea of Okhotsk (Magadan Oblast, Russia). The extraction and processing of the ores involve the use of extremely aggressive chemicals and the presence of large volumes of toxic waste. Even the use of modern, gentle technologies could not guarantee the complete absence of salvo discharges for several reasons: Firstly, due to the high seismic hazard of the territory (possible earthquakes with a magnitude of 6–7). Secondly, because of the permafrost that covers the region (the rate of its melting in the absence of a global warming forecast cannot be correctly assessed). Such risks cannot be paid off , since under force majeure circumstances toxic waste will end up in the Sea of Okhotsk. However, in 2022, the Sea of Okhotsk yielded 47 of the 73 % of Russia’s entire annual catch of fi sh and other seafood caught in the Far East. Any doubts regarding the environmental consequences of any project aff ecting the ecology of the Sea of Okhotsk should be interpreted exclusively in favor of the sea.

In Northeast Asia, calcicolous plants are relatively rare, since the predominant rocks are poor in carbonates. In this regard, the Omulevka middlemountain region composed of Paleozoic limestones and located in the upper reaches of the river with the same attracts especial attention. In 2022, a signifi cant part of the area was included into the Andreev Chersky National Park. Due to its remoteness and lack of roads, the botany studies in the middle mountain region are insuffi cient. In 2023, the expedition on an off -road vehicle covered more than 1000 km throughout the park. The preliminary processing of the collected botanical samples allows us to consider the Omulevka middle-mountain region as a refuge of calcicole fl ora. Among more than 300 species of vascular plants typical for the forest part of northeastern Asia, about 20–25 turned to be pronounced (or even obligate) calcicole species. Almost all of them are rare in the Magadan Region, but in the National Park they are not merely common, but numerous. Some of them (Rhododendron adamsii, Chrysanthemum mongolicum, Leontopodium villosulum, etc.) practically form fi elds along low pebble river terraces. Approximately half of the calcicole species have status of regionally protected species, and one — the federal status. Further studies are expected to be very fruitful.

Representatives of Licharewia rugulata (Spiriferida) found in the vicinity of the village of Baytugan (Samara Oblast) in the Baytugan layers of the Lower Kazan sublayer of the Middle Permian have been studied. The article presents general data on spiriferids, as well as information on the findings of various epibionts and traces of drilling organisms on their shells.

We present one of the works of the Russian geographer V. P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, which tells about mudmiles — difficult to pass sections on Russian roads, the reasons for the appearance of the famous road mud, and the ways to solve this problem in diff erent regions of the country.