No 4 (2022)

The article presents data on the tsunami that occurred on November 5, 1952 in the northern Kuril Islands — the most tragic natural disaster for the Russian Far East, which caused significant material damage (including the armed forces of the USSR) and led to numerous human losses. The role of the Tsunami Warning Service, created as a result of the analysis of the tragedy of 1952, is shown. The results of studies on the quantitative assessment of the tsunami hazard and a map of possible tsunami heights for short return periods (100 years), which is necessary for the safe design of constructions on the coast of the Northern Kuriles, are presented.

Northern Yakutia is characterized by continuous permafrost with a thickness of 300–400 m or more with temperatures from –6 to –10°C. The occurrence of permafrost affects the rates of thermal erosion and thermal abrasion of river banks. Many investigators believe that permafrost inhibits fluvial erosion, while others think it has an enhancing effect. Our investigations along the lower reaches of the Indigirka, Adycha, and Kolyma rivers have shown that the effect of permafrost varies depending on site specific conditions. The highest rate of thermal erosion (60 m/year) was observed in the Lower Indigirka region. This was promoted by the high ice content of the yedoma deposits, the presence of a talik beneath the channel, as well as the great water depths and strong currents. Bank recession along the meandering Adycha River, the Yana River tributary, occurs at rates of less than 1 m/year. The low rates of bank erosion can be explained by the low thickness of loose deposits (up to 3–5 m), which lay on the channel pebbles and generally remains above the low- and medium-water levels. Also, the coastal cliff deposits consisting of silty sand with a massive cryostructure and thin ice veins turned to be relatively resistant to erosion.

Classical crystal chemistry describes various compounds based on cation-centered polyhedra and their complexes. However, there are a number of compounds with the so-called “additional” anion in the structure, which occupies a separate position, i.e. it is not boned to a high-valent cation and is not a part either of tetrahedra or octahedra. So, such structures are better explained on the basis of anion-centered polyhedral, as their physical properties directly depend on the distribution of chemical bonds in their structure. We have already described compounds with anti-tetrahedra with oxygen atoms in the center and cations at the corners of a tetrahedron. This paper describes sulfates, phosphates, and silicates with octahedrons with Cl, F, or O anions at the center and cations at the vertices. These minerals contain antiperovskite fragments and are conventionally called antiperovskites.

The sculptures of extinct animals, installed in Crystal Palace Park in London in 1854, were the first sculptural reconstructions of ancient animals and reflected the achievements of paleontology in the first half of the 19th century. These reconstructions were widely used at that time for educational purposes in various parts of the world, including in Moscow.