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This paper presents the results of a multidisciplinary study with the aim of assessing the potential combined risk from consuming locally harvested food products in the Euro-Arctic region of Norway, Finland, and Russia. The three important contaminant groups—radioactive substances, heavy metals, and persistent organic pollutants (POPs)—were measured in food samples such as berries, mushrooms, fish, birds, reindeer, and moose; they were sampled in 2013–2015. To assess the combined pollution levels and investigate the trends, similarities, and variations between different contaminant groups, subsequent multivariate statistical analysis was performed. The results showed that, in general, the levels of radioactive substances, toxic elements, and POPs were below the permitted EU maximum content in food products. However, statistical analysis revealed some correlations, similarities, and peculiarities between the accumulation of different contaminants in various species, which allowed for a better understanding of the mechanisms of accumulation and interaction between different contaminant groups. It also gave a better insight into the possible added risks and helped pinpoint species that could serve as reference markers for the accumulation of different contaminants in food. Mushrooms, fish, and reindeer were found to be important markers in the combined risk assessments for the contents of metals and radioactive substances. Further research, as well as the development of methodologies for combined assessments, are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses modeling the dynamics of nickel concentration in soils, water, and the bottom sediments of lakes caused by atmospheric emissions from the Pechenganickel plant, Kola Peninsula, throughout its whole operation period. The applied technology of balanced identification makes it possible to use a mathematical description of heterogeneous geochemical processes in ecosystems to combine heterogeneous experimental data and build up a computer model with an optimal balance of its complexity and fitting quality of the data. The model is used to analyze the spatial and temporal variability of natural objects in the zone of distribution of atmospheric pollution (nickel) from the Pechenganickel plant. The paper presents and discusses results of this study, including estimates of the retrospective state of the simulated objects (before the start of the intense studies) and a forecast of their dynamics until 2030. According to the model calculations, the intensity of Ni accumulation in the soil and bottom sediments was 2.35 and 4.48 mg/(m2 year) during the maximum deposition periods (1980–2005), whereas the model predicts a decrease in the intensity of Ni accumulation in the bottom sediments (0.23 mg/(m2 year)) and slow Ni leaching from the soil (0.19 mg/(m2 year)) after the shutdown of the plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents petrography, X-ray electron probe energy-dispersive (EDS), laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), and Raman spectroscopy data to characterize the mineral associations and composition of apatite group minerals from anorthosites of the Kievey deposit, North platinum group-element (PGE) Reef, Fedorova-Pana Complex, Kola Peninsula, Russia. The mineralized coarse-grained anorthosite belongs to the most common rock type of the main ore body, and hosts irregular interstitial sulfide disseminations of 5–7 vol.%. Apatite in the anorthosite occurs as (a) euhedral grains included in the marginal parts of cumulus plagioclase laths, and (b) xenomorphic grains associated with intercumulus minerals. The composition of apatite evolves along a narrow trend from fluorapatite to hydroxylapatite. The F content of apatite reaches 2.21 wt.%; the maximum Sr and rare earth element (REE) concentrations are 257 and 5623 ppm, respectively, while the average ratio of La/YbN = 11.78, Sr/Sr* = 0.01, and Eu/Eu* = 0.06. Compared to classic PGE reefs in layered intrusions, such as Bushveld in South Africa and Stillwater in the United States, the mineralized anorthosite is distinguished by apatite with an unusually low chlorine concentration of only 0.46 wt.%. A suggested reason for this difference is the percolating nature of sulfide liquid, which has not been enriched in PGE in situ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzes the effect of ever increasing anthropogenic impacts on land waters and analyzes V.I. Vernadsky's works on natural waters and their significance for assessing modern biogeochemical processes. The paper demonstrates the scale of the influx of chemical elements and compounds into the modern biosphere as a result of the emission of greenhouse gases, nitrogen and phosphorus dissemination, acid-forming gases, and metals. Key changes in some regions and the biosphere as a whole are highlighted. The consequences of anthropogenically induced processes are illustrated by the example of a remote Arctic region, the northern Kola Peninsula in Russia: the effects of climate warming and the acidification and eutrophication of the waters and their enrichment in metals. In the wake of V.I. Vernadsky's ideas about the role of land waters in supporting the life necessities of the planet's human population, approaches to assessing water quality from the standpoint of the ecological paradigm are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the occurrence of glendonite along coastlines since 1825, which have been previously referred to under different names such as Pseudogaylussite, Fundylite, and Kool Hoot across eleven sites. By utilising element ratios and 14C radiometric dating techniques, we establish a more accurate chronology for these varied sites ranging from 10 to 1 thousand years before the present (Ky BP). Sites include tidal flats, coastal barrier islands, and Wadden Sea environments. While some sites still exist, others are only known through publications and museum collections. Our research expands upon previous findings by presenting petrographic evidence that correlates with glendonite formation. Through the examination of the Olenitsa site on the Kola Peninsula, we demonstrate that marine bioclasts enclosed within concretions surrounding glendonites provide temporal context, suggesting that these outcrops were formed during a single event under changing conditions. Notably, certain sediment structures at selected sites indicate the occurrence of cold-water ice-raft storm events and the presence of drop stones. Furthermore, our paper explores the association of historic coastal sites with the formation of ikaite, highlighting the limitations of relying solely on geochemistry and isotopic analysis for interpretation. Intriguingly, we observe that pseudomorphs are abundant in specific areas but absent in adjacent regions with similar environmental, physical, and chemical conditions. No apparent connection is found between volcanic dust cloud-induced cold spells and glendonite. The distribution of coastal glendonites is more likely related to periods of climatic cooling through other means. We show that radiometric dating with 14C provides an indication of age, but the results can be erroneous due to the inclusion of older carbon sources in the analysis. The oldest locations discussed in this study are Kool Hoot (Alaska) and the river Clyde (Scotland), and the youngest glendonites discussed are from the Bay of Fundy in Canada. Occurrences from the Wadden Sea are intermediate in age and sit between the other two groups. The age of the Olenitsa site on the Russian Kola Peninsula is uncertain and still debated. We show that measuring the ratio of Mg/Ca can indicate how much the recrystallised ikaite preserved as calcite is influenced by diagenetic pore waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents data on the miaskite syenites of the Lovozero massif, pulaskites of the Khibiny massif, rocks of the larvikite–lardalite series of the Kurga massif, and subalkaline volcanics, which are preserved as remnants in the roof of the massifs. The studied rocks are characterized by a low agpaitic coefficient of <1, the absence of minerals typical of peralkaline rocks (eudialyte, aenigmatite, etc.), and the presence of zircon. The morphological features and chemical composition of zircon from miaskite of the Lovozero massif syenite indicate that the mineral is of magmatic nature. The crystallization age of the miaskites was dated on zircon at 373 ± 5 Мa. The isotope-geochemical characteristics of rocks of the subalkaline series indicate that the miaskites of the Lovozero massif are of mantle origin, show no indications of their crustal contamination, and were produced during the evolution of ankaramite melt. The pulaskites of the Khibiny massif were formed according to an analogous scenario, except their assimilation with crustal material, whose proportion did not exceed, according to model calculations, 10%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to analyse diverse forms of reindeer pastoralism that exist in the European part of Russia from the viewpoint of landscape approach, that is as unique localized and historically developed interaction between people, reindeer and the natural landscape. The analysis starts with a short overview of the history of reindeer herding in the two reindeer herding regions of European Russia: the Archangelsk tundras and the Kola Peninsula. The developments of the last 300 years related to the transition from pre-pastoralist reindeer herding to reindeer pastoralism and the development of reindeer pastoralism during the late Imperial and Soviet periods are shown as particularly important. During this period, the particular form of reindeer-animal interaction developed in the Archangelsk tundras and characterized by intensive control over the herds and long linear interzonal migrations became dominant throughout European Russia before disintegrating again into a set of more localized forms by the late Soviet to early Post-Soviet periods. The discussion proceeds by analysing interactions between herders, reindeer and environment in the two main forms of reindeer pastoralism present in European Russia now in the most part of the Kola Peninsula and the most part of the Archangelsk tundras respectively. It is demonstrated that these two forms essentially depend on the interactions between reindeer, people and environment that existed in previous periods and have left traces in the physical landscape as well as in reindeer behaviour. The current modes of interaction between the elements of reindeer landscape build on them in different ways. Besides the two main forms, there are three small localities in European Russia where other forms of landscape interactions can be found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the first ever data obtained on minerals concentrating Mn in the lower zone (which is not exposed at the surface) of the rare-metal deposit of the Lovozero alkaline massif in the Kola Peninsula. Detailed data are presented on the chemical composition of the pyrophanite, ilmenite, and magnetite. EPMA data indicate that the ilmenite and pyrophanite make up a continuous solid-solution series with Mn concentrations varying from 3.9 to 42.1 wt % MnO. The redox conditions under which the lower zone of the Lovozero intrusion was formed were evaluated based on data on the ilmenite–magnetite assemblage at QFM + 0.68 to QFM + 1.17 at temperatures of 500–550°C and are close to the Ni–NiO buffer. The high contents of Mn minerals and the chemical composition of the rocks highlight a manganoan geochemical specifics of the lower zone of the Lovozero deposit, in which individual Mn minerals occur, such as pyrophanite MnTiO3 that contains up to 42.1 wt % MnO. Our data are the first ever on such high Mn contents in pyrophanite from Lovozero rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents changes in three villages of the Ponoy River region, Murmansk, Russia between 2006 and 2020. Two keystone species—the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and northern pike (Esox lucius) as well as an introduced species, the pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), were studied to determine changes to fish and fisheries. Oral histories, community-based observations and literature data are used to establish key messages on river health from the 1800s to 2020, including temperature data from 1864 to present. Climate change becomes increasingly evident and impacts the Ponoy River system from 1980s onwards with system-relevant changes becoming more pronounced in late 2010s. This coincides with proliferation of pink salmon from 2006 onwards. The species was introduced from the Russian Far East in the 1930s. Very few long-term community-based observation processes have taken place in the Russian North and this paper corrects this to certain extent. Ponoy River and region are important as the last major roadless wilderness area of the European North. Societal and climate changes are rapidly impacting the river and its catchment area as well as the available biological resources and consequently the local culture. This study shows the value of local communities to determine base lines and highlight ongoing changes when establishing climate change impacts and impacts of an alien species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract—In this paper, we review the results of the deep electromagnetic soundings carried out on the Archaean blocks of the Kola Peninsula over the past 40–50 years, describe the main results of the Murman-2018 experiment, and present a critical analysis of the previous studies considering the new data. The first part of the paper addresses the results of the studies with the extremely low frequency (ELF) transmitter "Zevs" and a 40 MW MHD source "Khibiny," the frequency soundings with a 29 kW ERS-67 car generator, and the DC resistivity soundings with vertical electrical sounding (VES) and magnetotelluric (MT) sounding setups. The review focuses on the controversial issues of the previous results for their subsequent critical analysis based on the data from the Murman-2018 experiment. The second part of the paper describes the technique, procedure, and results of the Murman-2018 experiment. The experiment included distance DC resistivity soundings (DS), controlled-source frequency soundings (Control Source AudioMagnetoTellurics, CSAMT), and audio magnetotelluric soundings (AMT) using natural variations of the Earth's electromagnetic field. The DS and CSAMT soundings were carried out with axial and equatorial setup configurations using two mutually orthogonal current lines AB1 and AB2 with the lengths of 1.9 and 1.6 km, respectively. The key novelty of the DS measurements was the use of a linear step in changing the distance OO' between the source and receiver (2.5 and 5 km) in the range of spacings from 2.5 to 56 km. The linear step pf change of the OO' distance was used for detecting and correcting the effects of lateral and static distortions in the observation results. The DS measurements were performed along three rays directed towards West, North, and East relative to the current lines AB1 and AB2. The CSAMT measurements were performed at a distance up to 105 km from the source in combination with AMTS. Based on the results of the Murman-2018 experiment, a three-layer model of crustal structure with resistivity increasing in a gradient–stepwise manner down to a depth of 20–30 km was constructed. The resistivity in the upper layer gradually (in a gradient-wise manner) increases with depth from 103 Ω m on the ground to 104 Ω m at a depth of 1–2 km. The middle layer has a constant resistivity on the order of (1–2) × 104 Ω m in the depth interval from 1–2 to 10 km and is identified as a "compaction" zone. It is detected at spacings from 2–3 to 30–40 km. In this spacing interval, apparent resistivity on the ground sharply varies ​​from 5 × 103 to 5 × 104 Ω m against the average background 2 × 104 Ω m. The sharp swings are interpreted as the profiling effect and attributed to the influence of the fractured zones and faults intersected by the sounding path. According to the geological estimates, the faults are steeply dipping near the surface and gently dipping at depth. Their overall influence "stabilizes" "flattens" the resistivity of the middle layer at a level of 2 × 104 Ω m and leads to the formation of effect of intermediate conductive layer having a dilatancy-diffusion origin (DD-layer) in the depth interval from 3–5 to 7–10 km (at the base of the second layer) with a longitudinal conductivity on the order of 1 S m and resistivity within 5 × 103 to 104 Ω m. The third (bottom) layer manifests itself by a sharp stepwise increase in electrical resistivity up to 105–106 Ω m and higher. The top surface of this layer is located at a depth of 10–15 km and is conditionally interpreted as an "impenetrability boundary" for direct current. This boundary marks the Brittle–Ductile Transition Zone (BDT) of the rocks. A critical analysis of the previous results in the light of the new data obtained in the Murman-2018 experiment is conducted in the Discussion section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents petrochemical, geochemical, and mineralogical data on rocks of the phoscorite–carbonatite complex in the Kovdor alkaline–ultramafic massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia. In contrast to what is usually thought, trace elements were determined to be concentrated not in the carbonatites themselves but in the related phoscorites. The paper presents data on the evolution of the compositions and zoning of minerals in successive generations of both rock types as a result of the fractional crystallization of their parental magmas, and data on general trends in the concentrations of trace elements. The Fe-rich phosphate–carbonate melt seems to have separated from the primitive alkaline–ultramafic silicate melt during its advanced differentiation. The Fe-rich phosphate–carbonate magma was parental for the phoscorite–carbonatite complex. The possibility of its splitting into immiscible Fe-rich phosphate and carbonatite melts is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents results of comprehensive studies of the rock association composing the lower zone of the northeastern part of the Monchetundra mafic massif in the Monchegorsk ore district. The zone consists of orthopyroxenite, plagioorthopyroxenite, and norite, which are variably amphibolized and host numerous gabbroid injections from the upper zone of the massif. The chemical composition of the dominant rock-forming minerals of the rocks was studied. The orthopyroxenes of the lower zone of the Monchetundra massif (LZMM) notably differs from those of the Monchegorsk pluton (Monchepluton) in containing lower aluminum concentrations because of differences in the P–T parameters of their crystallization. According to mineral geothermobarometric data, the LZMM rocks crystallized at 1200–1000°C and approximately 6 kbar, at a depth of about 20 km, whereas the Monchepluton rocks crystallized at an average temperature of 1230°C and a pressure of 3 kbar in shallow conditions. The LZMM rocks are characterized by moderate magnesium and silica contents and by elevated iron and low titanium concentrations, are enriched in the light rare earth elements (LREE) and LILE (Rb, Ba, and Sr) but are depleted by HFSE (Nb and Ta). The behavior of major components in the rocks is similar to that in analogous rocks in the bottom axial part of the Monchetundra massif, lying at its basement. Moreover, all petro- and geochemical parameters of the LZMM rocks are close to those of the analogical rocks of the Monchepluton. The paper presents new U–Pb isotope-geochronological data on individual zircon grains from the LZMM rocks. The age of the orthopyroxenite is 2496.3 ± 2.7 Ma, and that of the norite is 2500 ± 2 Ma, which indicates that these rocks crystallized simultaneously (within the error). The orthopyroxenite has an age of 2452 ± 85 Ma and positive εNd(T) = +1.7, and the model age of the protolith T(DM) is 2.76 Ga according to data on the Sm–Nd of isotopic systematics. The possible parental melt of the rocks may have been komatiite contaminated with crustal material. The obtained results indicate that the Monchetundra massif is a composite intrusion, whose lower zone is similar to the layered intrusions and the upper one is made up of rocks belonging to the gabbro–anorthosite complex. The massif was formed by at least three pulses of magmatic activity (at 2.50, 2.47, and 2.45 Ga). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Erratum to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1028334X23070383 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Vuoriyarvi Paleozoic alkaline–ultramafic complex with carbonatites is made up of a great diversity of rocks with various ore mineralization. The paper presents data on the geochemistry of pyroxenites, phoscorites, and carbonatites from the Neskevara deposit of rare metals. The pyroxenites of the rare-metal deposit are significantly enriched in Nb, Ta, and Th relative to the primitive mantle and the primary alkaline–ultramafic melt composition calculated for the Kola alkaline province and are characterized by high Nb/Ta, Zr/Hf, and Th/U ratios of 29, 35, and 14, respectively. HFSE are maximally enriched in the phoscorites and carbonatites of stages II and III, with the highest concentrations of Nb (16 000 ppm), Th (2800 ppm), and Zr (4000 ppm) found in the calcite–tetraferriphlogopite phoscorites, in which pyrochlore crystallization on the liquidus was identified. The rocks of the carbonatite series are strongly enriched in LREE relative to carbonaceous chondrite. The calcite–dolomite carbonatites of the late magmatic–carbothermal stage show REE enrichment up to 25 800 ppm. The chondrite-normalized REE patterns and (La/Yb)N ratio indicate that REE were systematically more strongly fractionated in the sequence pyroxenite (70)—phoscorite (90)—calcite (540) and dolomite (3790) carbonatites The crystallization sequence of minerals in the rare-metal phoscorites and carbonatites of intermediate stages indicates that magnetite and pyrochlore crystallized nearly simultaneously. The crystallization temperatures of such associations are, according to data of the magnetite–ilmenite thermometer, lower than 500–600°C, at ∆NNO = –0.3 and + 1.5 and corresponded to the temperature at which the rare-metal ore mineralization of the main stage was formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper studies sediments from Lake Tikozero that have accumulated successively in the littoral of Lake pre‐Imandra, Imandra lagoon, and an open lake isolated from a parental freshwater body. The 'Apatity' bog was concurrently formed on the Lake Imandra coast. Lithological, 14C, pollen and diatom data and findings of previous investigations provide the regional Holocene stratigraphy, which is subdivided into the early (c. 11 550–8200 cal a bp), middle (c. 8200–4000 cal a bp) and late (last 4000 cal a bp) Holocene sub‐stages. In the early Holocene, environments became favourable for diatoms after c. 9700 cal a bp. Birch phytocoenoses and pine forests with birch flourished in the area. In the middle Holocene, the west‐central Kola Peninsula was covered by a pine‐birch forest with alders. Lake Tikozero became shallow and desiccated in a warm and dry climate between c. 6300 and 4000 cal a bp; and a Sphagnum raised bog developed in the adjacent area, provoked by lowering of the water table. Spruce appeared in a pine‐birch forest and indicates a colder and wetter climate in the late Holocene. The flooding of Lake Imandra created a number of new small lakes; and fens occurred along the wet shores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses variations in the migration activities of elements in parent rocks of soils under the effect of anthropogenic and geochemical factors. The unique geological characteristics and the diverse mineral resources of the study area predetermined the high susceptibility of water bodies in the Kola Peninsula to influences of parent soil-forming rocks at watersheds and to anthropogenic impacts. Selected typical alkaline and acid rocks of the area were used in static and dynamic experiments on leaching elements from these rocks. The extracting agents were doubly distilled water, sulfuric acid, solutions of fulvic acids, and solutions of fulvic acids after their degradation by sulfuric acid. The results show differences in the extraction of trace elements from rocks by the various extraction agents: the water extracts are characterized by the maximum recovery of some elements in experiments with alkaline rocks (the extraction Ni and Cu was four- and threefold greater than in the other experiments), and extracts by sulfuric acids from acid rocks resulted in higher concentrations of U (twofold) and Cu (less than one order of magnitude). Fulvic acids most strongly affect all of the studied rocks. According to data of discriminant analysis, the greatest contributions (with a coefficient close to 10) to the discrimination is made by the following parameters: trace elements of the La group, heavy-metal ions (Ni, Cu, and Pb), and pH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents isolation basin stratigraphy in bottom sediments from nine lakes in the Teriberka area on the Kola Peninsula, northwestern Russia. Isolation contacts in these basins, identified from lithological and diatom analysis, were used together with 25 radiocarbon dates, to construct a relative sea-level (RSL) curve for the Holocene. Records of marine water re-influx were found in the sediment sequence from one lake, located at c. 17 m a.s.l. The re-influx of marine water seems to be caused by the mid-Holocene (Tapes) transgression and tsunami event. The RSL curve indicates several phases in the postglacial evolution of the Kola coast. An early phase of rapid sea-level fall of c. 32 m around 11,500 cal yr BP, at a rate of c. 40 mm per year, corresponds to glacio-isostatically induced emergence following deglaciation at the Younger Dryas and beginning of the Holocene. In the time interval between c. 11,000 and 7600 cal yr BP, either a stillstand or a slight rise in relative sea level, cresting at about 21 m a.s.l., is suggested in the Teriberka area. This is followed, after c. 7300 cal yr BP to the present day, by a slow glacioisostatic emergence with an average rate of about 2–3 mm per year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the vulnerability of surface waters in the Arctic to regional and global base-metal pollution fluxes, a problem whose solution requires specialized approaches to water quality assessment. The metals are shown to be contained in low-salinity waters of the northern territories mostly in ionic forms, which predetermines the high bioavailability of these metals for aquatic life. A model for calculating the ionic species of metals was developed on the basis of mathematical modeling of chemical reactions in natural waters. For 22 aquatic areas in the Kola Peninsula, concentrations of metals (Hg, Cd, Pb, Ni, Cu, Al, and Sr) and their speciation in the waters were calculated. The accumulation of metals in organs and tissues of the fish (as exemplified by whitefish) was studied at the same sites. The biogeochemical activity of metals was demonstrated to determine, first of all, the ratio of labile and nonlabile metal species in the water. The bioavailability of metal species was estimated depending on the geochemical parameters of the aquatic environment and the in-situ speciation of the metals, based on the results of original studies of local lakes. The relationships between the contents of metals in the fish and the content of metal species in the water are clarified using methods of multidimensional scaling and the RDA technology. Values are proposed for the maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) of metals with regard to their high bioavailability in northern low-salinity waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, there remains uncertainty surrounding the glacial history of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet on the Kola Peninsula and Russian Lapland, northwest Arctic Russia. This is attributed to the lack of high-resolution ice sheet-scale geomorphological data in the region. This paper presents 245,997 landforms in a new high-resolution, glacial geomorphological map of the Kola Peninsula and Russian Lapland. Individual landforms were mapped from relief-shaded renditions of the 2 m resolution ArcticDEM alongside 3 m resolution PlanetScope Ortho Scene data in a Geographic Information System (GIS). Digital mapping was accompanied by field mapping in selected areas. The map, which is presented at a scale of 1: 675,000, will form the basis of a palaeoglaciological reconstruction of northwest Arctic Russia that will inform ice sheet dynamics - at both a regional- and ice sheet-scale - and provide an important framework through which numerical ice sheet models can be constrained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Distinguishing between language mixing and language fusion is a non-trivial task, particularly in situations of long-standing bilingualism. The main goal of this paper is thus to propose and test a methodology for discerning language fusion from conventionalized mixing. In addition, we examine the hypothesis that the fusion of unbound elements evolves from alternational mixing. Design: The paper addresses the goals through a distributional analysis of a vernacular variety of Kildin Saami, a seriously endangered East Saamic (Uralic) language spoken on the Kola Peninsula in Northwest Russia, as a partially fused lect due to contact with Russian. Data and Analysis: A one-hour recording of an informal group conversation with three native speakers, comprising some 10,000 word tokens, was transcribed and annotated for Russian-origin items. For comparison, other available speech samples, documenting the earlier stages of the language development, as well as the few existing grammatical descriptions and dictionaries were referred to. Findings: The paper develops and showcases three diagnostic criteria indicative of language fusion: (a) regularization of the donor language items' usage patterns in the mixed variety; (b) functional reduction, or functional extension, of the donor language element, and/or of its inherited native equivalent; (c) the introduction of new constructions involving the donor language grammatical elements by way of loan translation. Finally, we report multiple parallels existing between the distribution of Russian-origin items in vernacular Kildin Saami and alternational mixing. Originality: This paper is the first to propose and systematically test diagnostic criteria indicative of language fusion in a situation of long-term bilingualism. Significance: The proposed criteria may reliably be employed as indicators of fusion in future studies of contact varieties with little, or undocumented, linguistic histories. Furthermore, in contrast to the mainstream assumption, this study also provides evidence for the claim that alternational mixing can be a starting point for the emergence of a fused lect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents data from a granulometric analysis based on the results of studying of 44 surface (0–5 cm) sediment samples obtained on cruise 67 of the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh (2016) from different parts of the Barents Sea. Pebble and gravel material is found in surface sediments as an admixture scattered throughout the sea. Such a chaotic distribution pattern is apparently associated with ice rafting. Coarse material is most common in the Barents Sea off the coast of the Kola Peninsula, Novaya Zemlya, and Svalbard, where it accumulates due to coastal abrasion, glacial exaration and bottom erosion. In addition, the >1 mm fraction is widespread at depths where fine fractions are stirred and washed away. The most common sediments in coastal shallow waters are sands. Sands (0.1–1 mm) are widespread in the southern and southeastern regions of the sea, in the region of the Pechora test area, the Kanin Shoal, the Kola Peninsula shallows; and in the northwest, off the coast of Svalbard. With increasing depth, coarse sediments are replaced by mixed sediments with a low pelite admixture. Fine-grained sediments are prevalent in the central part of the sea. Sediments with a pelitic fraction (<0.01 mm) of more than 50% occupy about 70% of the Barents Sea. They are widespread in deep-sea depressions and troughs, as well as in the numerous fiords of the Northern Island of Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though the presence of the past rightly may be argued to be conditional everywhere, its truth rests heavier on some places. Teriberka is such a place, a small coastal settlement on the Kola peninsula. Once a prosperous Soviet fishing harbour it now epitomizes the depression and despair on the post-Soviet Russian periphery. Though post-Soviet seems quite misplaced here, because Soviet is still conspicuously present in Teriberka. Omnipresent, in fact, through its tenacious albeit ruining material legacy. Thus, for those who live here Soviet is not an optional past, a voluntary 'something' you may or may not be attentive to; it is Teriberka - the very world you are being in. How does this condition inflict upon understandings of heritage and significance? Is significance necessarily a voluntary attribute of humanly assigned value or may it be differently conceived, as something enacted and experienced rather than ascribed? Exploring these issues in relation to Teriberka's ruining socialist past, the paper more generally is a commentary on the experience of living with a past considered far too insignificant to be assigned value as heritage but which still is so immensely significant that it impacts on nearly every aspect of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents data on dolerite dikes in the Murmansk block in the northeastern Kola Peninsula. The dikes belong to a Middle Paleozoic flood-basalt association, which is a principal element of the large-scale plume–lithospheric process in the area of the Barents Sea. According to their geological, petrological, and geochemical features, the dolerite dikes are classified into two groups: older and younger, which pertain to the initial and final evolution of the large igneous province produced under the effect of the Barents Sea plume at 450–340 Ma. One of the results of the plume–lithosphere interaction was the origin of the Eastern Barents Basin, which is filled with large volumes of basalts, and this predetermined the further subsidence of the area in Meso-Cenozoic time and the accumulation of thick sedimentary sequences with significant hydrocarbon resources. The peripheries of the area with products of basaltic magmatism are marked by alkaline rock complexes. The largest of the latter are the intrusions of the Kola Province and kimberlites in Archangelsk oblast. The dolerites of the dikes abound in xenogenic grains of zircon, which were dated at 2.7, 1.8, 1.3, 0.7 Ga. These age values suggest that the parental melts may have been derived in the lower crust and that the magma-generating processes may have evolved in the root zone of an ancient rift system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea that different knowledge systems should be combined is prominent within environmental governance. This is not least the case regarding sustainability, for which indigenous knowledge is seen as crucial. While the practical challenges related to bridging knowledge systems are well documented, less is known about what it means from an indigenous perspective. Drawing on an interview study, this paper explores views on techno-scientific knowledge among the Sámi (indigenous to Scandinavia and the Kola Peninsula of Russia). The analysis finds that techno-scientific knowledge is employed as coping strategies in the face of colonial stressors. Land fragmentation poses a particular threat to the Sámi way of life, and in response, a number of modern techniques have been adopted. There is a clear sense that valuable traditional knowledge is being lost in the process, with consequences for both sustainability and Sámi identity. The authors conclude that contemporary understandings of what cross-fertilization means need to be thoroughly reconsidered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the lithological and chronometric data (15 new and 9 earlier published dates) obtained in 2018–2020 on the Upper Pleistocene sections along the Terskiy and Zimniy Coasts of the White Sea. Focused on the Lower Weichselian (MIS 5d-a) and lower Middle Weichselian (MIS 4) sediment successions, the marine and glacial events are discussed. Marine environment was reconstructed in the White Sea basin, and water exchange between Barents and White Seas via Gorlo Strait. In the presented sedimentary succession, the sandy units dated to 72–66 ka and 63.5–53.5 ka on the Terskiy Coast and to 61–52 ka on the Zimniy Coast were associated with the Mezen marine transgression. Glacial event during MIS 4 is suggested in the north-easternmost shore of the White Sea, where the Barents Ice Sheet expanded from the Kara and Barents Seas shelf and reached the eastern coast of the Mezen Bay. The Terskiy Coast (southern Kola Peninsula) seems to be affected by local glacial sheet during the early Middle Weichselian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the field observation data on variations in the pressure and electric field intensity in the near-surface atmospheric layer during the passage of the morning solar terminator in several regions of the Russian Federation: on Kamchatka, Kola Peninsula, and in Vladimir oblast. Analysis of the data shows that the pressure and electric field intensity undergo synchronous variations during the passage of the solar terminator. An isolated series of events has a mutual correlation coefficient of variations in the pressure and electric field intensity in the period of passage of the solar terminator that exceeded 0.9 with a subsequent decrease to the background values of ≈0.2–0.3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses contests over reindeer in the Kola Peninsula, northwest Russia, between Rossel'khoznadzor, an organization representing state interests, and two reindeer herding cooperatives, supported by the local village population. By analyzing the use of diverse categorizations like wild and civilized in the conflict, the paper shows how the state organization tries to revive Soviet configurations of power relations legitimised on the premises that indigenous people occupy a lower level of development and the state is a civilizing force, in order to impose control on and grab reindeer from the herding cooperatives. Finally, one might conjecture that this is also an attempt to gain official recognition of a market ideology at the expense of community and tradition based values. Against this, the cooperatives and the local community oppose their most powerful weapon--symbolic capital, based on the widely spread idea that reindeer herding is the economic, symbolic, and cultural stronghold of the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, all the real crystal rhombododecahedra (625 in total) are enumerated and characterized by facet symbols and symmetry point groups. All the dodecahedra (34 in total) are drawn. Nine combinatorially different types are found among the garnets from Mt Makzapakhk, Kola Peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of a long-term (52 months) monitoring of molecular hydrogen release from the rocks of the Lovozero Massif. Observations are performed in an underground mine with the help of a portable highly sensitive gas analyzer developed at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI. The strong variability (of 0.7 to 303 ppm) of the dynamics of the volume concentration of hydrogen (φH2) is established. The main elements of the structure of the time series obtained consist of the fact that they have quite sustained and long intervals of low background concentrations, low-amplitude excesses of various durations, and short (usually high-amplitude) bursts. Seasonal and off-season periodic and other cyclic components in the structure of the series are identified. It is shown that the most important factors determining the dynamics of φH2 are barogenic (variation in the atmospheric pressure) and technogenic (technological explosions). Possible mechanisms of gas release are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An overview of the Late Pleistocene and Holocene stratigraphy of the southeastern White Sea region is presented in the paper, based upon the analysis of published data, new results, and correlation between marine and terrestrial archives. The Pleistocene stratigraphic record in the southeastern White Sea region begins with Mikulino Horizon, which comprises the whole MIS 5 and is composed of marine sediments – sands, sandy clays and clays – with Boreal, Arctic–Boreal and Lusitanean–Boreal microfauna and mollusc fauna, dated back at 161–77 ka. The Podporozhie Horizon in the southeastern White Sea region comprises the MIS 4 (71–57 ka) complex of marine mostly near-shore sediments. The glaciation during MIS 4 was localized, on one hand, within the Kola Peninsula. On the other hand, the glacier probably overlapped the Kanin Peninsula and the Mezen Bay, however the Gorlo Strait was not blocked and the northward river outflow was preserved. The Leningrad Horizon had been formed also in the marine sedimentation pattern during the MIS 3 (57–29 ka). However, the lack of data in the region allows us to make only the comparative analysis. The Ostashkov Horizon (MIS 2, 29–11.7 ka) is composed of the deposits of glacial paragenetic series: tills, glaciofluvial, glaciomarine, and glaciolacustrine deposits, but also comprises the deglaciation (Late Glacial) sedimentary complex including marginal tills. The Holocene stratigraphic record is subdivided into three stages – 11.7–9.5, 9.5–3.5 and 3.5–0 ka BP, and do not match with new formal stratigraphic subdivision of the Holocene series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the parallel histories of two institutions in the Soviet north: the Lapland Nature Reserve just west of Lake Imandra on the Kola Peninsula and the neighboring Red Pulozero collective farm. Both created in the throes of Stalinism in the early 1930s, the former aimed to restore wild reindeer on a protected parcel of land and the latter sought to turn a small Sami community into practitioners of socialist reindeer herding. Over time the relationship between these reindeer pastoralists and preservationists vacillated from mutual assistance to mutual antagonism. Sami herders provided essential knowledge for the conservation program but later found their domestic reindeer roaming on the territory of the reserve. Conservationists hired Sami staff but later accused them of poaching wild reindeer. In the end these tensions contributed to the closure of the collective farm in the early 1960s and appropriation of Pulozero reindeer by veterinary scientists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a study of the activity of calcium-dependent proteases (calpains) and proteasome in the skeletal muscles of parrs and smolts of the Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. from the Indera River (the Kola Peninsula). It was demonstrated that the growth rate and protein mass accumulation during smoltification in salmonid fishes are inversely related to the activity of proteases in their muscles. It was noted that decreased protein degradation in the skeletal muscles of salmon juveniles serves as a mechanism ensuring the intensive growth and physiological maturity necessary for migration from the river to the sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the results of detailed paleoseismic and geological investigations in a key site in the wall of the Imandra Lake depression (Kola Peninsula Region, Northeast of the Fennoscandian Shield). Study of different groups of paleoseismic deformations developed in the fault zone and the application of new methods and techniques made it possible to identify a large seismotectonic zone characterized by great earthquakes at the end of the Late Glacial and in the Holocene. The investigation data are indicative of the necessity to estimate the seismic potential in the Kola Atomic plant area in a different way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper summarizes the evidence of litho-, biostratigraphy and 14C dating of sedimentary sequences studied in natural outcrops and bottom deposits in small lakes, as well as data on coastal morphology in the depressions of Ekostrovskaya and Babinskaya Imandra, the southern sub-basins of Lake Imandra. Lithological, 14C and diatom data suggest that the brackish-water reservoir followed by the fresh-water one existed in the Ekostrovskaya Imandra depression during the Younger Dryas chronozone prior to 11,400cal. yr BP. The Fennoscandian Ice Sheet margin is assumed to have been located in the Lake Imandra basin, covering western Babinskaya Imandra earlier than c. 10,250 cal. yr BP. The early Holocene c. 11,400-8,500 cal. yr BP was marked by a significant westward retreat of the ice margin in the western Lake Imandra depression and adjacent areas, and an extensive fresh-water pra-Imandra Lake basin was formed there. At the end of the Preboreal, earlier than c. 9,210-8,500 cal. yr BP, the pra-Imandra Lake coastline was at least 16-18 m higher than the modern one, as can be assumed according to coastal morphology and lithostratigraphical data. The coastline of that reservoir changed, water square slightly reduced, and isolated small lakes emerged on coasts during the early Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of a combined study of the geology, petrochemistry, geochemistry, and isotope geochronology of the Ospe-Luvtuaivench massif of metabasic rocks in the Kola region consisting of three blocks (from northwest to southeast): Luvtuaivench, Ospe, and Ekostrov. The massif is approximately 17 km long and 6 km wide and is dominated by meso-and melanocratic orthoamphibolites (metagab-broids) with 5-15-m-thick layers of leucocratic epidote orthoamphibolite (metagabbro-anorthosite), which are changed upsection by metaferrogabbro with a horizon of ilmenite-magnetite ore at least 1 km in lateral extent and approximately 50 m thick. The petrogeochemical characteristics of metabasic rocks from the three blocks of the massif are identical and similar to those of the rocks of the Imandra complex of layered intrusions. In addition, metaultrabasic bodies (chlorite-actinolite, actinolite-chlorite-serpentine, and actinolite-serpentine rocks) of varying thickness were found in the Luvtuaivench and Ekostrov blocks. Based on their structural features differing from those of similar rocks of Imandra layered intrusions and petrogeochemical characteristics, these rocks were interpreted as xenolithic bodies. New U-Pb zircon ages were obtained for the metagabbroids of all blocks of the Ospe-Luvtuaivench massif: 2445 ± 5 Ma for the Luv-tuaivench block, 2455.8 ± 3.5 Ma for the Ospe block, and 2447 ± 4 Ma for the Ekostrov block; these estimates characterize the time of massif crystallization and are similar to the age of formation of typical intrusions of the Imandra layered complex. A U-Pb zircon age of 2444 ± 3 Ma was obtained for the crystallization of the Mount Yagel'naya gabbronorites of the Imandra complex. The following ε(2450) values were obtained for the rocks of the massif: +0.61 for the Luvtuaivench block,-1.58 for the Ospe block, and -1.27 for the Eko-strov block; the gabbronorites of the Mount Yagel'naya massif yielded ε(2450) =-0.99. These values are similar to those of the Paleoproterozoic layered intrusions. The similarity of the Ospe-Luvtuaivench massif to typical massifs of the Imandra complex in terms of internal structure, petrochemical and isotope geochemical characteristics, and age of rock formation provides compelling evidence for the interpretation of the massif as part of the Imandra complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents available litho-/chrono-/biostratigraphy data on sediment sequences in the Kola region derived from Russian publications. Based on this compilation, key sections have been suggested for primary stratigraphic subdivisions, or Horizons, according to the General Quaternary Stratigraphic chart of Russia. The regional Quaternary scheme is correlated with the International Chart. Summarizing the available data, 10 geological sections have been proposed as key sites/sections for the Middle and Upper/Late Neopleistocene Horizons. In different sections in the southern Kola Peninsula, the most ancient deposits correspond to the Chekalinsky (Early Saalian, MIS 9) Horizon, which is identified by ESR dating and multi-proxy data, and also to the Moskovsky (Late Saalian, MIS 6) Horizon specified according to litostratigraphic data. The Last interglacial-glacial cycle relates to the Mikulinsky (entire MIS 5), Podporozhsky (MIS 4), Leningradsky (MIS 3) and Ostashkovsky (MIS 2) Horizons. Two marine events identified in key sections on the coastal Kola Peninsula correspond to the Last Interglacial Mikulinsky (MIS 5) Horizon. They are referred to as the Ponoi and Strelna Beds in the regional stratigraphic classification. The third marine unit is correlated to the Interstadial Leningradsky (MIS 3) Horizon. Key sections in the central and western Kola region provide the interglacial and interstadial terrestrial sequences. There is a high probability that litho-/biostratigraphy data and a single numerical IR-OSL dating testify to the Glacial Podporozhsky (MIS 4) Horizon deposits in coastal natural outcrops and boreholes in the Lovozero Tundra Mountains. Key sections of the Ostashkovsky (MIS 2) Horizon have not been referred to in the formal Kola region stratigraphy yet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of U-Pb geochronological and Sr-Nd isotopic geochemical investigations (LA-ICP-MS) for perovskite, apatite, titanite, and calcite from the ultrabasic-alkaline rocks of the Paleozoic Kola alkaline province of the Fennoscandian Shield. Based on the obtained data, two main stages were distinguished in the history of Paleozoic intrusions in this province: (1) formation of ultrabasic-alkaline series of the Kovdor, Afrikanda, Turiy Mys, Ozernaya Varaka, Lesnaya Varaka, and other massifs, as well as the ultrabasic-alkaline series of the Khibiny and Lovozero massifs (385-375 Ma) and (2) formation of agpaitic syenites in the Khibiny and Lovozero calderas (375-360 Ma) and related apatite-nepheline deposits (370 Ma). The Sr-Nd isotopic geochemical investigations of perovskite, apatite, and titanite, which are the main hosts for the rare earth elements and Sr in ultrabasic-alkaline rocks, showed that variations in the Sr and Nd isotopic characteristics of these rocks are related to a large extent to crustal contamination during the ascent of their parental melts toward the surface and crystallization in magma chambers. As a result, the Sr and Nd isotopic characteristics of late minerals (apatite and titanite) do not reflect the initial Sr and Nd isotopic ratios of the primary magma. Initial ratios in the primary mantle melts are most closely approximated by the isotopic characteristics of phases crystallizing during early stages (e.g., perovskite). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time Pb isotope composition was established in Lovozero rocks and raremetal ores, which is important for identifying their sources. The world's largest layered intrusion of agpaitic nepheline syenite-the Lovozero alkaline massif-is located near the center of the Kola Peninsula in Russia. This superlarge complex plutonic body hosts the economically important loparite and eudiallyte deposits [1]. These deposits contain immense resources of REE, Nb, Ta, Zr, and constitute a world class mineral district. The Lovozero massif belongs to the Kola ultramafic alkaline and carbonatitic province (KACP) of Devonian age. Previous bulk rock studies have shown that the initial Sr and Nd isotope ratios of Lovozero rocks plot in the depleted mantle quadrant of Sr-Nd diagrams [2]. More recently, Hf isotope data obtained by Kogarko et al. (3) confirm that the Lovozero and Khibina massifs with ɛ between 6 and 8 are derived predominantly from a depleted mantle source. It was shown that Sr, Nd, and Hf abundances are significantly elevated in the Kola alkaline rocks, and thus their isotopic compositions are relatively insensitive to minor contamination by the overlying crustal rocks. By contrast, Pb in the KACP rocks is a much more sensitive indicator of a crustal component. In this paper we investigate the lead isotopic signature of all resentative types of Lovozero rocks (Table 1) in order to further characterize their mantle sources. The Lovozero massif consists of four intrusive phases. Rocks of phase I (mostly nepheline syenites) comprise about 5% of the total volume, phase II (urtites, foyaite, lujavrites) forms the main portion of the massif comprising 77% in volume, and phase III (eudialyte lujavrites) contributes about 18%. Country rocks are represented by Devonian effusive rocks and Archean gneisses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents new geochemical data on the complex of alkaline metasomatic rocks and carbonatites, which hosts the rare-metal mineralization of the Gremyakha-Vyrmes massif. The contents of major and trace, including rare-earth elements were determined in the albitites, aegirinites, and carbonatites. Two types of the rare-metal ores are distinguished: niobium albitite and zirconium aegirinite ores. It was shown that the albitites and aegirinites have similar trace element distribution patterns, being most geochemically close to the foidolites. The carbonatites, albitites, and aegirinites were dated by Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd methods at 1887 ± 58 Ma, which corresponds to the formation age of the Gremyakha-Vyrmes massif. The ultrabasic rocks, foidolites, alkaline metasomatic rocks, and carbonatites were formed successively within a relatively narrow range. The geological observations and geochemical data led us to conclude that the emplacement of the fluid-saturated carbonatite solutions-melts at the final stages of the massif formation against a background of fault tectonics caused a pervasive metasomatism of the ultrabasic and alkaline rock complexes and, as a result, the formation of the alkaline albitites and aegirinites. The carbonatites could be sources of rare-metals, while foidolites served as a geochemical barrier, and their metasomatic alteration led to the formation of Zr-Nb mineralization in the albitites and aegirinites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a description of three Late Pleistocene sections within the Khibiny pluton, outcropping on the proximal slope of the Kukisvum morainic ridge, a fluvioglacial terrain in the valley of the Kukisiok River, and a glacial complex in the valley of the Vuonnemiok River. Various small disturbances of the primary stratification were found in the first two sections. These structures do not form horizons sustained along the strike and are associated with the top of sand-silt sediments with horizontal or wavy bedding of shallow lacustrine genesis. They form small wavy bends, 'tongues", ovoids, and flexural microfolds that could not be preserved at the bottom of the basin and, consequently, formed after overlapping deposits accumulation. Analysis of the cross bedding of the coarse clastic deposits of the fluvioglacial terrace has allowed us to relate its formation to north-to-south glacial water discharge along the trough valley of the Kukisiok River. In the glaciolacustrine varve clays of the third section (the Koashva open pit), extended horizons of plicative disturbances 0.5-2 m in thickness and 300 m in length were studied. The soft-sediment deformations are covered with an unstructured horizon composed of coarse grains dispersed in sand-silt matrix, which means that the deformation was caused by either a glacial flood or a mudflow. The study has revealed no signs of seismic liquefaction during the formation of the folded structures. The relevance of the performed study is determined by the fact that it has become possible not only to clarify the formation conditions of the Quaternary Khibiny deposits but also to develop the objective criteria for determination of the soft-sediment deformation structures associated with thixotropic effects in weakly consolidated sediments. Similar structures are sometimes regarded as seismic convolutions, which can lead to unjustified overestimation of the regional seismic hazard level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The Kola Peninsula (the most northern region of the European fringe of Russia) is covered with podzolic soil and is considered the most sensitive area to acidification in Europe because of the low input rate of base cations by weathering. About 300 thousand tons of SO2 are annually emitted from stationary sources in this region. Acidic precipitation accumulates in the snow during winter, and acidic water suddenly flushes into the soil during spring snowmelt (so-called acid shock). It is therefore important to assess how the acid-sensitive podzol responds to an intensive increase in acid load. The main purpose of this paper is to show the observed data rather than to provide an analytical interpretation of the observed phenomenon. Methods. Field sampling of the water as it passes through the canopy and forest floor were conducted in areas 7 and 260 km away from the Monchegorsk smelter complex (a main emitter of SO2) during 1996–2003 in order to study in situ soil acidification in this region. The following parameters were measured: H+ flux, major base cations and total organic matter. Results and Discussion. The H+ flux in the throughfall showed high values particularly in the snowmelt season (e.g. 31.61 mg m-2 in June 2003). In spite of this acid shock, a considerable buffer effect was observed in the O-horizon. H+ fluxes in the soil water remained low (e.g. 2.80 mg m-2 in June 2003) in this horizon. The main explanation for this phenomenon could be that the high value of H+ flux in throughfall was buffered by both base cation exchange and protonation of organic anions in the O-horizon. Conclusion. Considering only the low input of base cations released from mineral weathering, podzolic soil may be classified as sensitive to acidification. On the other hand, considering also the neutralizing effect of organic matter in the first few centimeters of the litter layer, it is concluded that podzolic soil has a high capacity to act as an acid buffer during the snowmelt season under natural conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary aim of this paper is to describe and discuss the palaeoclimatic significance of mid- to late-Holocene fields of raised-beach ridges at Matalaniemi and sea-ice-pushed boulders at Kutovaya Bay on the Kola Peninsula. These beach features are interpreted as indicating at least 12 periods of stormy conditions alternating with calmer periods of relatively low sea-surface temperature since about 8000 cal. BP. A consistent chronology of climate change is difficult to establish due to considerable uncertainties attributed to local beach processes and relative sea-level displacements. A tentative interpolated chronology is suggested. At present, terrace formation at Matalaniemi and the absence of sea ice at Kutovaya Bay indicate an intermediate windy and mild type of winter climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern contamination of lake–river systems bottom sediments with global and "Chernobyl" 137Cs is estimated. Drainage lakes of North-Western Russia were investigated. Lake Kopanskoe, located south of the Gulf of Finland, is on the "Chernobyl" 137Cs fallout plume, whereas Ladoga, Sukhodolskoe, Vuoksa, Imandra lakes are located at its periphery, in Karelia and Kola Peninsula. Following parameters are distinguished: lakes bottom 137Cs contamination density (kBq/m2), distribution of 137Cs in the profile of bottom sediments, 137Cs diffusion coefficients (D) in bottom sediments and content of the exchange chemical form of the radionuclide. 137Cs contamination of the lakes was formed due to suspended matter sedimentation with 137Cs, 137Cs sorption and diffusion in bottom sediments. With sedimentation ≥3 mm/year, the concentration of 137Cs increased from the top to the bottom of the core (lakes Vuoksa, Ekostrovskaya Imandra), reflecting the gradual process of 137Cs migration into the sediments. The opposite trend of 137Cs concentration was observed in the bottom sediments of lakes Ladoga and Sukhodolskoe with sedimentation ≤0.5 mm/year. Here 137Cs diffusion with D = (0.5–6.2) × 10–8 cm2/s caused slow radionuclide transfer in the bottom sediments. The main inventory of 137Cs was contained in the top layer 0–5 cm. In Lake Sukhodolskoye bottom sediments an absorbed 137Cs in an exchange chemical form, extracted into 1 М NH4Aс solution, amount only 14.4–20%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the results of studying the depths to lithospheric magnetic sources under the Baltic Shield and adjacent territories of the Russian Plate and the Scandinavian Caledonides. The depths have been calculated from the global model of the lithospheric geomagnetic field EMAG2v3 by the centroid method. The minimum depths of the lower boundary of the lithospheric magnetically active layer (30–35 km) were obtained under the frame of the Baltic Shield, that is, the Russian Plate, the northern and southern parts of the Scandinavian Caledonides, the maximum (>45 km), under the Scandinavian Peninsula, in the west of the Svecofennian orogen and the Norrbotten craton. The rest of the territory of the Baltic Shield is characterized by intermediate depths (38–45 km). Based on a comparison of our estimates of the depth of the lower boundary of lithospheric magnetic sources with the currently available models of the distribution of the Moho depth under the study area, it can be seen that for most of the Baltic Shield, the magnetically active layer of the lithosphere is located within the crust, with the exception of two areas under the Svecofennian orogen and the eastern part of the Kola Peninsula. This fact supports the hypothesis that the upper mantle has magnetic properties in regions where positive long-wave anomalies of the geomagnetic field are observed at satellite altitudes. The obtained results show that the western and eastern parts of the Kola Peninsula can differ not only in the velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle, which has been previously established by various seismological methods, but also in the magnetic properties of the upper mantle layer located directly under the crust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Space use by animals is usually considered in two horizontal dimensions, less often with a separate analysis of the vertical stratification. Studies on three-dimensional (3D) utilisation of space, with individual movements modelled simultaneously in three dimensions, appeared only recently. In ornithology, such approaches were applied to study home ranges of large birds tagged with radio and GPS transmitters or during visual observations of colour-banded passerine wintering birds and residents in the tropics, but to our knowledge, they were never used for studying 3D territories advertised by singing in passerines during the breeding period in the Palearctic Region. We studied the 3D territoriality of Willow Warblers Phylloscopus trochilus during the breeding period in the Kola Peninsula, Arctic Region, Northwest Russia. Using the method of Cooper et al. (Auk 131:681–693, 2014), we located points at which individually marked males sang using 3D coordinates and analysed 2D and 3D territories and their overlap. We found out that 2D methods, compared to 3D methods, overestimated individual spatial overlap by 8.5% and total spatial overlap by 16.7%. Thus, Willow Warblers in Arctic forests could partition their territorial space in three dimensions. In addition, using the overlap indices adopted for 3D data, we showed that birds could avoid the areas where territory overlap did occur. Furthermore, we demonstrated for the first time that an overestimation of the territory overlaps by 2D versus 3D methods grew higher as the number of neighbour territories increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper studies accessory Cr-spinels from deep drill holes crossing the Nude-Poaz massif, which is a part of the Monchegorsk mafic-ultramafic layered complex (2.5 Ga, Kola Peninsula, Russia). Cr-spinels occur as two morphological types that differ in their chemical composition, i.e., Cr-spinels of the first type are more aluminous, while Cr-spinels of the second type are more ferruginous and titaniferous. Cr-spinels of the Nude-Poaz massif are characterized by a Fe-Ti trend known for layered intrusions in the world. Cr-spinels of the Nude-Poaz massif quite clearly differ in composition from chromites of the Sopcheozero deposit: they are more ferruginous and less chromous. The specific composition of Cr-spinels in rocks of the Nude-Poaz massif can be correlated with the sequence of the magmatic phases intrusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work proposes an environmentally safe and economically feasible method of waste copper-nickel production slag utilization (Kola Mining-Metallurgical Company, Nornickel, Kola Peninsula, Russia). This process involves the decomposition of slag by diluted solutions of sulfuric acid (7–10 wt.% H2SO4) with a transfer in a solution of more than 70% silicon, 77% iron and 78% magnesium, and a concentration of non-ferrous metals in the residue (~70%). Copper ions were used in the leaching stage to prevent the release of hydrogen sulfide into the working atmosphere. Dehydration of the solution, followed by washing of water-soluble sulphates from silica, was carried out to separate silica from the leaching solution. The dehydration temperature effect on the silica structural characteristics was determined. The possibility of recovering non-ferrous metals from solutions after silica extraction by precipitation, in the form of copper cementite, and the sum of nickel and cobalt sulfides, was evaluated. Pigment-grade iron dioxide, magnesium sulphate and aluminium hydroxide were obtained by dehydration of the solution after extraction of base metals, calcination and other operations. Sulfuric acid leaching resulted in the disclosure of sulfide grains encapsulated in ferrosilicate, which is a favorable factor for flotation. The depleted residue can be successfully used in the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of past anthropogenic sources of radionuclide contamination in Russian Arctic areas is important to assess the radioecological situation of these less-studied regions. Therefore, we investigated the sources of radionuclide contamination in Russian Arctic in the 1990s. Lichen and moss samples were collected from 1993 to 1996 in Kola Peninsula, Franz Josef Land, and few other locations. The activity concentration of 137Cs was determined from the archived samples by gamma spectrometry in 2020. After radiochemical separation of Pu and U isotopes from the lichens and mosses, mass ratios 240Pu/239Pu, 234U/238U, 235U/238U, and 236U/238U were determined by mass spectrometry. 137Cs activity concentrations at the sampling date were found to vary from 3.1 ± 1.4 (Inari, Finnish-Russian border) to 303 ± 7 (Kola Peninsula) Bq/kg. The ranges of isotopic ratios were 0.0592 ± 0.0007 to 0.253 ± 0.082 for 240Pu/239Pu, (4.89 ± 3.91) × 10−5 to (6.86 ± 0.04) × 10−5 for 234U/238U, 0.0072104(21) to 0.007376(41) for 235U/238U, and from below 1 × 10−7 to (2.65 ± 0.19) × 10−6 for 236U/238U, respectively. Based on the measured isotopic ratios and characteristic isotopic ratios of known contamination sources, the main Pu and U sources in the sampled lichens and mosses are global fallout, the Chernobyl accident, and possibly local nuclear activities. These results contribute to further understanding of past nuclear events and resulting nuclear contamination in Russian Arctic terrestrial areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the Kola Peninsula in the Russian Arctic lies an innocuous iron disc about the size of a dinner plate. If one were to prise this disc open, they would find the remains of the world's deepest vertical hole. Reaching a depth of over 12 kilometres, the Kola Superdeep Borehole was drilled in the pursuit of excavating scientific knowledges for a better understanding of the Earth's crust. Whilst the borehole produced some important findings, and hosted an international delegation of researchers, once the Soviet Union collapsed, it fell into disrepair. Since its closure, the Kola Superdeep has become lost to history, but its existence as a ruin has generated new artistic engagements with the underground. This article uses the geological notion of discontinuity – a structural break in the rock – to imagine how discontinuity might be found within the borehole itself. It does this by identifying three access points: excavation through drilling and coring, collaboration through cross-border scientific work, and imagination through art and the weird. By resisting the notion that the subterranean can be objectively known through science, I reveal how the Kola Superdeep produces other relations, knowledges, and ways of sensing the subterranean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]