Geologists for the Baikal-Amur Mainline!

This year marks 50 years since the decision was made to build the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM): the corresponding decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR was signed in July 1974.

The Baikal-Amur Mainline, which historians have dubbed 'the construction of the century', is a railway in Eastern Siberia and the Far East, Russia's second main railway access to the Pacific Ocean. Its total length is 4,300 km.

Currently, the BAM remains the country's most important transport artery with 100% occupancy. Tens of millions of tons of cargo are transported along it annually, including oil, gas, coal and timber.

Today’s article is about the contribution of our Institute's geologists to this grandiose Soviet construction project.

With the start of the BAM construction in 1974, about 30 organisations of the USSR Ministry of Geology carried out geological surveys in an area of more than 1.5 million km. In 1975, by decision of the USSR Ministry of Geology, the Council for Coordination of Research and Thematic Geological and Geophysical Studies in the Area of the Baikal-Amur Railway – abbreviated as BAM KNIR Council chaired by Lev Krasny – was established at our Institute to ensure overall coordination, improve efficiency, and identify priority tasks and main directions. The Council performed its functions until 1990.

Taking into account the need for a base geological map, our Institute compiled in a short time and in 1978 published the Geological Map of the BAM region at a scale of 1:1,500,000 (chief editor L.I. Krasny, deputies E.B. Beltenev, V.K. Putintsev, I.N. Tikhomirov), which covered the strip along the main railway with a width of 300-400 and a length of more than 3,000 km.

On this basis, a set of special-purpose maps was prepared at the same scale, including the Metallogenic Map and the Mineral Resources Map, which were compiled under the supervision of Y.V. Bogdanov, E.B. Beltenev, V.M. Terentyev and V.P. Feoktistov and published in 1981.

The next stage was the compilation of a series of 1:500,000 scale maps, including the 31-sheet Geological Map published in 1984 (chief editors E.B. Beltenev, I.N. Tikhomirov), the Predictive Mineralogical Map and the Anomalous Magnetic Field Map, prepared for publication, and engineering geological maps for some areas. These maps were a scientific and methodological basis for planning geological surveys and forecasting.

Of great scientific and methodological importance were collections of scientific papers of the BAM KNIR Council, reflecting results of research and geological exploration in the region. For 15 years, 12 collections of articles were published, among which the papers revealing the mineral and raw material potential of the BAM area – “Mineral and raw material potential of the Baikal-Amur Mainline” (1980), “Geological and economic assessment of mineral and raw material resources of the BAM area” (1984), “Metallogeny and prognostic assessment of the BAM area” (1987), “Geological bases of metallogenic analysis of the BAM area” (1991), etc. should be particularly mentioned.

The performed studies made it possible to solve a number of fundamental problems of the BAM area geology, and/or to outline ways of solving them, which is essential for the scientific substantiation of the assessment of the prospects for developing the mineral base in the BAM area, as well as for the development of new tectonic positions.

The monograph “Geology of the BAM zone” (in 2 volumes) and the Atlas of Geological Maps of the BAM Zone at a scale of 1:3,000 000 – 1:5,000,000, published in 1988, were the works summarising results of 15 years of studies, in which all the huge material obtained during these years was analysed and systematised.

Fifteen maps of the Atlas, which supplement the monograph, are also of independent value, as they provide a general historical-geological and structural picture of the region. Our Institute was the main organisation responsible for the implementation of this work.

The staff members working in the BAM sector – A.S. Volsky, L.I. Krasny, B.K. Lyubimov and A.M. Firsov – were awarded the RSFSR State Prize in 1991.

In addition to the work of the BAM KNIR Council, during the period of BAM construction, geologists of our Institute were directly involved in geological surveys at scales of 1:1,000,000 – 1:50,000 in the BAM zone, resulted in the compilation of sets of state geological maps with identified promising areas and mineral occurrences.

Currently, the Karpinsky Institute continues regional geological surveys in the BAM influence zone. Our experts are engaged in the monitoring of the state geological map-1000, compilation of sheets of the state geological map-200, second generation, deep geophysical studies, ecological and geological studies on Lake Baikal, etc.

Current studies are aimed at solving fundamental and applied problems of the region’s geology, as well as at developing its mineral base.