Skip to main content

Student geological expedition opened the season

геологическая экспедиция
© Форпост Северо-Запад

The scientific team, created in February 2021 on the basis of the Department of Geology and Exploration of Mineral Deposits and the Mining Museum, returned from its first field trip to the Putilovsky open pit.

The initiative group consists primarily of first-year students who have decided to pursue additional geology studies and research under the guidance of a supervisor. This initiative fully coincides with the policy of Mining University in terms of organizing the student scientific society to “increase competitiveness, competence, qualification and professional level of training of students.” Such practice allows identifying talented and active students in their early years of study and involving them in scientific work with further admission to graduate school.

Alexander Kozlov, head of the Department of Geology and Exploration of Mineral Deposits, became the scientific advisor of the young team of the Geological Expedition. Under his guidance, the guys decided on the topic, made a plan of action, and in March began its implementation.

Today the line of students’ investigations in the new education activity is “Working out an interactive map for geological itineraries of the North-West region of Russia.” To make it, students get acquainted with the potential of local deposits, study encountered minerals and rocks, attend seminars on writing scientific articles and keeping geological records. The first field trip to study the first object of the future map took place at the end of April.

геологическая экспедиция
© Форпост Северо-Запад

“The young people were to learn about the geological structure of Ordovician deposits in the Kirovsky district of Lenoblast. Even though the Ordovician Period of the Paleozoic era began about 485 million years ago and ended 443 million years ago, in nature, there are locations where you can observe the natural exposure of the corresponding deposits in the general relief. And the Putilov quarry is one of them. Last weekend, members of the Geological Expedition together with a member of the specialized department were able to consolidate the skills learned at the additional lessons - they determined the identity of one or another rock in the field, took samples and kept field diaries. Most kids were doing this for the first time. Of course, in the future, in the course of training, they will have to repeat all this more than once, but the members of the student scientific team will be much better than their classmates during practice," said deputy director of the Mining Museum on scientific and educational activities Svetlana Ryzhkova.

The following departure is scheduled for May 2021, the object of studying most likely will be a structure of a marble deposit in Ruskeala. The interactive map of the region will be posted in the general access and will be replenished with the further work of the students. Such popular local history scientific online products are very popular among residents and specialists engaged in comprehensive research study of a particular territory and accumulation of knowledge about it in the field of geography, ecology, history, archeology, and other sciences.