Kutinov Yu.G.

This report is dealing with the problem of setting up scientific methodological foundation for geo-ecological zoning of the Arctic segment of the Earth’s crust. The most important stage of geo-ecological research is ranging based on accurate and profound information about the geological environment of the region. The conclusion formulates the necessity of adopting «geo-ecological structures» as a uniformed notion of the geoecological space. The authors understand «geo-ecological structures» as parts of geological environment naturally organized in a lateral and vertical way, formed and developed under the impact of certain natural and anthropogenic processes, and homogenous in their geological and ecological characteristics and structure. Also, it is necessary to consider at least two types of parameters: regional (geological and geo-dynamic) and zonal (climatic). The main parameters of distinguishing between geo-ecological structures on the global scale are: 1. structural organization of tectonic sphere and 2. global character of the anthropogenic development. One of the specific features of the Arctic segment of the Earth’s crust is its blending of climatic zonality with the current geo-dynamic status of the territory, which allows to consider climate as an applied factor emphasizing the structure of the Arctic segment. Consequently it has been concluded that circumpolar zonality dominates major attributes of the Arctic segment as a system together with its subsystems: minerageny, seismic activity, fundamental rules of modern sedimentation and transfer of polluting substances, stress deformed condition of the Earth’s surface. This phenomenon is determined not only by geographic factors (unified area of washdown of the Arctic Ocean), but also by geo-dynamic factors (the flow of deep mass-and-energy transfer from the Arctic ridge to orogenes). Such ranging predetermines natural geo-ecological trends. The use of these principles and selected attributes allowed the author in the course of conducting geo-ecological ranging of the Artic segment of the Earth’s crust to single out the following three levels of geo-ecological structures: 1. Arctic segment of the Earth’s crust (geo-ecological global structure); 2. planetary Artic continental marginal perioceanic zone (rank 1); 3. Euro-Asian and American-Asian branches of the named zone (rank 2). In the process of determining the territorial borders of the designated levels the author was guided by geographic and geological data, its modern geo-dynamic condition and tendencies of its geo-ecological and economic development. As a result, the research succeeded in distinguishing between the territories with a unified geo-ecological construction, similar tendencies of economic development, the degree and structure of anthropogenic pressure and the level of transformation of the environment.

The following factors influencing the degree of transformation of the North of Eurasia in the course of extraction of mineral resources were determined and defined as the basic factors which are most essential for the integrated evaluation of the ecological situation: the degree of industrialization of the territory, tendencies for the development (global, regional, local); the type of mineragenic province; geo-dynamic regime; type of assimilation of geological structures; transformation of mass-and-energy flows of geological environment. In general, based on the degree of existing and estimated transformation of geological environment the author distinguishes between the following territories:

1. European North – intensive extraction of mineral resources with the tendency of emerging into a unified area of transforming the environment;

2. Western Siberia - initial (local) extraction with the tendency of compressing linear-central systems and forming compact areas of transformation;

3. Eastern Siberia and Far West – under-developed with the local industrial character of transformation;

4. Artic sea shelf – intensive anthropogenic pressure in the immediate future.

Each of those territories requires the creation of regional complex of geological-geophysical monitoring for the purpose of achieving minimal damages to the environment. The present work formulates general approach and suggests options for monitoring the environment.