Moscow Mining Academy: Gravity and Magnetic Prospecting

Brief overview

The historical continuity is clearly traceable: OKKMA → personnel core → teaching at the Mining Academy → MGRI departments → MGRI departments → textbooks and field parties → development of interpretation methods and technologies → modern MGGRU school.

Alexander Ignatyevich Zaborovsky - exploration geophysics

Alexander Ignatyevich Zaborovsky

Headed the magnetic exploration part in OKKMA; studied oil fields of Azerbaijan; taught exploration geophysics at the Mining Academy (since 1923 and at Moscow State University (since 1927). at the Mining Academy (since 1923) and at Moscow State University (since 1927). In 1930 at MGRI he became the first dean of the faculty and head of two departments: «magnetometry» and «electrometry».

Textbooks: «Earth Magnetism» (1932), «Geophysical Methods of Exploration» (1932). Scientific article (1930): «Determination of magnetic susceptibility of minerals and rocks».

Key Sections

The methodological context is inextricably linked to the history of the academy. Potential fields (gravitational and magnetic) create the «skeleton» of the of geological structure; the training course and field practice have evolved in parallel with improvements in anomaly interpretation, instrumentation and computational methods.

Quick route

What's inside

Below is the complete material, structured by era and area: faculty organization, departments, textbooks, field parties, anomaly interpretation, faculty, technology, software, and the current state of the field.

OCCMA and the staffing foundation

The Geophysical Department of MGRI was created by specialists who had gained unique for that time practical experience in the Special Commission for the Study of the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly (OKKMA). Kursk Magnetic Anomaly (OKKMA). In 1926 the OKKMA was abolished, and geological and geophysical research in the region was interrupted until December 1929. Geophysicists had to look for new jobs, but the high demand for their qualifications allowed them to to work simultaneously in several organizations, fruitfully combining scientific, pedagogical and industrial activities.

1930: Zaborowski, chairs, personalities

In 1930, Alexander Ignatyevich Zaborovsky, who had previously headed the magnetic exploration part of the OKKMA and studied oil fields in Azerbaijan, became the first dean of the MGRI faculty. Azerbaijan, became the first dean of the MGRI faculty. From 1923 he taught exploration geophysics at the Mining Academy, and from 1927 - at the Moscow State University. At MGRI he headed two departments: «magnetometry» and «electrometry».

Vyacheslav Frantsevich Bonchkovsky, one of the closest students of the founder of Russian geophysics E.E. Leist and co-author of the famous 1924 textbook «The Course of Geophysics», was appointed head of the Department of «seismo-graviometry» (as it was then called). E.E. Leist, the founder of Russian geophysics, and co-author of the famous 1924 textbook «Course of Geophysics». Soon the department was soon divided, and Leonid Vasilyevich Sorokin was invited to head the department of "graviometry".

Grigory Alexandrovich Gamburtsev worked at the Department of Physics of MGRI since 1930 as an associate professor. In 1932, he moved to the chair of «applied geophysics» headed by A.I. Zaborovsky, formed by uniting all special departments of the faculty. These outstanding scientists made significant contributions to various fields of exploration geophysics, including gravity and magnetic exploration, during their work at MGRI.

Textbooks, petrophysics, methodological basis

The first years of the Faculty were devoted to the organization of the educational process and preparation of teaching materials. An important achievement was the book «Earth Magnetism» by A.I. Zaborovsky, published in 1932 by the State Scientific and Technical Mining Publishing House. The State Scientific and Technical Mining Publishing House. The same year his textbook «Geophysical Methods of Exploration» was published.

A.I. Zaborovsky was also active in scientific work. In 1930, the «Journal of Applied Physics» published his article «Determination of magnetic susceptibility of minerals and rocks», which played an important role in the formation of domestic petrophysics.

1931: KMA gravimetry party (prototype of research parties)

In 1931, a party led by L.V. Sorokin was established at the Moscow Geological Exploration Training Center (which included the MGRI) to study the southern part of the northern part of the KMA. for gravimetric study of the southern part of the northern strip of the KMA. F.P. Korovich was appointed foreman of the party, and MGRI students became observers. This group conducted important field studies and became the prototype of research parties, which later became the main form of work carried out by the staff and students of the Moscow State Research Institute. form of work by the staff and students of the faculty.

L.V. Sorokin: marine gravimetry

In the early 30s, L.V. Sorokin focused on marine gravimetry, working at the GAISH (then the Astronomical and Geodesic Research Institute at the 1st Moscow State University). After the devastating earthquake of 1927 in Yalta, it was decided to study in detail the seismicity of the region using gravimetry.

L.V. Sorokin designed the apparatus for marine measurements on the basis of Stückrath's pendulum device and in the summer of 1930. he conducted a survey on board a submarine in the Black Sea. Later he organized several more Black Sea expeditions, and in 1937 he made a survey in the Sea of Okhotsk. he carried out surveys in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan.

In 1935, on the initiative of L.V. Sorokin, V.V. Fedynsky conducted the first gravimetric survey on the Caspian Sea using a barge instead of a submarine. Fedynsky conducted the first gravimetric survey in the Caspian Sea using a barge instead of a submarine, having proved the efficiency of surface vessels application. This allows us to consider L.V. Sorokin as the founder of Russian marine gravimetry. of domestic marine gravimetry. At MGRI he paid much attention to this direction, which later bore fruit: K.E. Veselov, a graduate of the Institute, made a significant contribution to the development of the method.

G.A. Gamburtsev: interpretation of gravity anomalies and integral methods

In the early 30's G.A. Gamburtsev switched his attention from the solution of direct problems (which he was engaged in the late 20's, including the use of mechanical integrators) to integral ways of interpreting gravitational anomalies. to integral methods of interpreting gravitational anomalies.

In 1930 he published in the Journal of Applied Physics a series of papers justifying the use of integral methods, including the famous calculation of the mass defect at Lake Shuvalov. In the same year his palette for computing the gravitational field of two-dimensional bodies was presented.

It should be noted that integral methods were proposed long before G.A. Gamburtsev by the Russian scientist F.A. Sludsky (articles of 1872 and 1896). However, during the upheavals of the early 20th century, the works of F.A. Sludsky were forgotten, and G.A. Gamburtsev had to actually revive this most important group of interpretation methods. group of interpretation methods.

In 1936, in the first issue of Applied Geophysics, G.A. Gamburtsev wrote an extensive chapter «Methods of Interpretation of Gravity Observations», describing, among other things, integral methods. Later he concentrated on seismic exploration, and the level of pioneer works of F.A. Sludskii was again reached only by 1939 in the works of A.A. Zamorev.

Magnetic exploration: teachers and the Zaborowski Line

In the early 30s, A.I. Zaborovsky's scientific interests shifted to electrical exploration, which required the involvement of new teachers for the course in magnetic prospecting. The bet was made on the graduates of the faculty.

Boris Yakovlevich Kudymov (MGRI graduate of 1932) proved to be a talented teacher, and soon A.I. Zaborovsky assigned him to give lectures not only at the Institute. In the 1933/34 academic year, when reading the course of geophysics at the Moscow Oil Institute, A.I. Zaborovsky left the introduction and electrical exploration, He transferred the section of magnetic prospecting to B.Y. Kudymov.

In the late 30s, B.Y. Kudymov started designing the first domestic mine detectors, which he personally tested during the Finnish campaign. After the Great Patriotic War, he returned to geophysics, worked as deputy director of the All-Russian Research Institute of Geophysics and associate professor at the Peoples' Friendship University, where he published a textbook on gravity surveying.

B.Y. Kudymov was succeeded at MGRI by another graduate, Alexander Ivanovich Petrov, who worked at the Institute until the mid-1970s. He was assisted by Isabella Martynovna Mengel, who had previously collaborated with A.I. Zaborovsky in Azerbaijan. Alexander Ignatyevich himself read only some sections of the course.

Gravity exploration: educators, repression, isostasy and methodologies

L.V. Sorokin also needed assistants. In 1933, Boris Yuryevich Kozlovsky, a talented Leningrad scientist and employee of the All-Union Geophysical Exploration Office, was invited. However, he worked for less than two years and was arrested on December 2, 1934.

B.Y. Kozlovsky came from a princely family and was a direct descendant of A.S. Pushkin (his father Yuri Ivanovich was the poet's grandnephew). This probably saved him from being shot. He was sentenced to 5 years in the camps. Only at the end of his life he returned to teaching and became one of the founders of the Department of Geophysics at Perm State University.

In 1934, Ekaterina Alekseevna Mudretsova (a graduate of MIIGAiK) began to teach the gravity survey course at MGRI. Her scientific interests concerned the problem of isostasy, which was sharply discussed in connection with the works of Academician A.D. Arkhangelsky.

In his 1924 paper, A.D. Arkhangelsky relied on Bouguer anomalies and the isostasy theory of F. Kossmat. However, in 1933, in his work «Geology and Gravimetry». he radically changed his views, rejecting the applicability of isostasy and Bouguer anomalies for geological interpretation, proposing to use only full anomalies.

Geophysicists had to make efforts to clarify the situation. E.A. Mudretsova, in particular, wrote together with L.V. Sorokin a chapter «Isostasy» in the reference book «Geodesy». As a result, in the 1937 article «Geological significance of gravity anomalies in the USSR» (A.D. Arkhangelsky, A.A. Mikhailov, V.V. Fedynsky, E.N. Lyustikh), the misconceptions were overcome.

In 1938, E.A. Mudretsova received the degree of Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences for a series of works on isostasy, and in 1940 she published «Tables of topographic and topographic-isostatic corrections to the Pratt-Hayford hypothesis, which became a desk book for geophysicists for decades.

E.A. Mudretsova's doctoral dissertation on isostasy was not defended due to the declaration of the direction as a «bourgeois pseudoscience» in the postwar years. She switched to other tasks: isolation of local anomalies, inverse problems, methodology of gravimetric surveys and underground gravity exploration.

Together with her students (including N.P. Gracheva) she developed a methodology of underground work with gravimeters and variometers. The results of application at copper and iron ore deposits formed the basis of her doctoral thesis (1963).

In 1965, E.A. Mudretsova was dismissed «on redundancy» after reaching the age of 60. Having been reinstated as a professor through the court, she moved to VNIIGeophysics, where she continued her successful work.

After Mudretsova: Dyukov, special courses, generational change

Teaching of gravity surveying was headed by Arseny Ivanovich Dyukov (a graduate of Kazan University). He had extensive experience in the KMA, Donbass, North Caucasus and Uzbekistan, as well as the experience of leading the Department of geophysical works of the USSR Ministry of Geophysics, he worked as an associate professor of the department for more than 15 years, enriching the course with industrial practice.

A.I. Petrov continued to lead magnetic prospecting. Leading specialists were traditionally invited to give special courses, Most often K.E. Veselov (gravity exploration) and B.A. Brusov (magnetic exploration).

1970s: apparatus, computers, laboratory workshops

The 70s were marked by a change of generations of teachers and technologies. Mass introduction of high-precision gravimeters, proton and quantum magnetometers began. Data processing and interpretation were transferred to computers, which required a reorganization of courses.

Since 1970, the author of this article began working as an assistant at the department, engaged in the creation of a laboratory workshop with the use of computer technology.

Since 1975, Vladimir Vasilyevich Brodovoy (State Prize winner, formerly one of the heads of the Department of Geophysical Works of the USSR Ministry of Geophysics) taught at MGRI. He created the hardware and methodological basis for high-precision magnetometry with the help of V.I. Kalugin and G.G. Viktorov. Field work was carried out by the party with the participation of P.S. Babayants, B.S. Bulatov, O.N. Konyaev, I.V. Semenicheva, and others.

The basis of high-precision gravity survey was created by Alexander Mikhailovich Lobanov, who started teaching at MGRI in 1979.

Research areas: micromagnetics, interference randomization, complex magnetic exploration

V.V. Brodovoy paid considerable attention to high-precision magnetic reconnaissance. In 1977, during the study of landslide structures in the Crimea, there was a need for a precision micromagnetic survey. precision micromagnetic survey. This initiated the development of magnetic (including micromagnetic) survey technology.

The technology was applied in Udmurtia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Dzungarian Alatau and Kaluga region. The result was the monograph «High-precision magnetic prospecting» (1986, V.V. Brodovoy, P.S. Revyakin, E.A. Revyakina).

A.M. Lobanov, who cooperated with V.V. Brodovoy's party. Brodovoy, developed at MGRI the «methodology of interference randomization», which was successfully applied for solving geological and ecological problems.

The scientific interests of the author of this article were related to the theory of magnetic exploration of strongly magnetic objects and overlapped with the work of electrical prospectors of the department (Y.V. Yakubovsky, I.A. Dobrokhotova). The joint work led to the creation of integrated magnetosurveying, implemented in fields throughout the USSR. In 1986, the monograph «Low-Frequency Inductive Electrical Prospecting for Prospecting and Exploration of Magnetic Ores» was published.

Software and interpretation systems: SINGULAR and SIGMA-3D«

Later the author focused on software development. In 1993, the team (Yu.I. Blokh, D.V. Kaplun, O.N. Konyaev) created a system for interpretation of profile observations by methods of special points «SINGULAR». The system is used in industrial and scientific organizations, and in the 2000s it was adapted for Windows.

At the end of the 90«s the work on the structural interpretation system »SIGMA-3D« (Y.I. Blokh, P.S. Babayants, A.A. Trusov) began. With its help, employees of various organizations (State Research and Production Enterprise »Aerogeophysics«, CJSC »Pangea«, CJSC »Gravirazvedka«, Amakinskaya expedition of JSC »ALROSA") interpreted materials for a large part of the Russian Federation and a number of foreign countries.

Training courses, manuals, modern teaching

Since the 80s, three courses have been taught at MGRI: «Gravity Exploration», «Magnetic Exploration» and «Interpretation of Gravity and Magnetic Anomalies». The latter course was formed based on the ideas of Academician V.N. Strakhov, combining interpretation sections for in-depth study.

In 1993-1998, three textbooks were published and are still in use today. In the laboratory workshop, students master tasks from the simplest to three-dimensional modeling.

Since 2003, magnetic exploration has been taught by Yuri Pavlovich Sizov (formerly IZMIRAN). The gravity survey course is taught by A.M. Lobanov, who significantly updated its content.

Statistics and interpretation: contributions from other departments

Interpretation is impossible without statistical methods. Significant contributions were made by A.G. Tarkhov, A.A. Nikitin, O.A. Demidovich, G.V. Demura, T.A. Trofimova, A.V. Petrov and many graduate students who debugged the algorithms on survey materials.

Today: competence center and international seminar

Currently, the Geophysical Department of MGGRU remains one of the leading centers in the field of gravity and magnetic exploration. Graduates work in key industry organizations (GNPP Aerogeophysics, JSC ALROSA, CJSC Gravirazvedka, CJSC Pangea).

The University regularly hosts the D.G. Uspensky International Workshop, the main forum of the CIS on the theory and practice of geological interpretation of gravitational, magnetic and electric fields. geological interpretation of gravitational, magnetic and electric fields. The traditions established 75 years ago continue to develop.

Who benefits

• Those interested in the history of MGRI: detailed information about the formation of the faculty and the role of A.I. Zaborovsky.
• To practitioners of potential fields: information on the evolution of interpretation methods, equipment and software systems («SINGULAR», «SIGMA-3D»).
• Teachers and historians of science: data on departments, textbooks and continuity of scientific schools.

Terminology

• OKCMA - Special Commission for the Study of the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly.
• KMA - Kursk Magnetic Anomaly.
• Potential fields - gravitational and magnetic fields; the basis of structural interpretation.
• Bouguer anomalies / complete anomalies - different representations of the gravitational field used in the interpretation.
• Micromagnetic imaging - high-precision detailed magnetic surveys (example: works in Crimea, 1977).

Frequent questions

What is the OCCMA and why did its expertise become the basis for the MGRI?

The OKKMA (Special Commission for the Study of the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly) became the «forge of personnel» for the future geophysical faculty of MGRI. After the reorganization of the Commission, the specialists transferred their unique experience to the academic and pedagogical environment.

Why is the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly (KMA) constantly mentioned in the text?

The KMA served as a key testing ground for practicing the techniques. The 1931 KMA research party with the participation of MGRI students became the prototype of all subsequent research practices of the faculty. of all subsequent research practices of the faculty.

How does gravity exploration differ from magnetic exploration and why are they studied together?

These are methods of potential fields: gravity exploration is based on measuring the density of rocks, while magnetic exploration is based on their magnetization. The combined use of the methods increases the accuracy of geologic interpretation.

What contribution did A.I. Zaborovsky make?

A.I. Zaborovsky was the first Dean of the Faculty of Geophysics at MGRI. He supervised magnetic exploration at OKKMA, created the Departments of «magnetometry» and «electrometry», and wrote the fundamental textbooks that became the basis of geophysics education.

Why is L.V. Sorokin considered the founder of marine gravimetry?

In the 1930s, Sorokin developed equipment and conducted the first surveys in the Black Sea (including from a submarine). In 1935, he initiated a survey in the Caspian Sea from a surface vessel, proving the effectiveness of such a method.

What's the discussion around isostasy and «Bouguer anomalies»?

In the 1930s, there were disputes about the applicability of the isostasy theory to the interpretation of gravity anomalies. The works of E.A. Mudretsova (including tables of corrections) helped to systematize the methodology and put the discussion in a practical direction.

What changed in the 1970s and 1980s?

The advent of high-precision instrumentation and computers radically changed the approaches to data processing. This led to the updating of training programs and allocation of the course «Interpretation of gravity and magnetic anomalies».

What are SINGULAR and SIGMA-3D?

These are program complexes for interpretation of geophysical fields, developed with the participation of the faculty members. They are widely used in production and scientific tasks.