January 9, 2021 is the 175th anniversary of Academician A. P. Karpinsky, who was one of the organizers of the Geological Committee of Russia (GeolCom), the first elected president of the Russian Academy of Sciences (1917–1925). He stood at the origins of the development of systematic geological studies in Russia and was directly involved in the formation of the national Geological Survey, the successor and keeper of the traditions of which is the A. P. Karpinsky Russian Geological Research Institute. The formation and development of the Russian scientific school of geological mapping, which is based on the combination of fundamental geological studies and systematic mapping of the country, is considered. The tendencies and problems of state geological mapping in Russia, which have been carried out for almost 140 years at three scales, are described.

Alexander Karpinsky made a great contribution to Russian paleontology. Three of his monographs: «On Artinskian Ammonoids and Some Similar Carboniferous Forms», «On Edestid Remains and Their New Helicoprion Genus» and «On Trochiliscids», became classical. In the first of them, he was the first to apply a new ontogenetic research method to a whole group of fauna, which allowed him to distinguish the Artinskian stage of the Permian system. In the second, he determined a new genus of shark-like fossils – Helicoprion, which possessed an unusual spiral-shaped dental apparatus, and created the first reconstruction of its habitus. In the third work devoted to problematic remains – trochiliscids, he determined their systematic position, genetic relationships and the possibility of using them for dating deposits that was confirmed by subsequent studies.

Basic principles of identification of geoenvironmental taxa, their subordination and classification were created. Geoenvironmental province (belt) – geoenvironmental area – geoenvironmental district (zone) – geoenvironmental cluster – geoenvironmental target were distinguished depending on dimensions of taxonomic units (from global to local taxa). Tasks of geoenvironmental mapping and zoning on the basis of general principles are logically related to the scope of the study and corresponding natural and anthropogenic targets, phenomena and processes that affect the interaction of living and abiogenic matter of the biosphere.

While compiling the 1:2.5 M Predictive Metallogenic Map of the Russian Federation and its Continental Shelf and sets of the 1 M State Geological Map (3rd generation) for South Yakutia (sheets: R-50, R-51, R-52, R-53, O-51 and O-52), the authors collected and analyzed vast material on geology, geochemistry, geophysics and minerals of this area, which evidence that a new Aldan-Viuluy ore- and placer gold-bearing province of total area of 450,000 km2 with metallogenic gold potential estimated at 5 kt of metal can be identified in the basin of the Lena, Aldan and Viluy rivers. Within their limits, it is necessary to set up large-scale predictive metallogenic studies to localize areas for exploration of Carlin (Kuranakh) type gold mineralization. Several mineragenic subdivisions of the rank of mineragenic zones, ore regions and nodes are outlined within the province. It is available to conduct the large-scale predictive metallogenic studies (GMK-50) in order to localize areas favorable to the identification Karlin-type (Kuranakh-type) ore gold.

The article describes new data on petrography and geochemistry of hydrothermally altered rocks in Early Cambrian deposits of the southeastern part of the Sinsk-Botomian Formation and their relationship with MVT-type lead-zinc mineralization. In this area, the mineralization was first identified as a hydrothermal metasomatic system and referred to the tectonogenic carbonate-siliceous hydrothermal formation. Their genetic relationship with the Late Devonian – Early Carboniferous of continental rifting in the eastern Siberian Platform is determined. The composition and type of the rockgenerating fluid is simulated. It is shown that halos of carbonate-siliceous hydrothermal mineralization, combined with multiplicative Pb, Zn, Mn, Ag and Sr anomalies in the bedrock can be used as one of the criteria for predicting the MVT-type mineralization in the Early Paleozoic carbonate cover of the Siberian platform.

The article presents methods of processing and interpreting materials of the integrated airborne geophysical survey (magnetometry, gamma-spectrometry) at a scale of 1:50,000 for mapping intrusive massifs as exemplified in the northern part of the Balygychan-Sugoi Trough. The author specified contours of known massifs, for the first time identified unexplored granitoid formations, as well as a series of dikes and minor intrusions. The presented results of modeling and classification of potential geophysical fields allowed exploring the deep structure of the massifs. Geophysical data indicating different petrophysical properties of rocks helped to divide intrusive formations. The article classified the massifs by complexes, each of which is promising for gold, silver, and tin mineralization.

In the Silurian succession, the Lower Llandovery (S1ln1–2) carbonaceous marls (graptolitic shales), which are one of the major oil and gas source horizons in the Paleozoic of the northwest Siberian platform, are the most enriched in organic matter. Graptolite facies are widespread along the entire western framing of the Tunguska Syneclise and fragmentarily on its eastern slope. Geochemical parameters of the graptolitic shales organic matter have been described: parameters of pyrolysis, kerogen, and synbitumoids within the catagenesis gradations from MK1 to AK3. Regional catagenesis covers the mesocatagenesis substage from MK1 to MK4–5 and increases from the south and southeast to the northwest of the Tunguska Syneclise. Higher gradations are caused by basic intrusions. It has been proven that the zoogenic organic matter of the graptolitic shales is featured by relatively low hydrogen content and increased carbon and nitrogen contents in kerogen. The zoogenic type of organic matter with graptolite base material is characterized by a faster maturation as compared to other types of sapropel organic matter, because the maximum generation of chloroform bitumen falls on the MK1 gradation. The dynamics of fluid generation during the catagenesis is reduced. The main phase of oil formation covers the PK2–3–MK1 gradations (paleodepths are 1,4 to 2,4 km).