Russian Academy of Sciences:
Computing Centre,
Fersman Mineralogical Museum
announcements
PROJECT "ELLUN-INTERNET"
The native evenks people call iceland spar (optical
calcite) as ellun (the sky stone). The greatest in the world deposites of
this valuable optical material are situated in Northern Siberia
on Nizhnaya Tunguska (Sullen-River, by russian writer V.Shishkov)
and it tributaries. Seldom why knows about these deposits, about
their unique mineralogical associations, about the Nature of
Evenkiya - the most seldom settle populated and hardly accesible
region of the world. In the upper north tributary of Tunguska,
Vivi, there is the monument marking the centere of Russia. Close
to this place some people until now try to find the crater of
Tunguska fireball.
It's possible to visit this district and even to work in
scientific expedition, supplied with INTERNET equipment. Such way
we can see the minerals how they occur in the nature, directly in
geological objects in such aspects which any INTERNET user wants
to see. With the help of the video camera and appropriate computer programs it will be possible on rather large exposure quickly
to locate minerals interesting for you and compare them with thouse a lready known in leading museums of the world and even individual collections, accessible for INTERNET. Identification of unknown minerals could be also possible. Search the new associations of minerals is possible too. Mineralogical field works shall
be carried out uniks Fersman Mineralogical Museum (Moscow).
In the beginning of July the expedition plans to arrive to
the capital of Evenkiya - Tura by airliner from Krasnojarsk. In
Tura there is the biggest in the world museum of Iceland Spar,
created by geological undertaking "Spat". Here one can be acquainted
with products from optical calcite, as well as with crystals of Iceland Spar.
From Tura the expedition will fly on helicopter to the upper region of the Nidym river (115 km. south-east
from Tura). On ribbon rafts down to the mouth of Nidym (150 km.)
the expedition will visit the range of small deposits of iceland
spar crystals in the ball lavas with unique zeolites mineralisation.
The banks of the Nidym in these places consist of basalts
poles. The sun here at this time does not go down.
Below the mouth of Nidym on both banks of Nizhnaya Tunguska on
distance of 70 km. there is the chain of the largest in the wold
iceland spar deposits: Poledjicit, Gonchak, Krutoe, Babkino. Final
point of expedition - the Degigli riever, where in 1981 the
lagest analcite crystals were found.
Purposes of the expedition:
1) with the help of INTERNET to
show to the World the natural treasures of the geographical centere
of Russia with purest ecology;
2) to find out possibilities
to work with INTERNET and computers in fild mineralogy;
3) to
create the new methods of work with natural objects using computers;
4) to work out equipment for the similar expeditions;
5) to
make mineralogical researches and mineral collections.
The expedition is organized under aegis:
Computing Centre of Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS)
Fersman Mineralogical Museum RAS
The State Geological-Industrial Undertaking "SPAT"
The Institute of Crustallography RAS
We needs the sponsors, e-mail: galiulin@ccas.ru, galiulin@ns.crys.ras.ru