Structural relationships between the Neoproterozoic rock complexes of a continental massif, island arc with rear reef and back-arc basin geodynamic affinities are described and considered in this work based on field observations within the northeastern segment of the Central Taimyr tectonic zone distinguished in the late Hercynian fold-thrust belt of Taimyr Peninsula. As established for the first time, rock complexes of the continental massif with the early Late Riphean (Tonian-Cryogenian) volcanogenic-sedimentary cover occur in the study region as allochthonous syn- and post-sedimentary thrust sheets buried in or thrust over deposits of a back-arc basin, which accumulated in the terminal Late Riphean (Cryogenian)-initial Vendian (Ediacaran). Some sedimentary events in the basin observs as a result of thrusting. These and other results of observations elucidate important details of the tectonic development in the Late Precambrian, when two lateral ensembles of the Neoproterozoic structures originated in the region. In the first half of the Neoproterozoic, the regional tectonic ensemble included the oceanic plate abutting on the continental massif with the suprasubduction volcano-plutonic belt and accretionary wedge in front of it. The subsequent system of an island arc upon accretionary wedge and marginal back-arc basin with new oceanic crust originated in the second half of the Neoproterozoic and existed approximately till the mid-Ediacaran phase of the intense formation of arc-ward vergenced thrust sheets and folds. The next Late Baikalian phase of tectogenesis turned the Central Taimyr zone into the accretionary orogen merged into the Siberian craton as the newly formed part of the passive continental margin. Probable cause of the Baikalides origin is observed too.

The study focuses on the sedimentation and stratigraphy of a large Vendian (Ediacaran) sedimentary basin in the southwestern Siberian craton, with implications for the origin of its units and subunits. Sediments are been correlated along the craton edge and inward into the craton interior using stratigraphic sequences, including glacial and post-glacial deposits. Clastic complexes in the Vendian: upper Chapa, Taseeva, Oselok, and Baikal groups composed of fluvial deposits are of special importance for correlations. The structure of the continental Aysa Fm. of the Oselok Group in the Sayany area has been characterized in detail, based on universal classification of lithofacies and their sequences, and correlated with sediments in the craton interior. There are two Ediacaran subunits: a continental-marine complex below and a continental complex above. The continental-marine subunit in the subsided craton margins was deposited mainly upon postglacial plains (sandurs) and marginal sea shelves, with contributions from intracratonic clastic sources. The deposits of the continental subunit belong to centripetal fluvial systems directed from distant craton-margin mountain upland toward the epicontinental sea in the central Siberian craton. The continental subunit is composed of large sections of red and variegated fluvial deposits from a foreland basin which was accumulated mainly in foredeeps in the over-compensation setting and partly reached the slopes of forebulges. Big deep sand rivers with large channel bars were formed at early and late during orogenic activity, while perennial anastomosing and braided mud-sand rivers with levees originate during passive stages of orogeny. The largest progradation of fluvial systems onto the Siberian craton is marked by channel deposits of the lower members from the Nemchanka, Moshakovka, Aysa, Khuzhir and Kachergat fms., as well as by the Bokhan sandstone member of the Chora Fm.

Yaluninogorsk quartz diorite-trondhjemite massif is situated in Alapaevsk-Sukhoy Log zone of Eastern-Ural High potentially productive for Cu (±Mo) porphyry type of mineralization. The massif is a magma chamber 3 × 2 km under central type volcano. The rocks of massif frame are transformed into propylites, sometimes intensively sulfidized. In this regard the massif is considered as an ore-forming. Petrological study of Yaluninogorsk massif shows, that is formed by holocrystalline rocks of meso-abyssal facies, varying from quartz-gabbro-diorites to tonalities, accompanied by veined trondhjemites. Early mineral phases of quartz diorites consist of augite, basite plagioclase An_70-50, titanomagnetite. Late phases are represented by acid plagioclase An_30-25, quartz, titanomagnetite, biotite, magnesiohornblende, which substitutes pyroxene. Crystallization process of quartz diorites and trondhjemites occurred under isobaric conditions with 1.5-2.0 kbar and a slow cooling. Crystallization temperature exceeded 900°C for the early phases, and 800-720°С for the late phases. The initial melts can be characterized as having low water content. Their oxidation rate was ΔNNO = 0.5-0.8. Residual melts with trondhjemite composition contained about 3.5-4.0 wt % H₂O under P_gen = P_H2O. Deep erosion of the volcano together with low water content of the initial melts are likely to be negative factors for the discovery of industrial porphyry-type ore deposits associated with Yaluninogorsk massif. The study of post-magmatic transformations of rocks from the massif and its environs revealed the presence of no industrial significance skarns with magnetite-chalcopyrite-pyrite mineralization, accompanied by nickel sulfides and nickel sulfoarsenides; veined carbonate-quartz-chlorite metasomatites with chalcopyrite mineralization, containing selenium-bearing sulfosalts and Ag, Cu, Bi tellurides.

In the Avzyan ore-bearing region the sulfides from the low-sulfide gold-quartz deposits (Ulyuk-Bar, Kurgashly) are characterized by higher concentrations of As, Co, Ni, Cu, Pb in comparison with sulfides from sediments outside of ore-bearing zones. The gold is associated with As and sometimes - with S and Co. Gold-bearing sulfides are situated mostly in sandstones, where they were formed as a result of replacement of early formed ore-free pyrites by arsenopyrite and its association with arsenic pyrite during fluid movement ( Т = 250-450°С, Р = 26-360 bar) through fault zones. This process is fixed in the zonal distribution of arsenic pyrite and in varying behavior of total As in rocks. The proportion of p-type conduction pyrite increases with the depth, and zones of its development and high content of As in rocks are controlled by faults. The strong positive correlation of Au with S, Cu, Co, Pb, Ni, Zn is marked at the gold-sulfide (Bogryashka) and gold-sulfide-quartz (Gorny Priisk) occurrences. The connection of Au with As is not clear. At the Bogryashka occurrence pyrites are characterized by high concentrations of Sb, at the Vostochno-Aktashskoe occurrence - by Co and V. The gold in the Gorny Priisk ore deposit and in the Bogryashka occurrence is characterized by high ratio Au/Ag (>21) and impurity of Bi (0.4-1.2 wt %). The ratio Au/Ag is 5-8 in the gold from the Ulyuk-Bar and the Vostochno-Aktashskoe occurrences. Native gold in the Ulyuk-Bar and the Bogryashka occurences is associated with uranium-thorium minerals.

The article is devoted to studies the rare element composition of albite-spodumene pegmatites of the lithium with associated Be, Nb, Ta Kolmozero deposit. It is located in the Neoarchaean metagabbro-anorthozites Patchemvareksky massif in the junction zone of the two major regional structures Archaean age, i.e. the Murmansk block and the Kolmozero-Voron’ya Greenstone Belt of the Kola region. The albite-spodumene pegmatites are identified to be rich in highly incompatible ore elements, i.e. Li, Ta, Nb and Be, depleted by large-ion lithophile elements (Ba ≤ 20 ppm; Sr ≤ 15.4 ppm) and high field strength elements (Y≤ 0.46 ppm, Th ≤ 2.5 ppm, ∑REE ≤ 3 ppm). They are characterized by low indexes of fractioning (Mg/Li ≤ 0.05, Zr/Hf ≤ 7.4) and a high index of rare metal content (Ir = 167321). It may be used as criteria for estimating the commercial potential of the pegmatites regarding their rare metal mineralization. The feldspar (beryllium-bearing) and muscovite-feldspar (beryllium-niobium-tantalum) pegmatites jointed with the Kolmozero deposit have rare metal mineralization and, like albite-spodumene pegmatites, are rich in Li, Nb, Ta, Be, Rb and depleted by Sr, Ва , Y, REE.

In the present paper by the authors materials are given the investigation results of different types quartz vein from endogenous quartz-vein formations of the Urals. In the course of accumulation of the materials on different types of quartz researches it occurred an opportunity of interpretation the obtained data for deciphering of quartz-vein formation genesis, since the contents of structural impurities in quartz objectively reflect its genesis particularities and can be used as a criteria for forecasting and estimating of objects both of ore and nonmetalliferous mineral products. Analysis of materials quartz-metric survey showed that quartz-vein objects have a polygenic and polychronic genesis and are localized in different structural-formation zones. This makes it possible to more purposefully carry out the forecasting of large objects of extremely pure quartz.

A comparative study of quartz veins occurring among upper Triassic terrigenous rocks in the southern part of Adycha-Elgi anticlinorium and the adjacent site of Adycha-Taryn fault zone. The characteristic of the enclosing clastic rocks, their postsedimentary changes, formation of cleavage in the rocks and processes of deformation of rock-forming quartz is entered. The fibrous, allotriomorphic and hypidiomorphic quartz, which are present in the veins, accompanied by the same others vein minerals having similar X-ray luminescence. The succession of the varieties of quartz connects with the changing of pattern opening of vein fractures. It is established that in the area of the Adycha-Taryn fault the terrigenous rocks were subjected to more intense metagenesis (anchimetamorphism) than in the adjacent part of the Adycha-Elgi anticlinorium. In this area quartz veins formation proceeded more intensively, more common the veins of fibrous quartz and less common the veins of hypidiomorphic quartz, vein quartz often contains fluid inclusions with elevated contents of carbon dioxide, and more strongly plastically deformed. From the obtained results, conclusions about the processes of formation of quartz veins and certain types of vein quartz, and the place of the selected types of quartz veins in the cycle of orogeny are done.

Skarns of spessartine-rhodonite composition were detected in the Southern part of the Ufalei metamorphic block within limits of the Ufimian iron mine deposit (Central Uralian uplift, Southern Urals). The skarns are associated with the zone of ferruginous quartzite layer, which are intersected by the vein of granite pegmatites, occurring among the Riphean-Vendian metagabbroids and granite-gneisses (1350-590 Ma) and alkaline granites with aegirine and riebeckite (290-270 Ma). Manganese mineralization is presented by two associations: skarn (rhodonite, spessartine, johansennite, pyroxmangite, magnetite) and aposkarn metasomatites (ferromangnesian garnets, amphiboles and biotite). Aposkarn metasomatites are accompanied by barite, quartz and sulfides (pyrite, chalcopyrite, alabandite). On its chemical composition the researched rhodonite (SiO₂ - 46.0-47.0, FeO - 8.5-9.0, MnO - 36.0-37.0, CaO - 5.0-6.0, ZnO - 0.5-0.8 wt %) sharply different from the composition of rhodonite of the deposits Uralian “manganese spar” (SiO₂ - 46.0, FeO - 0.2-0.3, MnO - 50.0-51.0, CaO - 3.0-3.3 wt %). Spessartine, accompanying rhodonite, has zonal structure - from center to periphery the component content in them varies from spessartine to almandine-spessartine. On chemical activity and chemical properties they are close to manganese amphiboles of a number of the Uralian rhodonite deposits (Kurganovo, etc.). Constant presence of berillium mineralization (helvite, genthelvite, phenacite and oth.) in manganese skarns makes it possible to assume a possibility of finding helvite mineralization in skarns and aposkarn metasomatites of the Ufimian mine. A wide development in the mine area of alkaline granites with aegirine, riebeckite also allows believe, that the studied manganese skarns are genetically associated with the A-type alkaline granites.

In the solution of environmental problems and the shortage of mineral raw materials for copper smelting enterprises promising is the involvement in the development of waste copper smelting production, in particular the copper slag dump, processing technology which involves crushing followed by production of copper concentrate. Material with dimension of ≤0.05 mm containing about 3.4% zinc, 0.4% copper, 0.4% lead, 35.0% iron, so-called “technical sand” accumulates as a waste. For the development of new technologies of extraction of useful components and recycling of waste “technical sands”, a determination of minerals-concentrators of non-ferrous metals and studying the peculiarities of their spatial distribution in the wreckage of the slag, forming “technical sand” is needed. Study of a “technical sand” composition of the Sredneuralskii Copper Smelting Plant is made by the “Geoanalitik”, an analytical centre of the Ural Branch of RAS. Using electron microscopy the JSM-6390LV scanning electron microscope with INCA Energy 450 X-Max 80 attachment in the wreckage of a slag, forming “technical sand”, mineral phases of fayalite, pyroxene, quartz, wustite, magnetite, hematite, matte, spaz and glass have been determined. In all studied phases an approximate balance of mineral elements has been calculated. A possibility of the useful components’ extracting from this type of waste by hydrometallurgical methods is considered.

In recent years the problem of rational use and protection of the country’s groundwater resources has become increasingly important. This is due to want of reserves of groundwater and surface water, their depletion with technological progress and the ever increasing influence of human economic activity. The growth of cities, industry, expansion of water consumption for various economic needs significantly change the water balance regimes on the surface, in soils and rocks.The northern part of the West Siberian Artesian Megabasin (WSAMB) is located on the territory of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District (YNAD). Now the district is an intensively developing region of the Russian Federation. Here, oil and gas are extracted, large transport communications and residential areas are located. The district is characterized by extreme landscape, climatic and geoecological conditions that determine the nature of development of dangerous natural processes, the interaction of surface and groundwater and the migration of pollutants. The anthropogenic impact on the fresh groundwater of WSAMB and the increase in the residential load in the developed territories, which is intensified as a result of oil and gas production, requires an in-depth study of the regional hydrodynamics of the Upper Eocene Quaternary hydro-geological complex.The article provides calculations of mass flows of the main pollutants in groundwater and provides a preliminary forecast of the possible change in the quality of fresh water under the influence of anthropogenic factor.