Obruchev Vladimir Afanasyevich (1863-1956) - geologist, geographer, traveler, academician, honorary member of the Russian Geographical Society. For his contribution to science and geographical discoveries, a mineral, a number of geological objects on the shores of Lake Baikal, Sayanakh and Altai, 28 species and genera of flora and fauna fossils, a steppe in Turkmenistan, a river in the Yenisei basin were named after Obruchev ...

The Academy of Sciences has established a prize to them. V. A. Obruchev. No less famous is Vladimir Afanasyevich for his works, both scientific and popular science, fiction and fantasy.

After graduating from the St. Petersburg Mining Institute, he immediately went on geological expeditions to Central Asia, conducted geological research in the Western and Southern Baikal region, on the Oka, Lena, in the Olekma-Vitimsky gold-bearing region. Participated in an expedition in Mongolia, Central Asia and northern China. He was a geologist of the Irkutsk Mining Administration and the head of the Trans-Baikal Mining Party. Known and geographical research V. A. Obruchev, in particular in the Selenga Dauria. After holding the positions of professor and dean at the Tomsk Technological Institute, he again took up geological expeditionary research, this time in Kazakhstan, Transbaikalia, Kuznetsk Alatau, the Caucasus, and the Crimea.

In the 20s. became the leading geologist of the country, a famous traveler, was vice-rector of the Moscow Mining Academy, director of the Geological Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences; later he headed the Institute of Permafrost (now named after V. A. Obruchev) of the USSR Academy of Sciences. IN post-war years was Academician-Secretary of the Department of Geology geographical sciences, as well as a member of the Presidium of the Academy.

IN total traveled 195 thousand km on expeditions, he plotted a quarter of his routes on a map with detailed eye survey. He compiled maps of Eastern and Central Mongolia, Northern China, the Nanshan, Qinlin mountain systems, the Ordos plateau, the foothills of the Eastern Tien Shan. He discovered 6 new ranges in Nanshan, a number of deposits in Dzungaria. But behind travels and geographical discoveries on the earth's surface, he did not forget about the bowels, about the geological structure, the fundamental principle of the entire landscape. He introduced the concept of "neotectonics", developed the eolian hypothesis of the origin of the forest, did a lot to study the tectonic structure of Siberia, the problems of permafrost. He was equally at home among both geographers and geologists. And in 1947 - 1956. was honorary president of the Geographical Society of the USSR. He was awarded the Gold Medals of the Geographical Society and them. A.P. Karpinsky Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Silver medal of the Geographical Society. He was a laureate of awards. V. I. Lenin and the State Prize, them. N. M. Przhevalsky and them. P. A. Chikhachev, Parisian Academy of Sciences, im. S. A. Ivanova of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.

For his contribution to science and geographical discoveries, a mineral, a number of geological objects on the shores of Lake Baikal, the Sayan Mountains and Altai, 28 species and genera of flora and fauna fossils, a steppe in Turkmenistan, a river in the Yenisei basin are named after Obruchev ... The Academy of Sciences established a prize to them. V. A. Obruchev.

Obruchev mountain in the Khamar-Daban ridge, in Buryatia ... Rather, it would be better to present this oronym, as mountain toponymic geographical objects are called, in plural. Since on the maps of Russia and beyond there are Obruchev peak in Altai in the Saylyugem ridge, Obruchev volcano in Transbaikalia, Mount Obruchev in Antarctica, and, in addition, an underwater hill east of Kamchatka and a seamount near the Kuril Islands are named after him. And there is also a whole ridge of Academician Obruchev in the central part of the Tuva Highlands. Five glaciers were also named in his honor - in the Mongolian Altai, in the Polar Urals, Franz Josef Land, in the Chersky Ridge system and in Antarctica. One could add an oasis in Antarctica to this collection.

And all this is in memory of Vladimir Afanasyevich Obruchev, an outstanding geologist, geographer, explorer-traveler, and writer. He was awarded more than any of his contemporary scientists with the highest award at that time - five Orders of Lenin. And, of course, other honorary titles. But what do they mean, if we talk about long-term memory, in comparison with the personal traces interspersed in the annals of the Earth! And they were left by a small person who covered tens of thousands of kilometers on foot or on horseback, suffered from a chronic illness, but lived for more than 90 years and continued himself in wonderful sons (Sergei Vladimirovich, geologist, Dmitry Vladimirovich, paleontologist - they also multiplied the family toponymy: their a cape on Novaya Zemlya and a peak on the island of Greenland are named.)

Vladimir Afanasyevich is no less famous for his works, both scientific and popular science, fiction and fantasy. More than one generation of travelers was brought up on his writings (“Central Asia. Northern China and Nanshan. Report on a trip made on behalf of the Russian geographical society. 1900 - 1901", "Border Dauria. Report on travels made in 1905, 1906, 1909”, “Selected works on the geography of Asia”, etc.). He told on the pages of his books about nature different countries and about wonderful travelers (“From Kyakhta to Kulja”, “My Travels in Siberia”, “Potanin's Travels”, “In Gray Siberia”, etc.). And his artistic and adventure works awakened in readers of all ages the call distant countries(“Plutonia. Unrealizable journeys into the bowels of the Earth”, “Sannikov's Land, or the Last Onkilon”, “Gold diggers in the desert”, “In the wilds of Central Asia (notes of a treasure hunter)”, etc.).

S.V. obruchev

Obruchev Sergey Vladimirovich

(1891-1965)
Born February 3, 1891 in Irkutsk. Son V.A. Obruchev, author famous novels"Sannikov Land" and "Plutonia", from the age of 14 he took part in his expeditions. He graduated from the Tomsk real school, and then the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of Moscow University (1915). At the age of 21, he conducted the first expedition - on geological survey of the surroundings of Borjomi. In 1917 - to the area of ​​the middle reaches of the Angara River. In the period 1926-1934 he made 4 expeditions to study the North-East of Siberia and the Far East. 1926-1927 spent in the basin of the Indigirka River, on an expedition organized by the Geological Committee of the Supreme Economic Council of the USSR. Based on the results of the research, he proposed to unite the mountain ranges of the middle reaches of the Indigirka and Kolyma and name them after the traveler and scientist I. D. Chersky. During the expeditions of 1918-1924. On the Central Siberian Plateau, S.V. Obruchev described a coal-bearing basin, which he called the Tunguska, the largest in terms of coal reserves, which is now a strategic reserve of Russia. In 1926, the expedition of S.V. Obruchev discovered the cold pole of the northern hemisphere in the Oimekon region. The second expedition to the North-East - Kolyma - took place in 1928-1929. Obruchev headed the Kolyma geomorphological team of the Yakut expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences. During the expedition, about 5,000 km of geological routes were carried out (of which almost 3,000 km were in the Kolyma River basin), visual survey along the routes, 17 astro points and 27 magnetic points were identified. Gold content was also discovered on a number of tributaries of the Kolyma. According to S.V. Obruchev's forecasts, it was possible to speak about the total gold content of the entire Sredne-Chersky Highlands between Indigirka and the Kolyma Range, 700 kilometers long and 200 kilometers wide. In 1932-1933, the third expedition took place - on an airplane, for the first time in the USSR, the method of aerial visual route survey was used to explore a vast territory. During the flight, the cartographer of the expedition K. A. Salishchev compiled a map Chukotka. Expedition 1934-1935 led to the discovery of tin deposits in Chukotka. In the expedition of 1934-1935, snowmobiles were used as a means of transportation. The subject of study was the northern part of Chukotka - the modern Chaunsky district. In 1932-1941 he worked at the All-Union Arctic Institute, in 1941-1950 - at the Institute of Geological Sciences of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In 1937-1954 he studied the ridges of the Eastern Sayan, Khamar-Daban and North-Eastern Tuva. He also conducted research on the geology and geomorphology of other regions of the USSR. Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1953). For recent years headed the Laboratory of Precambrian Geology of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. Died August 29, 1965.
Author of over 150 scientific works, over 80 popular science articles and books. He knew and promoted the artificial language Esperanto, for some time he was the editor of the magazine La Ondo de Esperanto, since 1957 he headed the Esperanto section at the House of Scientists. Gorky in Leningrad. Awards: Stalin Prize(1946), Order of Lenin, Red Banner of Labor, Badge of Honor. In honor of S.V. Obruchev named a mountain range in the Chersky uplands, a peninsula and a cape on Novaya Zemlya.

This introductory part of the book of the outstanding explorer of North-Eastern Siberia S. V. Obruchev (son of the famous traveler, scientist and science fiction writer V. A. Obruchev) is dedicated to his three large expeditions to the north of Asia, which took place respectively in 1926, 1928-1930 and 1934 -1935. As a result of these expeditions, the Chersky Range and the Yukaghir Plateau were discovered, the Kolyma with tributaries and many other rivers of the region were mapped, and Chukotka was explored. After the expeditions of S. V. Obruchev, the previously unknown vast territory of Siberia, the bowels of which turned out to be rich in minerals, entered integral part V National economy our country.

"To unexplored lands"

S.V.Obruchev on the expedition

Expedition tasks

If you look at a map of Siberia, you will see that to the east of the Lena stretches a vast mountainous country stretching for 3,000 kilometers to the Bering Strait. This area is irrigated by three large rivers: Yana, Indigirka and Kolyma, reaching from 1500 to 2 thousand kilometers in length. By 1926, the Yana and the lower reaches of the Kolyma were more or less accurately mapped, while its upper reaches and the Indigirka were completely unexplored. Fenced off from the whole world by a stone wall, the Verkhoyansk-Kolyma Territory, in addition to the swamps and forests common to northern Siberia, is famous for its cold. The meteorological station in Verkhoyansk gave the lowest temperatures in the world, reaching almost 68°C in some years. Naturally, the population of the region was then extremely rare - no more than 15 thousand people in total; the largest settlements, the "cities" of Verkhoyansk and Sredne-Kolymsk, each had 500 inhabitants, while the rest of the space accounted for one person per 100 square kilometers.

On Kolyma

How inaccessible this region was showed by a small number of expeditions that had visited it before us. Almost two hundred years have passed since the time of the first explorer of Yakutia, I. Gmelin, and there are still vast areas equal to France or Germany, not crossed by any route. Most of the expeditions went from Yakutsk to the north, to Verkhoyansk, and then to the east along the Kolyma tract (in fact, the path), some expeditions explored the sea coast. The area south of the Kolyma tract was not only the least explored area in the entire USSR, but also one of the least explored corners of the world. This is where our expedition managed to pass in 1926. True, there were several travelers here before us, but they all followed the same route, crossing the region obliquely, from the southwest to the northeast, to Verkhne-Kolymsk. The first of them, the fleet captain Gavrila Sarychev, who was part of the Billings sea expedition, left Yakutsk on January 22, 1786 and, heading east on horseback, crossed the Verkhoyansk Range and reached the headwaters of the Indigirka, which here, as he reported, was called Omekon. From here Sarychev rode on reindeer to Okhotsk. Only in August did he return back to the headwaters of the Indigirka already on horseback and went to the northeast, to Verkhne-Kolymsk. Sarychev crossed high mountain ranges, crossed the powerful tributaries of the Indigirka - the Neru and Momu rivers.

River rafting. Yakutia

In Kolyma, he supervised the construction of sea vessels, on which the expedition was to explore the seas surrounding the northeast of Asia. In total, Sarychev spent eight years on this expedition - from 1785 to 1793. Sarychev is one of the outstanding Russian navigators, and his research in the northeast of Russia, as well as later works other scientists-travelers, gave wonderful materials for the knowledge of the seas and sea coasts. In the study of the Kolyma-Indigirka region, he was a pioneer and boldly followed paths that were previously unknown. But Sarychev's descriptions are too brief, they concern only the route itself and life local residents. Therefore, it is impossible to get a clear idea of ​​the relief and direction of mountain ranges from his book. The small-scale map of the studied country attached to the book is very schematic and also does not give a clear idea of ​​the location of the ridges. Therefore, we should regard Sarychev's trip only as the first, reconnaissance, to get acquainted with the country, which was completely unknown before. Apparently, in the same way as Sarychev, in 1823 Fyodor Wrangel's companions, Midshipman Matyushkin and Dr. Kiber, traveled from Kolyma through Oymyakon to Yakutsk, but in the published works of the expedition there is not only no description of their path, but even an indication that what route they followed. The expedition of Wrangel and Matyushkin, as is known, was aimed at studying the polar coast and the Arctic islands. Matyushkin only determined the latitude and - very roughly - the longitude of Oymyakon.

Parking. Yakutia

In 1870, the members of the Maidel expedition, the topographer Afanasiev and the astronomer Neumann, returned by approximately the same route. From Verkhne-Kolymsk they went south-west, at first for about 300 kilometers along a slightly more southerly route than Sarychev, and then they traveled along a path close to Sarychev's route. The shooting, which was initially conducted by Afanasiev, was soon stopped, and the description of the route was not conducted: the travelers were tired of two years of work in Chukotka. Finally, in 1891, the famous geologist and geographer I. Chersky was sent by the Academy of Sciences for three years to research in the area of ​​the Kolyma, Indigirka and Yana rivers. In June 1891, he left Yakutsk with his wife (expedition zoologist) and twelve-year-old son on forty-four horses. The Verkhoyansk ridge was crossed by their caravan somewhat south of the Sarychev route along the summer road, which goes around the Khandyga River from the south, along its tributaries. Chersky crossed the Indigirka in the upper reaches, in Oymyakon, and then followed to the northeast, again in a somewhat more southerly way than Sarychev. He went out on his path already in the upper reaches of the Moma. Chersky arrived in Verkhne-Kolymsk on August 28 and spent the winter here. In the spring of 1892, the expedition sailed down the Kolyma, but Chersky fell seriously ill in the winter; during the voyage, his condition worsened, and on June 25 (old style) he died before reaching Nizhne-Kolymsk. The traveler's wife brought the research of the Kolyma to Nizhne-Kolymsk and then returned with her son through Yakutsk and Irkutsk to St. Petersburg. So tragically ended this expedition, which was supposed to lift the veil over the mysterious country. Chersky during the winter in Verkhne-Kolymsk compiled and sent to the Academy of Sciences a preliminary report on the first year of work.

Ice drift. Yakutia

This report, published in 1893, for the first time reported reliable information about the geological structure of the Indigirka-Kolyma region and introduced a lot of new information into the description of the geography of the region, but Chersky's data is still too short and insufficient, since the expedition's route covered a very narrow strip. Of the geographical observations of Chersky, the most important is the discovery of three other high chains behind the Verkhoyansky ridge: the ridge, which he called Tas-Kystabyt, on the right bank of the Indigirka above Oymyakon, and the Ulakhan-Chystai and Tomus-Khaya ridges on the watershed between Indigirka and Kolyma. It should be noted that Chersky, apparently, already understood that the location of the ridges of the Indigirka-Kolyma region is completely different from what was drawn before him on the maps. But the scientist's instructions in the preliminary report are so obscure that they were ignored. After Chersky there was a break of thirty-five years, during which several expeditions explored the lower reaches of the Yana and the sea coast, but not one looked into the mountainous country. The upper reaches of the Kolyma, higher than Verkhne-Kolymsk, were visited during this time only by the ethnographer V. Yokhelson, who in 1896 climbed to the mouth of the Korkodon and walked along the latter for another 100 kilometers. Jochelson's expedition had only ethnographic tasks. Thus, a huge area, more than a million square kilometers, bordering the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and Aldan in the south, Yana in the west and 65 ° latitude in the north, is crossed by only one route of Chersky. An area that was one-twentieth of the total area pre-revolutionary Russia, yet remained as mysterious as the upper reaches of the Congo or the Antarctic continent at the beginning of the last century. For a long time I have been attracted by the idea of ​​studying the powerful rivers of Northeast Asia and the huge ridges that separate them. But it was not until 1926 that the Geological Committee was finally in a position to allocate sufficient funds for this work. According to the original plan, it was assumed that the first summer (and maybe the second) the expedition would work in the middle part of the Verkhoyansk ridge and, having familiarized local conditions, in the following years it will be relocated to Indigirka and Kolyma. Both rivers in general terms by this time should have been studied by the expeditions of the Academy of Sciences. But in the spring of 1926, the work plan had to be changed. As early as the beginning of 1925, a certain Nikolaev, a white officer from the gangs thrown back to the northeast during the defeat of the White armies, returned to Yakutsk after an amnesty and presented a vial of platinum to the Yakutsk office of the State Bank. He stated that the platinum was washed up by him during his wanderings south of the Tas-Khayakhtakh ridge in the area of ​​the Chybagalakh, the left tributary of the Indigirka. This area was not yet explored at all, and the alleged deposit of platinum became interested. The Yakut Council of People's Commissars sent a geologist P. Kharitonov to inspect mineral deposits in the north of the Indigirsko-Kolyma Territory, including platinum deposits. The expedition program was extensive: having started work in Verkhoyansk, she was supposed to finish it at the mouth of the Kolyma.

But, having left Yakutsk on the sledge track, Kharitonov was soon forced to linger due to ice drift on the Aldan. By autumn, he managed to get into middle part ridge Tas-Khayakhtakh. The path that Nikolaev allegedly took lay much further south, but Kharitonov did not dare to move further south. Despite the fact that during the summer he changed his horses three times with local Yakuts for fresh ones, the horses were very exhausted and knocked down their hooves on the pebbly rivers; one of the seven caravan horses had to be abandoned. Therefore, having made an excursion to the southwest and collecting information from the local Evenki, Kharitonov turned back and returned to Verkhoyansk along the Kolyma tract. The platinum deposit indicated by Nikolaev remained undiscovered. True, the existence of this deposit became doubtful: the local Evenks did not hear that during their trips Nikolaev was washing gold or platinum (and everything quickly becomes known in the taiga); in addition, the analysis of platinum, carried out at the Geological Committee, showed that it is very similar in composition to Vilyui and, it is very possible that it was bought from prospectors in Vilyui. Not trusting Nikolaev's testimony, the Geological Committee nevertheless decided to send an expedition to the area indicated by Nikolaev in order to find out the geological structure of this part of the mountainous country.

Ice drift on the Kolyma

This work was entrusted to our expedition. Therefore, the program of our work was planned as follows: from Yakutsk we are heading east and, having crossed the Aldan, we go northeast through the Verkhoyansk Range directly to Chybagalakh - according to Kharitonov, this is the shortest and easiest way. Here we leave the reconnaissance party and leave to the west; if possible, crossing the Verkhoyansk Range several times, we explore the area between Indigirka and the old Verkhoyansk tract (the western of the two routes going from Yakutsk to Verkhoyansk). Finally, along this path we go out to the Aldan valley and return to Yakutsk to the last steamer - by the end of September. The reconnaissance party, after working for a month, was supposed to go straight to Aldan. Such was the program drawn up on the basis of the most reliable information. But in reality, we ended up after Chybagalakh not to the west, as planned, but to the southeast, to Indigirka, and returned to Yakutsk only by the New Year.

Memory of an academician and a person

While there is a lot of literature about academician V.A. Obruchev, little is known to the general reader about his son Sergei, also a geographer, researcher, corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Meanwhile, he made geographical discoveries, his name is on the map of the planet. Vladimir Afanasyevich explored mainly Baikal and Transbaikalia, Central and Central Asia. His son erased a white spot from the map of a country about the size of France. It was located to the east from the Aldan River to the Kolyma Range, in the pole of cold and inaccessibility. This led to the discovery mountain system larger than Greater Caucasus, which was called the Chersky Ridge. The explorer explored these places in 1891. Sergei Vladimirovich made several expeditions east of the Aldan River to the Omolon and Kolyma Rivers. Passed these rivers on primitive boats. And they are not easy to pass with the help of modern equipment. At the same time, the researcher conducted topographic and geological surveys of the area. Let us tell you more about the research of 1926 - 1927, which led to the geographical discovery.

The expedition began on June 15, 1926 in Yakutsk on the left bank of the Lena. Crossing on a barge of horses - and further east to the Aldan River. Locality The cross is the last. Prior to Oymyakon, the population is practically absent. 180 kilometers of swamps, the Tomlo River and the foothills of the Verkhoyansk Range. The expedition almost died in a taiga fire, but the journey to the east continued. After the main chain of the Verkhoyansk Range - the Bryungadinsky chain, crossings and passes, and finally, the Indigirka River. None of the researchers sailed along it. Further, the expedition splits in two: those on horseback go parallel to the Indigirka, and Sergey Vladimirovich himself, on a local flimsy boat about two meters long, decides to go along a wide rapids river, from one side of which the other is barely visible. The speed of the current is more than 15 kilometers per hour (for comparison: the speed of the Volga within the Rzhev is two and a half kilometers per hour). Together with Obruchev, another boat with equipment is rafted. On the thresholds they are flooded, people are sitting waist-deep in water. After passing the Algina River, having climbed a mountain above Indigirka, the researchers realized that they had discovered a mountain system. Subsequently, it will be given the name Chersky Ridge. Further - connection with the main group and the end of the route in the area of ​​the river Chybagalakh. Result: 2.5 months of travel, 1500 kilometers of route, open mountain ranges, glaciers, plateaus.

Memorial plaque in honor of the centenary

Then we went south to Oymyakon. A winter hut was set up here. Although it is mid-September, the temperature during the day is minus 20. In winter, it is minus 60 in these parts. Then there were surveys of large rivers of Eastern Siberia: the Angara, Kolyma, Omolon; many other expeditions. Sergey Vladimirovich also took part in the study of the Arctic. Named after Obruchev: cape on the island New Earth, a peninsula in the archipelago of the New Siberian Islands, a mountain range in the massif of the Chersky Ridge.

Obruchev Vladimir Afanasyevich - famous Russian geologist, academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.

A romantic, a dreamer, a philosopher, an advocate of mercy and justice, and, at the same time, a scientist with a large stock of fundamental knowledge - this is not a complete list of the characteristics of V. A. Obruchev.

Having lived quite a long and very busy life, he left behind not only scientific works on the geology of the Asian regions of Russia, tectonic studies of the origin of forests, permafrost regions, paleontology, but also several works of art adventure fantasy genre.

Brief biography of Obruchev Vladimir Afanasyevich

On October 10, 1863, a second child appeared in the family of an army officer Afanasy Aleksandrovich Obruchev. The boy was named. His mother, Polina Karlovna, a German by nationality, was the daughter of a Lutheran pastor. She herself was engaged in the upbringing of her six children, instilling in them the strictest discipline, observance of order.

After numerous moves, the Obruchev family settled in Vilna. Volodya entered a real school, graduated with excellent grades, and in 1881 entered the Mining Institute in. Choice educational institution successfully combined the childhood dream of travel and adventure with a practical task current situation provide yourself financially.

A poor family could not provide material support to the young man, he had to rely only on himself. Obruchev showed himself not only as a diligent and diligent, but also a talented student. In 1886 he graduated from the institute and received the title of mining engineer.

great influence on the future professional activity was influenced by the famous geologist I. V. Mushketov, whose lectures were the most popular at the institute. It was the authority of Mushketov that prompted Obruchev to study in more detail the Asian part of Russia and Mongolia and China bordering on it.

Traveler and scientist

Starting his geological research in the Caspian regions, Obruchev studied the Karakum desert well and wrote the book "Trans-Caspian Lowland", which remained relevant for Soviet geologists. Beginning in 1889, Obruchev began to study the geology of Eastern Siberia.

The reports on these studies attracted the attention of I.V. Mushketov, and he recommended that the Russian Geographical Society include Obruchev in the expedition of the famous traveler G.N. Potanin, which was sent to Central Asia. This was an old dream of Vladimir Afanasyevich.

The geology of northern China and the eastern half of Central Asia remained a mystery to world geology. During the expedition, Obruchev was able to explore not only the steppes, but also the Gobi Desert, the sands of Ordos, the loess territories of Northern China, the mountain ranges of the Eastern and Western Nanshan. The route of the expedition crossed the Khami desert and the Eastern Tien Shan.

By the amount of material collected by Obruchev and the scale of coverage of the regions of Central Asia. The results of this expedition have remained unsurpassed to this day. Obruchev visited places where no European had ever set foot before him and filled in many "blank spots" on the map of Central Asia.

The results of this expedition put the name of Vladimir Afanasyevich Obruchev on a par with the names of major world scientists and travelers. Chinese geologists are still using Obruchev's scientific materials. All other professional studies of Obruchev are connected with the study of the Siberian region. Their result was the writing of a multi-volume monograph "History of the geological exploration of Siberia", which the scientist completed on time.

Science publicist and writer

The desire to popularize scientific research prompted Obruchev to start writing popular science articles, and this fascinated him so much that he moved from articles to writing science fiction novels. Among our contemporaries, just like almost a century ago, novels by Vladimir Afanasyevich Obruchev "Sannikov Land" and "Plutonia" are popular.

Romance, dream of new civilization, striving for idealism, belief in new community The heroes of his works are based not on empty fantasies - the foundation is genuine scientific hypotheses and factual materials. Reading these works, the reader strives to learn more and this encourages him to expand his horizons.

Vladimir Afanasyevich lived a long and very fruitful life, which is an example of selfless service to the Fatherland, a scientific labor feat for the good of the Motherland.

1863-10-10

1956-06-19

Vladimir, Sergey, Dmitry.

Afanasy Alexandrovich Obruchev

Polina Karlovna Gertner

Geologist and geographer, Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1929), Hero of Socialist Labor (1945). Researcher of Siberia, Central and Central Asia. He discovered a number of ridges in the Nanshan mountains, the Daursky and Borshchovochny ridges, explored the Beishan highlands. The main works on the geological structure of Siberia and its minerals, tectonics, neotectonics, permafrost. Author of popular science books: "Plutonia" (1924), "Sannikov Land" (1926) and others. Lenin Prize (1926), State Prize USSR (1941,1950).

Vladimir Afanasyevich Obruchev was born on October 10, 1863 in the family of retired colonel Afanasy Aleksandrovich Obruchev and Polina Karlovna Gertner, the daughter of a German pastor.

After graduating from the Vilna Real School in 1881, Vladimir entered the St. Petersburg Mining Institute. After graduating from the institute in 1886, the 23-year-old mining engineer, who chose geology as his specialty, went to work in the field in Turkmenistan. The main task of the young geologist is to conduct surveys along the Trans-Caspian (Ashgabat) railway, to determine the water content of sandy desert regions, to find out the conditions for fixing dune sands that fill up the railway track.

The routes of the young prospector were not limited to the railway strip, they went along the rivers Tejen, Murgab and Amu Darya Near Samarkand, he studied the deposit of graphite and turquoise.

The Russian Geographical Society highly appreciated the works of the scientist. His first work was awarded a silver, and the second - a small gold medal.

In September 1888, Obruchev, together with his young wife and young son, went to Irkutsk, where he was waiting for the first state position in Siberia as a geologist. Mushketov recommended him for this position.

In Irkutsk, Vladimir Afanasyevich spent the whole winter studying the literature on the geology of Siberia, compiling a bibliography, and in the spring he conducted exploration of coal deposits. A little later, he examined a graphite deposit on Olkhon, the largest of the Baikal islands.

He is constantly on expeditions - he studies the reserves of mica and the amazing blue stone - lapis lazuli, from which jewelry and precious vases were carved.

In the summer of 1890, Obruchev set off from Irkutsk to the north, to study the gold-bearing region located in the basin of the Vitim and Olekma rivers Plyvya along the Lena, he got acquainted with the structure of the banks of the great Siberian river. Making his way along the taiga paths, moving from mine to mine, Obruchev studies the geology and gold content of placers.

The following summer, he repeated the trip to the Olekma-Vitim mines, and then received an unexpected offer from the Russian Geographical Society to take part in the expedition of the famous traveler Potanin, heading to China and southern Tibet.

“My dreams came true,” writes Obruchev, “refusing to participate in this expedition meant burying them forever. I immediately agreed, although the expedition dramatically changed all plans for the future.”

In Beijing, at the Russian embassy, ​​he met with Potanin, and Grigory Nikolaevich advised Obruchev to put on a Chinese dress so as not to attract too much attention to himself.

In early January 1893, Obruchev left Beijing for the loess regions of northern China. Potanin and his wife went to the outskirts of Tibet, to the province of Sichuan.

Loess, fertile yellow earth, consisting of fine grains of sand, with particles of clay and lime, covers vast expanses of northern China. The life of the peasants in this part of China is closely connected with the loess. Obruchev saw entire villages, whose cave houses were dug into the cliffs of the loess; from it in China they make dishes, bricks, but the main economic significance of loess is that fertile soils, which give excellent harvests, serve as a source of wealth for farmers. Obruchev put forward a hypothesis explaining the origin of loess.

In the city of Suzhou, located on the outskirts of the Nanshan mountain ranges and the deserts that covered the northern regions of China, Obruchev began and ended all his Central Asian expeditions. His journey through Nanshan turned out to be very difficult: the passes were steep, and the fordable rivers were swift; besides, the conductor, as it turned out, did not know the road well.

Obruchev worked slowly and thoroughly. Fully trusting Przhevalsky, who discovered the Humboldt and Ritter ridges here, he nevertheless discovered the mistake of Nikolai Mikhailovich, who believed that these ridges seemed to be connected into a knot. Obruchev made sure that the ridges run parallel and are separated by a valley.

Then he went to the alpine lake Kukunor - the beautiful Blue Lake, located at an altitude of more than three thousand meters. For the sake of this lake, Humboldt, at one time, learned the Persian language, intending to go to him through Persia and India, since the route through Russia was then closed due to the war with France. Here, off the coast of Kokunor, Obruchev first met the Tanguts, about whom there was a bad rumor. Many peaceful travelers were convinced more than once that the Tanguts could suddenly attack an insufficiently well-guarded caravan and lighten its load in no time. Yes, and to Vladimir Afanasyevich himself, the prince in Tsaidam said that he could not vouch for his life if he went to the lands of the Tanguts.

Przhevalsky was also frightened by them, but he still went. Without a doubt, Obruchev also went. In fact, alone, without any protection. He believed that in peace, without resorting to weapons, one could pass through this land.

Three months later, in September 1893, Vladimir Afanasyevich returned to Suzhou, completing a large circular route, and a month later he set off on a new journey - to the north, into the depths of Chinese and Mongolian deserts. He wanted to study the nature of the central part of the Gobi. He had to lay the road in a roundabout way - through Alashan to the Yellow River, since he could not find a reliable guide.

The entire surface of the Alashan plain was covered with fragments of dark brown stones. Even white quartz, under the merciless sun, seemed to burn out and turn black.

Together with Tsoktoev, he crossed the Huang He ice, constantly sprinkling sand under the feet of the camels - otherwise they would slip and could not advance, and entered the loose sands of the Ordos. Here, over vast expanses, icy winds raged.

Having finished his work in Ordos, Obruchev went south, across the Qinling Range, where he was to meet Potanin. But at the end of January, Vladimir Afanasyevich learned that Potanin was returning to his homeland.

Obruchev turned to the northwest - again through the Qinling Mountains, wanting to get to the remote regions of Central Asia, where Chinese explorers had not yet been.

Little was known about Nanshan, where he was going, and even less about its middle part. Even an accurate map of the area did not exist. Obruchev's last year's report on the trip to Nanshan was highly appreciated by the Geographical Society, thanks to the efforts of Mushketov, money was quickly printed and sent to the traveler with an order to continue research in this mountainous region. And he begins his third expedition.

The valleys had long been blooming, and a snowstorm was blowing in the mountains, forcing the traveler to sit in a tent. When the blizzard subsided, the hunters led Obruchev to the high passes of the ridge, to which he gave the name of the Russian Geographical Society. Then I had to move through the eternal snows, glaciers ...

Obruchev studied Middle Nanshan for six weeks. He specified the location of three known mountain ranges and discovered four new ones. Here he found and explored two small rivers that were not marked on the maps, discovered large deposits of coal, and a little later went to the Lyukchunskaya hollow, where there was a weather station set up by Przhevalsky's student, Vsevolod Roborovsky. There, at the bottom of the basin, the lowest in Central Asia, lies a salt lake, the surface of which is more than one and a half hundred meters below the level of the ocean.

The expedition tired Obruchev. Then, recalling those days, he will write: “I no longer had the strength or equipment to work in the mountains. My shoes were worn out, all the writing paper was used up, there was nothing to write a diary on, and I even used already old envelopes and all sorts of scraps of paper... After a two-month journey from Suzhou, the camels were very tired and were not suitable for an excursion to the high mountains at all; they would have had to hire horses, but there was no money for this ... to Kulja.

Over the years, he has traveled 13,625 kilometers. And almost on each of them he conducted geological research. Collected collection contained seven thousand specimens, about 1200 prints of fossil animals and plants. But most importantly, he collected fundamental information about the geography and geology of Central Asia and actually completed its study - continuing the work begun by Russian researchers. In fact, there are no more "blank spots" left in Central Asia.

Vladimir Afanasyevich arrives in St. Petersburg already as a traveler, fanned by world fame. His letters from China, articles, travel essays were published in newspapers and magazines. The Paris Academy of Sciences awards him the P. A. Chikhachev Prize - the great Russian traveler - geologist and geographer. A year later, Obruchev receives the N. M. Przhevalsky Prize, and a year later - the highest award Russian Geographical Society - Konstantinovskaya gold medal, awarded "for every extraordinary and important geographical feat, the commission of which is associated with labor and danger" . He is not yet forty.

His work "Central Asia, Northern China and Nanypan" in 1900-1901 was published by the Russian Geographical Society in two volumes. Popular Description Vladimir Afanasyevich made his trip to Central Asia 45 years later, in 1940 he published the book "From Kyakhta to Kulja".

In 1895, Obruchev went to Eastern Siberia as the head of the mining party, whose task is to study the areas adjacent to the Trans-Siberian Railway under construction. For more than three years, the scientist-traveler devoted to the study of Transbaikalia In a cart, on horseback, on foot and along the rivers on a boat, he traveled and traveled thousands of kilometers. The researcher visited iron mines, examined coal deposits, mineral springs, salt and mountain lakes, collected great material about minerals. In addition, they have done a lot interesting observations over the life and way of life of the population of Transbaikalia.

After an expedition to Transbaikalia, Vladimir Afanasyevich returned to St. Petersburg in 1899.

In the summer of the same year, Obruchev traveled to Germany, Austria and Switzerland to get acquainted with the geological structure of these countries.

In 1901, Vladimir Afanasyevich was going to Siberia for the third time to continue studying the Lena gold-bearing region. “But fate,” says Obruchev, “wanted to tie me to Siberia even more tightly.” He agrees to the proposal of the director of the newly opened in Tomsk Institute of Technology take the chair of geology and organize a mining department. Upon arrival in Siberia, Obruchev carried out surveys in the Lensko-Vitimsky gold-bearing region in the summer and made a geological survey of the Bodaibo River basin.

Returning from Bodaibo, Vladimir Afanasevich starts organizing a mining department at the Tomsk Technological Institute. From that time, for eleven years (1901 - 1912), Obruchev devoted himself to teaching, but at the same time did not leave his research trips. With the funds allocated by the institute, in 1905-1906 and 1909 he made three trips to the border Dzungaria (Xinjiang). Research in this area, which is the junction of two large mountain systems - Altai and Tien Shan, allowed him to better understand the geological structure of the Asian continent.

Vladimir Afanasyevich went out every summer to work in the fields, examined the gold-rich Kalbinsky Range, separated by the Irtysh from Altai; twice visited the gold mines of the Kuznetsk Altai. In 1908, Obruchev spent the summer months with a group of students who had an internship near Krasnoyarsk on the "Pillars".

At the beginning of 1912, Obruchev moved from Tomsk to Moscow, where he wrote and published a number of popular science works. In the same years, Obruchev wrote the first science fiction novel "Plutonia".

At the same time, Vladimir Afanasyevich did not stop his research trips. He visits gold mines in the Kuznetsk Altai and Transbaikalia; during a trip to Altai, he studies the structure of the mountain system, in the Caucasus he examines copper deposits, in the Crimea, in the valley of the Kacha River, examines a mineral spring.

In 1920, the scientist returned to Moscow and was soon elected a professor in the department of applied geology at the newly organized Moscow Mining Academy.

Working on scientific problems and doing pedagogical activity, Vladimir Afanasyevich no longer goes on long journeys, but every year, from 1923 to 1928, he travels to the Caucasus, to Kislovodsk, where he makes excursions to the surrounding mountains.

In 1936, when Obruchev was 73 years old, he made a long trip to the Altai mountains, where he examined a mercury deposit and marble outcrops; the latter were intended for the construction of the Moscow Metro.

Obruchev wrote the books "Sannikov Land", "Plutonium", "Poor Mine", "In the Wilds of Central Asia" (Notes of a Treasure Detector), "Gold Diggers in the Desert" and a number of interesting autobiographical books: "My Travels in Siberia", "From Kyakhta to Gulja" and others. He also wrote a number of biographical essays on Russian explorers of Asia: Przhevalsky, Chersky, Mushketov, Potanin, Kropotkin, Komarov.

Scientists named the mineral found by Vladimir Afanasyevich "Obruchevite". The Russian people put the name of the traveler geologist on the map. An ancient volcano in Transbaikalia, a peak in the Altai mountains, a glacier in the Mongolian Altai bear the name of Obruchev. The steppe between the Murgab and Amu Darya rivers, first described by the scientist, is called the Obruchev steppe.

Source "100 great travelers" I.A. Muromov.

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Presentation on the topic: obruchev

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creative work in geography "Outstanding Russian traveler - Vladimir Afanasyevich Obruchev" The author of the work is a student of the 7th grade Borisov Ivan MOU secondary school No. 32 of the Beloglinsky district Krasnodar Territory head - geography teacher Farafonova Valentina Ivanovna 5klass.net

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Portrait of V. A. Obruchev “Never during a noisy city life, straining all the nerves like strings, have I experienced such peace of mind as in the desert, lying by a blazing fire after a tiring day’s march and contemplating a clear sky with countless lights, darkening the horizon of the desert, listening to its voices, trying to unravel its mysteries…” V.A. obruchev

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Biography of the traveler Vladimir Afanasyevich Obruchev was born on September 28 (October 10), 1863 in the village. Klepenino, Rzhevsky district, Tver province, died June 19, 1956. - Russian geologist, paleontologist, geographer, science fiction writer. He graduated from a real school in Vilna in 1881, the Petersburg Mining Institute in 1886.

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An outstanding Russian scientist V.A. Obruchev, a researcher of the geology of Siberia, Central and Central Asia, discovered several ridges in the Nanshan mountains, the Daursky and Borshchovochny ridges, explored the Beishan highlands. Obruchev participated as a geologist in the fourth expedition of Grigory Potanin. In the 1890s, the scientist was engaged in the design of the Trans-Caspian and Trans-Siberian railways. The first full-time geologist of Siberia

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Obruchev V.A. - Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR Since 1901. - 1912 - the first dean of the mining department of the Tomsk Technological Institute. From 1918 - 1919 - Professor at the Tauride University in Simferopol. From 1921 - 1929 - Professor of the Moscow Mining Academy. Since 1930, the scientist has been the chairman of the Commission for the Study of Permafrost. Since 1939 - Director of the Institute of Permafrost Science of the USSR Academy of Sciences. From 1942 to 1946 - Academician - Secretary of the Department of Geological and Geographical Sciences of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Since 1947 - Honorary President of the Geographical Society of the USSR. Among more than 1000 scientific works of the scientist are the three-volume Geology of Siberia (1935-1938) and the five-volume History of the geological exploration of Siberia (1931-1949)

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Explorations of Siberia Rock Khobot Cape Shamansky stone on the shore of the lake. Baikal, near the villages. Kultuk and Art. Slyudyanka Red Yars of Upper Cambrian sandstones and clays of the left bank of the river. Lena below Art. Ust-Kut and a covered boat - Shitik Cliffs of folded limestones of the Middle Cambrian on the right bank of the river. Lena below Art. Ivanushkovskaya

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Investigation of gold-bearing deposits in Siberia rollovers; in front - an old section in which a gold-bearing layer was mined. Bottom right - mouths of two ort. View to the west up the river valley. Dogaldyn (photo by N.I.Strauss)

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Goals of the most important expeditions of 1886 - 1888 – research in the Karakum desert. The purpose of the expeditions: to carry out surveys along the Trans-Caspian (Ashgabat) railway under construction, to determine the water content of sandy desert regions, to find out the conditions for fixing dune sands that fill up the railway track. 1889 - 1891 - expeditions to the basin of the Vitim and Olekma rivers. Purpose: study of the geology and gold content of placers. The expedition was organized by the Russian Geographical Society. 1892-1894 - took part in the expedition of G.N. Potanin. Obruchev V.A. left Kyakhta, crossed Mongolia, walked along Northern China, explored the ridge. Nanshan and finished the expedition in Ghulja. 1901 - 1914 - work in Siberia. 1901 - organized a mining department in Tomsk, occupied the department of geology. Conducts surveys in the Lensko-Vitimsky gold-bearing region, geological survey of the Bodaibo river basin. Description of the slide: 13

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Researcher's contribution to geography In Central Asia, Nanshan, V.A.Obruchev discovered six new ridges, which he called the ridges of the Russian Geographical Society, Richthofen, Potanin, Mushketov, Semenov and Suess. The researcher developed ways to fix sands with the help of plants, created interesting work about the gold content of Siberia, put forward and substantiated the theory of the origin of loess, was one of the founders of the science of permafrost. The scientist published a three-volume "Geology of Siberia", a multi-volume edition "History of the geological exploration of Siberia"

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Informational resources Story geographical discoveries: Section of the volume "Geography" ser. "Encyclopedia for children" M .: Avanta +, 2000. Encyclopedia for children: T. 3 Geography. - M .: Avanta +, 2005. Markin V.A. Russian travelers.Historical portraits.M. : Astrel AST, 2006. I.A. Muromov "One Hundred Great Travelers" M., "Veche" 2001 Encyclopedia "Circumnavigation" (http://www/krugosvet.ru) Encyclopedia "Wikipedia" (http://ru .wikipedia.org) Encyclopedia "People" (http://www.peoples.ru) V.A. Obruchev "My travels in Siberia" M-L, 1948.