Search

The word contagion, derived from Latin contagio, the combination of con ("together with") and tagio ("touch"), suggests a close relationship between the human body and community. It stands to reason, then, that contagion narratives in one way or the other attempt to reflect upon one's being in the world, with others, whether human or non‐human, and they do so through the theme of communicable disease and shared physical vulnerability. In the last couple of decades, Russian literature has witnessed an uptick in outbreak narratives fueled by anxieties over globalization and the ever‐shrinking distances and ever‐increasing mobility of our "global village." The paper analyzes two of such recent novels, Vladimir Sorokin's The Blizzard (2010) and Eduard Verkin's Sakhalin Island (2018), to examine whether these developments lead the authors to conceptualize new forms of community and communality or, on the contrary, retreat into nostalgic restoration, nationalism, and tribalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents findings of tectonic-stress field reconstruction in the central part of Sakhalin Island as a result of field tectonophysical studies between 2020 and 2022. The measurements made it possible to determine the predominant orientation of the main slickenside systems with different kinematics. The territory of Central Sakhalin is characterized by mainly subvertical orientation of the axis of maximum compression and by the subhorizontal and mostly submeridionally directed axis of minimum compression/extension. The main detected feature of Central Sakhalin is the predominance of horizontal extension as the stress state type for the entire area. Horizontal shear and compression settings are significant in its western part. The number of horizontal extension settings increases in the near-axial and eastern part of Central Sakhalin towards the Sea of Okhotsk. We found a cardinal difference between the stress field reconstruction data obtained there and the results of similar studies in other geodynamically active regions of Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the mudflow activation in the dumps of the Listvennichnyi quarry near the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Eight cases of anthropogenic mudflows initiated by rainfalls were recorded during field observations conducted from May to November in 2020. In a first for Sakhalin, mudflows were recorded by video equipment. The mudflows parameters were measured during the mudflows occurrences. Velocity values were obtained for six mudflows and compared with those calculated by different methods. The mudflow pressure was also calculated for all six flows. The derived values were in the range between 0.0044 and 0.0089 MPa. Different methods for the assessment of mudflow effects on objects depending on the pressure value were compared. The amount of precipitation sufficient for triggering anthropogenic mudflows is provided in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Chinsen-mon pottery" of Okhotsk type pottery is generally considered to be from the 7th to 8th century. In this paper, we considered the stratigraphic excavation situation of "Chinsen-mon pottery" and "Satsu-mon pottery", the age of B-Tm descent, and crossdating with the continent and Sakhalin Island. As a result, the chronology of "Chinsen-mon pottery" is about 200 to 300 years later than the commonly accepted chronology, and was revised to belong to the 10th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we restore moisture changes since the Younger Dryas based on the study of diatom flora in sediments of the Zelenyi coastal paleolake, the Lesser Kuril Ridge. The section includes numerous interlayers of tephra, the sources of which were located on the islands of Kunashir and Hokkaido, and interlayers of tsunamigenic sands, which made it possible to determine the impact of catastrophic events on changes in the ecological situation. The stages of the development of the lake are identified and its evolution is analyzed during short-period climatic rhythms. The reservoir had its maximal depth at the beginning of the Holocene, and planktonic forms predominated among diatoms. Three phases when the lake turned into a lagoon were established, and the erosion of the barrier form most likely caused this during large tsunamis associated with earthquakes. Except for these cases, the main factor leading to the change in lacustrine–marsh environments was climate change. We identified relatively dry periods and wet periods associated with an increase in the intensity of cyclogenesis in the South Kurils region. We correlated with high-resolution paleoclimatic records from archives for the Southern Kuriles; the most striking events were compared with data for Sakhalin and the continent. Changes in moisture on the islands and the margin of the mainland in the Middle–Late Holocene were established to be in antiphase in most cases, except for the cooling of 2800–2500 BP and the Little Ice Age. The connection of regional climatic changes with anomalies in the ocean and atmosphere of the Asia-Pacific region is shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a study of volcanogenic bentonite. We examine the geological structural settings of the deposits, the paleogeographic environment of sedimentation, structural and textural features of the rocks, and their diagnostic features. We have identified ore-controlling factors in the generation of volcanogenic and hydrothermal bentonite. Comparative analysis has been performed of the original volcanogenic material sampled at deposits in Russia and abroad. The Dash-Salakhly deposit (Republic of Azerbaijan) and a bentonite-bearing province on Sakhalin Island were studied to find how bentonites of different genesis were formed. These studies provide evidence that the composition of the parent material for bentonite varies in a wide range, between basalt and rhyolite. The main factor that controls the generation of bentonite is the type of the sedimentation basin and physicochemical conditions rather than the composition of the parent material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of geological hazards on the Sakhalin shelf creates difficulties in the design, construction, and maintenance of offshore oil and gas facilities. Identification and assessment of geological hazards in the coastal area of the northeastern shelf of Sakhalin Island will allow avoiding environmental disasters, minimizing the risks of accidents, and developing recommendations for ensuring safety in the development of oil and gas fields. The paper presents the results of an analysis of data from expeditionary surveys carried out at two sites using geophysical surveys and bathymetric surveys. The zones of ice gouging in the coastal part of site no. 1 caused by gouging of the seabed by stamukhas have been identified. Gas zones and paleo-incisions were found and mapped in the bottom part of the section at site no. 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subsurface injection of fluids inside tectonically active areas is in some cases followed by a seismic response. This paper examines an example of seismic activation on the northeast coast of Sakhalin Island (in the area of the North American tectonic plate) in 2013–2014, which coincides with the start of the pilot operation of injection wells designated for the disposal of drilling fluids and co-produced and domestic wastewater from nearby oil and gas operations. Hypothesizing that the recorded seismicity is entirely induced by the fluid disposal, and considering injection rates of 105 m3/year, we estimate a seismogenic index of Σ = −3.98 ± 0.06. Assuming a total injection volume of VC = 107 m3 until 2041, the probability of occurrence of at least one earthquake with a magnitude M 5.5 was calculated to be PE = 0.99. The obtained results are of practical interest for developing seismic risk management strategies and using numerical tools to quantify seismic hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we explore the Western Pacific subduction impact on the geodynamics of the Asian continent. The data on migration of slow strain and earthquakes from the Nankai, Japan and Kuril-Kamchatka segments of the Western Pacific subduction zone deep into mainland Asia are analyzed. The calculations performed on five profiles, crossing the Kuril Islands, the Japanese Archipelago and Sakhalin Island toward the Asian continent, have revealed the transverse migration of earthquakes from the Japan–Kuril-Kamchatka subduction zone. The velocities of hypocenter migration of M ≥ 4.5 earthquakes from the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench via northern and central Sakhalin vary from 6 to 17 km/year, on average, at different depths. The profiles crossing the islands of Hokkaido and Sakhalin show the M ≥ 4.earthquake migration from the Kuril and Japan trenches at velocities of 8–27 km/year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents Sr-isotope data to determine the stage affiliation of different parts of the Miocene Sertunaiskaya and Kurasiyskaya formations in Sakhalin, as well as the upper part of the Togeshita Formation in Hokkaido. Additionally, it confirms a diachronous boundary between the Sertunaiskaya and Kurasiyskaya formations. The data received will be useful for globally correlating the Miocene formations of the Sakhalin-Hokkaido area. The study indicates that the Japan and Kuril back-arc basins in the Western Pacific underwent their final opening stages during the Middle Miocene (18.1–17.7 and 15.9–14.2 Ma, respectively), as determined by the SIS method. This process was likely influenced by both global and local factors. One of the local influences on the formation of back-arc basins in the Western Pacific appears to be the influx of cool boreal waters, as indicated by the δ18O signals. The Miocene data from the Sakhalin-Hokkaido area, including evidence from Sr, O, and C isotopes, combined with corresponding paleontological, stratigraphic, palaeomagnetic, and palaeobiogeographic data from the Paleogene and Neogene, provide a four-stage chronological sequence of events related to the opening of the Western Pacific's back-arc seas. This paper presents original information on the Miocene C-isotope excursion in the Western Pacific, which are correlated with the Monterey Event. Recent data on this topic may have enhanced our comprehension of the conditions required for the formation of hydrocarbons, which are found in substantial amounts in the Miocene of northern Sakhalin and Hokkaido. • The SIS method enables the identification of the stage affiliation of Miocene formations in Sakhalin and Hokkaido. • Miocene molluscs were analysed for O- and Sr-isotopes to differentiate temperature changes caused by local and global influences. • The Japan back-arc basin may have begun to form in the late Ypresian of the Eocene. • O-isotope analyses indicate that cool boreal waters entered the Japan basin around 18–17 Ma and the Kuril Basin around 15–14 Ma, which may correspond to their eventual opening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how a transnational corporation (TNC) translates global standards and corporate policies into programs at sites of extraction. We explore this question through a comparative analysis of ExxonMobil's operations in two different politico-economic contexts: the Sakhalin-1 project in Russia and the Point Thomson project on the North Slope of Alaska, with field work on Sakhalin Island in 2013-2015 and in Alaska in 2015-2018. Theoretically, we use the Deleuzian concept of "diagram" as a lens through which to examine corporate policies, and a governance generating network (GGN) approach to analyze similarities and differences in benefit-sharing programs in both localities. We show that while global commitments and corporate principles contribute to a standardized approach to community engagement, Indigenous movements and associations, the government, and other corporate actors may play important roles in influencing how corporate policies and global standards are implemented at sites of extraction. Moreover, adaptation of community engagement, benefit-sharing, and environmental monitoring in one location may shape how the company's strategies are implemented in other sites of extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, seasonal and interannual upwelling variability in the Sea of Okhotsk off the eastern coast of Sakhalin Island based on wind data obtained using the QuikSCAT/SeaWinds scatterometer (1999–2009) were studied. The upwelling strength was estimated from the magnitude of the wind-induced Ekman transport directed away from the coast (upwelling index). The obtained results show that upwelling near the eastern coast of Sakhalin Island is mainly associated with summer southerly monsoon winds over the Sea of Okhotsk. In the northern and central parts of the East Sakhalin shelf, upwelling is observed in July–August. In the southern part of the region, off the coast of Cape Patience, it begins in August and continues until September. The variability in the duration and strength of upwelling is due to regional features of the wind forcing. Ekman transfer and pumping contribute approximately equally to the upwelling generation. This shows that upwelling associated with the spatial inhomogeneity of the wind stress vorticity can affect the decrease in water temperature off the eastern coast of Sakhalin Island. The seasonal variability of the southern monsoon winds favorable for the development of upwelling is largely determined by the summer Okhotsk anticyclone (atmospheric center of high pressure over the Sea of Okhotsk). The latter is characterized by significant interannual variability. Its interannual variations correlate well with the upwelling strength near the eastern coast of the island. Upwelling decreases in years with negative atmospheric pressure anomalies in the Okhotsk anticyclone, while enhanced upwelling is associated with a well-developed positive anomaly of this regional high-pressure center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main prerequisites for creating a tunnel between Sakhalin and the mainland are presented in this paper, along with associated problems. The authors analyze the comparative advantages and disadvantages of possible transport link options taking into account natural and climatic factors, geotechnical conditions, as well as construction and operation features. A fundamental technical solution is proposed, along with an organizational scheme of underwater tunneling works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Asian-Pacific - continental margins have been the object of intensive geochemical research in recent years, as areas within this zone have been found to contain large hydrocarbon deposits in a variety of forms including: oil, natural gas, gas condensate, and gas hydrates. One such area is Sakhalin Island, located in Russia's Far Eastern Federal District. Genetically, the territory of Sakhalin Island is a part of the shelf of the Hokkaido-Sakhalin fold area, therefore, the nature of the sub-vertical gas migration is controlled by deep faults, along which the concentrations of natural gases change, and is also influenced by high seismotectonic activity of the Okhotsk region. This paper presents data regarding the distribution of helium, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane from mud volcanoes, thermal springs, mineral waters and other seep types on Sakhalin island and the surrounding marine margins, along with an interpretation of the geological and tectonic factors that have likely led to the present distribution of these gases. In general, the results of geothermometry equations based on the concentration and stable isotopic composition of carbon dioxide indicate much higher temperatures than equations involving the saturation concentrations of hydrogen gas. We interpret this to indicate that deeply-sourced carbon dioxide does not reequilibrate at near-surface conditions, whereas the equilibration time for hydrogen gas is relatively rapid. Areas on the island which are observed to have active degassing, coupled with high apparent reservoir temperatures also provide indicators of geodynamics along the regional tectonic structures. Mud volcanoes to the south of the island are predominantly situated at the juncture between NW-SE trending faults which extend the entire length of Sakhalin and continue as far south as Hokkaido Island, and more recently developed NE-SW trending faults. Despite the relatively low water temperatures of these mud volcanoes, the high reservoir temperatures indicated by gas chemistry suggest a source of fluids and gas at several km from the surface. • Distribution of helium, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane on Sakhalin Island and the surrounding marine margins. • Geological and tectonic factors leading to helium, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane distribution on Sakhalin Island. • Areas of active degassing present high apparent reservoir temperatures as a consequence of regional tectonic structures. • The high reservoir temperatures in Sakhalin mud volcanoes suggest a source several km from the surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]