Department of problems of the Carpathians geology

Department of problems of the Carpathians geology

A head of the department: D. Sc. Stupka O.

Department belongs to one of the oldest in the Institute. It was founded under name “Department of the Paleogeografy and Tectonics of the fossil fuels provinces” in the 1949 by L’viv branch of the Institute of Geological Sciences of AS UkSSR. Department was lead by Academician O. S. Vialov. In the 1988 doctor of geological-mineralogical sciences O. S. Stupka became the leader of the department.

There are 15 employees working at the department of problems of the Carpathian geology, among their number are 2 Doctors of Science and 3 Candidates of Science.

Present-day strategy of the development of the Earth’s science is directed to the studying of common regularities of the evolutional development of the Earth and forming of its geospheres, studying of lithosphere and dynamics of the evolution of its geotectonic elements, the law-governed nature of the formation and location of the fields of oil and gas in the earth’s crust. The development of mobilistic conception of tectonogenesis in the course of the last ten-years period as well as regulations of a new discipline, which attains for geotectonics a character of basic, namely non-linear geodynamics, have lead to cardinal changes in the common geological notions. Various contradictions of tectonic evolution of the Ukrainian Carpathians existed for a long period of time find their new decision within the framework of modern tectonic conceptions. Just this has determined the directions of researches for the department: studying of geological structure (including deep-seated) of the Carpathian buildup and adjacent regions and reconstruction of their geodynamic evolution from the positions of the mobilistic conception of tectonogenesis. Scientific-research works of the department are carried out in three directions: tectonic, paleontological-stratigraphic, magmatic.

In the aspect of the development of these subjects the scientific basis of a new basic direction in the study of the geological structure and the development of the Ukrainian Carpathians was laid the essence of which is in cardinal reconstruction of geological investigations on the way to perceiving the evolution of geological processes in the history of the region’s development, determining the character of its structural forms and their genesis and relationship.

The main scientific achievements obtained by the team of the department:

  • for the first time from the positions of regional geodynamics was reconstructed the evolution of the territory of the Ukrainian Carpathians and adjacent margins of the East European Platform as constituent parts of the northern continental edge of the Tethys Ocean in the Mesozoic-Cainozoic periods; the typification of the tectonic elements of the Carpathian region and adjacent areas was carried out from the positions of the mibilistic conception of tectonogenesis;
  • the stratigraphic scheme of the Neogen deposits of Precarpathia was verified; the wording and supplements into stratigraphy and tectonics of the Inner zone of the Carpathian Foredeep were made, the geological structure of the key plots in the Skybian, Krosno, Duklya, Sukhiv, Burkut and Rakhiv zones was verified; sedimentological studies of a series of flysch and molasse stratons were conducted that will become the basis of paleogeographic and paleogeodynamic reconstruction;
  • conducted biostratigraphic studies have allowed us to confirm the availability of the Cretaceous deposits in the Golyatyn anticline and legitimacy of their distinguishing as a separate structure;
  • a new version of the scheme of stratigraphy of the Miocene deposits of the Transcarpathian deep was developed. Obtained results were included into the regional scheme of the Neogen stratigraphy of the Transcarpathian deep as a constituent part of the scheme series of the new generation;
  • a verifed scheme of the evolution of magmatism was given taking into account the new data on magmatism of the Ukrainian Carpathians and the whole region of Pancardi. For the first time the intensity of the Neogen volcanism of the Carpathians was estimated on the basis of determination of common and apparent density of the thermal energy being discharged in the process of magmatism;
  • detailed geochemical and mineralogical-petrographical correlation was made between the composition of ophiolite associations of the Tethys area and ultrabasic and basic rocks of the Mesozoic of the Ukrainian Carpathians. It was proved that these rocks are complementary fragments of ophiolites of the Tethys;
  • on the basis of mathematical modelling of the curve of lithosphere of the Western Ukraine and the comperative analysis a geodynamic history of this territory at the Cainozoic stage was reconstructed. Studying of the rock fracturing in different tectonic zones of the given region has made it possible to reconstruct the evolution of the stress fields during the formation of the outer orogen of the Carpathian Foredeep and the north-western margin of the East European Platform;
  • on the basis of using the methods of basin analysis, structural geology and tectonic geomorphology a model of geodynamics of fractured tectonics of the Carpathian Foredeep and its basement was developed. The results of investigations will be used to explain the peculiarities of the formation and preservation of the deposits of oil and gas.

      • The department co-operates scientifically with the Polish Geological Institute (Warsaw) and the Carpathian Branch of the same Institute (Cracow). As a result of the integrated research work was a geological map of the frontier areas of the Polish and the Ukrainian Carpathians at a scale of 1:200000.

      The department is a coordinator of research works on the Carpathian region in the framework of the tasks of the commission for tectonics, stratigraphy and paleogeography of CBGA.

      For the last 5 years the results of scientific achievements of the employees of the department were published in 3 monographs, 76 papers, 14 abstracts including in the foreign issues, and stated in one dissertation. One author’s certificate was obtained.

      The department trains new scientific personnel. Every year the future scientists study at the post-graduate course by speciality “Geotectonics”.

      The head of the department D. Sc. Stupka O. was awarded with the Honorary Diploma of the Presidium of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Honorary Diploma of the Bureau of the State Western Science Centre of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education of Ukraine; Honorary “Silver Badge” of the Geologists Association of Ukraine.