On July 29, 2025, an earthquake with a moment magnitude of MW = 8.8 occurred in the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench to the east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. This earthquake ranks among the ten strongest instrumentally recorded seismic events in the world. For the first time, a megathrust earthquake of such magnitude (greater than 8.5) caused no human casualties or mass destruction. This was largely due to the advanced implementation of preventive measures on the territory of Kamchatka Krai. These measures included the targeted strengthening of the seismic resistance of buildings and structures, as well as the enhancement of alert and population evacuation algorithms. The scientific basis for planning these seismic safety measures was provided by the long-term earthquake prediction carried out by Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Sergey A. Fedotov. This paper is devoted to a contemporary reassessment of the results of long-term earthquake prediction for the Kuril–Kamchatka island arc by S. A. Fedotov in the context of the 2025 Kamchatka megathrust earthquake. The paper details the development and evolution of the method, which is grounded in the concepts of seismic gaps and the seismic cycle. The cycles of seismic activity and seismic energy release in the source area of the strongest earthquake, as constructed by S. A. Fedotov, together with the foreshock–aftershock scenario, are presented. The paper describes the long-term earthquake predictions for five-year periods and provides an overall assessment of their reliability. It is shown that, since 1965, the sources of all earthquakes with M ≥ 7.75 have occurred within the seismic gaps that S. A. Fedotov had identified as the most probable areas of the future strongest earthquakes. The source of the 2025 megathrust earthquake originated in a region that, as early as the beginning of the 1980s, had been identified as one of the segments of the Kuril–Kamchatka Arc where the next strongest earthquakes were expected. According to a refined prediction made in 2019, the probability of a megathrust earthquake occurring in that area within the following five-year period was estimated at 50.4%. Thus, the long-term earthquake prediction method by S. A. Fedotov has been successfully verified by a planetary-scale event. The 2025 Kamchatka megathrust earthquake has convincingly confirmed its fundamental tenets, indicating the high predictive efficiency of the method.

The article considers the Ossetian sector of the Greater Caucasus from the point of view of studying its seismicity and analyzing seismic hazard assessments previously constructed at all levels of seismic zoning (GSZ, DSZ and SMZ). The areas prone to strong earthquakes identified by pattern recognition methods are discussed. The results of the analysis emphasized the high level of seismic hazard of the foothill and mountainous areas of the region. The description of seismic networks that continuously monitor the region is given. The analysis of the most representative earthquake catalog with a unified magnitude scale that was previously created by the authors, and spatial variations of the magnitude of full registration, showed that the level of registration of seismic events in the east of the Ossetian sector of the Greater Caucasus is still worse than in its central and western parts.

This paper outlines the main milestones in the evolution of the Geophysical Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (GC RAS) over its 70-year history. It covers the period from the establishment of the Interdepartmental Committee for the Preparation and Conducting the International Geophysical Year under the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences to the formation of a progressive academic institute. Particular attention is paid to the individuals who contributed to the development of the scientific potential of the institute. We discuss the modern directions of fundamental research of the GC RAS and emphasize those, which are highly demanded in solving crucial applied problems.

The Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation is characterized by the rapid growth of the mining industry, aimed at the extraction of oil, gas, coal, and ores, including rare earth metals. Railways are essential in the transportation of these resources to different regions of Russia for processing and export. Part of the cargo delivery is performed via the Arctic ports connected to the railway network. Rapid climate change, including regional climate warming, is among the compromising factors for the operation of the Arctic transport infrastructure. System analysis of climatic processes and assessment of potential hazards that they may induce requires adequate geoinformation support. This paper presents the results of spatio-temporal variability analysis of various hydrometeorological parameters for selected railway mainlines within the Arctic region. For this purpose, a new geoinformation method based on the Hovmöller diagrams was elaborated. This tool is useful for representing climate dynamics along the specified railway mainlines over several decades. It allows us to determine railway sections affected by anomalous climatic conditions on the variable time scale. The presented Hovmöller diagrams proved to be an efficient instrument for the regional climate change representation. It might be quite useful for railway infrastructure maintenance, planning, operation, and adaptation.

The authors have developed a technology for estimating the parameters of non-stationary geophysical signals, using a two-stage approximation with local approximation models at the first stage and weighted averaging at the second stage. This article considered an example of estimating the amplitude, frequency and trend parametric functions for geomagnetic pulsations Pc1.

This paper analyzes and reviews the rapid uplifts of the Earth’s crust in the Caucasus that occurred over the last century. The uplifts were registered by precise repeated state leveling and reflected on officially published maps of vertical movements of the Earth’s crust. This study summarizes information on the region’s vertical movements over more than a century. The present study describes the technology for creating maps of recent vertical movements of the Earth’s crust using precision leveling data. This paper summarizes cases of recording uplifts of the Earth’s surface in other regions of the world in connection with seismic activity. The authors carried out intercomparison of vertical movements with tectonics, seismicity, and geophysical fields, which discovered their apparent mutual correspondence. This indicates the deep tectonic nature of the observed uplifts of the Earth’s crust. Spatial and temporal agreement with the distribution of strong earthquakes showed a natural relationship. It has been shown that strong earthquakes are confined to the boundaries of zones of rapid uplift. They occur predominantly in areas of transition between uplifts and subsidence. The results obtained demonstrate the role of the study and observations of vertical movements of the Caucasus in assessing periods and areas of increased seismic hazard.

Актуальность работы. В статье представлены результаты работ, направленных на развитие сети деформационного ГНСС-мониторинга восточных ветвей Владикавказского разлома на территории Республики Северная Осетия-Алания. Территория республики отличается высокой плотностью геодезических сетей: государственных, научных и коммерческих. Однако представленные ранее исследования не предусматривали использование государственных геодезических пунктов, а также построение на их основе равномерно распределенной по территории республики геодезической сети. Целью исследования, в рамках настоящей статьи, являлось формирование геодезической сети для деформационного ГНСС-мониторинга восточной части и отдельно узла сочленения Восточной и Западной ветвей Владикавказского разлома. Методы исследования. Сформированный полигон основывается на государственных геодезических пунктах, скальных центрах, заложенных коллективом авторов, и пунктах постоянно действующих сетей. Выполнены исследования по совершенствованию методики оценки точности ГНСС-измерений, связанные с особенностями горных физико-географических условий. Методика полевого контроля точностных характеристик комплектов ГНСС-аппаратуры, позволяет без эталонных построений в полевых условиях осуществлять контроль по одиночной базовой линии. Результаты исследования. Важным аспектом является применение методики к новым типам ГНСС-антенн, ранее не исследованных, включая choke-ring, а также антенн китайского производства с китайскими платами CHCNAV, которые в настоящий момент все чаще применяются на территории РФ. Обработка наблюдений по разработанному алгоритму позволила сравнить номинальные параметры ГНСС-антенн с их фактическими характеристиками и учесть фактические положения фазового центра. В сентябре 2023 г. на территории сформированного Осетинского геодинамического полигона выполнен первый цикл наблюдений за СДЗК средствами ГНСС. Первые результаты показали, что основное количество СКО положения пунктов в плане группируется в диапазоне 2–3 мм, а по высоте в диапазоне 3–5 мм. Средние значения СКО в плане и по высоте составили 3 мм и 6 мм соответственно.

This work constructs a seismic regime model for the eastern sector of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF) based on a newly developed, comprehensive integral earthquake catalog for the region, using a uniform magnitude scale from 1980 to 2020. The model parameters are calculated using a novel high-contrast mean-position method, where values are determined within large-radius circles but are assigned to the mean position of epicenters. A quantitative verification method, the L-test, based on the likelihood function, demonstrates that the model aligns well with the initial data. The magnitude–frequency distribution reconstructed from the model corresponds well with observations, both in terms of slope and the number of earthquakes. The epicenters of the largest earthquakes (M ≥ 6) from both the 1982–2020 period and the 1900–1981 period, according to the Kondorskaya–Shebalin catalog, are located in areas with high expected recurrence of such earthquakes as calculated by the model.

We solve the problem of recognizing geomagnetic storms from matrix time series of observations with the URAGAN muon hodoscope, using deep learning neural networks. A variant of the neural network software module is selected and its parameters are determined. Geomagnetic storms are recognized using binary classification procedures; a decision-making rule is formed. We estimate probabilities of correct and false recognitions. The recognition of geomagnetic storms is experimentally studied; for the assigned Dst threshold Yᴅ₀=–45 nT we obtain acceptable probabilities of correct and false recognitions, which amount to β=0.8212 and α=0.0047. We confirm the effectiveness and prospects of the proposed neural network approach.

Modern satellite positioning and navigation technologies are not applicable in specific areas such as the exploration of oil and gas deposits by means of directional drilling techniques. Here, we can rely solely on natural geophysical fields, such as the Earth’s magnetic field. The precise underground navigation of borehole drilling instruments requires a seamless, near-real-time access to operational geomagnetic data. This paper describes the MAGNUS BD hardware-software system, deployed at the Geophysical Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, that provides the efficient accumulation, storage, and processing of geomagnetic data. This system, based on the Big Data (BD) technology, is a modern successor of the MAGNUS processing software complex developed in 2016. MAGNUS BD represents one of the first cases of the BD technology’s application to geomagnetic data. Its implementation provided a significant increase in the speed of information processing and allowed for the use of high-frequency geomagnetic satellite data and expanding the overall functionality of the system. During the MAGNUS BD system’s deployment on a physically separate dedicated cluster, the existing classical database (DB) was migrated to the Arenadata database with full preservation of its functionality. This paper gives a brief analysis of the current problems of directional drilling geomagnetic support and outlines the possible solutions using the MAGNUS BD system.

This paper is devoted to the review of currently functioning seismological agencies, seismic monitoring networks created, developed and supported by them, as well as earthquake catalogs produced. Particular attention is focused on international and national seismological centers and seismic networks. A historical insight about the first observations made by seismic networks completes the picture. The basic parameters of the main seismic networks and the principles of functioning for seismological centers are considered. The key characteristics of seismic catalogs that determine the criteria for their quality are discussed. The system-analytical approach to solving the urgent problem of creating the most complete and representative earthquake catalogs with a unified magnitude scale by integrating data from international, national and regional catalogs in the studied region is presented.

Natural hazards and disasters are destructive, lead to serious material damage and a large number of casualties, and in most cases occur suddenly. One of these hazardous natural disasters is earthquakes. The article is devoted to studying the possibility of using fuzzy sets for processing Big Data to reduce the destructive consequences of earthquakes. The article proposes a new possible approach to interpreting the results of seismic zoning of the territory of the Russian Federation and neighboring countries. The article is based on the materials of the scientific report made at the All-Russian Scientific Conference “Hazardous Natural Phenomena and Disasters: Causes, Consequences, Prevention Possibilities (Laverov Readings – 2024)”.

Актуальность работы. В статье представлены результаты работ, направленных на развитие сети деформационного ГНСС-мониторинга восточных ветвей Владикавказского разлома на территории Республики Северная Осетия-Алания. Территория республики отличается высокой плотностью геодезических сетей: государственных, научных и коммерческих. Однако представленные ранее исследования не предусматривали использование государственных геодезических пунктов, а также построение на их основе равномерно распределенной по территории республики геодезической сети. Целью исследования, в рамках настоящей статьи, являлось формирование геодезической сети для деформационного ГНСС-мониторинга восточной части и отдельно узла сочленения Восточной и Западной ветвей Владикавказского разлома. Методы исследования. Сформированный полигон основывается на государственных геодезических пунктах, скальных центрах, заложенных коллективом авторов, и пунктах постоянно действующих сетей. Выполнены исследования по совершенствованию методики оценки точности ГНСС-измерений, связанные с особенностями горных физико-географических условий. Методика полевого контроля точностных характеристик комплектов ГНСС-аппаратуры, позволяет без эталонных построений в полевых условиях осуществлять контроль по одиночной базовой линии. Результаты исследования. Важным аспектом является применение методики к новым типам ГНСС-антенн, ранее не исследованных, включая choke-ring, а также антенн китайского производства с китайскими платами CNCNAV, которые в настоящий момент все чаще применяются на территории РФ. Обработка наблюдений по разработанному алгоритму позволила сравнить номинальные параметры ГНСС-антенн с их фактическими характеристиками и учесть фактические положения фазового центра. В сентябре 2023 г. на территории сформированного Осетинского геодинамического полигона выполнен первый цикл наблюдений за СДЗК средствами ГНСС. Первые результаты показали, что основное количество СКО положения пунктов в плане группируется в диапазоне 2–3 мм, а по высоте в диапазоне 3–5 мм. Средние значения СКО в плане и по высоте составили 3 мм и 6 мм соответственно Relevance. This article presents the results of work aimed at developing a deformation GNSS monitoring network for the eastern branches of the Vladikavkaz Fault in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. The region is characterized by a high density of geodetic networks, including state, scientific, and commercial networks. However, previous studies did not incorporate the use of state geodetic points or the establishment of a geodetic network uniformly distributed across the republic. The aim of the study, engineering and geodetic work in forming a geodetic network for deformation GNSS monitoring in the eastern and western branches of the Vladikavkaz fault. Research methods. The formed polygon is based on state geodetic points, rock centers laid by the team of authors, and points of permanent networks. Research was conducted to improve the methodology for assessing the accuracy of GNSS measurements, considering the specific mountain physical and geographical conditions. The field control methodology for GNSS equipment accuracy allows for in-field control using a single baseline without reference constructions. Research results. Similar experiments were previously conducted in flat terrain conditions. An important aspect is the application of the method to new types of GNSS antennas that have not been previously studied, including choke-rings, as well as Chinese-made antennas with Chinese CNCNAV boards, which are currently increasingly used in the Russian Federation. Processing observations using the developed algorithm made it possible to compare the nominal parameters of GNSS antennas with their actual characteristics and take into account the actual positions of the phase center. In September 2023, the first observation cycle for modern crustal movements using GNSS was conducted at the newly established Ossetian geodynamic polygon. The initial results indicated that most of the standard deviations for point positions in plan view were in the range of 2–3 mm, and in height, 3–5 mm. The average standard deviations values in plan view and height were 3 mm and 6 mm, respectively

The recognition of local anisotropies of muon fluxes using the functions of normalized variations for matrix observations of the URAGAN hodoscope is considered. Normalized instrument functions are introduced and spatiotemporal filtration is used, which become the basis of computation of the functions of normalized variations. An algorithm of recognition of local anisotropies is implemented. An experimental study of the application of the functions of normalized variations is carried out that confirms the efficiency of the developed algorithm for recognition of local anisotropies of muon fluxes in times series of matrix observations of the URAGAN hodoscope.

The Arctic zone of the Russian Federation is one of the most intensively developing regions of the country. Amongst the major domains of economic and industrial growth and improvement is transport infrastructure and particularly the railway network. This area is being exposed to negative factors of rapid climate change that can significantly affect and compromise this activity. Thus, it is vital to take them into account during design, construction, and operation of the railway infrastructure facilities. This work details the production of a digital atlas comprising the 1950–2021 dynamics of the main hydrometeorological parameters: air and soil temperature, precipitation, wind speed, air and soil humidity, and snow cover thickness. The maps are based on climatic data derived from the MERRA-2 (Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2) reanalysis. In total there are 459, which are arranged into 7 chapters. The atlas geographically covers the western part of the Russian Arctic encompassing the regions of quite intensive transport development, which includes the construction of the Northern Latitudinal Railway. Original algorithms of geospatial data processing and their further representation as well as the maps compiled in GIS environment are discussed. Comprehensive analysis of climatic changes in the region of the Russian Arctic including detailed quantitative evaluation over 40 years is given. In the Discussion, we focus on those changes of the regional climate which, from our point of view, are the most significant for consideration by railway operators. The obtained results contribute to framing the theoretical basis of design, development, and sustainable operation of the railway infrastructure in the Arctic and facilitate the decision-making process. This is the first experience of building a specialized climatic cartographic product for the needs of the Russian railways, and to our knowledge the first atlas such as that in the world. In the future, the amassed experience may be transferred to other regions of the Russian Federation as well as similar regions in Canada, Sweden and Highland China that are also subject to significant climate change.

The authors study the possible influence of geomagnetic activity of railway automatics in the Russian Arctic. For the analysis they use the indices of global and regional geomagnetic activity along with the archive of failures on the Northern section of the Oktyabrskaya railway in 2001—2006. The geomagnetic activity is found to be higher for days with failures than for days without the ones. This effect manifests itself in different types of geomagnetic disturbances, including magnetic storms, characterized by the storm index Dst, auroral activations, quantified in AE and EI indices, as well as in local index WY indicating spectral power of geomagnetic variations in milliHerz frequency range. The maximum differences for days with and without failures are obtained for index values averaged over 2—4 days. At the same time, the researchers have found no significant differences between failures for which a cause not related to geomagnetic disturbance is a priori indicated, and those for which such a cause is not identified.

Arctic zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF) is the region of intensive economic development. In this regard, it is critical to give an adequate assessment of natural factors that may have a negative impact on the growing technological infrastructure. Rapid climate change effects show a significant influence on this activity, including the railway network development. Hence, the decision-making community requires relevant information on climatic variations that can put at hazard the construction and operation of railway facilities. This paper presents the analysis of climatic changes within the region of Central and Western Russian Arctic in 1980–2021. It was performed using the new electronic Atlas of climatic variations in main hydrometeorological parameters, created for the Russian Railways in 2023. This geoinformatic product includes about 400 digital maps reflecting the variability of seven climatic parameters over more than four decades within the studied region. These parameters are air temperature, total precipitation, wind speed, soil temperature, soil moisture content, air humidity, and snow cover thickness. The analysis of climatic maps and their comparison between selected periods showed spatial and temporal heterogeneity of climatic variations in this region. This justifies the feasibility of further research using additional analytical instruments, such as Hovmöller diagrams, time series graphs, etc. The implementation of advanced geoinformatic products in the practice of the Russian Railways will facilitate sustainable development of its infrastructure in rapidly altering climatic conditions.

The article examines the current and future flow of preparation's plant production processes and how they contribute to the generation of Big Data. It is shown that as the level of automation in the plant increases, the data produced becomes more extensive and varied. At the same time, it is possible to achieve a level when the generated information flows meet the criteria of the Big Data. As a basic example, a typical coal processing plant is used. The main sources, volumes, variety and speeds of data transfer to the processing plant are described and analyzed.

This article is the continuation of a study by authors to create the most complete and representative earthquake catalogs with a unified magnitude scale. The catalog created of the Ossetian sector of the Greater Caucasus (the territory of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania and adjacent areas) was formed by the aggregation of all available data from Soviet, modern Russian, and Georgian catalogs, as well as the data from the International Seismological Centre. The integration was carried out using the author’s approach based on the modified nearest neighbor method. The integrated catalog of the Ossetian sector of the Greater Caucasus contains 16,285 events for the period 1962–2022. For all events, magnitude estimates are reduced to a unified “proxy-MW” scale. The integration of data from various sources made it possible to significantly replenish the beginning of the aftershock sequence of the Racha earthquake with MW = 7.0, which occurred on 29 April 1991. There has been a change in the level of registration over time. Thus, there is a significant lack of events for the periods 1967–1970 and 1988–1991; starting from 1995, the catalog is complete for magnitude 3.2, and since 2005 for magnitude 2.2. The integration of Soviet and modern Russian and Georgian catalogs made it possible to significantly increase the completeness and representativeness of seismic events in the studied Ossetian sector of the Greater Caucasus. This once again demonstrates both the fundamental importance of merging seismic data from global, national, and regional catalogs and the effectiveness of the author’s developed method.