January 11, 2021

A New Book: The Subsurface Temperature Field and Permafrost in the Vilyui Basin

In December 2020, a 123-paged monograph “The Subsurface Temperature Field and Permafrost in the Vilyui Basin” by M.N. Zhelezniak and V.P. Semenov was published in Novosibirsk by the RAS Siberian Branch Press (in Russian). It presents an overall summary of geothermal research conducted in the region by MPI since the 1950s. The book describes the environmental setting and ground temperature controls, as well as the history, methods and major findings of previous work. The thermal regime of disequilibrium permafrost is characterized. Permafrost thicknesses are estimated for mineral deposits, hydrocarbon fields and structural units within the Vilyui Basin. Bulk determinations of rock thermal and physical properties are presented. Using the thermophysical properties and thermal measurements, geothermal heat flow distribution in the Vilyui Basin is estimated.

With enormous gratitude, the authors dedicate this book to their colleagues who began pioneering geothermal investigations in the region in the mid-20th century: V.N. Devyatkin, V.T. Balobaev, A.I. Levchenko, B.V. Volodko, S.V. Danilevsky, V.G. Tungusov, D.V. Rybnikov, and V.G. Rusakov.