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The definition of glacial deposits (tillites) in Precambrian sections is a difficult task due to the frequent similarity of their composition and structure with other sedimentary rocks. This is due to the fact that Precambrian sediments have been losing their inherent geomorphological and lithological features over their long history. Tillites are important markers of climate change and are widely used in stratigraphic correlations and geodynamic reconstructions. The research in this article is aimed at studying tillites within the Bolshoy Karatau ridge in order to substantiate the composition and age of rocks on the eroded surface during the movement of ancient glacier. The age values of detrital zircons from the tillite matrix form the main intervals of 740-856 million years (32 grains), 1950-2040 million years (14 grains) and 2200-2630 million years (26 grains) with age peaks of 765, 835, 924, 2030 and 2435 Ma. The following ages were obtained for boulders from the tillite horizon: 746±4 million years (9 grains); 778±4 million years (9 grains); 746±3 million years (13 grains); 788±3 million years (16 grains). The obtained dates for boulders from the tillite horizon have similar age analogues within the Middle Tien Shan, Karatau-Talas, Zheltau, Chu-Kendyktas, and Ulutau blocks.

This special issue of the Geology and Geophysics contains articles presented in the wake of the scientific conference "High-Pressure Mineral Formation Processes: The Origin of Diamonds and Mantle Magmas," dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding researcher of diamond formation, Academician Nikolai Vladimirovich Sobolev. The conference took place from June 17–19, 2025, in the Novosibirsk Akademgorodok at the V.S. Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The range of topics covered, from detailed studies of crystal structure defects in individual diamonds and inclusions in it to the regimes and timing of plate tectonics on the early Earth, fully reflects N.V. Sobolev's contribution to the formation of modern understanding of the evolution of the Earth's mantle composition and the formation settings of kimberlites and diamonds.

The main process that changes Earth’s silicate composition after core segregation is the formation and recycling of continental crust. These processes are closely related to the tectonic regimes that operated at different times during Earth’s history. This review combines recent geochemical data and geodynamic models of how continental crust formed throughout Earth’s history, especially during the Hadean and Archean eons. Continental crust cannot form by direct melting of the dry ultramafic mantle. It requires water, mafic protolith, and minerals compatible with high-field-strength elements (Ti, Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf), such as amphibole, rutile, ilmenite, or jadeite pyroxene. For the early Earth, the most likely model involves two stages: first, basaltic or picritic (oceanic) crust is extracted from the mantle, leaving behind a refractory harzburgitic residue. Then, after hydration, the oceanic crust subducts, melts or releases water to flux melting in the mantle, creating continental-crust magmas. Meanwhile, the remaining refractory residue mixes with refractory mantle material, producing a depleted mantle reservoir. Canonical Nb/U and Ce/Pb ratios are unaffected by mantle melting under dry conditions but change during melt generation when amphibole and high-Ti phases are present. Therefore, these ratios are useful indicators of continental crust formation. Geochemical tracers such as (1) Sr isotope compositions of komatiite melts and plagioclase in anorthosites, (2) element ratios in komatiite melts, (3) trace element contents and Hf isotopic compositions of zircon, and (4) decay products of short-lived Sm and Hf isotopes in rocks either support or do not contradict the operation of active continental crust formation and mantle depletion during the Hadean. Production and recycling of continental crust in this period likely involved episodic, short-lived subduction triggered by plumes. Overall, these findings suggest that tectonic regimes in the Hadean (4.4-4.0 Ga after magma-ocean solidification) and in the Eoarchean (4-3.6 Ga) were more dynamic and varied in time and space than previously thought. However, the development of global plate tectonics—requiring a connected network of subduction zones, mid-ocean ridges, and transform faults—could only start later, during the Archean. The causes of the onset of plate tectonics throughout Earth’s history are still debated, and new ideas (such as those involving surface processes, such as the erosion of continents) are being proposed and require further testing.

In this paper, we propose a method using conformal meshes to solve bimaterial topological optimization problems in linear and nonlinear formulations. The features of using conformal meshes in the case of solving contact problems are considered. The solution speed and results of bimaterial topological optimization on uniform and conformal meshes were compared. The results demonstrate that the use of conformal meshes increases the speed of solution of topological optimization problem by more than 12 times.

In this paper, the formation of perfect optical vortex beams is investigated based on numerical simulation for different parameters of the optical system, such as the axicon angle and the vortex beam order. The formation of beams during propagation in free space and in the focal plane is considered, which can be useful for optical capture and movement of microparticles.

This paper presents the results of developing a generator of chemically active oxygen species for air disinfection and purification for agricultural applications. The main functional element of the generator is a new highly efficient oxide photocatalyst of the Cu/ZnO-ZnAl₂O₄ system. The use of this photocatalyst ensures intensive generation of chemically active singlet oxygen, purification and disinfection of ambient air, and preservation of the high quality and freshness of agricultural products.

In recent decades, there has been a rapid increase in the use of deep machine learning tools based on artificial neural networks in various fields of science. Deep neural networks vary in their architecture, for example, in a convolutional neural network, different layers can use convolutional kernels to extract key features from an image and pool the layers to generalize these features. Recurrent neural networks process sequential data series and retain memory of past data by returning the output of a layer back to the same layer. Training a neural network involves optimizing the weights of connections in the network to minimize the prediction error. Deep learning has the potential to leverage information hidden in large datasets to provide innovative solutions to complex environmental challenges. Big data consists of images, audio, videos, or unstructured text, which can be challenging to analyze using traditional statistical methods. With an exponential increase in publications on the methods and results of deep learning on neural networks in various fields of knowledge, this review attempts to analyze some of its applications in the field of forest ecology. In particular, it presents the results of using artificial neural networks to solve certain problems in Russian forestry, such as combining heterogeneous data to estimate forest phytomass, mapping and predicting forest cover dynamics, and identifying plant roots in minirizotron images. The final section describes some of the achievements, challenges, and uncertainties of deep machine learning in ecosystem ecology.

The genus willow ( Salix L.), characterized by a widespread occurrence of polyploidy (ranging from 2n = 38 to 12n = 228) and chromosome number instability, is of significant interest to evolutionary biology and breeding. Arcto-Montane willows possess valuable adaptations to extreme environmental conditions and ornamental potential for landscape design; however, they remain cytogenetically understudied, particularly in Russia, where taxonomic and ecological research predominates. This work addresses this gap by applying a flow cytometry method to determine the ploidy level of 13 Arcto-Montane willows from the collection of the Botanical Garden, Russian Academy of Sciences, Ural Branch in the city of Yekaterinburg. The study employed an external standardization method, based on calculating the ratio of samples nuclear fluorescence intensity, followed by determining DNA content using internal standardization (with Solanum pseudocapsicum L., garden parsley ( Petroselinum crispum (Mill.) Fuss), and Pisum sativum L. as standards). The protocol was optimized by adding 2 % PVP to neutralize secondary metabolites. The results confirmed diploid level (2x) for creeping willow ( Salix repens L.), Pyrenean willow ( Salix pyrenaica Gouan), mountain willow ( Salix arbuscula L.), Salix saxatilis Turcz., and fishy willow ( Salix foetida Schleich. ex DC.), and tetraploid level (4x) for Salix caesia Vill. Specimens of retuse-leaved willow ( Salix retusa L.), Salix glauca var. callicarpaea ‘Haltia’, and Salix foetida × retusa were found to be octoploid (8x), while while gray willow ( Salix glauca L.) was decaploid (10x). The obtained data on ploidy and DNA content are important for taxonomy, hybrid identification, and the selection of perspective breeding material. Further molecular genetic studies are required to confirm the parental forms of the hybrid taxa.

Siberian dwarf pine ( Pinus pumila (Pall.) Regel) , is a valuable source of dietary lipids containing biologically active fatty acids (FA), including pinolenic, linoleic and oleic acids, which have anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic and cardioprotective properties, have a number of beneficial effects on body weight, as well as on fat deposition by increasing energy consumption (oxidation of fatty acids) and reducing energy consumption with food (decreased appetite). Siberian dwarf pine cones were collected in the Irkutsk Oblast, Bodaibinsky District, near the village of Artemovsky and in the Bilibinsky District of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug at the Bayimka (Peschanka) deposit. Gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GC-MS) has revealed a high lipid content in Siberian dwarf pine seeds: in the Irkutsk Oblast, the total lipid content is 66.25 %, and in the Chukotka Autonomous District - 64.67 %, which confirms their nutritional and functional value. Linoleic acid (42.29-42.43 %), oleic acid (24.58-25.51 %) and pinolenic acid (17.27-18.29 %) were the dominant fatty acids, while the proportion of saturated LC (palmitic and stearic) did not exceed 7.5 %, which further increases the nutritional attractiveness of raw materials. It has been established that the total lipid content and profile of most LC are maintained at a high and stable level. However, statistically significant differences in the content of pinolenic acid were found between seeds from different regions ( p < 0.05), which may be related to the climatic conditions of growth. The results obtained indicate the high prospects of using siberian dwarf pine lipids for the development of innovative functional food products, biologically active additives and pharmaceuticals aimed at correcting metabolic disorders and improving cardiovascular health.

Forests are complex biological systems that constantly interact with the atmosphere and are influenced by man-made pollutants. This article examines anthropogenic emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere from stationary sources, such as large factories, thermal power plants, and others. The morphological and anatomical characteristics of Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) undergrowth needles were studied in stands both growing under minimal anthropogenic impact and under the influence of man-made emissions. To study the impact of atmospheric pollution, two sites were selected in Krasnoyarsk (Akademgorodok and Tatyshev Island), one site in the Berezovsky District (Devil’s Finger Rock), and two sites in the Western Sayan Mountains (Medovy Klyuch Stream and Titenkino tract). To maximize the information content, undergrowth up to 2.5 m in height was selected. Data on atmospheric pollution at the selected sites were obtained from the State Report «On the State and Protection of the Environment in Krasnoyarsk Krai in 2023». The morphological and anatomical features of Scots pine needles were studied: needle length, width, and thickness, the width and thickness of the central cylinder, the size of the vascular bundles, and the number and size of resin ducts. Variable and stable features of the internal structure of the needles were identified. The most variable features were needle length, needle thickness, and the number of resin ducts. The most stable features were needle width, the size of the central cylinder, the width of the vascular bundles, and the average diameter of the resin duct. It was shown that under anthropogenic load, needles have a smaller length and width, as well as a smaller number of resin ducts. It has been established that much data regarding the morphology of needles exposed to various influences remains controversial and requires further research. The obtained results demonstrate the high sensitivity of needle morphological traits to environmental changes and once again highlight the potential for using these parameters as indicators of the ecological state of forest ecosystems. The research findings may be useful for monitoring forest health and developing conservation measures under anthropogenic, including recreational, influences.