VSEGEI. Geological map of the continents. Leningrad, D.V. Na - Lot 65

VSEGEI. Geological map of the continents. Leningrad, D.V. Nalivkin, 1971/1973. Color printed map in six unattached sheets, each sheet measures approx. 72.5 x 81 cm. Very good condition. Monumental Russian-language geological map of the world, published in the Soviet Union in 1973. "The map was approved by the VSEGEI Scientific Editorial Board on January 26, 1971. Designed and printed in the Leningrad map factory of the Aerogeological Association. Editor: cartographer V. A. Kalinin, geologist. M. B. Leikina Technical Editor...Edition 2,500 copies. Signed for publication on 28/VI 1973". Shown on a polyconic projection, the map uses colored shading to differentiate dozens of geological strata. All are identified by a legend in reverse order at bottom left. An inset text in the lower center reads: "The Geological Map of the Continents, scale 1:15 million, was produced by the Scientific Geological Research Institute of the Union of the Order of Lenin (VSEGE[I]) from published cartographic and literary sources. Quaternary deposits are shown on the map only in areas where they are widespread, where the geological construction of pre-quaternary deposits is unknown. This map is published at the same time as a world map of natural resources at the same scale". Geological science is far from my specialty, but I suspect that the map is of historical interest because of the discrepancies between the stratigraphic classification system used at the time in the Soviet Union and that employed elsewhere in the world (see Alexandr I. Zhamoida, "Comparing the Soviet Stratigraphic Code with the International Guide. The Scientific and Geological Research Institute of the Union of the Order of Lenin [VSEGEI]. The origins of the VSEGEI date back to 1882, when the Geological Committee of Russia (Geolkom) was founded. Its initial mission was to carry out geological studies and draw up a geological map of the Russian Empire. The institution was charged with the systematic study of Russia's natural resources, including coal, oil and mineral deposits. By 1917, Geolkom had become a respected center of geological research, producing the first comprehensive geological maps of the empire. In the Cold War era, the Soviet Union's efforts to develop its heavy industry, nuclear technology and space programs required large quantities of raw materials, including uranium, bauxite, iron ore and oil. The VSEGEI made a significant contribution to the exploration and development of Siberia, which became the heart of Soviet natural resource extraction. VSEGEI's notable achievements during this period include its role in the discovery of major oil and gas deposits in Western Siberia, and major mineral deposits in Kazakhstan and other remote regions of the USSR. These discoveries contributed to the Soviet Union's superpower status, particularly in the field of energy production, with oil and gas becoming major export products. The VSEGEI also advanced geological science during this period, employing new techniques in geophysical prospecting, geochemistry and drilling. It contributed to the production of detailed geological maps of the entire Soviet Union, including the remote and inhospitable regions of the Far North and Far East. VSEGEI survived the collapse of the Soviet Union and continues to play a vital role in geological science and mineral exploration in Russia, particularly in Siberia and the Arctic. Expert: Béatrice Loeb-Larocque