Geochemistry

The Head of the Chair, Academician V.A.Zharikov

The Chair trains students in three areas of specialization: (1) "Geochemistry", (2) "Geochemical Methods of Prospecting for Mineral Deposits", and (3) "Ecological Ceochemistry". Every year 10-15 students graduate from the Chair.

The Chair offers more than 50 various lecture-, laboratory- and field-based courses. They are delivered by 10 Sc.D. (among which are 2 Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1 Member and 1 Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences) and 20 Ph.D. The core lecture-based courses are "Geochemistry" and "Geochemistry of Individual Elements". Field courses in field methods of geochemical and ecogeochemical works are conducted in the National Park "Losiny Ostrov" and at the Scientific Centre of MSU in Meshera (the Vladimir region). Also students have a variety of options of practically-based courses at the Institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Industrial Departments of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and other organizations and institutions that the Chair maintains close links with. Students are offered a number of opportunities to participate in expeditions organized by the Chair to the Northern Caucasia, Karelia, Kamchatka, Central Russia , etc.

Field training in the Northern Caucasus

Members of the Chair published a large number of textbooks and monographs, among which are "Geochemistry", "Geochemical Methods of Prospecting for Ore Deposits", "Mineralogy and Petrography", "Mineralogy", "Geochemical Methods of Prospecting for Mineral Deposits", "Thermodynamics of Geochemical Processes", "Nuclear Geochemistry", and "Principles of Physical Geochemistry".

Geochemistry can be subdivided into a number of branches in accordance with methods and subjects of investigations, including analytical geochemistry; isotope geochemistry; physical geochemistry and its principal methods (thermodynamics of geochemical processes, physicochemical analysis, experimental modeling, theoretical simulation and computations); geochemistry of natural objects (mantle geochemistry, magmatism geochemistry, metamorphism geochemistry, etc.); geochemical methods of search for mineral deposits; enrivonmental geochemistry. Among the main results, one can mention the development of a technology of geochemical prospecting for various mineral resources (gold, diamonds, etc.) and the development of methods and software products for the simulation of hydrothermal and magmatic processes.

Geochemical data processing with the help of software COLD

Both scientific research and training of students are carried out according to the following lines of investigations:

• physical geochemistry of natural processes (experiment and simulation);
• methods of material studies: spectral, atomic absorptive, x-ray radiometric, mass-spectral, etc.;
• computer processing of geochemical data and simulation of natural processes;
• geochemical methods of prospecting for mineral deposits;
• environmental geochemistry.