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#21 - JRL 2007-201 - JRL Home
Lomonosov Ridge, Mendeleyev Elevation Part Of Russia's Shelf - Report

MOSCOW. Sept 20 (Interfax) - A preliminary examination of a report of the Arctic-2007 expedition has confirmed that the Lomonosov Ridge and the Mendeleyev elevation are part of Russia's continental shelf.

"Preliminary results of an analysis of the earth crust model examined by the Arctic-2007 expedition, obtained on September 20, have confirmed that the crust structure of the Lomonosov Ridge corresponds to the world analogues of the continental crust, and it is therefore part of the Russian Federation's adjacent continental shelf," the Natural Resources Ministry said in a statement.

The preliminary results were obtained on Thursday. Under the geological assignment, a report substantiating the location of the outer border of the Russian continental shelf is to be provided to the Natural Resources Ministry in December 2007.

On order from acting Natural Resources Minister Yury Trutnev, the Russian sub-surface resources agency Rosnedra's VNIIOkeangeologia Institute of oceanology and geology has conducted two comprehensive field geological and geophysical surveys, the first one in August 2005 aboard the Akademik Fyodorov research vessel near the Mendeleyev elevation (the Arctic 2005 expedition), and the second aboard the icebreaker Rossiya near the Lomonosov Bridge from May 13 to June 24, 2007 (the Arctic-2007) expedition.

In 2007, VNIIOkeangeologia, using the Rossiya icebreaker, conducted a geological and geophysical survey of the link between the Lomonosov Ridge and the shelf of the Laptev Sea and the East Siberian Sea in order to substantiate the outer border of the Russian continental shelf. The survey included deep-sea seismic studies, a gravimetric analysis of the ice, an airborne geophysical survey, seismic-acoustic and tele-and photo profiling, as well as the sampling of the sea floor.

The processing of the materials obtained and the work on a package of additional documents to be submitted to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf are continuing.

The research is part of an action plan to back Russia's bid for the legal consolidation of the outer border of the continental shelf in the Arctic and Pacific oceans for 2007-10. The plan was approved by the Natural Resources Ministry and Defense Ministry on January 31, 2007, the statement says.