V L A D I M I R I V A N O V I C H S M I R N O V

(ON THE OCCASION OF HIS SIXTIETH BIRTHDAY)

Academician Vladimir Ivanovich Smirnov was born in Moscow on January 3i , 19!0. In 1934, he g rad- unfed f rom the Moscow Geological and Exploration Institute, and completed his graduate studies in 1938, de- fending his thesis "Regularit ies in the distribution of mineral izat ion, and prospect ing techniques in the Ta!as Alata~ region,"

The prominent Soviet Scientist Academician S. S. Smirnov recognized Vladimir Ivanovich, in the very f i r s t yea r s of the l a t t e r ' s professional activit ies, as one of the leading representa t ives of the young genera- tion of scient is ts , and suggested that in the near future he would become one of the lea:cling r e s e a r c h scien- t ists on ore occur rences .

The scientif ic activities of V. I. Smirnov were devoted to the investigatior~ of geology and the genesis of endogenetic ore occurrences , to the development of efficient procedures in prospecting, exploration, and assay of ores and minerals . The principal regions in which he did his geological work were: the Far East , Central Asia, and the Caucasus; he also visited many ore d is t r ic ts of the Soviet Union and foreign ca~ntries, He inspected 245 occurrences of economic minera ls in their total complexity.

Vladimir Ivanovich was the f i r s t scientist in our country to set down principles for prospect ing ore deposits other than outcroppings; these principles were a great help in discovering other occur rences of metal l i ferous ores .

Translated f rom Atomnaya ]~nergiya, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 81-82, January, 1970 .

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Great importance attaches to the activit ies of V. I. Smirnov in his capacity as chai rman of the All- Union Commission on Ore Reserves, and in the post of vice-minister of geology of the USSR (where he served 1946-1951). He also made a systematic survey of the most valuable material available on the theory and techniques of geological prospecting, introduced greater efficiency into calculations of ore reserves, and applied classifications of reserves to various groups of mineral occurrences. The method of geological blocks which he developed for calculating reserves of mineral raw materials in the bowels of the earth has become very popular among geologists. Vladimir Ivanovich is author of the monograph "How to calculate reserves of mineral raw materials" which appeared in print in 1950, as well as other works on procedures for use in calculating mineral reserves, and this monograph has become a. valuable reference book in the study of occurrences, and in the determination of their scale, scope, and potentials.

V. I, Smirnov discovered regularities in the metallogenetic zoning of folded regions, correlated with the types of geosynclines and their internal tectonic structure. He determined the relationships prevailing between endogenetic and exogenetic processes in the formation of occurrences of minerals associated with volcanic activity. At present, Vladimir Ivanovich is actively engaged in the study of the complicated problem of sources of ore-forming substances in endogenetic ore occurrences, pointing out, among these, the mag- marie subcrustal matter of the upper mantle, the magmatic matter of the earth's crust, and the extramag- tactic mineral mass .

Vladimir Ivanovich's investigations into the geological structures of uranium occurrences and the metallogenesis of uranium are also of first-ranking importance.

V. I. Smirnov never lost his connection with industry. In possession of enormous erudition, he partic- ipated as a consultant geologist in the evaluation and estimation of ore deposits, including occurrences of radioactive mineral raw materials~

During the years of the Great Patriotic War, when all geological efforts in our country were directed to the discovery of minerals haying immediate strategic significance, V. I. Smirnov was assigned to the post of Chief Geologist of the Khaidarkan Mercury Combine, where he applied much labor and energy to the investigation of occurrences of rare metals and to the expansion of the raw materials base of the antimony -mercury belt of the Alai mountain range in Central Asia.. His fruitful activities during the war years con- tributed mightily to supplying defense industries with the necessary strategic raw materials.

Vla dimir Ivanovich carried on extensive pedagogical work over the course of many years. In 1938, he was elected dean of the geological (MGRI), where he presented a lecture course on economic minerals and on prospecting and exploration procedures and techniques. After defending his doctoral thesis, which was published in the form of a major work entitled Geology of Mercury Occurrences of Central Asia~ he continued his teaching activities a.t MGRI and at the Institute of Nonferrous Metals and Gold, in the capacity offullprofessor (1946-1952). From 1951 to the present, the teaching activities of V. I. Smirnov have been associated with the Moscow State University, where he presents a lecture course in the geology department on the geology and exploration of occurrences of economic minerals. He founded a chair of economic min- erals studies, which he heads, at the geological department of Moscow State University. Vladmir Ivanovich has trained over 500 geologists, 30 degree candidates, and among his students are counted many renowned production geologists and outstanding scientists, professors, corresponding members of the USSR Academy of Sciences, and recipients of the Lenin Prize and State Prize.

V. I. Smirnov wrote the famous textbook "Geological Fundamentals of Prospecting and Exploration of Ore Occurrences" [Geologicheskie osnovy poiskov i razvedok rudnykh mestorozhdenii], in which occur- rences are systematized for prospecting purposes, and light is thrown on specific features of prospecting and exploration work, and geological prospecting work in different regions and at different types of occur- rences.

One summary of all of the many years of the activities of V. I. Smirnov in scientific research and teaching is the fundamental work Geology of Economic Minerals, which discusses the geology and conditions of formation of the most varied occurrences of mineral raw materials. This book is a major contribution to the science, and a valuable reference for any geologist ; it has been through two editions, and has been t rans la ted into several foreign languages. A valuable manual on techniques for geologists studying regional regula r i t i es of the spatial location of ore occur rences in different metallogenetic provinces is provided by V. I. Smirnov ' s Outlines of Metallogenesis, which also appeared in 1963. Vladimir Ivanovich has published a total of 360 scientific contributions to the l i tera ture as of this writing, including 12 books.

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V. I. Smirnov was elected a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1958, and was elected an active member of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1962.

In additionto this r e sea rch and teaching activities, V. I. Smirnov also shoulders a considerable load of scientific organizational work. He is a member of the bureau of the Division of Ear th Sciences, a r e - sponsibility he has been discharging since 1963, he has been the assis tant academician- s ec r e t a ry of the Division of Earth Sciences since 1964, and in 1969 he was elected academic ian - sec re t a ry of the Division of Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemis t ry ; he is present ly a member of the Pres id ium of the Academy of Sci- ences of the USSR.

V. I. Smirnov is the ed i tor - in-chief of the periodical Geologiya Rudnykh Mestorozhdenii a member of the editorial staff of several periodicals , including the periodical Atomnaya Energiya; he is also chai rman of the Scientific Council on Ore Format ion. He has been elected f i r s t v ice-pres ident of the International Associat ion of Genesis of Ore Deposits, and v ice-pres ident of the International Union of Geological Sciences. V. I. Smirnov is an acting member of severa l foreign academies of sciences and geological societ ies . He has been awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Labor Red Banner, and several medals .

Academician V. I. Smirnov is one of the foremost scient is ts in the field of the study of ore occur - r ences . He enjoys widespread renown not only in our country, but around the world. His works and contr i - butions have been of enormous importance in the construct ion of the theory of the formation of ore occur- rences and problems in metallogenesis , and in the cause of utilizing the science to bes t advantage for the solution of pract ical problems concerning the establishment and expansion of the national mineral ray' mare- r ials base .

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