Vladimir Obruchev 2832671 220997214 2008-06-22T16:05:58Z Ghirlandajo 147410 massive structural cleanup [[Image:Obruchev za tainami plutona.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Vladimir Obruchev on the cover of his memoirs, ''Digging for Pluto's Secrets'']] '''Vladimir Afanasyevich Obruchev''' ({{lang-ru|Влади́мир Афана́сьевич О́бручев}}; {{OldStyleDate|October 10|1863|September 28}}, Klepenino near [[Rzhev]], [[Tver Oblast]] – [[June 19]], [[1956]], [[Moscow]]) was a [[Russia]]n [[geologist]] who specialized in the study of [[Siberia]] and [[Central Asia]]. He was also one of the first [[science fiction]] authors in Russia. == Scientific research == Vladimir Obruchev graduated from the [[Petersburg Mining Institute]] in [[1886]]. His early work involved the study of gold-mining, which led him to come up with a theory explaining the origin of gold deposits in [[Siberia]]. He also gave advice on construction of the [[Central Asian Railway|Central Asian]] and [[Trans-Siberian Railway]]s and consulted [[Sven Hedin]] on his projected journey to Siberia. Having spent half a century in exploring Siberia and Inner Asia, Obruchev summarized his findings in a three-volume [[monograph]], ''The Geology of Siberia'' ([[1935]]–[[1938]]), followed by ''The History of Geological Exploration of Siberia''. Many of his works deal with the origins of [[loess]] in Central Asia and Siberia, [[ice]] formation and [[permafrost]] in Siberia, problems of Siberian [[tectonics]], and Siberian [[Gold mining|goldfield]]s. He also authored many popular scientific works, such as ''Formation of Mountains and Ore Deposits'' ([[1932]]), ''Fundamentals of Geology'' ([[1944]]), ''Field Geology'' ([[1927]]), ''Ore Deposits'' ([[1928]]–1929), and others. == Popular fiction == In his native country Obruchev is best known as the author of two perenially popular [[science fiction]] novels, ''[[Hollow Earth#Recent history|Plutonia]]'' ([[1915]]) and ''[[Sannikov Land]]'' ([[1924]]). Both of these stories, following the pattern set by [[Arthur Conan Doyle]]'s ''[[The Lost World (Arthur Conan Doyle)|The Lost World]]'', depict in vivid detail the discovery of an isolated world of prehistoric animals in the depths of Siberia. In ''Plutonia'', the dinosaurs and other Jurassic species are placed in a fictional underground area of Russian Siberia. The detailed descriptive passages are made credible by Obruchev's deep grounding in [[paleontology]]. During the Soviet period, Obruchev attempted to emulate Edwardian models of boys' [[adventure novel|adventure stories]] in his novels ''Golddiggers in the Desert'' (1928) and ''In the Wilds of Central Asia'' ([[1951]]). == Official positions == * [[Professor]] of the [[Tomsk State Technical University]] ([[1919]]–[[1921]]), * Professor of the [[Taurida University]] in [[Simferopol]] ([[1918]]–1919), * Professor of the [[Moscow Mining Academy]] (1921-1929); * Member of the [[Soviet Academy of Sciences]] ([[1929]]); * Chairman of the Committee on [[Permafrost]] Studies (since [[1930]]); * Director of the Institute of Permafrost Studies of the Soviet Academy of Sciences (since [[1939]]); * Secretary of the Department of Geological and Geographical Sciences of the Soviet Academy of Sciences ([[1942]]–[[1946]]); * Honorary president of the [[Soviet Geographical Society]] (since [[1947]]). == Awards and honors == * [[Hero of Socialist Labor]] ([[1945]]) * The [[Nikolai Przhevalsky|Przhevalsky]] Prize * The Great Gold Medal of the [[Russian Geographical Society]] * Two [[Pyotr Alexandrovich Chikhachov|Chikhachov]] Prizes from the [[French Academy of Sciences]] ([[1898]] and [[1925]]) * The first ever [[Aleksandr Karpinsky|Karpinsky]] Gold Medal (1947) * The [[Lenin Prize]] ([[1926]]) * The [[Stalin Prize]]s ([[1941]], [[1950]]) * Five [[Order of Lenin|Orders of Lenin]] * [[Order of the Red Banner of Labor]], and numerous medals. == Things named after him == * [[Obruchevite]], a mineral. * [[Akademik Obruchev Range]] in [[Tuva]] * A [[mountain]] in the upper reaches of the [[Vitim River]] * An [[oasis]] in [[Antarctica]] * [[Obruchev (crater)]] on the [[Moon]] * The [[Obruchev Prize]] was established by the Soviet Academy of Sciences in 1938 to honor best works in the field of Siberian geology. == Family == Two of his sons also became notable scientists: * [[Sergei Obruchev]], a geologist, discovered the [[Chersky Range]] in Siberia. * [[Dmitry Obruchev]], a paleontologist, was a leading authority on early vertebrates. ==Bibliography== *Vladimir Obruchev ''Plutonia'', Moscow: Raduga Publishers, 1988, ISBN 5-05-001691-6 *Vladimir Obruchev, ''Sannikov Land'', Moscow: Raduga Publishers, 1988, ISBN 5-05-001690-8 ==External links== *{{imdb name|id=0969834|name=Vladimir Obruchev}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Obruchev, Vladimir Afanasyevich}} [[Category:Soviet scientists]] [[Category:Soviet writers]] [[Category:Soviet geographers]] [[Category:Soviet geologists]] [[Category:Russian science fiction writers]] [[Category:Russian geologists]] [[Category:Russian paleontologists]] [[Category:Russian geographers]] [[Category:Explorers of Asia]] [[Category:Explorers of Central Asia]] [[Category:Explorers of Siberia]] [[Category:1863 births]] [[Category:1956 deaths]] [[Category:Heroes of Socialist Labor]] [[Category:Central Asian studies]] [[cs:Vladimír Afanasjevič Obručev]] [[de:Wladimir Afanasjewitsch Obrutschew]] [[he:ולדימיר אוברוצ'ב]] [[hu:Vlagyimir Afanazjevics Obrucsev]] [[ru:Обручев, Владимир Афанасьевич]]