Field excursions

Upon completion of sessions, you might undertake a field trip.

The southern part of East Siberia is quite attractive as geologically and mineralogically unique area for conducting field excursions. It is known for diversity of the main rock types featuring the Earth development from the Paleo-Archean to recent time: e.g. Early Precambrian craton formations, Phanerozoic mobile (folded) belts, zones of deep faults, folded and platform areas and continental rifts. They enclose a wide range of ore (iron, manganese and titanium), non-ore (apatite, graphite, talk, muscovite, phlogopite, marble and granite), rare-metal (lithium, tantalum, neobium), semi-precious stones (lazurite, nephrite and ophiocalcite) deposits.

Excursions sights

• Early Precambrian carton formations: Sharyzhalgay granulite complex («Angasolka» quarry), massifs of tonalite-trondjemite plagiogneisses and Onot greenstone belt  (amphibolites, gneisses, ferriferous quartzites and marbles); Paleo-Proterozoic granitoids;
• Deep fault zones – talk deposit «Two stones»;
• Phanerozoic mobile belts: in Sludjanka complex these are marbles of the Pereval quarry; in the Olkhon area this is massif of restite ultrabasic rocks, Tazheran alkaline and Chernorud gabbro-pyroxenite massifs, pegmatites of Naryn-Kunta quarry, Bikhin massif of gabbro.
• Continental rifts: Cenozoic basalts of Tibelty-1 quarry.

(1) Southern Baikal on September 10, 2021

One-day bus trip heading from Irkutsk to the south of Lake Baikal. You will observe Early Precambrian metamorphic rocks of granulite facies, the Sharyzhalgay formation at the Angasolka quarry; carbonate rocks of the Slyudjanka formation at the Pereval quarry; Cenozoic basalts with lherzolites at the Tibelty-1 quarry.

• 7.30 a.m. – departure from Irkutsk
• 10.30 p.m. – arrival back to Irkutsk

Cost of excursion 2500 R

(2) East Sayan Mountains on September 11-13, 2021

To examine old tonalite-trondjemite-granodiorite formations aged to 3.3 Ga, amphibolites, gneisses, ferruginous quartzites, marbles of the Onot greenstone belt about 2.7 Ga, А-type paleo- Proterozoic granitites of the Girgantuy massif (1.871 Ga) and talk deposit «Two Stones». The number of participants is limited to 10-12 persons due to transport logistics and accommodation conditions.

Day 1:

• 8-00 a.m. – departure from Irkutsk by Jeep vehicles
• 2 p.m. – arrival at the Onot village, accommodation
• 4 - 7 p.m. – observing the Paleo-Proterozoic A-type granitoids at the Girgantuy massif (1.871 Ga).

Day 2:

Ancient tonalite-trondjemite-granodiorite associations (3.3 Ma); amphibolites, gneisses, marbles of the Onot greenstone belt (2.7 Ga); talk deposit «Two Rocks».

Day 3:

• 9.00 to 12-00 a.m. – visit to the deposit of ferriferous quartzites «Sosnovy Baits».
• 12.00 a.m. – 1 p.m. – lunch
• 1 p.m. – departure from the Onot village
• 7 p.m. – arrival at Irkutsk

Cost of excursion 7000 R

(3) Olkhon excursion on September 11-13, 2021

Driving from Irkutsk to the Sakhjurta settlement to survey the massifs of restite ultrabasic rocks, gabbro of the Birkhin and Chernorud massifs and Paleozoic complexes of the granulite and amphibolite facies of metamorphism.
Bus trip to the Olkhon Island area, stay at the tourist camping «Kovcheg of Baikal» located on the shore of the Olkhon Gate strait near the Sakhjurta settlement.

Day 1:

• • 9.00 a.m. – departure from Irkutsk.
• • 1-3 p.m. – reaching the destination and accommodation at the tourist camping.
• • 3 – 6 p.m. – visit to the massif of restite ultrabasic rocks.

Day 2:

• 10-30 – 5 p.m. – excursion to the Tazheran alkaline and Chernorud gabbro-pyroxenite massifs.

Day 3:

• 10.00 a.m. – drive back to Irkutsk and visit to the pegmatite quarry Naryn-Kunta and Birkhin gabbro massif on the way back.
• 6 p.m. – arrival to Irkutsk

Guide-book

Cost of excursion 7000 R.

Please indicate your desire to take part in any excursion in your Personal office at the site http://petro2020.igc.irk.ru by April 30, 2021.