Academic Secretary of the Earth Sciences Department of the NAS of Ukraine, NAS of Ukraine Academician Stella Shekhunova, and Scientific Secretary of the Department, Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences Yaroslav Lutsiv, paid a working visit to the Carpathian Branch of the S.I. Subbotin Institute of Geophysics of the NAS of Ukraine in Lviv, met with the leadership and leading scientists of this institution, and familiarized themselves with its achievements.
The Director of the Carpathian Branch of the S.I. Subbotin Institute of Geophysics of the NAS of Ukraine, Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Oleh Sapuzhak, told the guests from the Presidium of the Academy about the activities of the institution, its structure, personnel potential, and main areas of scientific research. In his report, he briefly noted that the Carpathian Branch was established in 1991, but its roots go back to the Lviv branch of the Institute of Geophysics of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, where geophysical research was actively developed from 1961 to 1972, laying the foundation for the institution.
The main areas of fundamental and applied research of the scientists of the Carpathian Branch of the S.I. Subbotin Institute of Geophysics of the NAS of Ukraine are geomagnetism, seismology and geotectonics, and electromagnetic methods for studying the Earth's crust.
The institution owns the Carpathian Geodynamic Polygon (its establishment in 1965 was a major scientific event). The polygon operates four regime geophysical stations where geomagnetic and magnetic variation, deformometric, geotemperature, and geoacoustic observations are continuously conducted. The continuous duration of some geophysical data series exceeds 40 years. The results of long-term regime observations at the Carpathian polygon allow conclusions to be drawn about the features of modern tectonics, geodynamics, seismic hazard assessment, and the relationship of geophysical fields with seismic events in the Transcarpathian region. Additionally, magnetic variation data have been used to assess the deep distribution of electrical conductivity of the geosystem to depths of the middle mantle over 1000 km. Based on the analysis of gravitational and magnetic fields and modeling, scientists of the Carpathian Branch of the S.I. Subbotin Institute of Geophysics of the NAS of Ukraine refined the parameters of some elements of the Earth's crust and upper mantle structure, including the depth of the Moho boundary and the extent of the Teisseyre–Tornquist tectonic zone in Western Ukraine.
Under the leadership of the head of the Department of Seismotectonic Research Methods, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor Dmytro Malytskyi, the institution has formed and developed a school for solving direct and inverse problems of seismology, among which important places are occupied by, in particular:
- refinement of earthquake hypocenters;
- determination of source mechanisms and their stress fields corresponding to local features of the stress-strain state of rocks;
- determination of parameters (tensor) of point and distributed earthquake foci.
Today, this is one of the most powerful centers of theoretical seismology, widely known not only in Ukraine but also abroad. Due to the significance of scientific achievements, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor Dmytro Malytskyi joined an international group of scientists studying seismicity on Mars based on data from the ELYSE station, which operated on the Red Planet for over 4 years (2018–2022) and recorded more than 1300 seismic events. The strongest of these occurred on May 4, 2022, or on the 1222nd Martian day (Sol 1222) since the mission began, and was designated S1222a. Dmytro Malytskyi's results in determining the mechanisms of the Marsquake S1222a and other seismic events were compared with data from other scientists and are highly valued among foreign colleagues.
At the initiative and under the leadership of the head of the Department of Earth's Magnetic Field Dynamics, Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine Valentyn Maksymchuk, scientists of the Carpathian Branch of the S.I. Subbotin Institute of Geophysics of the NAS of Ukraine, together with colleagues from the Ukrainian State Geological Survey Institute and the S.I. Subbotin Institute of Geophysics of the NAS of Ukraine, created a reference geomagnetic network of Ukraine. Based on component geomagnetic observations on the reference network, maps of magnetic declination and secular variation of geomagnetic field components for the territory of Ukraine for 2005–2010 were constructed for the first time. The obtained results can be used to build models of the Earth's normal magnetic field, as well as to update topographic maps of various scales.
One of the important areas of scientific research at the Carpathian Branch of the S.I. Subbotin Institute of Geophysics of the NAS of Ukraine is oil and gas exploration. To detect signs of hydrocarbons in field conditions, specialists of the institution most often use magnetic and electrical prospecting methods. Despite the small anomalous effects in the magnetic field, the use of high-precision magnetometers or magnetometer-gradiometers allows detecting anomalies of small amplitude (a few nanoteslas) associated with hydrocarbon deposits. The main method of electrical prospecting research is sounding by establishing an electromagnetic field in the near zone, which allows obtaining not only qualitative anomalies over oil and gas traps but also determining the specific electrical resistivity of rocks, performing lithological differentiation of the geological section, and predicting the presence of hydrocarbons based on electrical parameters. As auxiliary methods, natural electric field and pulsed electromagnetic field methods of the Earth can be used. Specialists of the Carpathian Branch of the S.I. Subbotin Institute of Geophysics of the NAS of Ukraine have extensive experience in conducting such research and have completed many projects on behalf of private oil and gas extraction companies. Additionally, the institution has developed a theoretical and empirical methodology for predicting oil, gas, and water saturation of rocks in borehole sections based on acoustic logging data. The methodology was tested on wells in Western Ukraine and confirmed its practical effectiveness and high reliability of results (about 94%).
Among the directions of the Department of Geo-electromagnetic Methods (headed by Candidate of Technical Sciences Nataliya Zabrodska), which was established back in the 1960s, a prominent place is occupied by physical modeling of electromagnetic fields in geological environments. NAS of Ukraine Academician Stella Shekhunova and Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences Yaroslav Lutsiv visited the physical modeling laboratory, where Senior Researcher, Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences Stepan Deshchytsia – the author of the physical modeling setup – acquainted the guests with the features of its design, stages of creation, and modernization. He detailed the advantages and disadvantages of such electromagnetic field studies in geological environments. He highlighted the main results obtained, including modeling of electrical prospecting observations by electromagnetic and vertical electrical sounding methods for the geological conditions of the Ukrainian Antarctic station "Akademik Vernadsky" area. In conclusion, the scientist reported that the generator-measuring units created for the physical modeling setup became the basis for his further development at the end of the 20th century of field near-surface (up to 100 m depth) electrical prospecting equipment for the method of sounding by establishing an electromagnetic field in the near zone. Since then, this equipment has been repeatedly improved and modernized and is an indispensable tool for solving various tasks related to the geological environment.
An important area of research is the detection and study by electrical prospecting means of hazardous phenomena such as suffosion processes in the body of soil dams, soil landslides, and karst manifestations. In recent years, scientists of the Carpathian Branch of the S.I. Subbotin Institute of Geophysics of the NAS of Ukraine have conducted a number of studies of environmentally hazardous phenomena. In particular, in 2017–2018, they identified suffosion processes at the Stebnyk potash deposit, which led to the unloading of surface and groundwater into the workings of mine No. 2. At the "Khotin" mine of the Kalush-Golyn potash salt deposit in 2017, soil subsidence stabilization was recorded, and no threat to the main gas pipeline was found. In 2023, along the railway track section in the Chernivtsi region, electrical prospecting observations were carried out to clarify karst hazard. Based on the research results, significant karstification of the area was recorded, and a map of the degree of karst hazard was created.
In 2023, as part of the program to provide Lviv (primarily Lviv hospitals) with alternative water sources, specialists of the Carpathian Branch of the S.I. Subbotin Institute of Geophysics of the NAS of Ukraine conducted electrical prospecting studies by the method of sounding by establishing an electromagnetic field in the near zone at four sites in the northern part of the city. Based on the research results, the most promising site was identified, where a well was drilled in 2024, which turned out to be one of the best in Lviv in terms of flow rate and water quality.
In 1998, at the initiative and with the direct participation of Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine Valentyn Maksymchuk, a tectonomagnetic polygon was created near the Ukrainian Antarctic station "Akademik Vernadsky," which has been continuously developed by specialists of the Carpathian Branch of the S.I. Subbotin Institute of Geophysics of the NAS of Ukraine, and by 2020 the number of magnetic field measurement points exceeded 20. During this time, 12 observation cycles were conducted, based on which an interpretative model of tectonomagnetic anomalies at the Antarctic geophysical polygon was constructed, and a methodology for comprehensive monitoring of seismotectonic processes along the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula was developed. Based on a complex of tectonomagnetic and magnetic variation studies, new data on the features of block structure and modern geodynamics of the region were obtained.
New scientific directions are also being developed at the institution, including the application of geophysical methods (magnetic prospecting, electromagnetic sounding, ground-penetrating radar) in archaeology. In recent years, successful studies have been carried out at historical and cultural heritage sites: in the "Ancient Plisnesk" reserve (on the territory of the Pidhirtsi Monastery), "Stilske Settlement" (at the Ilivske settlement), and "Ancient Halych" (on Castle Hill); during searches for the possible burial of Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky in the village of Ruda, Lviv region; on the territories of Pniv Castle and the Museum of Ancient Halych History in the village of Krylos, Ivano-Frankivsk region. As a result, a number of hidden objects of important historical and archaeological significance were discovered.
Scientists of the Carpathian Branch of the S.I. Subbotin Institute of Geophysics of the NAS of Ukraine told the guests from the Presidium of the Academy about the annual scientific session of the Earth Physics Commission of the Shevchenko Scientific Society, where 10–20 reports on current geophysical problems are heard. Since 2005, the institution has regularly (usually every two years) held the International Scientific Conference "Geophysics and Geodynamics: Forecasting and Monitoring of the Geological Environment" (last year this event was held for the tenth time), which has earned a well-deserved reputation among leading Ukrainian and foreign scientists in the field of Earth sciences and, despite the difficulties of wartime, consistently gathers no fewer than 100 participants. In addition, the scientific seminar-conference "Seismological and Geophysical Research in Seismically Active Regions," which has also been held several times by the Carpathian Branch of the S.I. Subbotin Institute of Geophysics of the NAS of Ukraine, has significantly expanded the circle of interested specialists. This year in September, the event will take place with international status and will be dedicated to the memory of Taras, Yuriy, and Serhiy Verbytskyi, who made a significant contribution to the development of seismology in Ukraine.
At the end of the working visit, the guests noted the wide range of original geophysical research at the Carpathian Branch of the S.I. Subbotin Institute of Geophysics of the NAS of Ukraine and their high quality.
According to information from the Carpathian Branch of the S.I. Subbotin Institute of Geophysics of the NAS of Ukraine
