Archival documents on the activities of the Geological Committee in the European North of Russia from the second half of the 19th to the first third of the 20th century

Scientific article

doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2025-4-1008-1025

For citation

Filippova, Tatyana P. (2025). Archival documents on the activities of the Geological Committee in the European North of Russia in the second half of the 19th – first third of the 20th century, Herald of an Archivist, no. 4, pp. 1008-1025, doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2025-4-1008-1025

Filippova, Tatyana P., Komi Scientific Center, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Syktyvkar, Russia

Archival documents on the activities of the Geological Committee in the European North of Russia from the second half of the 19th to the first third of the 20th century

Abstract

This article focuses on the problem of preserving the documentary heritage of the development of Russia's northern and Arctic territories, which remains poorly studied and unsystematized to this day. The territory of Russia's European North, rich in valuable natural resources, has been the focus of close attention from both the state and science since the 19th century. Its systematic study began with the work of the Geological Committee (1882-1929). The institution's expeditionary research led to the first large-scale geological surveys and mapping of Russia's territory. This paper presents the results of a search for documents preserved in Russian archives on the Geological Committee's scientific activities in studying the vast territory of Russia's European North and also presents an analysis of the information potential of these historical sources. Documentary complexes were identified in the collections of the Russian State Historical Archive (RGIA), the Central State Archive of Scientific and Technical Documentation of St. Petersburg (TSGANTD SPb), the Russian State Archive of Economics (RSAE), and the St. Petersburg Branch of the Archives of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SPbB ARAS). The study revealed that part of the scientific legacy of the Geological Committee was lost during the period of instability and reorganization of the institution after 1917, as well as during the Great Patriotic War. The information potential of historical sources that recorded information on the results of expeditionary activities of scientists in certain regions of the European North of Russia – the Northern Urals, Timan, the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, the Kola Peninsula, and Karelia – is analyzed. Particular attention is paid to the scientific legacy of geologists and committee employees who conducted long-term research in the northern territories of Russia – F. N. Chernyshev, E. S. Fedorov, and A. A. Polkanov. The reports, diaries, manuscripts of scientific papers, and correspondence of scientists preserved in the archives possess significant informational potential, attesting to the significant role of the Geological Committee in the study of Russia's European North. During the committee's activities, mineral deposits were discovered and explored, the first detailed geological maps were compiled, and the territory's resource potential was highly assessed. The introduction of this documentary evidence into scientific circulation and its comprehensive analysis provide new historical information on the scientific development of Russia's European North in the late 19th and first third of the 20th centuries.

Keywords

Geological Committee, Russia's European North, archive, documentary heritage, history of science, scientist, F.N. Chernyshev, E.S. Fedorov, A.A. Polkanov, Arctic.

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About authors

Filippova Tatyana P., Candidate of Historical Sciences, Federal Research Center "Komi Scientific Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences", Department of Humanitarian Interdisciplinary Research, Senior Researcher, Syktyvkar, Russia, 8-909-128-58-57, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Grant information

The article was prepared as part of the state assignment on the topic of research and development No. 1022041400019-4-6.1.1 “Scientific study of the documentary heritage of academic science in the European North-East of Russia”.

The article was received in the editorial office on 23.01.2025, recommended for publication on 20.09.2025.