Lomonosov Ridge - an underwater ridge in the Arctic Ocean , named after M.V. Lomonosov . The ridge crosses the central part of the ocean, passes almost through the North Pole and extends for about 1800 km from the Novosibirsk Islands to Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago . The width varies from 60 to 200 km, the height above the bottom of the ocean is from 3300 to 3700 m. The minimum depth above the ridge is 954 m. The slopes are relatively steep, dissected by canyons and covered with a layer of sandy silt . The ridge was discovered in 1948 by Soviet high-latitude expeditions.
| Lomonosov Ridge | |
|---|---|
| Characteristics | |
| Length | 1800 km |
| Width | 200 km |
| Relative height | 3700 m |
| Minimum depth | 954 m |
| Location | |
| Ocean | Arctic Ocean |
Content
- 1 Dispute over affiliation
- 2 See also
- 3 notes
- 4 References
Dispute over Affiliation
In the 2000s, the geological structure of the ridge attracted international attention in connection with the Russian application to the UN Commission on the external borders of the shelf , which argued for the establishment of new borders of the continental shelf of Russia beyond the established 200- mile zone (however, within the Russian Arctic sector [1] . One of Russia's arguments was the claim that the underwater Lomonosov Ridge and Mendeleev is a direct continuation of the continent. In 2002 , the UN Commission not from YSLU, but it did not satisfy the Russian bid, recommending further studies [2] .
To clarify the boundaries of the continental shelf, on May 10, 2007, a Russian expedition set off for the ridge [3] .
Since 2004, Denmark has also intensified research on the bottom of the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic . One of the goals is to prove that the Lomonosov Ridge is a continuation of Greenland [4] .
In 2007, a complex of studies was carried out: deep seismic surveys, field gravimetry, airborne geophysical surveys, seismic acoustics and teleprofiling, as well as bottom sampling. On September 20, preliminary data were obtained from an analysis of the Earth’s crust model according to the Arctic 2007 profile, which gave the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation grounds to assert that the crust structure of the Lomonosov Ridge corresponds to the world analogues of the continental crust, which means it is part of the adjacent continental shelf of the Russian Federation [5] .
In the fall of 2010, Canadian Foreign Minister John Brad announced that his country would submit an application for the extension of the continental shelf to the UN Commission by 2013. Speaking at the Russian Diplomatic Academy, he said that his country considered the Lomonosov ridge to be an extension of its territory. In August 2014, he also expressed “concern over the increase in the Russian presence in the Arctic” [6] . The minister said: “the region is strategically important for Ottawa, and therefore the state is ready to use military force to defend its interests” [6] .
See also
- Arctic 2007
Notes
- ↑ http://www.un.org/depts/los/clcs_new/submissions_files/rus01/RUS_CLCS_01_2001_LOS_2.jpg
- ↑ Materials for consideration of the RF application to the UN Commission on the external borders of the shelf (English)
- ↑ “Researchers are ready to“ add “Russia to the northern possessions”
- ↑ Denmark hopes to claim North Pole , BBC News, October 5, 2004 .
- ↑ "... the next stage of work to justify the outer border of the continental shelf of Russia in the Arctic Ocean"
- ↑ 1 2 “ Canada wants to fight with Russia for the Arctic ” - Days.ru , 14:33 / 08.26.2014
Links
- (English) Map of the bottom of the Arctic Ocean (file about 1 Mb)
- (English) Text of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982)
- Tidy Lomonosov Ridge , Russian News, April 19-26, 2006.
- Paleogene deposits of the Lomonosov Ridge