Melnikov Research Institute of Comprehensive Exploitation of Mineral Reserves, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia:

K. N. Trubetskoy, Chief Researcher, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences
V. N. Zakharov, Director, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Yu. P. Galchenko, Leading Researcher, Professor, Doctor of Engineering Sciences, schtrek33@mail.ru
G. V. Kalabin, Chief Researcher, Professor, Doctor of Engineering Sciences

Academician Melnikov’s creative innovative heritage is the accomplished theoretical and experimental R&D projects in the fields of radioactive waste storage, subarctic mineral mining and mining ecology. Melnikov had denoted a variety of promising trends in advancement in geotechnology. One of such trends is naturelike mining technologies which are of primary concern in development of mineral resources in new areas which are geologically identified as permafrost, i.e. frozen part of lithosphere, featuring negative temperature of rock mass. The climate in such areas is a governing factor in selection and use of mining technologies. On the one hand, this factor complicates general conditions of mining, including life and work of human beings; on the other hand, negative temperature improves stability of rocks and facilitates handling of technological problems. Furthermore, subzero temperatures can be assumed an additional natural source for creation of new, more secure, efficient and ecology-friendly technologies of underground ore mining. The related research has for the first time provided an ostensive definition for cryo-georesource of lithosphere as a renewable source of solar energy taken not from the solar emission but from its deficiency. Technologically, a cryo-georesource is a quantitative measure of extra rock mass stability and new capabilities of mining technologies based on the use of frozen water for relaxation of mined-out voids by means of frozen backfill prepared from frost-bound mining and processing waste. On the strength of the energy conservation law, analytical relations are for the first time obtained for calculating heat energy concentration in the regional part of the general cry-georesource, integrating the climate and geology components.
The study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, Arctic Resources Grant No. 18–05–70019/18.

(To the memory of Academician N. N. Melnikov. Development of mineral resources and the Arctic).

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3. Naeth M. A., Wilkinson S. R. Establishment of Restoration Trajectories for Upland Tundra Communities on Diamond Mine Wastes in the Canadian Arctic. Restoration Ecology. 2014. Vol. 22, No. 4. pp. 534–543.
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6. Wellmer F.-W., Becker-Platen J. Sustainable development and the exploitation of mineral and energy resources: a review. International Journal of Earth Sciences. 2002. Vol. 91, Iss. 5. pp. 723–745.
7. Sala S., Ciuffo B., Nijkamp P. A systemic framework for sustainability assessment. Ecological Economics. 2015. Vol. 119. pp. 314–325.
8. Trubetskoy K. N. (Ed.). Mining sciences. Development and conservation of mineral resources of the Earth. Moscow : Izdatelstvo AGN, 1997. 478 p.
9. Melnikov N. N. Open pit mining – deep pits. Deep Surface Mines : Proceedings of All-Russian Scientific-Technical Conference with International Participation. Apatity, 2012. pp. 13–18.
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16. About the state and use of mineral resources of Russian Federation in 2016 and 2017 : state report. Moscow : Mineral-Info, 2018. 370 p.
17. Laverov N. P., Vasileva V. I., Makosko A. A. (Eds.). Scientific and technological challenges in the Arctic development. Moscow : Nauka, 2015. 490 p.