Integrated study of the Dyukov Log dump of sulfide-containing mine tailings of the Salair ore-processing plant (SOP) was performed using geophysical and geochemical methods. Geochemical data and results of electromagnetic-frequency sounding and electrical-resistivity tomography were used to establish the geoelectric zoning of the tailings and the relations between the electrical parameters of the environment and the chemical composition of the tailings and pore water. The proposed approach will make it possible in the future to evaluate the amount of tailings. The drainage water flow paths were determined, and the penetration of highly saline industrial solutions into groundwater was proved.

We present the most informative results of archeological and geophysical field studies of the Baraba forest–steppe over the last three years. The studies of the archeological sites of different types belonging to a wide time interval (~6000 BC–2000 AD) were carried out. Data on the presence, size, and configuration of archeological objects were obtained by magnetometry and electrometry. We studied contrast between the magnetic properties of the upper horizon of present-day soil and underlying substratum at archeological sites of different types and ages. Low contrast reduces amplitudes of magnetic anomalies above buried ancient structures. It has been shown that geoelectric methods are efficient in cases when magnetometry is not.

This paper presents an extensive review of currently available shallow-depth portable geophysical instrumentation for electromagnetic induction sounding and profiling and the main technical characteristics of the devices. A new ground-based multicoil shallow-depth device with a special arrangement of receiver coils is considered. The latter are placed on the line where the vertical component of the magnetic field from the source coil is zero. The spacing between the source and the receivers is used as a sounding parameter, along with a frequency. This increases the efficiency of the study of the upper section and the contrast between the sounding curves, which simplifies their interpretation. In studies of local anomalous objects, the use of the proposed method and instrumentation significantly improves the quality of geophysical data. The increase in sounding efficiency provided by these devices is demonstrated on both synthetic and real field data.

The paper presents the results of high-precision magnetic surveys by a quantum magnetometer using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The object of research was an area of 10 hectares (500 × 200 m) at the archaeological site of New Kurya in Western Siberia. The accuracy of the registration of the induction module of the geomagnetic field was not lower than 0.3 nT. The spatial accuracy of GPS coordinates lies in the submeter range. Magnetic anomalies caused by ancient mounds with an amplitude of up to 5–10 nT were revealed. The technique for isolating such low-amplitude anomalies included taking into account the geomagnetic variations of the external field, the regional anomalous field, and the use of a number of algorithms for the statistical processing of primary data. Identified magnetic anomalies can reliably determine the features of the device and the size of the mounds, including those not expressed in relief. The information received makes it possible to plan a strategy for archaeological study of this monument at a qualitatively different level. The prospects of further development and use of the technology in question for solving archaeological problems are noted.

Mine tailings are a very active system in which the processes of oxidation, dissolution, and the re-deposition of substances occur in real-time. Time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography and soil-gas measurements have been used on abandoned mine tailings under a highly continental climate, Western Siberia, Russia. The electrical resistivity tomography method allows the structure of the tailings to be determined, namely, its electrophysical parameters, which are related to the chemical composition and geochemical characteristics of the subsurface substance. The aim of this work is to determine the variations in the geoelectrical zoning of sulfide-bearing mine tailings depending on fluctuations in environmental conditions, i.e., ground and air temperature, in conjunction with volatile compounds of environmental concern emanating from the tailings (SO2, CS2, C2H6S). The hourly observations revealed that the configuration of the geoelectrical section varies during the day. The concentration of gases in the surface air layer varied in accordance with the ambient temperature conditions. In general, the minimum gas concentrations were determined at night, and the increase in gas concentrations began when the temperature increased. The dependence of gas formation on temperature conditions differed during the daytime and nighttime. In warmer hours, gas concentrations are highest. At night, when there was a decrease in the temperature of air and then in the ground temperature, a local increase in the concentration of all measured gases occurred at the maximum temperature difference in the air (14.1 °C), and the ground remained relatively warm (20.8 °C). There is a close relationship between ground temperature, electrical resistivity, and the rate of gas production. Local anomalies with the greatest variation in electrical resistivity are associated with the zones that have the most active gas emanations.