The environmental effect of corrosion can cause nucleation and growth of stress-corrosioncaused cracks on the external surfaces of gas-pipeline tubes, thus leading to accidental breakdowns. Peculiar features of corrosive and stress-corrosive flaws along a pipeline route are analyzed in this study and probable reasons for nucleation and propagation of stress-corrosion-caused cracks are discussed. It is forecasted that crack sources can be gradually exhausted with an increase in the operating time of the existing gas-main-pipeline system and this type of damage will decay naturally.It is currently generally accepted [1] that the most dangerous type of corrosive damage to gas-main pipelines (GMPs) is stress-caused corrosive cracking (SCCC), which occurs without noticeable signs of disturbance of regulated operating conditions, including electrochemical-protection (ECP) parameters.A special feature of SCCC of GMPs is its selectivity: cracks are detected predominantly in single tubes (1-2% of the total number); group cracking of tubes is not usually observed. Cracking of a defective tube involves only a small part of an exterior tube surface. The selectivity of crack-opening localization is caused by either inhomogeneity of flaw nucleation during GMP operation, or the lack of conditions for SCCC propagation in the remaining (main) part of GMP tubes. In the first case, the probability of an increase in SCCCs is presumed to correlate with an increase in the operating time of a GMP system, thereby requiring that emergency measures be taken to eliminate the causes of SCCC development. In the second case, with an increase in the nonfailure operation time of GMPs, stress-corrosive sources are gradually exhausted and thereby may lead to "extinction" of this type of damage. Therefore, determination of the causes of SCCC selectivity is of interest since it can provide a foundation, based on the established features of corrosive cracking, for forecasting SCCC development with an increase in the GMP nonfailure operation time.The most comprehensive data on the problem of SCCC of GMPs were obtained by MGP inspection by local and in-tube nondestructive testing (INDT) [2,3]. According to these data, SCCC is detected in a relatively small part of tubes (1-2%). With consideration for the limited experience of repeated inspection of GMPs, it can also be concluded that no new defective tubes with SCCC have been formed during the time interval between the inspections (4-5 years). Stress-corrosion-caused cracks are typical of tubes with highly dense and inhomogeneous distribution of residual manufacturing stresses. The positions of tubes with SCCC flaws along a gas-pipeline route do not correlate with the presence of purely corrosive flaws (traces of pitting or local corrosion). In the areas of developed corrosive flaws (for example, at lengths up to 4-5 km from the output of a compressor station or in other similar areas along the inspected region), SCCC is practically not detected. The considered data demonstrate the inhomogeneity (sele...