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The Russian Strategy of using Crystalline Rock as a Repository for Nuclear Waste

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The first Russian underground repository for high- and intermediate-level radioactive waste (HLW and ILW, respectively) will be built in the crystalline Archean granite–gneisses at Yeniseisky (Krasnoyarsk region, Siberia). The geological and hydrogeological characteristics of this site are similar to those found in Forsmark (Sweden) and Olkiluoto (Finland). However, the Russian disposal strategy is different. HLW will be disposed in the form of an aluminophos­phate glass and ILW (with long-lived radionuclides) will be cemented. Preliminary research on all aspects of repository design (stability of waste forms, waste packages, and bentonite buffer; evaluation of the geologic barrier; and simulation of radionuclide transport by groundwater) will be performed at an on-site underground research laboratory.

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December 2025 --The Variscan Orogeny in Europe – Understanding Supercontinent Formation

The Variscan orogen formed between 380 and 300 million years ago through several accretionary and collisional cycles, culminating with the construction of the Pangea supercontinent. This process occurred via sequential opening and closure of oceanic basins, synchronous detachment of Gondwana derived continental ribbons, and their outboard amalgamation onto the Laurussia margin. The Variscan orogen is rather unique compared with other orogenic belts on Earth: its overthickened and dominantly magmatic crust in the central belt, surprisingly minor mantle involvement in the magmatic and geodynamic processes, coherent and pulsed magmatism along the collision suture, and its complex accretionary history. Because its final product, Pangea, is the youngest and best-understood supercontinent on Earth, the Variscan orogeny offers clues for understanding the mechanisms of supercontinent formation.