Vladimir Obruchev

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Vladimir Obruchev. Cover of his memoir book For the Pluto's secrets

Vladimir Afanasyevich Obruchev (Russian: Влади́мир Афана́сьевич О́бручев) (October 10 [O.S. September 28] 1863, village of Klepenino, now in Rzhevsky District, Tver Oblast – June 19, 1956, Moscow) was a Russian geologist, geographer, explorer, academician of the Soviet Academy of Sciences (1929), Hero of Socialist Labor (1945), and honorary president of the Soviet Geographical Society (since 1947). As one of the pioneers of Russian science fiction, Obruchev explored the possibilities of survival of prehistoric species in the remote areas of Siberia such as hypothetical Sannikov Land.

Vladimir Obruchev graduated from the Petersburg Mining Institute in 1886. He held different posts throughout his life, such as professor of the Tomsk State Technical University (1919–1921), Taurida University in Simferopol (1918–1919), and Moscow Mining Academy (1921-1929); chairman of the Committee on Permafrost Studies (since 1930); director of the Institute of Permafrost Studies of the Soviet Academy of Sciences (since 1939); secretary of the Department of Geological and Geographical Sciences of the Soviet Academy of Sciences (1942–1946).

Vladimir Obruchev was a well-known explorer of Siberia, Central and Middle Asia. In 1880s–1890s, he was engaged in designing the Central Asian and Trans-Siberian Railways. The results of his extensive work were summarized in a three-volume monograph Geology of Siberia (Геология Сибири) (1935–1938) and History of Geological Exploration of Siberia (История геологического исследования Сибири). These books mainly deal with the origins of loess in Central and Middle Asia, ice formation and permafrost in Siberia, problems of tectonics and tectonic structure of Siberia, and geology of goldfields in Siberia.

Vladimir Obruchev authored many popular scientific works, such as Formation of Mountains and Ore Deposits (Образование гор и рудных месторождений) (1932), Fundamentals of Geology (Основы геологии) (1944), Field Geology (Полевая геология) (1927), Ore Deposits (Рудные месторождения) (1928–1929). In Russia, he is best known as the author of several science fiction novels, such as Plutonia (Плутония) (1915), Sannikov Land (Земля Санникова) (1924), Golddiggers in the Desert (Золотоискатели в пустыне) (1928), and In the Wilds of Central Asia (В дебрях Центральной Азии) (1951).

For his outstanding work in Central Asian Studies, Vladimir Obruchev was awarded the Przhevalsky Prize, big gold medal of the Russian Geographical Society, and two Chikhachov Prizes from the French Academy of Sciences (1898 and 1925). In 1947, Obruchev was awarded the first Karpinsky Gold Medal. He was also a recipient of the Lenin Prize (1926), USSR State Prize (1941, 1950), five Orders of Lenin, Order of the Red Banner of Labor, and numerous medals.

A mineral obruchevite, a mountain range in Tuva, a mountain in the upper reaches of the Vitim River, an oasis in Antarctica, a crater on the Moon, and other landmarks are named after Vladimir Obruchev. The Obruchev Prize was established by the Soviet Academy of Sciences in 1938 for the best works on Siberian geology.