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Through the support of the ISTC, a group
of Russian experts has developed a major
new geological-geophysical atlas of the
Pacific Ocean. This atlas is distinguished
from more general oceanographic atlases
of the world oceans by its extremely
detailed and comprehensive descriptions
of the geological structure and geophysical
fields of the ocean floor, based on
original data with minimum subjective
interpretation. The atlas is a vital tool for
better using the mineral resources in the
seas and oceans, as well as use as a
teaching material and reference source
for universities. The atlas also provides
an important new tool for lawyers and
specialists in the fields of international
maritime and geopolitics.
Previously Russian experts have developed
similar atlases of the Indian
Ocean (1975) and the Atlantic Ocean
(1990). In response to the increasing
need and demand for more information,
the Pacific Ocean atlas was developed,
concluding the creation of the series of
geological-geophysical atlases for the
major world oceans. In content and to the atlases of the Indian and
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structure, the atlas is virtually identical
Atlantic oceans, although the date of
completion reflects technological
advances and progress in the scale of
intensity of research. The objective was
to give to a broad range of users a more
detailed set of information about the
geological and geophysical structure of
the Earth. The Pacific Ocean Atlas contains
192 pages, and was published in
the fall of 2003. It is under consideration
to convert all three Atlases into
digital form on CD-ROMs.
More than 240 leading scientists from
Japan, USA, Russia, China, the United
Kingdom, Germany, France and other
countries participated in compilation
of the Atlas. In the process of the work
on the project, data of some of the most
complex areas of the world oceans was
collected and analyzed using modern
technologies. The atlas could be influential
in resolving numerous problems
of Earth and Oceanic sciences.
The decision to create the Atlas was made
by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic
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Commission of UNESCO, and the project
was funded by the Japanese Government
as Project 1696-00 of the International
Science and Technology Center (ISTC).
The project was guided by an
International Editorial Board and carried
out at the Vernadsky Institute of
Geochemistry, Russian Academy of
Sciences. Additional funding was provided
by the Margaret Kendrick Blodgett
Foundation, USA, Tokai University and the
National Research Institute for Earth
Science and Disaster Prevention, Japan.
The printing of the Atlas was undertaken
by the administration of navigation and
oceanography in the Ministry of Defense
of the Russian Federation.
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