Nuclear power plants are sources of a large amount of electrical energy. Therefore, ensuring their safety is a priority for the successful development of nuclear energy engineering. When studying the relief using structural and geomorphological analysis, alignment surfaces and weak zones were revealed, some of which have been transferred to the rank of low-amplitude faults. These faults and the surfaces of the foundation and relief make the framework of a 3D model created using the Roxar RMS 2013 software. The model is given a certain geodynamic setting. As a result, parameters were obtained to make it possible to determine that the Novovoronezh nuclear power plant is located in an unsafe area from the viewpoint of neogeodynamics, unlike the Kursk and Smolensk ones. The geodynamic conditions within a radius of 150 km around the plants are also interpreted using modeling, and the kinematics of faults are described.

A comprehensive study of the territory using a number of methods has allowed us to build a geodynamic and geokinematic models of the northwestern part of the East European Platform. Their interpretation allows us to assess the geodynamic environment of the Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant, as well as the overall geokinematic environment of the studied territory.

The article discusses the results of our preliminary studies of Paleocene columnar stromatolites from the “Kamyshinskie Ushi” location, near the northwestern periphery of the town of Kamyshin. The morphology, composition and features of the buildings were studied. They can be attributed to the morphological type of columnar non-branching stromatolites; fan-shaped branching stromatolites are less common; their mineral composition differs little from the host rocks and consists mainly of quartz grains cemented by silicon oxide. Dark layers are much more saturated with ore inclusions. The concentration of chromium, molybdenum, wolfram, vanadium, cobalt and nickel in dark varieties increases noticeably, which confirms their stromatolite origin. The deposition settings of their formation remain controversial.

The palaeoichthyological collection from the Bilovo locality in the Tver’ region (Famennian of the Main Devonian field), currently housed at the Andreapol Museum of Local History, is continued to be studied. Placoderm fishes of the family Bothriolepididae Cope predominate in the ichthyocomplex of this locality. Rare plates of large-bodied Bothriolepis sp. with a flattened armor were found at the Bilovo locality in clay deposits in addition to numerous remains of crested bothriolepidids. The material on Bothriolepis sp. is represented by three posterior medio-dorsal plates only. These plates are described, figured and compared with a similar material on Late Devonian bothriolepidids from the Main Devonian field and other regions. A brief characteristic of the Bilovo locality is given as well.