The article is devoted to the history of V.I. Zubov’s Museum of Geology and Minero­logy, the prerequisites for its foundation, and the main stages of its creation, development, and collection formation. The article analyzes the museum’s exhibition policy and research activities, trends in museum science, the structure of the collections reflecting regional geological features, current issues and prospects for updating exhibition spaces, digitalization of the collections, and integration of museum experience into educational programs.

The life and work of Professor Igor L. Vasilyev (1940–2019) is an illustrative example of the versatility of a? university geologist. As a native of Tambov City and a graduate from the renowned Saratov Higher Geological School during its peak (1950s–1960s), Professor Vasilyev spent the majority of his life working in Transbaikalia (Buryatia), researching Paleozoic and Proterozoic deposits in areas of hydrothermal ore genesis. Here, he put forward an original interdisciplinary concept of coevolution of synchronously developing volcanic systems and reef structures in the coastal zone of a marine basin with an output to ore formation. He worked as a researcher, a practical geologist, a teacher, and an organizer of the scientific and educational process. In the 1990s, after returning to his native Tambov City, Professor I.L. Vasilyev taught the course of engineering geology at The Technical University and actively engaged in museum work, organizing field trips and creating a set of educational collections, followed by the initial museum exhibition in the format of a geological cabinet. Currently, the museum cluster he established is being developed within the scientific and educational center “Coevolution of Geospheres Museum” of Tambov State Technical University.

The international situation affects a wide variety of aspects of our life, including museum exhibitions. The closer the ties between countries, the more relevant exhibits can be seen in the display cases. Of the BRICS member countries, China is best represented at the Earth Science Museum of Moscow State University. There are numerous and diverse samples of rocks and minerals, fossils, soil monoliths and herbaria. Joint geological work is also reflected in the collections of rocks and ores from Iran and India. Until now, the museum has been maintaining only private relations with the rest of the BRICS member countries, thanks to which it has collections of butterflies, herbaria and individual samples of rocks and minerals. Nevertheless, the museum features the most distinctive exhibits from most of these countries.

The article presents a retrospective analysis of the development of educational and enlightenment activities in the Earth Science Museum of Moscow State University named after Lomonosov from the moment of its foundation to the present. The following trends are highlighted: expansion of the forms and methods of museum pedagogy over time, introduction of interactive methods in the practice of the educational and enlightenment activities, work with various age visitor groups (from younger pupils and students to adults), as well as the use of digital methods in the educational process.

The gallery of artistic portraits of outstanding Russian and foreign naturalists, consisting of sculptures and paintings, occupies an important place in the exposition of the Earth Science Museum at Moscow State University. The 270th anniversary of the Moscow State University named after Lomonosov and 75th anniversary of its Earth Science Museum is an occasion to turn to the activities of scientists directly related to Moscow University. The portraits of paleontologists of the 19th – first half of the 20th century, which were at the beginning of the science of fossil organisms at Moscow University, are shown in the museum halls. They have contributed to the development of this science, as well as museology at the university, and laid the foundation for modern research and teaching paleontological courses. Among them are the learners of Johann Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim (1771–1853) – Charles Roulier (1814–1858) and Grigory E. Shchurovsky (1803–1884), Vladimir O. Kovalevsky (1842–1883), Aleksei Petrovich (1854–1929) and Maria Vasilievna (1854–1938) Pavlovs, and Aleksei Alekseevich Borisyak (1872–1944). Brief biographical information of the scientists is provided. Their contribution to the development and organization of paleontological research at Moscow University is shown.

The article presents an analysis of the exhibition activities of the Earth Science Museum of Moscow State University as an important component of scientific and educational work, significantly expanding educational and outreach activities. In accordance with the development of science and the socio-political situation in our country and the world, the topics of exhibitions, places and methods of their holding changed. At the same time, they reflected the current aspects of the 270-year history of Moscow University as if in a mirror.

Scientific museums in the Russian Federation, in accordance with current legislation, are switching to the collection management standard developed for the Ministry of Culture. The absolute priority of preserving museum items is a serious obstacle to the implementation of the standard, which greatly limits the possibility of their scientific examination, which is contrary to the interests of scientists. The examination of museum items, like any other use, including exhibiting, inevitably has a negative impact on their preservation. At the same time, the examination serves to increase the value of any item, its relevance for modern culture.

The methodology of scientists’ work with collections began to form in the period of antiquity. In our country, tools for processing, describing, systematizing and storing collections were formed in the 18th–19th centuries, namely in scientific museums, museums of the Academy of Sciences. Museums in the Russian Empire were part of the scientific organization system. However, after the Soviet reforms in the 1930s, museum and scientific activities were radically separated. As a result, the research function of museums under the Ministry of Culture is poorly implemented, which is enshrined in current regulatory documents.

Scientific museums, due to their subordination to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, have scientific research as their target indicators, which determines their priority over traditional museum indicators (storage and replenishment of funds, exhibits and attracting visitors). Attempts to combine the interests of examining and preserving collections have been discussed for several decades. This problem is especially evident in relation to natural science collections and museums, most of which are under the scientific department. Its solution requires the development of a methodology for handling museum collections and amendments to regulatory documentation.

As part of MSU’s Strategic Development Programme, the Youth Museum initiative is currently under development as a mobile-network project. The project consists of a system of interacting nodes, comprising a central site on the MSU campus and a network of regional subdivisions. The proposal suggests the use of mobile field museum exhibitions as an effective mechanism of interaction. In recent years, the aforementioned system was experimentally tested within the “Flotilla of Floating Universities” scientific and educational expedition. This project comprises a set of interrelated research, educational, training, artistic, and other projects. The direct and active involvement of students and schoolchildren led to the development of creative methods for the traveling exhibitions «Ancient Lukomorye» and «Living Matter in Geospheres», as well as to the methods of joint empirical and information gathering for the development of central and regional «Youth Museum» clusters. Materials were collected to create pilot versions of exhibitions, educational collections and the launch of interactive platforms at Tambov State Technical University: «Cretaceous Beach» («Palaeoecological Sandbox»), «Page of the Stone Chronicle» («Dissecting Table of a Beginner Palaeoecologist»), and others. These exhibitions are designed to ensure that they can be used effectively in educational and outreach activities on a wide range of topics. Students and schoolchildren will have the opportunity to conduct small-scale individual and collaborative research projects of varying levels of complexity using the platform format.

To mark the 160^th anniversary of V.I. Vernadsky's birth, Lomonosov Moscow State University has organized an exhibition based on the theme of “living matter”, which to a greater or lesser extent permeates all the geospheres of our planet, provides many mechanisms of interaction between the geospheres and links between the planet and the cosmos. Natural exhibits demonstrate peculiarities of the geochemical transformation of individual organisms and their communities during the transition from the biosphere to the lithosphere, the diversity of biocosmic bodies in the history of our planet, the possibilities of modern sciences in reconstructing geobiosystems of the past. The structure of the exhibition includes a number of special blocks containing original exhibits and information, namely: “Scientist’s Cabinet” with information about the life path, scientific directions and some students and followers of Academician V.I. Vernadsky (connected to him through Moscow University). The cluster “Co-evolution of the Biosphere and Lithosphere” with disclosure of the mechanisms of transition of living matter and integral ecosystems into the “stone record” of the Earth, the structure of the pedosphere in a broad sense, the diversity of biogeoprocesses and their products in the history of the Earth, the formation of “archives of nature” in the geospheres, the functioning of geobiodynamically active zones on the example of the East European Platform; the cluster “University’s Lukomorye”, reflecting peculiarities of coastal geo-ecosystems for the general public (on the example of the Paleocene of the Volga region). Most of the exhibits of the exhibition have been obtained during the scientific and educational expedition “Flotilla of Floating Universities” (2015–2022) from the Volga region, the Caspian Sea, the Don region and the Urals and are considered in the future as the basis for the development of a model polygon of the “MSU Youth Museum”.

In the northwestern part of the Saratov Volga region, an unusually large (more than
4 m) for the region erratic boulder of an irregularly rounded polygonal shape was found, composed of Shoksha quartzite with sandstone and gravelstone interlayers. Its locality was investigated by a special expedition, the sample was removed from the parent substrate, moved more than 220 km and installed on the territory of the Saratov State Technical University named after Yu.A. Gagarin. The experience of exhibiting it on the university campus showed the effectiveness of implanting the object into the system of landscape design of the territory, turning it into one of the symbols of the university and an element of cultural space, as well as the rationality of positioning it as an original museum exhibit in the format of the Natural History Museum of the SSTU. Today, the specimen is a key element of the “ice age micropark” being developed in the open air and is thematically associated with a part of the exposition of the central hall of the Museum of Natural History of the SSTU, reflecting the Quaternary stage of the development of nature and man. In addition to excursion activities, the exhibit is used to deliver field lectures and conduct specially designed practical classes on the «foundations of geology», «historical geology», «Earth science», and other disciplines. All accompanying materials collected by the expedition are arranged in the form of a special collection of the museum’s scientific funds. Assessment of the object from the standpoint of geo-heritage allows us to propose giving it the status of a natural monument of local importance.

The article analyzes geotourism perspectives based on natural history museums. Significant trends for the integrated development of geotourism and natural history museums are formulated. These trends allow revealing prospective views on the tourist potential of the territory. In order to clarify the geotourism development potential at the place of the Earth’s geochronological key stages, several museums were analyzed in conjunction with the geotoponyms of geological systems in the world. A geoheritage interpretation model, correlating ex situ museums and in situ objects, is developed. It includes territorial aspects and substantive formats of interpretation, depending on the target audience and the format of interaction with geoheritage. Geoheritage evaluation includes three groups of criteria (scientific, educational and geotourism), each being estimated to summarize approaches for the museum representation. The criteria are ranged according to the comparison purpose of in situ and ex situ forms. The variety of geoheritage interpretation forms allows suggesting recommendations for geotourism development. One symbolically significant way is the museumification of in situ and ex situ objects to correlate the museum network and the network of protected areas as a complex tourist infrastructure. For the Perm Region as a historically significant place of the Permian geological system discovery, the priority is to develop a complex plan to integrate the possibilities of geoheritage representation through museum forms and in the natural environment. In view of the objective scientific data, the Perm Region has no GSSP of the Permian system; therefore the role of the “symbolic stratotype” should have the Permian Period Museum as the basic object of the geotourism infrastructure and the starting point of tourist routes. The supportive role in the Permian geoheritage preservation and representation belongs to the network of municipal and university museums.

The paper traces in stages the key trends and events in the history of the complex of scientific and educational areas which originated and developed in the Saratov Volga region largely due to the activities of V.I. Vernadsky’s students and followers. On the example of the most outstanding personalities, the influence of such personalities on features of the evolutionary dynamics of specific organizations, the city and the region is shown. Such an analysis allows us to see interregional interactions from a new perspective, the role of the region for the country, as well as to propose original scientific and educational projects for further study and popularization of V.I. Vernadsky’s heritage.

For the first time in the research literature, the paper highlights the cooperation of the outstanding Russian investigators G.N. Potanin (1835–1920) and V.I. Vernadsky (1863–1945). The basis of interaction between these scientists was determined by the fact that both of them were students of Natural Department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of Imperial St. Petersburg University. They carried the knowledge and interest in research gained at the university throughout their lives. Based on authentic sources, the authors revealed the role of A.A. Inostrantsev (1843–1919) as the organizer and ruler of the geological cabinet (museum) at St. Petersburg University, where G.N. Potanin acquired the necessary knowledge for his scientific expeditions to Central Asia in 1874. Under the influence of Dr. Inostrantsev, Potanin realized the importance of museums in geology and other branches. Besides, he supported V.V. Dokuchaev (1846–1903) in conducting soil science research in Russia. The paper emphasizes the participation of the university student Vladimir Vernadsky in Prof. Dokuchaev’s expeditions and in the preparation of a soil exposition at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1889. Following in the footsteps of his teachers and mentors, V.I. Vernadsky joined the museum science, became the curator of the Mineralogical Museum in Alma Mater, and then, some years later, in the Imperial Moscow University.

Immediate communication between V.I. Vernadsky and G.N. Potanin occurred in the 1890s – 1900s, when they participated in discussions on ideological and political reorganization of Russia, pondered on the problems of regional self-government in the country. As a brief conclusion from this publication, the authors postulate free thought and scientific creativity, which related to Vernadsky and Potanin, as relevant ideas of our days.

The open-air exhibition “Glaciers from the Arctic to Moscow” aims to present the interdisciplinary issues of complex cosmoglobal aspects and mechanisms of interaction between the geospheres, which are the product of climate change spanning the entire history of the planet and continuously affecting ecosystems. The exhibition is organized at the Botanical Garden of Moscow State University in collaboration with the Earth Science Museum of Moscow State University as a cluster of the Youth Museum. A synthetic version of the distribution of glacial covers in the territory of the East European Plain and a version of the most commonly accepted scale of glaciations and interglaciations of the Quaternary period with the main astrochronological reference points have been specially developed and designed to be easily understood by a wide range of visitors to the exhibition. Special attention is paid to Milanković’s cycles, and original information stands have been created to reflect their work. The natural basis of the exhibition is formed by a group of different-sized erratic boulders, arranged according to the reconstructed location of the rocks that form them in their parent locations, modeling the “glacier route” on the East European Plain. By analyzing the “travel notes” in the form of systems of characteristic grooves and “tan crusts,” as well as the composition of the rocks, together with each visitor, it is possible to reconstruct the path of a particular boulder, and, with the help of information boards, to try to understand the scenario of the glacier’s development, the history of the region, and the planet as a whole. The created exhibition can be positioned as a universal conceptual and design solution for the space of a university science museum.

May of 2025 marks the 180th anniversary of the Siberian researcher, geologist and geo­grapher Jan Stanislaw Franciszek Czerski (1845–1892). However, he worked not only in the field of geology and geography. An important part in Czerski’s researches was works on paleontology and zoology; he is also known as an archaeologist. In 1871–1879, Czerski worked at the museum of the Siberian (Eastern Siberian) Branch of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society in Irkutsk. He studied, catalogued and significantly expanded the zoological and paleontological collections of the museum. The article provides brief information from Jan Czerski’s life. His main works on the study of modern and quaternary Siberian mammals, which laid the foundation for further research in this area, are analyzed. Czerski’s paleontological research ranks him among the outstanding palaeontologists of the second half of the 19th century.

During ten field seasons, in the format of the scientific and educational expedition “Flotilla of Floating Universities”, whose concept is based on the synthesis of science and art, many researches and educational, volunteer and publishing projects and events have been implemented in the Volga region, the Caspian region, the Don region and the Urals. The research areas of the tenth field season in 2024 (Samara–Saratov Volga region) focused on: a) stratigraphic and astrochronological analysis of sections of Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene sediments, b) studying the role of living matter in the evolution of geoecosystems with special attention to biosimilar bodies (paleosoils, hardgrounds), c) analyzing the distribution of cosmic matter in natural environments in the zone of the “Saratov meteor shower” in 1918, and d) the history of the Great academic expeditions in the 18th century (the Volga routes of I.I. Lepekhin, P.S. Pallas, and I.P. Falk). The key scientific and educational projects were a field meeting of the RAS Commission for the Study of the Heritage of Outstanding Scientists (V.I. Vernadsky section) and a field session of the Moscow Society of Naturalists (MOIP) on the Volsk–Saratov section of the expedition’s main route.

White limestone blocks of six 12th–13th century buildings in the Vladimir region were examined, namely: the Assumption Cathedral, the Cathedral of Saint Demetrius and St. George’s Church in Vladimir City, the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl in the Bogolyubovo village, St. George’s Cathedral in the town of Yuryev-Polsky, and the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the town of Suzdal. The survey was conducted in August 2024. Fossil remains of brachiopods, corals, fusulinid foraminifera, gastropods, crinoids and echinoids characteristic of the Myachkovo Horizon of the Moscovian Stage of the Middle Carboniferous were found in the limestone. In some cases, it is possible to examine details of their internal structure. Since these fossils are clearly visible to the naked eye, these white-stone buildings may be of not only historical but also paleontological interest, and the fossil remains therein may serve as exhibit material.

The aim of our study was to carry out a detailed stratigraphic dissection of sections of the western territories of Kazakhstan using the remains of ichthyosaurs. Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous ichthyosaurs were studied. Their collecting was carried out in the period of 2016–2023 from sections in the western Kazakhstan (the villages of Pogodayevo and Shchuchkino in the West Kazakhstan region, the village of Tushybek, Mangystau region (Central Mangyshlak Peninsula)) and the Middle Volga region (the village of Gorodishchi, Ulyanovsk region).

The article characterizes the reference sections of the Western region of the Republic of Kazakhstan with a description of the found remains of ichthyosaurs of the genera Kazakhstanosaurus, Nannopterygius, and Platypterygius. It has been established that fragments of their skeletons are found in the Upper Jurassic sediments of the sections near the villages of Pogodayevo and Shchuchkino in the West Kazakhstan territory, and in the village of Gorodishchi in the Ulyanovsk region, as well as in the sediments of the Lower Cretaceous of the Mangystau region. The species diversity of the genus Nannopterygius is noted.

Our study of the Upper Jurassic sections nearv. Pogodayevo, Shchuchkino and Gorodishchi, and the Lower Cretaceous section of nearv. Tushybek showed that the comparison of the identified Ichthyosaur genera with the Mesozoic scale complexes allowed accurate determination of the age of local stratons and the position of their boundaries.

The article presents the results of studies of a number of sections of Lower Cretaceous (Aptian) deposits in the Saratov Right Bank region (settlements Krasnyi Oktyabr’, Doktorovka, Kurdyum and Shirokoe), confined to the Yelshano-Kurdyum uplift. Oryctocenosis combines autochthonous (ichnofossils), subautochthonous (bivalves and gastropods) and allochthonous (ammonites, wood fragments) elements. Sedimentological and mineralogical indicators (ripple marks, desiccation cracks, wedge-shaped structures, cross-bedding, glauconite, and calcite veinlets), as well as fossil remains and features of their taphonomy, allow us to diagnose the coastal ecosystem of the epicontinental sea basin. In the ecosystem format, we see a variety of physico-geographical situations: areas of the bottom which are periodically actively bioturbated and hydrodynamically transformed into mature hardground; zones of active hydrodynamics with the formation of cross-bedding; and zones of subaerial surfaces with the possible development of stick soils. Reconstruction of the paleoecosystem is complicated by the presence of a number of natural facts that have not been unambiguously interpreted, images of which are given in the article. The studied sections are of interest from the standpoint of geoheritage. Selected natural facts are actively involved in the development of a number of geoscientific university museums.

Built over five centuries ago using white stone, this unique Russian architectural monument stands as the sole surviving building from the estate of the Romanov boyars, located in the ancient part of Moscow known as “Zaryadye.” Today, it serves as the museum “Chambers of the Boyars of the Romanovs.” However, the masonry has begun to collapse under the influence of water, frost, and various technogenic loads.

The monument’s location is characterized by the presence of unfavorable engineering and geological processes, with flooding being the main issue. This has led to a rise in groundwater levels and their constant interaction with the foundation’s soil. The excess moisture content in the limestone pores, saturated with aggressive components (SO42-, NO3-,Cl-), has led to limestone dissolution and leaching, as well as salt crystallization both on the surface and inside the masonry.

To understand the weathering processes affecting the limestone, researchers conducted a study on samples taken from several parts of the monument, dividing them into several groups based on their structural stability. The results revealed that the structurally unstable, completely destroyed to a dispersed state (reminiscent of flour) samples, displayed significant changes in their physical, mechanical and chemical properties. This was due to the leaching of calcite, leading to a decrease in its content from 99 % down to 40-45 %, and an increase in porosity from 15 % up to 49 %, resulting in a density reduction from 2.29 down to 1.32 g/cm³.

The study also found that microbial components in the stone could also lead to an increase in the content of finely dispersed fractions. The walls of the monument, both inside and outside, were found to be colonized by mold fungi (9 species) and bacteria (2 species). The genera Penicillium (5 species) and Aspergillus (2 species), renowned as biodestructors of stone materials, were the most prevalent among the identified species. The content of these micromycetes varied significantly (ranging from 300 to 105 CFU/g) depending on the sampling location.

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.

A popular science film “Brotherhood of Scientific Creativity. Floating University named after Vladimir Vernadsky” was shot to the 160^th anniversary of the birth of Academician V.I. Vernadsky. Work on the film was carried out during 2022–2023 as part of the activities of the scientific and educational expedition «Floating Universities Flotilla» (the field work regions being the Middle and Lower Volga river, Don river, Caspian sea). It includes the original projects “Academician Vernadsky’s Floating University” and “Floating mobile-network museum center”. The concept of the project basically provides for interdisciplinary research on a wide range of problems of the interaction of geospheres and the evolution of geoecosystems, which is being implemented by creative teams of scientists from various fields and students with the active involvement of the local population in interactive museum practices. According to the main message of the film, it is in such an environment of “scientific creativity”, in the format of field natural sciences, that the development of the ideological heritage of V.I. Vernadsky on the principles of the “Priyutinsky Brotherhood” and maturation of the “new Vernadskies” from novice researchers. The original system of scenario and producer’s decisions included the contrast of images «academician–student», a series of episodes of actual field research (the study of geological sections, the phenomenon of lithophagy, natural and anthropogenic objects) with the implicit inclusion of the “young Vernadsky” in the process (the character is an actor) and subsequent the culminating meeting of the “two Vernadskies” (montage) against the background of the Volga river – a symbolic handover of the baton of “scientific creativity” to a new generation.

The preservation and in situ museumification of archaeological objects of stratigraphic sections of cultural layer soils, whose value depends on the integrity and intactness, is a complex and underdeveloped problem. This is due to some specific properties of these soils, such as the heterogeneity of soil composition both vertically and horizontally; the diversity of inclusions, the uneven compressibility of the strata, the ability to self-compact from their weight, changes in hydrogeological conditions, soil soaking and the decomposition of organic inclusions. As a result, these soils are the most unfavorable in artificial stabilization. In the study, a wide range of soils of the cultural layer from various places with stabilization plans were examined. Our analysis of the deposits made it possible to separate these soils by geochemical features which have the highest impact on the intensity of the chemical solution’s interaction processes with the mineral component of the soil.
This chemical solution is in a family of silicate compositions with surfactants of the amide class. These organic liquid glass hardeners activate the skeletal part of the soil and provide the complete mobilization of the main cementing substance (silica gel). Pilot tests of various modifications of organo-silicate solutions were carried out at the sites of Chersonesos (Sevastopol), Tanais (Rostov region), Moscow, etc. The soils ranged from sandy to loamy with various inclusions (building stone, ceramics, bones, fish scales, shells, ash, soot, plant roots, etc.). Soil stabilization was carried out by injecting chemical solutions of various densities with the use of vertical and horizontal injections. An important finding of the work was that forming a new soil mass with improved properties was determined by the composition, properties of the soil and injection solutions, the distance from the injector and the depth of the stabilized area.
For the first time in Russia, at the center of Moscow, it was possible to preserve the soil mass in situ of the cultural layer of the 16–17^th centuries and exhibit it for 32 years to visitors in the underground archaeological museum.