April 7, 2024 – Geologist’s Day in the Republic of Belarus

In accordance with Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated February 21, 1996 No.84, a professional holiday was established in the republic – Geologist’s Day, which is celebrated annually on the first Sunday in April.

In 2024, it will be 75 years since the discovery by Belarusian geologists of one of the world’s largest deposits of potassium salts, the Starobinsky deposit, and 60 years since the discovery of industrial oil deposits at the Rechitsa field. At the same time, archival documents indicate that geologists repeatedly found small volumes of oil even before 1964.

The State Institution «National Archive of the Republic of Belarus» (NARB) stores the funds of organizations that are engaged in geology in Belarus: fund No.1153 «Belarusian geological-hydrogeological expedition of the Geology Administration under the Council of Ministers of the BSSR», fund No.1266 «Geological exploration Republican unitary enterprise «Belgeology» of the Ministry natural resources and environmental protection of the Republic of Belarus (Ministry of Natural Resources)», fund No.1523 «Department of Geology of the Ministry of Natural Resources». Also in the National Archives is stored fund No.1206 of the trade union of geologists «Belarusian Trade Union of Workers in the Natural Resources and Geotechnologies Industries».

These funds contain documents reflecting the activities of governing bodies: Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus, resolutions of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus, the Ministry of Natural Resources, orders and directives of the director of the Department of Geology of the Ministry of Natural Resources. Important sources are documents on the activities of geological organizations and institutions: minutes of meetings of boards and councils, reports, certificates and information on core activities, summing up the results of social competitions and competitions for the best inventions and technical improvements, the introduction of advanced technologies, mechanization and automation of production processes, conducting meetings and seminars on the development of prospecting methods and forecast oil and gas reserves in the BSSR, rewarding employees.

Personal funds contain documents of famous Belarusian geologists. For example, in fund No.311 «Collection of documents of scientists of Belarus», documents of the famous Belarusian geologist, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences Fedor Nikolaevich Dominikovsky are presented. Family fund No.1546 presents documents of Gabriel Ivanovich Goretsky and his son Radim Gavrilovich – academicians, doctors of science, professors, laureates of State Prizes of the USSR and the BSSR, honored scientists of the BSSR, who made a significant contribution to the development of Belarusian geology. These funds contain both personal documents of scientists and documents of their scientific activities.

Belarusian geologists make a great contribution to the development of the economy: through their efforts, numerous deposits of raw materials have been identified, thanks to which the production of potash fertilizers, building materials, glass products, dolomite flour is developing in Belarus, and the oil refining and energy industries are partially provided with their own fuel and energy raw materials. Geologists have also discovered deposits of iron ore, brown coal, oil shale and many other minerals on the territory of Belarus. The valuable experience accumulated by Belarusian geologists while studying oil fields in the Polesie Lowland was in demand during the development of the West Siberian oil and gas complex (Tyumen region of the Russian Federation).

Congratulations to geologists on their professional holiday!

1. On the resumption of work of the Belarusian Geological Department. Order of the Chairman of the Committee for Geological Affairs under the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR dated May 30, 1944 No. 438. NARB. F. 1266. Op. 1. D. 1. L. 49.

2. About business trips vol. Gorelik, Kozmin, Muravsky in the city of Novobelitsa of the BSSR. Order of the Chairman of the Committee for Geological Affairs under the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR dated June 30, 1944 No. 573. NARB. F. 1266. Op. 1. D. 1. L. 58.

3. Letter from the head of the Belarusian Geological Department – Director of the Geological Service A.K. Shilenko to the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus N.S. Patolichev dated December 29, 1951 about the prospects for the development of the Starobinsky deposit of potassium salts. NARB. F. 4p. Op. 62. D. 219. L. 249.

4. Letter from the head of the Belarusian Geological Department – Director of the Geological Service A.K. Shilenko to the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus N.S. Patolichev dated December 29, 1951 about the prospects for the development of the Starobinsky potassium salt deposit. NARB. F. 4p. Op. 62. D. 219. L. 250.

5. Letter from the head of the Belarusian Geological Department – Director of the Geological Service A.K. Shilenko to the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus N.S. Patolichev dated December 29, 1951 about the prospects for the development of the Starobinsky deposit of potassium salts. NARB. F. 4p. Op. 62. D. 219. L. 251.

6. Letter from the head of the Belarusian Geological Department – Director of the Geological Service A.K. Shilenko to the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus N.S. Patolichev dated December 29, 1951 about the prospects for the development of the Starobinsky deposit of potassium salts. NARB. F. 4p. Op. 62. D. 219. L. 252.

7. Layout of boreholes in the Starobinskaya salt-bearing area. Appendix to the letter of the head of the Belarusian Geological Department – Director of the Geological Service A.K. Shilenko to the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus N.S. Patolichev dated December 29, 1951 about the prospects for the development of the Starobinsky deposit of potassium salts. NARB. F. 4p. Op. 62. D. 219. L. 256.

8. Schematic structural map indicating areas that are promising for prospecting for salt, gas, oil and other minerals. Appendix to the letter of the head of the Belarusian Geological Department – Director of the Geological Service A.K. Shilenko to the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus N.S. Patolichev dated December 29, 1951 about the prospects for the development of the Starobinsky deposit of potassium salts. NARB. F. 4p. Op. 62. D. 219. L. 257.

9. From the certificate of geologist E.M. Lyutkevich “On the directions of oil prospecting and exploration in Belarus”, 1959 NARB. F. 1266. Op. 1. D. 201. L. 137.

10. Charter of the Belarusian Production Association for Geological Exploration Works (Belorusgeologiya) of the USSR Ministry of Geology, 1987 NARB. F. 1266. Op. 4. D. 1. L. 4.