Empress Catherine II Saint-Petersburg Mining University, Saint-Petersburg, Russia

D. L. Ustyugov, Dean, Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Associate Professor, Ustyugov_DL@pers.spmi.ru
L. P. Norova, Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Associate Professor

Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

A. V. Kiryukhin, Chief Researcher, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Professor

The article offers a detailed essay on academic biography and creative work of one of the coryphaei in hydrology, Vladimir A. Kiryukhin, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Professor, Honored Worker of Sciences in the RSFSR. The essay looks back on his life and takes stock of his achievements as a scientist and a teacher, an investigator of the underground hydrosphere, its evolution and development, mechanisms of formation and flow of groundwater, groundwater dynamics, composition, properties and efficient use. The scope of the essay covers the whole academic path of the scientist—from his years as a student to the mature research and development and headship at the Hydrogeology Department of the Leningrad Mining Institute (nowadays Empress Catherine II Saint-Petersburg Mining University). The details of V. A. Kiryukhin’s contribution to the development of the hydrogeological science are systematized, and evolution of his research interests and role in organization of a scientific school is illustrated. The essay rests upon the review and analysis of archival materials, publications, reports and epistolary heritage of the scientist, and on the synthesis of data on his academic and pedagogical profile. The article reviews successively: the childhood and studentship (1930–1953), the first scientific efforts during postgraduate studies and field research (1953–1961), associate professorship at the Hydrogeology Department at the Leningrad Mining Institute (1961–1975), mature scientific creativity (1975–2000) and the main achievements in the early 2000s. Particular attention is paid to the field research work in Northern Kazakhstan, Russian Far East, Central Asia and in Yakutia, as well as to the development of methods for hydrochemical exploration of ore deposits. It is shown how the scientific focus of V. A. Kiryukhin expanded from applied hydrogeology to fundamental generalizations on regional hydrogeology and hydrogeochemistry. The contribution of the scientist to manpower training and consolidation of research activities is described, and his key publications, including monographs and textbooks, are listed.

1. Kiryukhin V. A. Groundwater in the northern part of the Turgai trough. Journal of Mining Institute. 1958. Vol. 34, Iss. 2. pp. 17–39.
2. Kiryukhin V. A. Groundwater in the north of the Turgay Depression as a source of agricultural water supply. Izvestiya vuzov. Geologiya i razvedka. 1958. No. 12.
3. Kiryukhin V. A. Hydrogeological studies along the Angara River. Information Digest. Leningrad : VSEGEI, 1959.
4. Kiryukhin V. A. Some issues of hydrogeology in the west of the Angara–Lena artesian basin. Proceedings of II Meeting on Groundwater and Engineering Geology of Eastern Siberia. Chita, 1958. Vol. 2.
5. Kiryukhin V. A. New data on hydrogeology in the southwest of the Siberian Platform. Information Digest. Leningrad : VSEGEI, 1959. No. 19. pp. 29–42.
6. Kiryukhin V. A., Albinskiy N. V. Hydrogeology of the Middle Amur Depression. VSEGEI’s Transactions. New Series. Leningrad, 1963. Vol. 101. pp. 36–49.
7. Kiryukhin V. A. Some issues of hydrogeology of the Zeya–Bureya Depression. Information Digest. Leningrad : VSEGEI, 1960. No. 31.
8. Kiryukhin V. A., Syritsa N. I. Hydrogeology of the Zeya–Bureya Depression. Regional and Prospecting Hydrogeology : Collected Papers. Leningrad : VSEGEI, 1961. Vol. 46.
9. Kiryukhin V. A. Hydrochemical exploration of tin–sulfide deposits in neighborhood of the Amur River. Groundwater in Siberia and Far East of Russia : IV Meeting Proceedings. Irkutsk–Vlsdivostok, 1964.
10. Kiryukhin V. A. Quantitative evaluation of tin–sulfide deposits by their hydrochemical envelopes. Journal of Mining Institute. 1965. Vol. XVIII, No. 2.
11. Kiryukhin V. A. Formation of chemical composition of groundwater at the Myao-Chan tin–sulfide deposits. Groundwater in Siberia and Far East of Russia : IV Meeting Proceedings. Irkutsk–Tyumen, 1967.
12. Kiryukhin V. A. Artesian basins in the south of Russian Far East. Proceedings of III Meeting on Groundwater and Engineering Geology of Eastern Siberia. Krasnoyarsk, 1961. Vol. 1.
13. Kiryukhin V. A., Tolstikhin N. I. Hydrology of the Antarctic. Proceedings of XII Meeting on Groundwater and Engineering Geology of Eastern Siberia. Irkutsk–Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, 1988.
14. Kiryukhin V. A. Formation of groundwater in the south of Russian Far East : Thesis of Dissertation of Doctor of Geologo-Mineralogical Sciences. Leningrad, 1975. 65 p.
15. Kiryukhin V. A., Nikitina N. B., Sudarikov S. M. Hydrochemistry of Folded Zones. Leningrad : Nedra, 1989. 253 p.
16. Kiryukhin V. A. Earth’s hydrogeology study problems. Current Issues of Hydrogeology. V Tolstikhin’s Lectures : Conference Proceedings. Saint-Petersburg : Sankt-Peterburgskiy gornyi institut, 1996.
17. Kiryukhin V. A. Regional hydrogeology: Current condition and prospects. Issues of Regional Hydrogeology. VII Tolstikhin’s Lectures : Conference Proceedings. Saint-Petersburg : SPGGI, 1998. pp. 3–8.
18. Kiryukhin V. A. Nestor I. Tolstikhin (Path of Life and Creativity). 1896–1992. Saint-Petersburg, 2006. 140 p.
19. Kiryukhin A. V., Kiryukhin V. A., Manukhin Yu. F. Hydrogeology of Igneous Rocks. Saint-Petersburg : Nauka, 2010. 395 p.
20. Kiryukhin V. A. General Hydrogeology : Textbook. Saint-Petersburg, 2008. 439 p.
21. Kiryukhin V. A. Applied Hydrogeochemistry : Tutorial. Saint-Petersburg : Sankt-Peterburgskiy gornyi universitet, 2011. 230 p.

22. Kiryukhin V. A. Regional Hydrogeology : Textbook. Saint-Petersburg : RITs SPGGI, 2005. 344 p.
23. Norova L. P. Development of regional hydrogeology research in the studies by V. A. Kiryukhin. Current Issues of Hydrogeology, Engineering Geology and Hydrogeoecology in Eurasia : Proceedings of All-Russian Conference with International Participation and Scientific School Elements. Tomsk : Izdatelstvo Tomskogo politekhnicheskogo
universiteta, 2015. pp. 190–194.
24. In memory of distinguished hydrogeologist Vladimir A. Kiryukhin. Geoekologiya. Inzhenernaya Geologiya. Gidrogeologiya. Geokriologiya. 2013. No. 3. pp. 282–284.
25. Zaltsberg E. V.A. Kiryukhin, one of the last champions of regional hydrogeology (Russia). Hydrogeology Journal. 2010. Vol. 18, No. 4. pp. 1053–1056.