On June 10, 2008, outstanding world well-known scientist, academician of Russian Academy of Science - Nikolay Shilo has died on the 96-th year of life.

He has long way from the average executive geologist to leader of geological researchers of Far East Russia. During World War he developed gold mining for providing economical basement of fighting against Hitler aggressors. Later he became head of geological science in the east Russian regions and founder of Far East Branch of Academy of Science USSR. Nikolai Shilo has given the most fruitful period of his life to a problem of complex studying of mineral resources of and development mining industry Siberia and Passific region of Russia.

He was largest expert in geology of placer deposits, metallogeny of gold and general metallogeny of the province of Pacific Ocean, but the basic direction of his researches was geology of placer deposits. Having started to work in this area under the influence of earlier researchers, he developed this field of science and made outstanding input to the present-day doctrine on generation of placer deposits.

In 1970 year he has been selected by full member of USSR Academy of Science for new ideas in the theory of placer formation, accumulating new representations about features continental lithogenesis, tectonic-geomorphological evolution of a surface of the Earth and Cenozoic paleogeography.

List of the published works of Nikolai Shilo exceeds 700 titles, including 17 monographies. Most important work “Teaching on placer deposits: the placer-forming ore association and generation theory” was published in Russia several times.

On October 29, 2008, prof. Natalia Patyk-Kara has suddenly died.

She was well-known scientist and recognized leader in the areas of geology of placer deposits of continentals and shelves, geology of fluvial palaechannels, methodology of searches and an estimation placer deposits, including geochemical methods.

The most part of her scientific activity has been connected with group of geology of placer deposits under the direction of academician Nikolai Shilo (IGEM RAS), in development of theoretical bases of the doctrine about placer deposits and preservation of high level of domestic school of placer geology. Her contribution to studying placer deposits of rare metals, the titan and zirconium in continental areas and on a shelf of the Pacific Ocean, in evolution placer forming processes is especially considerable. N.Patyk-Kara developed technique of morphostructural and palaegeographical analysis, genetic models of formation and criteria of searches of large and superlarge placer deposits.

Sphere of scientific interests of N.Patyk-Kara entered not only all territory of Russia and the CIS countries, but also the largest world placer-bearing provinces: Canada, Australia, India, China and Southern Africa.

Till last day the life Natalia Georgievna was the head and the active participant of international project IGCP-514 «Fluvial Palaeo-Systems: Evolution And Mineral Deposits». She organized special conferences in Trivandrum (India) in 2007 and IGCP-514 sessions in the framework of International conferences on placer mineral deposits in Perm and Saint-Petersburg (Russia), IAGOD 2006 and 33-rd International Geological Congress in Oslo.

Natalia Patyk-Kara was associate editor of journal “Litology and Mineral Resources”, author about 300 printing works, including in the international editions, and 6 monographies. She has brought up many young scientists. They continue traditions of domestic school of geology of placers, last decade headed by academician Nikolai Shilo and the Natalia Patyk-Kara.