I will not describe in detail the specifics of work in the tundra. I will only say that our seismic group, with the help of resonance-frequency explosions and with the help of special reading and receiving equipment, was looking for underground storage of oil and gas, in the strata of rocks. Where they have accumulated over millions of years. My topographic detachment was considered an auxiliary unit of the seismic party. Our responsibilities included laying a road. Installation of geophysical pickets and instrumental shooting of the area.
The hardest time for work, it is the polar night. Twilight, which we out of habit called day, not conducive to performance. In the Far North in extreme climate, everybody hard to work. I mean workers, tractor drivers and of course, the topographers. Need to catch short hours of dusk, when something visible and hurry to take measurements as much distance as possible during this time. Even at such a fast pace, most of the time I had to move in the dark.
This story began precisely at the darkest time of the polar night. When 17 of December 1982 year, in the morning a southwest wind began to blow. Blowing wind made a noise, but visibility remained satisfactory. I gave a command for everyone to go to work and we laid a seismic profile against the wind, on the bare, without a single bush, hilly tundra. On the flat tops of each hill lay large boulders and pebbles, left by the last glaciation. Snow from the tops of the mountains was blown away by snowstorms.
Soon, after few days, according to my calculations, we will get to the border of the Northern forest Ary-Mas. There the movement of our detachment will be slow, because in the forest we need to clear the cargo way for machinery and equipment near with milestones. There was still a bare tundra around, therefore the guys immediately went ahead and tractor moved after them, towing our house – CUB, or also called as Residential module. I carefully took the testimony of the first stamp of theodolite, after then i slowly followed to them. In an hour and a half, i was stuck on the next brand of theodolite move. The guys have already gone far ahead, together with a tractor that towled our Central Universal Beam – CUB. I still could not to end the next brand, but every minute the wind was getting stronger and i watched with alarm the sharp gusts of it.