Caption

Vladimir Afanasyevich Obruchev (1863-1956, lower left), Soviet geologist and explorer, at the International Geology Congress in Moscow, Russia, in 1937. Obruchev carried out extensive explorations of Siberia and Central Asia in the 1880s and 1890s, studying the geology of the area and helping to design the Trans-Siberian Railway. He also pioneered science fiction works on palaentology. He was a Member of the USSR Academy of Science, and was made Hero of Socialist Labour, along with many other awards.