Russia is attempting to prove that the Lomonosov Ridge and the Mendeleev Ridge are the extension of the Russian continental shelf, the country will receive the right to the additional 1.2 million square kilometers in the Arctic and to the development of huge oil and gas fields.
The Russian research vessel Akademik Fedorov left Arkhangelsk on July 27 2011 for a three-month expedition to the Arctic to ascertain the borders of Russia's continental shelf.
The Siberian Shelf, is the largest continental shelf on Earth. It stretches to 1500 kilometers (930 miles) offshore. It is relatively shallow, with average depth of 100 metres.
Russia claims that the Lomonosov Ridge and the Mendeleev Ridge are an extension of the Siberian Continental Shelf and thus suggest they have their own Territorial Waters and Exclusive Economic Zones which radiate outwards from it. The interpretation of deep seismic & reflection sounding provided Russia data on the characteristics of layering and thickness of the earth's crust which are characteristic of a continental-type crust (not a thin oceanic crust).
The USA argues that geological and physical evidence indicates that the Mendeleev Ridge System originated on oceanic crust by volcanism over a "hot spot."
A "hot spot" is a magma source rooted in the Earth's mantle that is persistent for at least a few tens of millions of years and intermittently produces volcanoes on the overlying earth's crust as it drifts across the hot spot during continental drift.
The Mendeleev hot spot built a volcanic ridge about 35 km thick on the newly formed oceanic crust. The Mendeleev Ridge System is therefore volcanic features of oceanic origin and not part of any State's continental shelf
How does this impact Canada?
The question of what comprises Canada's internal waters has been raised. Our neighbours see the Northwest Passage as an international strait that any ship should be free to transit.
If this is true then would all land north of the Northwest Passage would be lost to us? Canada has until 2013 to submit their scientific data to a UN commission to prove our territorial waters and that the Northwest Passage does not constitute an international strait.
(from cbc.ca) Canada maintains that the waters separating most of the islands in Canada's Arctic are frozen over most of the year. Inuit hunt and spend large amounts of time working and even living on the ice — in effect turning it into an extension of the land. Canada also boasts one of the few year-round sites of human habitation close to the North Pole at Canadian Forces Station Alert, a military base at the northern tip of Ellesmere Island. Many have said that Canada's sovereignty case is weak and it might lose if tested.
The latest new comes from Canada.com
"The Russian military is putting together two brigades of specially trained Arctic troops to protect Russian interests, Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov announced on July 1st 2011. A brigade typically consists of 3,000 to 5,000 troops. "
The general staff is currently drafting plans to establish two such formations. Those plans should take into account deployment sites, armaments, number of servicemen and infrastructure," the defence minister said. The minister said the northern Russian cities of Murmansk or Arkhangelsk are being considered as the bases for the new Arctic warfare units.
Also last week, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced plans to build a $33-billion year-round port on the Yamal Peninsula, in the Russian Arctic.
The process of deterents and jockeying for position has started. This brings another definition to the 'Cold War'. I submit to you that this is the greatest direct threat to Canadian sovereingty that we have ever seen since the war of 1812.
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