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Credits

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Making a website such as this one can never be done alone. In the process I met many people both in person and virtually who all contributed to this website. Some gave permission to use their pictures, without which this site would be boring. Others provided references, chemical analyses, specimen, maps, information, interesting discussions and motivation. I can not mention everybody here, but a few I must mention (and probably more that I forgot, sorry):

Thanks to Frank de Wit and Aart Verweij of www.Strahlen.org for providing me with the server space and technical assistance. 

Many thanks to Rob Smits for support, assistance and samples; Dieter Nikolai for specimen. Sergey Sayamov for pictures, specimen and interesting Donbas and Caucasus discussions. Also thanks to Brent Thorne and Thomas Witzke for the many pictures attributed. Oxana Evdokimova for locating the Stremitelnaya river and everything that happened during the search. Wilfried Steffens for providing much data about alkaline intrusions. Ilya Morozov for providing many city crests (Take a look at his site for more heraldy. http://heraldry.hobby.ru/ ).  Dr. Mikhail Murashko, Dr. Victor Yakovenchuk, Dr.Glenn Stracher, Prof . Jaques Jedwab for their scientific support.

A great many thanks to Maxim, Dima and Katty from  www.mineralogist.ru  Young Russian mineralogists who sell great Russian specimen. They have a beautifully designed site with lots of interesting information. Take a look! They allowed me to use their stunning pictures as illustrations of Russian mineralogy. Thanks, all!

Many thanks to Oleg Demyanenko of Ural Expeditions and Tours. He provided lots of information and pictures on the Ural and Altai. Oleg runs a  travel agency and when you plan to visit the Ural or Altai, he is the man you need! Check out his site by clicking his banner.