Aleksey Blokhin was a Soviet petroleum geologist, professor, and teacher. His discovery of Bashkir oil in 1932 earned him a permanent place in the history of the Republic of Bashkortostan as a whole and the city of Ishimbay in particular.
BlokhIn was born in May 1897 in the village of Golovino in the Yaroslavl Province. In 1909, he completed education in the village school, and in 1917, he graduated with honors from the Kostroma Grammar School No. 1. The same year, he enrolled in the Natural Department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics at Moscow State University; however, he later quit studies, as money was tight. At the end of 1920, while serving in the military, he was sent to study at the Geological Exploration Department of the Moscow Mining Academy, where, at the time, the brilliant scientist and professor Ivan Gubkin delivered his lectures. BlokhIn was so impressed by Gubkin’s lectures that he decided to join his course. In 1929, already with a degree in mining engineering under his belt, he defended a graduation thesis on “Geology and Oil Exploration in the Kerch Peninsula.”
BlokhIn played a prominent role in the establishment of Bashkortostan’s oil industry. He studied the geological system of the Ishimbay region, proving the correctness of Gubkin’s hypothesis that this area has favorable geological properties for the accumulation of oil. In other words, he confirmed Gubkin’s assumption that there were large oil deposits near the village of Ishimbaevo. BlokhIn and his supporters convinced other scientists and the country’s economic leadership of Ishimbay’s prospects and that it required investments in oil development. Despite facing extreme difficulties, BlokhIn supervised the drilling operations personally and achieved tremendous success, finding oil in two out of four drilled wells.
After the discovery of oil in the Ishimbay region, Blokhin went on to serve in the Geological Committee. In 1932, he completed his postgraduate studies under Ivan Gubkin at the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union, and in 1937, he obtained the degree of Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences (PhD) and became a tenured professor. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he worked in the Republic of Bashkortostan as an academic supervisor of an expedition organized by the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union. During his next visit to Ishimbay, he unexpectedly succumbed to heart failure and passed away. Residents of Ishimbay remember Blokhin and recognize his invaluable contribution to the development of the entire region. One of the city’s streets and a garden square have since been named in his honor.
BlokhIn was born in May 1897 in the village of Golovino in the Yaroslavl Province. In 1909, he completed education in the village school, and in 1917, he graduated with honors from the Kostroma Grammar School No. 1. The same year, he enrolled in the Natural Department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics at Moscow State University; however, he later quit studies, as money was tight. At the end of 1920, while serving in the military, he was sent to study at the Geological Exploration Department of the Moscow Mining Academy, where, at the time, the brilliant scientist and professor Ivan Gubkin delivered his lectures. BlokhIn was so impressed by Gubkin’s lectures that he decided to join his course. In 1929, already with a degree in mining engineering under his belt, he defended a graduation thesis on “Geology and Oil Exploration in the Kerch Peninsula.”
BlokhIn played a prominent role in the establishment of Bashkortostan’s oil industry. He studied the geological system of the Ishimbay region, proving the correctness of Gubkin’s hypothesis that this area has favorable geological properties for the accumulation of oil. In other words, he confirmed Gubkin’s assumption that there were large oil deposits near the village of Ishimbaevo. BlokhIn and his supporters convinced other scientists and the country’s economic leadership of Ishimbay’s prospects and that it required investments in oil development. Despite facing extreme difficulties, BlokhIn supervised the drilling operations personally and achieved tremendous success, finding oil in two out of four drilled wells.
After the discovery of oil in the Ishimbay region, Blokhin went on to serve in the Geological Committee. In 1932, he completed his postgraduate studies under Ivan Gubkin at the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union, and in 1937, he obtained the degree of Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences (PhD) and became a tenured professor. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he worked in the Republic of Bashkortostan as an academic supervisor of an expedition organized by the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union. During his next visit to Ishimbay, he unexpectedly succumbed to heart failure and passed away. Residents of Ishimbay remember Blokhin and recognize his invaluable contribution to the development of the entire region. One of the city’s streets and a garden square have since been named in his honor.
