This issue of the journal is dedicated to the 90th birthday of Academician of the RAS A.E. Kontorovich. This introductory article reviews the included materials. The topics of the articles are closely connected to the scientific interests of Aleksei Emilievich, even though they are not fully represented. This anniversary issue includes articles concerning topical questions of geology, tectonics, stratigraphy, petroleum potential, as well as various aspects and characteristics of oil and organic matter geochemistry in oil-and-gas source formations of sedimentary basins of Siberia and the Arctic. Among the many lines of research A.E. Kontorovich pursued was the geology and geochemistry of concentrated forms of subsoil organic matter - coal. Therefore, this issue logically ends with an article on the study of the most ancient Devonian coals.