- Time Period: Post-WW2
- Year of Institution: 28 July 1978
- Country: Russia & USSR
The Medal for the Tapping of the Subsoil and Expansion of the Petrochemical Complex of Western Siberia (or Медаль «За освоение недр и развитие нефтегазового комплекса Западной Сибири», Medal «Za osvoenie nedr i razvitie neftegazovogo kompleksa Zapadnoj Sibiri» in Russian) was established on 28 July 1978 and awarded for 3 years outstanding service in the Petrochemical Complex Of Western Siberia.
The medal was awarded to active members in the underground exploration and development of the oil and gas complex of Western Siberia for selfless labor in the identification, exploration, and development of the mining and industrial processing of oil and gas, for work in construction, in manufacturing, in housing and other civilian facilities, in building highways, in electricity, transport or other services to the oil and gas industries, as well as to employees of scientific, research or design organizations, of institutions and organizations, of the service sector, Party, Soviet, trade union or Komsomol organs of the oil and gas industry, who produced conscientious work and contributed to the development of the petrochemical complex of Western Siberia over a period of at least three years.
Recommendations for the award were made by the administrative heads of enterprises, institutions, organizations, parties, trade unions or Komsomol organizations or labor collectives, and the executive committees of the District or City Council of People’s Deputies.
The Medal for the Tapping of the Subsoil and Expansion of the Petrochemical Complex of Western Siberia Design
The medal is circular, struck in brass, and measures 32 millimeters in diameter.
On its obverse, in the right half, the relief image of a sickle over a vertical hammer, in the background, the relief images of two oil rigs at the center, two gas tanks at left, a tractor and piping at lower center, at the bottom a small relief five-pointed star, along the medal circumference, the relief inscription «За освоение недр и развитие нефтегазового комплекса Западной Сибири» (“For the tapping of the subsoil and expansion of the petrochemical complex of Western Siberia”).
On the reverse, in the central upper half, a relief five-pointed star emitting rays from between its arms forming an inversed pentagon, superimposed over the star, the relief inscription «СССР» (“USSR”), at the bottom, crossed laurel and oak branches.
The medal was secured to a standard Soviet pentagonal mount by a ring through the medal suspension loop. The mount was covered by a 24 mm wide overlapping green silk moiré ribbon with a 6 mm wide central blue stripe bordered on both sides by 2 mm black stripes themselves bordered on the outside by 1 mm wide white stripes.
