Lora Nikolaevna Lordkipanidze (1932–2022): Contributions to the Development of Historical Studies in Geology in Uzbekistan

This study provides a comprehensive scientometric and historical analysis of the legacy of DSc Lora Nikolaevna Lordkipanidze (1932-2022), a foundational figure in the history of geology in Uzbekistan in the late 20 th to early 21 st century. Her early research focused on history of platform evolution studies and she was later renowned as an international expert in this field. Based on a database of 234 publications spanning her seventy-year career, we identify a bimodal temporal structure of her scientific activity, with peak periods of institutionalization and contemporary international synthesis (more than 40% each). The paper highlights her pivotal role in the technological transition of geological data starting from 1967 – from the systematization of 15,000 paper-based sources to the creation of databases containing criteria related to 1,056 geological faults. Her career culminated in international recognition as an Honorary Senior Member of IUGS International Commission on the History of Geological Sciences (INHIGEO), with reports submitted to the Commission over a period of 21 years, whereby she ensured the systematic integration of Uzbekistan's geological history into the global scientific record. The findings herein solidify her status as a “methodological bridge” between Central Asian geological traditions and global scientific heritage. Her biography embodies the role of a woman scientist as a guardian of historical memory and a pioneer of systematic scientific analysis.