MOSCOW, August 8 (RIA Novosti) - Studying...

Russian researchers descended 4,200 meters (14,000 feet) below the Pole in two submersibles last Thursday to gather evidence to bolster the country's claim to a vast swathe of extra Polar territory - a mission fueling national pride at home but attracting criticism from rival Arctic powers.

Yury Leonov, secretary of the academy's Department of Earth Sciences, told a news conference: "Studying the rock samples will take six months, as scientists will have to determine rock composition, formation time and the presence of organic residue."

But Leonov admitted: "these probes were insufficient, and can only be regarded as a part of the research." He said more studies involving other methods were required to back the claim that the underwater Lomonosov mountain chain, discovered by Russia, is a continuation of the country's landmass. He said Russia does have some scientific data in favor of the claim.

In 2001, Russia said it was entitled to an extra 1.2

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