Features of Soil Formation on Loessial Sediments of the Northern Macroslope of the Tsagan-Daban Ridge of Western Transbaikalia

Problem of genesis of loess as one of the most specific formations of the Quaternary period is object of long-term scientific discussions. These discussions and insufficient study of modern soils on loessial sediments has defined the purpose of the paper – research of features of soil genesis on loessial rocks (a case study of the northern macroslope of the Tsagan-Daban ridge of the Western Transbaikalia). Method of keysites, comparative-geographical method, and profile-genetic method were used. Physical and chemical properties of soils were measured by standard methods. Soil texture was measured by the pipette method. Types of soils were defined according to Classification and diagnostic of soils of Russia and to Field soil indicator. It is revealed, that soddy podzolic soils are formed on a watershed of a south-taiga complex (AZC) on typical loess; dark burozems soils– on the top parts of slopes of subtaiga and foreststeppe AZC on typical loess; grey-humus metamorphic soils – on average parts of slopes of subtaiga and forest-steppe AZC on loessial sediments; dark-humus residual-carbonated and dark agrozems – on deluvial loops of forest-steppe AZC on typical loess; chestnut soils and textural-carbonated agrozems – in the bottoms of hollows of xero-steppe AZC on loessial sediments. In general, for soils on loess sediments the increase in quantity of clay fractions awith the increase of altitude is observed. It indicates the strengthening of processes of weathering on mountains where dominates more humid microclimate. Modern soils on the loessial rocks of the northern macroslope of the Tsagan-Daban ridge of the Western Transbaikalia are singenetic formations of arid pedogenesis.

loess sediments, singenetic formations of arid pedogenesis, altitudinal zonecomplex, crust of weathering, soil texture, chemical properties

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