THE HOLOCENE EVOLUTION OF THE SOIL COVER OF THE RUSSIAN PLAIN

摘要

Six major stages of the soil-cover evolution have been specified: discontinuous cryogenic pedogenesis at Pleistocene-Holocene boundary; initiation of the soil cover in the Early Holocene; Middle Holocene quasi-equilibrium; climatic evolution on the eve of the Late Holocene; natural-anthropogenic and anthropo-technogenic Late Holocene evolution. The soil cover has been reconstructed for Pre-Boreal (9500 years ago), it comprised specific immature soils; for the climatic optimum (5000 years ago), when soils were similar to the present-day ones, although situated more to the north, and participation of deep chernozems, tundra and peaty-gley soils was reduced. The Late Holocene (1000 years ago) soil cover was practically the same as it is now. The analysis of 5000- and 1000-years-old soil permitted specification of regional types and variants of soil evolution.