Zoning and Geochemical Characterization of Volcanic Soils on Kamchatka

摘要

The paper presents the first data on the zoning of modern volcanic soils on the Kamchatka Peninsula according to the age and composition of volcanic ashes in which the surface organogenic horizons of the soils were formed. The following soil provinces are recognized: Northern, Central, Western, and Southeastern. Parameters of their regional geochemical background (concentrations of trace elements) are determined. The main factor controlling the background concentrations of trace elements in these soils is the composition of the ashes underlying the soils. The geochemical specifics of the surface organogenic horizons of volcanic soils on Kamchatka may be variably affected only by the concentrations of trace elements whose average contents in magmatic rocks are the highest: Cr, Cu, Mn, Sc, Zn, Co, V, and Ag. The maximum concentrations of excess elements were determined in the soils underlain by ashes of basic composition, and the minimum concentrations of these elements occur in the soils formed in silicic ashes. All soil provinces recognized on Kamchatka are characterized by pervasively elevated Cu concentrations. It is proposed to identify volcanic soils formed in the peninsula in ashes of various composition with the application of a multiplicative geochemical coefficient.