Shevchuk E.A., Sukhacheva E.Yu., Ryumin A.G., Volina O.V.

Sandy soils of forest landscapes of the Amur-Zeya Plain

Historically, soils of the Cambisol group have been recognized as zonal soils of the Upper Amur Basin Region. However, the wide distribution in the territory of the Amur-Zeya Plain of forest soils of light granulometric composition that were formed on loose sedimentary deposits makes it possible to identify an area of Arenosols and Podzols, for the first time described within the study area. The common features in the researched soils are a well-structured thin humus horizon and quartzfeldsparic mineralogical composition causing low intensity of the processes of weathering and metamorphism of mineral substance. The initial stages of biochemical weathering of mineral matter are diagnosed in soils of the Humic Arenosol subgroup. The most intensive processes of weathering and metamorphism of mineral matter are diagnosed in the middle horizons of the Rubic Arenosol group, which is associated with the formation of seasonal frost and the associated cycles of freezing-thawing of the soil profile. In the soils of the Entic Podzol subgroup, the process of iron illuviation is diagnosed, with formation of the maximum accumulation in the lower part of the soil profile at the boundary with the soil-forming rock.

Keywords:FOREST SOILS, NEOGENIC SANDS, SOIL MORPHOLOGY, THE UPPER AMUR BASIN REGION